White Water (14 page)

Colin nodded. “Yeah, it rained last night.” He peered out the window. “Still pretty calm water; we should have an easy run.” Kara could hear the disappointment in his voice.

Tia kept her head down. “Ooh, I hate this!” she squealed, and took a firmer grip on Kara's arm. Kara winced and glanced over at Ryan. He didn't much like flying either, but he had taken the other window seat without a fuss and seemed to be enjoying the scenery.

“Wow, look, Kara, there must be a trizillion trees out there!” he yelled.

She laughed. “You're right, Ry, there are, and it's really beautiful right now, isn't it? Everything is so green. Tia, you're really missing out.” She jiggled Tia's arm and got a weak, “Ooh,” in response.

“Hey, there's a short stretch of white water.” Colin's voice held excitement for the first time since they'd taken off.

“That huge bolder in the middle is Finn Rock,” Mark said. “Stay to the left and you'll be fine.” He leveled out the wings and gained a bit of altitude. The dense forest looked impassable from this distance, but Kara knew there must be deer trails scattered through the area. A few minutes later, she spotted a narrow patch of bare ground directly ahead; just enough room to land a small plane, or so Mark said.

In spite of herself, Kara closed her eyes. She felt a slight bump, then the plane rattled to a stop just a few yards from a thick stand of trees.

Tia let out a moan and scrambled out of the plane after Ryan. Mark and Colin were already unloading the supplies. “Put the raft in over there,” Mark suggested, pointing toward a small inlet where the water looked deep and calm. Colin gave him a high five, shouldered the raft, and headed for the riverbank. Kara helped Ryan with his backpack, then handed him his life jacket. “Stay away from the water until you have that on,” she shouted as he took off after Colin. She and Tia put on their own packs, gathered up the remaining supplies, and staggered after the boys.

By the time the noise of Mark's plane faded into the distance, the raft was inflated and afloat. Tia held the line, while Kara and Colin loaded their waterproof packs and sleeping bags. Kara helped Ryan buckle his life jacket, then stuffed the rest of the orange vests along the sides within easy reach. She doubted they would need them. From what she had seen from the air, there were no rapids to speak of, and Mark had said this was the only really deep spot on the river.

Kara took the line, while Colin climbed into the bow and fitted the aluminum oars into the oarlocks, which were just a couple of plastic rings, but they would help keep the oars with the boat. Tia and Ryan scrambled into the middle, using the sleeping bags for seats. Kara allowed the raft to float out a little with the current, then hopped in and gave it a push with one of the extra oars. She and Colin rowed, smoothly matching each other's strokes, until they were moving along at a pretty good pace.

“Hey, you better slow down so I can catch some fish.” Ryan dug through his pack and came up with his collapsible fishing pole, hooks, and a small jar of salmon eggs.

“Yuck!” Tia wrinkled her nose. “I hope you can bait the hook yourself, Small Fry, because I'm not touching those slimy things.”

Kara sighed, pulled her oars out of the water, and stored them along the sides of the raft. “Here, Ry, I'll help you get the hook on, then you're on your own.”
And if you believe that, Dorothy, you'd better go back to Kansas
. From the smirk on Colin's face, she knew he was thinking the same thing.

After an hour of helping Ryan untangle his line, baiting his hook, and rescuing the oar he managed to knock overboard, Kara sank back into the boat with a groan. “I thought this was supposed to be relaxing!”

Colin took pity on her. “I don't know about you guys, but I could use some lunch. Why don't you reel in, Partner, and break out some of those cheese crackers we brought along?”

“I guess,” Ryan grumbled. “There's no fish in this stupid river anyway.”

Kara rolled her eyes, but didn't have the strength to lecture him. She yawned and settled back into the curve of the raft. The sky was clear, with a just few puffs of white cloud. A warm breeze teased a strand of hair across her cheek, and the raft rocked gently on the calm water.

“Wakara?”

Kara felt a hand on her shoulder and opened her eyes. The raft was no longer moving, and when she took Colin's offered hand and pulled herself up, she saw they were grounded in shallow water along a sandy shore.

Colin grinned. “Come on, Sleeping Beauty, you may be small, but we can't beach this thing with you still in it.”

