Page 9 of No Place Like Home (Orlinda Valley #3)

Summer

T hat had gotten way too intense. Electricity had shot sparks throughout my entire body and caused my nerve endings to scream. I’d had tingles from my head to my toes.

This was crazy. No. No. No. This was Rowan . I can’t be having these feelings toward him. Not now. Not after all these years.

But damn, the way he looked at me, and the story of how he started to call me Summertime .

. . I sighed and continued my walk through the water while my thoughts drifted.

I’d wondered briefly that summer whether we might finally admit our feelings for each other, but when sophomore year started, he had an amazing season on the football field, and became the most wanted guy in the school.

Then that snotty-ass cheerleader bitch he started seeing made sure we didn’t talk much, and I decided we would always be better off as friends.

Now, though . . . What the hell was that?

What was going through his mind, and why the hell did my body react the way it did?

When he looked at me like that . . . Damn, I didn’t even want to think about what I saw in his eyes.

He was Rowan, and if something was ever supposed to happen between us, now would be a stupid time.

I needed a single friend. I needed to always be able to count on him. This—whatever this was—had to stop.

We waded into the creek—which, technically, wasn’t a creek at all, but a narrow part of the Red River.

The water was chilly in the shallows, but it didn’t take long to get used to it.

The farther in you went, though, the deeper and colder it got.

We waded just around the bend to where the river widened and became the swimming hole.

“Shouldn’t we watch the goats?” Rowan asked.

I brushed my hand in the air. “No, they’ll be fine. They’ll probably still be there when we get back, unless Kai comes home.”

We stopped where the water was still at our shins. Rowan reached down and pulled out some rocks. “Did you ever learn to skip rocks, or are you still a fish murderer?” He sent one stone skipping along the top of the water five or six times before it fell under.

“Don’t know. Haven’t done it in a while.

” He laid a flat rock in the palm of my hand, and a zing of awareness pulsed through my body.

I pulled away from his touch and turned my attention to the task at hand: skipping this damn rock.

I cocked my arm back, kept it even with the water like I remembered him showing me years ago, and let it fly.

It landed with a hard kerplop and sunk immediately.

I pursed my lips. “Shit. I guess that answers that.”

“Here.” Rowan said as he choked back a laugh, his face giving away his amusement.

I narrowed my eyes.

“Sorry. Let’s try this again.” He handed me another rock. “Remember what I always told you.” He went behind me and placed his left hand on my waist while his right hand guided my right arm through the air. “Gently, now. Keep your arm straight, and when you let it go, aim for the top of the water.”

I turned to adjust my stance, and my shirt slipped above the waistline of my shorts just far enough that his hand touched my skin. Our eyes met. The warmth of his fingers brushing my skin sent a now familiar, yet unwanted, shot of electricity through my core.

My eyes popped wide. Did he feel that? I searched his face and saw nothing, and when he spoke, he broke whatever this moment was between us. “Be gentle, and you’ll do it.” His voice was soft in my ear, his breath brushing the side of my face.

It took me a second to realize he was talking about the rock.

I cleared my throat to help focus my brain, pulled my arm back, horizontal with the ground, and sent my rock soaring.

It skipped twice before falling under the water.

“Yes!” I yelled. “I’ve never been able to do that.

You’re an amazing teacher, Row.” I turned quickly—and found he was much closer than I thought.

He grabbed me around my waist and the air left my lungs.

I tipped my head back to be able to see him, and his eyes stayed on mine for a split second before glancing at my lips. Damn . My heart needed to slow down and remember who this was. This was Rowan. Maybe if I continued to remind myself of that, my body would get the message.

My eyes—the traitors—fell to his mouth, which was inching closer. I could feel his breath, soft and warm, as his lips hovered over mine. My heart thumped wildly and my eyes fluttered closed.

The goats bleated a greeting back at the beach where we left them, but I didn’t care.

Then, “Summer? Rowan? Are you out here? ”

Shit. The spell, or whatever that was, was immediately broken.

I pulled away and puffed a breath. “It’s Kai.

Come on.” I turned away without hesitating because I didn’t want to see the look of rejection that crossed Rowan’s face any longer than the quick glimpse I just had.

I needed to put space between us. What the fuck was going on? What were we doing?

I made it back to the bank in record time. I didn’t even look back to make sure Rowan was following. Didn’t have to. I heard his light splashes in the water behind me.

“Hey, Kai,” I greeted him. “Rowan wanted to come to the river.”

“No problem. Looks like y’all had company.” He gestured toward the goats that were now walking slowly back to the property.

“Yep,” Rowan said as he caught up to me. “They were friendly.” He stood close enough I could feel his arm brush against me.

“Yeah, they are. Wasn’t the water cold?” Kai asked.

“Little bit,” Rowan said. “But as soon as your legs get numb, it’s all good. I was showing Summer how to skip rocks. She never really learned how to do it.”

“Yeah, but I did it,” I said with what I hoped passed as excitement at my accomplishment.

I grabbed my phone from my bag, avoiding all eye contact.

“Shit. It’s one thirty. Glad you called us, Kai.

I’ve got to get to Shear Perfection.” I slipped off my water shoes, dried my feet, and put on my socks and sneakers.

“You want me to drop you off at the house first?” I asked, finally making eye contact with Rowan.

The look on his face—maybe hurt or desire—made me wish just briefly that we could have finished that kiss.

“If you don’t have any plans,” Kai said to Rowan, “I’d love for you to hang out a bit.” Saved again by Kai.

Rowan glanced at me then back to Kai. “Sounds good. I’ll see you later, Summer.” There was something in his eyes—like all the words I knew he wanted to say, but now was not the time.

I nodded once. I sure as hell didn’t trust my voice. Taking advantage of the distraction, I turned away and picked up my bag and the remnants of our lunch.

“It’ll be good to get to know the man who stole my favorite cousin’s heart,” Rowan said.

I could tell he was joking, trying to make light of things, but there was a slight hesitation in his voice. Someone who didn’t know him as well, like Kai, wouldn’t have detected it, but a good friend, like me, absolutely would.

“I’d love to see the house and the palace barn where the goats live,” Rowan said.

Kai chuckled, and then he and Rowan led the way up the path toward the truck.