Oh Baby! by Pamela Ford

Author:Pamela Ford
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2004-01-15T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER NINE

NICK RETRACED HIS STEPS and grabbed Annie by the hand, interlacing his fingers with hers. She let herself be pulled along into the woods, savoring the feel of his callused palm against her smooth one, and wishing he would slip those rough fingers through her new silky-smooth hair, and over her lips.

When the path narrowed, he let go of her hand and led the way, talking over his shoulder. “I hiked out here this morning, and I’m even more convinced. You’re sitting on a gold mine.”

Annie swatted at the mosquitoes that were feasting on her face and arms. “Seems more like a mosquito mine to me,” she muttered. “What are you talking about?”

“You’ll see.”

Ten minutes later, they came to a halt at the river.

Nick looked at her, enthusiasm all over his face. “What do you see?”

“Ah, a dead end?”

He laughed. “Nope. A beginning.” He pointed at the shallow sandy bank that sloped into the gently flowing water. “What do you see there?”

“This is a trick question, isn’t it? A riverbank.”

“Annie! It’s a launching spot—”

“That was my next guess. And we would be launching…?” He’d better not say canoes and inner tubes.

“Canoes and tubes. I talked to the old guy who owns all that property where the river runs along his pasture. You put the canoes in here. And he’s agreed to let you pull them out on his land.”

Nick turned and gestured at the woods. “All you need to do is cut a narrow road in here to bring the boats in. Well, and build a storage shed. With a little grooming, that path we took would be a perfect route for guests to follow as they start their wilderness adventure.”

She tried not to gape at him. Had he completely forgotten their conversation the other day? Just when did he think she would fit all this extra work in? She didn’t have time to build sheds and roads—let alone give canoe trips down the river. And she sure as heck didn’t have money to pay someone else to do it.

“I—”

“Don’t say no so fast.”

“So fast? I already said no yesterday. And you promised to quit bugging me about it.”

He winced. “I know. But then I realized you weren’t making an informed decision… In order to do that you have to fully understand what you’re turning down.”

“I do.”

“No. You don’t. I’ve been trekking through the woods, following the river, thinking this thing over. Here’s the beauty of it. This part of the river—it’s pretty calm. You won’t have to go along on the adventures. Maybe you’d give some basic instructions before they set off. But that’s it. A couple of hours later, depending on how long they want to be out, you pick them up at the end point.”

He opened his arms wide as if to embrace the wilderness. “Bailey House Bed & Breakfast. Not just a place to sleep, but a place to awaken your adventurous spirit. Annie, it’ll fill your rooms, summer, winter, spring and fall.” He grinned.

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