“Whoa, sorry. I must have dozed off.”

“I guess!” Tia reached past her for one of the sleeping bags. “You were cutting Zs for over two hours!”

Kara felt her face burn. Colin let go of her arm, gathered up a couple of backpacks, and moved off to where Ryan was gathering rocks. Kara grabbed the back of Tia's shirt. When her friend turned around, Kara whispered, “I didn't really snore, did I?”

Tia laughed. “No. It's just an expression. Sorry. But you were really out of it.”

Impulsively, Kara gave her a hug. “I guess I didn't sleep very well last night.” Really, she hadn't slept much at all. Tia on the other hand had snored loudly enough to rouse a hibernating bear.

Colin came back, and the three of them pulled the raft onto the sand. “This is a great place to spend the night,” he said when they had the raft secure. “That big log over there makes a perfect windbreak for the fire. I can even bed down in front of it, and the rest of you can lay out your bags in that circle of trees.”

Tia looked around. “Fine by me, as long as we eat pretty soon. I'm starved!”

Kara frowned. “There's still a lot of daylight left. If we stop now, will we make it on time tomorrow?”

“Hey, Kara,” Ryan hollered. “Come see what I found. Flat rocks, and they're the perfect size.” He let one fly, and Kara jumped back as it sailed between her and Colin, then landed with a plop in the water.

“Ryan Sheridan!” But he was already headed the other direction.

“This place is cool; I'm gonna explore!” he called back over his shoulder.

“I'll get him.” Tia sprinted across the clearing. “Come back here, you little squirt. You have to stay with us.”

“I do not!” Ryan yelled. “And don't call me Squirt!”

Kara groaned and plopped down on a log. Colin laughed. “You really want to get back into the boat?” She shook her head. He held out her jacket and lifted a small mess kit out of the raft. “The river runs downhill from here. We should make landing in plenty of time to meet your dad.”

The wind off the water sent goose bumps up Kara's arms. She pulled on her heavy jacket, snagged the last sleeping bag, and hurried over to help set up camp. When they were done, Colin gathered up the fishing gear and took Ryan upriver. Kara flashed him a look of gratitude, then turned to Tia. “Now what?”

Tia grinned. “Now,” she said, “we explore!”

Away from the water, the temperature was actually mild. Mosquitoes were already hatching in muddy pools where the rainwater had not yet dried up, and black flies buzzed around their ears. They swatted the pests and kept walking, following a slim trail that ran parallel to the river. Kara pointed out deer scat and the tracks of a raccoon.

“I hope those are the only animals around.”

Tia sounded nervous, so Kara just said, “Don't worry about it,” trying to sound calm. She decided not to point out the larger tracks she'd seen crossing the trail. She didn't stop to examine them, either. Not that she was afraid. If they kept the fire going tonight, most animals would stay away.

You think that little fire is going to keep a bear away?
She stepped over a fallen log.
But it should
, she argued with herself. That bear at Eagle Lodge had been a rogue, and the one back in Lariat had probably been scared to death when she and Lily came galloping across the meadow toward her
cub.
Black bears are by nature shy
, she told herself,
and a group of four humans should be enough to deter one bear
.

She and Tia had just made it back to camp when Colin and Ryan came into the clearing. “Good timing, ladies.” Colin grinned and held up a string of fish. “Dinner is served!”

“Trout!” Ryan shouted, as if they weren't standing right there. “I caught the big one; look, he's a whopper!”

Colin winked at Kara and steered Ryan toward the river. “Come on, Partner, we're not done yet. What you catch, you clean.”

Kara started a fire, while Tia dug through the packs. “Three packages of stroganoff mix. That should be enough.” Tia glanced at the shoreline, where Colin was scouring his fishing knife with sand. “You can have my share of the trout,” she whispered
.

Kara laughed. “Don't worry, the guys won't care if you don't eat any. It'll be that much more for them.”

Colin coated the fish in cornmeal, unfolded a small aluminum fry pan, and cooked them one at a time in the butter Anne had sent along. When everyone had eaten, there was nothing left but bones and one spoonful of noodles in the bottom of the pan. Kara scraped the garbage into a plastic bag. “That was great, Ry. Thanks for catching dinner.”

