Worth the Risk by Karis Walsh

Author:Karis Walsh [Walsh, Karis]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi, pdf
ISBN: 9781602826236
Publisher: Bold Strokes Books
Published: 2011-12-13T21:56:40+00:00

Chapter Ten

The city was still colored in the muted grays of predawn when Jamie lowered her light scull into the Willamette River. She slipped off the dock and settled onto the narrow seat without jostling the boat, her movements precise and economical after years of practice. She pushed away from the dock at an angle, her sigh echoing the light splash of water against the bow as the narrow scull nosed into the current. She rowed with the river’s flow for a few hundred yards as a warm-up before she turned to head downstream.

Portland had yet to fully wake to the new business day, but a few early risers shared the river with Jamie. Some jogged or biked along the paved path in the riverfront park next to the Willamette, and there were a couple of scullers upstream, but still Jamie felt the relaxed isolation of a solitary rower. She had rowed on an eight-crew sweep during college, and she enjoyed the exercise and camaraderie she experienced as a member of the team. But it was only on her solo trips that she felt such peace and strength in moving through the water on only her own power.

This morning, the sense of peace took longer than usual to set in. The puddles made by her oars were uneven and choppy, and twice she rapped the knuckles of her right hand smartly with the left oar, something she hadn’t done since her first lessons. She kept going, using her back and legs to push the scull against the current, fighting to tire her body enough so it would take over and force her mind to be silent.

Her thoughts kept returning to the day before. Anna had spent the whole car ride home chattering happily about Kate and Spot. Jamie, luckily not expected to do more than listen, found she was fascinated by Anna’s perception of the ride. To the wheelchair-bound girl, the horse’s slow gait had seemed fast and powerful, and she had enjoyed being taller than everyone else for once. Now that her niece had safely returned to the ground, Jamie could relax and appreciate how much the experience had meant to her. Still, she had never expected to be so glad to see Anna in her chair as she was after the short ride.

She was willing to let Anna continue with lessons, but from now on Elaine would be the one to drive her there. Jamie trusted her, and she found she was trusting Kate, with the most precious thing in her life. The worrisome part was she was tempted to trust Kate with herself. With her memories and stories, with her failures and the despair that she could ever atone for them. That was a risk Jamie couldn’t take, one she hadn’t dared take since she was a child, and she knew it would be better to avoid seeing Kate in a social setting. She would keep their interactions professional from now on. She had told Elaine exactly

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