Part 22 (1/2)

”We've got this, Austin, push,” Morgan shouted. ”Don't look at the tub, just paddle with all you've got.” The shouting made Morgan lose count on her paddling, and the vessel veered to the left when she paddled for a second on the wrong side. The tub was just ahead, and those ruthless b.a.s.t.a.r.ds had the foresight to wear gloves. Morgan's hands burned from the friction, and her arms felt like they were on fire.

Austin roared as he put all he had into the paddling. She followed suit, focusing on her breathing to keep her mind off the agony in her arms. She wanted victory, she wanted it for Austin. ”Hey, bud, I'm still back here paddling, and I'm not gonna give up, but I have to be quiet to conserve energy. I just want you to know that I'm so d.a.m.n proud of you, and nothing will ever change that.”

Austin's strokes became wider, faster. He was pouring on the juice. Morgan breathed out between clenched teeth, releasing a hiss on every stroke she made. They moved alongside the tub, but neither she nor Austin dared to break concentration to look at their opponents. Their eyes were on the goal. Unified in the sole focus, they pushed themselves hard and took the lead.

”Oh, my G.o.d, oh, my G.o.d,” Jaclyn chanted as she watched. Thor and the tub were side by side, and she could clearly see the fatigue in Austin and Morgan. Thor was getting close enough that Jaclyn no longer needed the binoculars. With every stroke they made, she did too. She didn't care that she looked like an idiot swinging her arms. She jumped off the deck still rowing as though she could help them in some way. When Thor broke the finish line, Jaclyn took off running.

Morgan's lungs were on fire, and her arms felt like they were filled with ants when Austin threw himself on her, knocking her out of Thor. They hit the water tangled together. The shock of the cold stole her breath away, and when they broke the surface, she gasped.

”I love you, man!” Austin yelled in her face. ”I love you! I mean it.”

He looked surprised then, and Morgan was certain she looked the same. ”I love you, too, Austin,” she said with a laugh and meant it.

Something cat-like with a head of blond hair sailed into the air with all four limbs outstretched and landed in the water between them. Jaclyn emerged seconds later and grabbed them both around their necks. The three of them laughed and screamed in victory as Maddie stood on the bank snapping one picture after another.

A deerskin when wet smells so much worse than when it's dry, Morgan thought with disgust. The stench wafted up from beneath the blanket she was wrapped in as she and Austin stood on the podium in the park next to the mayor. The muscles in her jaw flexed to keep her teeth from chattering. Austin bounced beside her as second and third prizes were awarded.

”First prize goes to Austin Wyatt and Captain Morgan Cha.s.sion,” the mayor announced as he handed them a large trophy. Austin held it up, and the crowd roared. Morgan s.h.i.+ed away when the mayor asked if she would like to say a few words, but Austin grabbed the mic from his hands.

”I want to thank my mom for letting me be in the race and for helping us decorate Thor. I want to thank all the businesses that donated the prizes, but I want to thank most the person that made this possible for me because no one else would let me be their partner, not even a guy I thought was my best friend.” Austin looked at Morgan. ”I have a new best friend, though. I wouldn't be up here now if it wasn't for her. I know I'll never find a better partner than Morgan Cha.s.sion.” Austin handed the mic back to the mayor and threw his arms around Morgan's neck.

Over his shoulder, Morgan saw Jaclyn standing at the front of the crowd next to Maddie. There were tears in her eyes. She wasn't just losing her heart to Jaclyn, but Austin too. She recognized the look in Jaclyn's eyes, the way she behaved, because she'd seen it in herself. And as much as she'd tried to deny it in those quiet moments when common sense told her she was getting too deep with an uncertain future, she accepted that she was falling head over heels, and Jaclyn was too. The tiny bit of reserve she still held on to slipped from her grasp, and Morgan decided to fall regardless of where she would land.

Maddie pursed her lips as Morgan stepped out of the bathroom wearing Heath's clothes. ”Baggy, but not bad.” She smiled. ”You smell much better, though. You can keep those. They don't fit him anymore.”

”Thank you, Maddie.” She doubted Heath would want them back if he knew she was going commando. She felt like a misfit in loaned clothes and a pair of Heath's old work boots, but there was no way she was going to be able to get back across the lake for a while unless it was by boat. Lake Sh.o.r.e Drive had become one giant block party, and there were still children's races happening on the lake.

Jaclyn was on the phone when Morgan walked out onto the deck. ”Are you sure? Oh, please tell Skip I appreciate him so much, and you too, Betsy. I don't know what I would've done without you and Ida.”

Morgan grinned. Jaclyn's usual attire was jeans or shorts, usually a b.u.t.ton-down s.h.i.+rt or a T-s.h.i.+rt, but she'd been forced to wear her sister's clothes. The blinged-out jeans showed off her b.u.t.t, and the blue and white-striped mid-length-sleeved s.h.i.+rt hugged her upper body like a glove.

