“I’m ready to go if you are,” Maverick said, echoing her thoughts aloud. She liked being on the same wavelength as him.
“Okay. Thanks, Andrew. I’ll see you later.” She got to her feet and followed Maverick out of the bakery, turning every single head in the shop. If their kiss hadn’t made the morning news yet, then their leaving the bakery together would.
Maverick swept his gaze over her when they were safely outside and out of view. “You good to go or do you need to stop at the inn?”
“I’m good.” Her shorts, T-shirt, and sneakers were perfect for a day on the lake.
“You have sunscreen on?”
Call her ridiculous, but the question made her heart flip-flop in her chest. He cared. “No, actually.”
“Dr. Martin, that isn’t very responsible of you. Luckily, I’ve got you covered, since I need to stop at my house and change clothes.” Too bad, considering his jeans, cowboy boots, and cowboy hat were growing on her.
Maverick not only supplied her with sunscreen but a faded blue baseball cap to keep the sun out of her eyes and protect the freckles across your nose. She’d blushed hard at that and let him win their staring contest. No man had mentioned her freckles before, let alone preserving them.
And when he wasn’t looking at her, she definitely enjoyed looking at him. He’d changed into black board shorts, athletic shoes, and a light gray T-shirt. His calves were toned, his stomach flat, his shoulders broad. Whether a cowboy or a boater, he made it difficult for her to look away.
They stood on the bank of the lake, two canoes ready and waiting for takeoff. They were the only two people there, the silence golden, the lake beautifully placid. The sky and mountains were vivid shades of blue and green. A lone, two-story house he said belonged to Cole sat on an empty bank to the northeast.
“See that sandbar out there?” Maverick said. “Think you can paddle that far?”
The closest she’d come to being in a boat was the pedal boats at the Disneyland Hotel, but he didn’t need to know that. “That U-shaped thing? Sure.”
He cracked a small smile. “It’s not too late to change your mind and take a tandem canoe.”
“Worried I’ll beat you across the lake?” Tough words hid doubt, right? She could beat him. Miracles happened.
“Suit yourself.” He picked up a life vest. “Let’s get this on you. On the water it’s known as a PFD or personal flotation device.”
Grateful she’d be protected if she did fall into the lake, she didn’t argue when he fitted it over her head and tightened the safety straps to his satisfaction.
“What about you?” she asked.
“I’m good.” He stepped toward the shorter and narrower canoe and lifted a paddle out. “This is your ride. It’s strictly for recreation, so very stable and durable. You’ve never been in a canoe, right?”
“Right.”
“Okay, so you can either sit down on the raised seat or kneel in front of it, whichever you feel more comfortable doing. This end of the paddle”—he touched the rubber blade—“is what goes in the water.”
“Or over your head if you don’t stop talking like I’m in kindergarten. I’m familiar with how a paddle works, Mav.”
He grinned. “I wasn’t sure, given your city girl status,” he teased. Then more seriously he said, “You don’t need any further explanation?”
She supposed there was a correct way to move the paddle with her body and, since she did want to prove to him she could do this independently, she nicely said, “What else do I need to know?”
“Two things.” He handed her the paddle and retrieved his own out of the other canoe. “Rotate your torso when you paddle using your upper body to provide the power needed to move the canoe. And keep your arms within your field of vision, so always in a square or box shape. Like this.” He demonstrated, and she copied him. “Looks good. You ready to give it a try?”
How hard could it be? She sat in the canoe and paddled. She had good balance, above average intelligence, and a life jacket on. She was raring to go. “Yes.”
He took her elbow and helped her inside the canoe. “Get comfortable and then I’ll push you into the water.”
She sat on the raised seat, feeling pretty relaxed. “Okay.”
Mav moved to the back of the canoe and pushed her off. The second she landed fully in the water, though, she was anything but relaxed. The canoe wobbled! Her paddle hit the water with a splash and little else. And she had zero control over her direction.
A few seconds later, Maverick’s canoe slid beside hers and his big, strong hand gripped the edge of her canoe to help steer her. “Relax, Shortcake. Take a breath and settle into your seat, and your lower body will keep the canoe stable.”
She did as he said, intentionally settling her weight into her bottom and sitting more confidently. Her canoe stopped rocking. He released his hold but continued to float at her side.
“Now, plant the paddle in the water and pull the boat toward the paddle, rather than the paddle toward the boat.”
It took a different kind of concentration than she was used to, but she did it. She was finally canoeing across the lake. “I’m doing it!”
“You are,” Maverick agreed, making it look easy as he paddled around her in a circle before moving parallel to her on their way toward the sandbar.
If she weren’t so focused on staying straight and keeping her balance, she would have loved to stare at Maverick’s muscled arms as he paddled. Maybe on the way back, she’d be able to.
“Ducks at nine o’clock,” he said.
“It’s a family!” She stopped paddling to watch them. Four baby ducks floated on the water behind their mama. She tried to recall if she’d ever seen baby ducks in the wild before, and she didn’t think so. She’d spent so much time focused on school and becoming a doctor that she’d missed out on basic beauties of nature. Being in Windsong had opened her eyes to many things this week: small-town camaraderie, the smell of pine and earth, the joy of horses and mules, the awe of bringing newborn puppies into the world, and now this.
The front of her canoe drifted to the left as she stared at the ducklings, so she put her paddle back in the water—and something hit it. It startled her so badly that she let go of the paddle.
“What was that?” she shrieked. “Something in the water just hit my paddle.” And oh, crap, where did her paddle go? It was sinking!
She started to move onto her knees to lean over the canoe and grab it, but the canoe wobbled, so she sat right back down and focused on keeping her balance. She didn’t need the paddle that badly.