Ryan beamed. “I'll get some more tomorrow.”

Kara started to tell him they wouldn't have time to fish tomorrow. They had to stay on the water if they were going to make it back on time, but she decided not to stir up an argument. They were having too much fun. She and Tia
cleaned up the pans and dishes, while Colin rifled through
his bag and produced a flattened bag of white goo. “Marshmallows.” He grinned. “I guess they got kind of squashed.”

“So?” Ryan piped up. “They still taste good.”

Colin nodded. “You know, Partner, I think you're right.” He broke off a sticky, white blob, threaded it onto a green twig, and handed it to Ryan.

When they'd all eaten their fill of the gooey dessert, Ryan wiped his hands on his jeans and said, “Hey, let's tell ghost stories! I bet Colin knows some good ones.”

Kara flashed Colin a warning glare. She breathed a sigh of relief when he said with a drawl, “Sorry, Partner, but I know for a fact that there are no ghosts in these woods.” He paused and rubbed his chin, playing the part of storyteller to the hilt. “Although I do believe they've seen a Sasquatch in the area.”

Tia groaned, and Kara shook her head. “Colin,” she warned, but he refused to look at her. He had Ryan's attention, though.

“What's a Sasquatch?”

“You know,” Colin's voice dropped to an ominous whisper, “Big Foot.”

“Big Foot!” Ryan's eyes were as big as dinner plates. “You mean that hairy monster that looks like a bear-man and has footprints bigger than a grizzly?”

Colin nodded soberly, and Kara said, “Come on, Ry, Colin's only kidding you. They haven't even proven Big Foot exists. And even if he does,” she glared at Colin, “he's not wandering around in this valley.”

“He does too exist!” said Ryan. “I saw it on TV. They have pictures and everything.” Then his shoulders drooped, and he patted Colin's arm. “It's okay, Colin, I just remembered. The TV guy said Big Foot is really shy. He'd never hurt anyone.” He yawned and leaned his head against Kara's arm. “I think I'm sorta sleepy.”

Tia stood and stretched. “Well, Wakara may have had a nap, but I didn't, so if you two don't mind, I'm going to crash.” Ryan was already asleep. Colin helped Tia spread the space blankets in the curve of trees on the other side of the fire, then he rolled out the sleeping bags on top of them. He helped Kara bundle Ryan into one bag, then spread out his own bedroll next to the fallen log and sat back down by the fire.

“Way to go, Colin,” Kara said. “It's a good thing he wasn't scared, or you would have been the one up with him all night.”

He grinned. “He's a smart kid, he'll be fine.” He patted the spot next to him. “Come sit awhile.”

He must have seen her hesitate, because his grin faded and he lowered his voice. “It's okay, Wakara. I had a long talk with your Dad. He wouldn't have let us come if he weren't convinced I would treat you with respect. I was pretty sure you already knew that.”

Relieved, Kara sat down next to him. “I do know that,” she said quietly, then stared into the fire, hoping Colin couldn't hear the thudding of her heart. “About Dad.” She made herself look up at Colin. “I'm sorry you had to go through all that. He's just being . . .” She couldn't quite form the right words.

“An Alpha Wolf?” Colin supplied them for her, and they both laughed.

Kara took a deep breath and leaned back against the log. “I really love being in the woods. It makes me feel so content and peaceful, and, well, free!”

Colin shifted around until he was facing her. “What do you want, Wakara?” he asked. “Out of life, I mean.”

She sighed, then began to tell him all about her plans to be a vet and her desire to live in a small town, close to farms and ranches, so she could specialize in large animals like horses and cattle.

Colin said little, just encouraged her with nods and murmurs of approval. When she realized she had been babbling for over half an hour, she stopped and tossed another log onto the fire. “All right, your turn.” She grinned up at him
.

He smiled back at her and plopped his hat onto her head. “You look better in my hat than I do.”

Colin's hair was flattened against his scalp, except for a swirl of hair standing straight up from the cowlick on the crown of his head. Kara giggled. “You look like Alfalfa in the
Our Gang
shows.” She shook off the hat, coiled her long, black braid on top of her head, then put the hat back on. “But that's not going to get you out of this, Colin Jones.”