”You look hot,” Morgan said lowly when Jaclyn ended her call.

Jaclyn put a hand on her hip. ”I'll tell you what's hot-you in a deerskin with that Viking hat. If it didn't smell so bad, I'd ask you to wear it more often.”

Morgan moved closer and whispered, ”I'd offer to wear the hat tonight, but I can't lift my arms. I'm really afraid you're going to have to feed me.”

”I'll take any excuse to be close to you right now. Are you thirsty?”

”I could drink a gallon of water, to be honest. I drank a lot out of the showerhead, that's what took me so long.”

Jaclyn grinned as she picked up a bottle from the table on Maddie's deck and held it to Morgan's lips. ”I'll feed you and make sure you have plenty to drink, and later you can just lay there.” One of Jaclyn's brows rose seductively. ”I'll do all the work, and you'll hear no complaints from me.” She seemed to take great pleasure in the water spilling down the front of Morgan's s.h.i.+rt as her lip sagged.

Jaclyn made good on her promise to keep Morgan fed. The few times she did try to lift her own fork, her hands shook so much she couldn't get the food in her mouth. Austin wasn't much better off. His s.h.i.+rt was stained with punch where he'd spilled it all over himself. He sat next to Morgan in a lawn chair after they'd moved to the park. Cajun dance music filled the air as a band played beneath the pavilion. Morgan watched as Maddie and Jaclyn twirled surrounded by other dancers.

Jaclyn's smile was radiant as they danced. Her hair had dried on its own and was wild around her face. Morgan's desire flared despite the exhaustion that pinned her to the chair. She would never kiss or touch Jaclyn enough to satisfy her.

”You can't stop staring at her, can you?”

Morgan glanced at Austin. ”Your mother is a very special woman, I'm sure you already know that.”

”Yeah. I think it's really funny to watch y'all get all googly-eyed. Adults don't do that much. I know Aunt Maddie loves Uncle Heath, but they don't look at each other like that.”

”You're pretty observant for a young dude,” Morgan said with a laugh.

Austin looked down at the blisters on his hands. ”When Logan used to talk to me, he told me that his mom goes in her room and cries a lot. His dad told him not to worry because women do that, but Logan thinks they're not gonna stay together.” Austin slowly met Morgan's gaze. ”Don't make my mom cry, okay?”

Morgan swallowed hard. ”I won't, I promise.”

Austin's gaze searched hers for a moment, then he seemed to relax when he found truth there. ”I wish we could go home. I'm tired, and everything I've got is aching.” He sank lower in his chair and laid his head on her shoulder.

Morgan smiled, warmed by the fact that Austin took comfort in her. As she looked up at the stars, she marveled at how much of a difference he and his mother made in her life in such a short time. She'd fallen in love twice.

Chapter Thirty-three.

Jaclyn was in that very light stage of sleep when the brain says it's time to get up and the body doesn't want to, except for the bladder. The absence of Morgan roused her enough to notice the clock beside the bed. ”s.h.i.+t!” It was already eight o'clock on a Sunday, and she hadn't opened the store. While she scrambled around the bedroom, it dawned on her why the room was so dark. She pulled the blinds back and frowned at the dreary day. No one would be on the lake this morning, especially after the regatta. This slowed her stride.

After she dressed, she went down to the kitchen where Austin struggled to make pancakes. Piles of greasy dough lay next to the stove. ”What're you doing, baby?”

”Morgan woke me up and told me to spoil you for taking care of us last night. She opened the store, so you could sleep in.”

Jaclyn was genuinely touched. ”That's so sweet.”

”I've watched you do this a million times, and it looks so easy. What am I doing wrong?”

Jaclyn raised a brow as she noticed enough oil on the griddle to cook fries, it was a wonder he hadn't started a fire. ”How about I show you?” She said as she kissed his cheek.

When Morgan walked into The Lure that morning, the store looked like it had been ransacked. She swept the floors before restocking the coolers with sodas and beer and was working on the snack aisle when Betsy walked in. ”The victorious have risen,” she said brightly. ”Congratulations.”

”Thanks, Betsy, but the victor is extremely sore. I'd thought I was in pretty decent shape until that race. The only thing that makes me feel better is that Austin feels as c.r.a.ppy as I do.” She smiled as she said, ”He's going to start weightlifting to train for next year.”

”Where is Jaclyn this morning?”

Morgan put the last bag of potato chips on the shelf and tossed the box toward the storeroom. ”Hopefully, she's still asleep. I switched off her alarm when I got up this morning. She managed to get two whiny babies tucked in last night, and I thought she deserved a break.”

”You're very thoughtful, which is a wonderful character trait in a spouse.”

Morgan's sleepy eyes widened. ”We're not...I mean, we haven't gone that far.”

”Yet,” Betsy said smugly. ”Will you be leaving for Thanksgiving?”