Sweet Lullaby by Paige Winship Dooly

Author:Paige Winship Dooly
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Barbour Publishing, Inc.
Published: 2013-09-04T00:00:00+00:00

eight

Breathtaking. No other word could describe the beauty of the perfectly round lagoon. Caleb hadn’t even tried to explain how beautiful it was. He had mentioned something about the blue pool, but Josie hadn’t come close to imagining how truly pretty this hidden-away treasure would be. If she hadn’t been looking, if she hadn’t been with Caleb, she would have missed it altogether. The pool was tucked into the bend so discreetly that other than the change of colors in the water where the spring rushed into the river, she wouldn’t have known it was there.

Obviously several of the teens had missed it judging by the number of kids pulling their canoes upriver on foot.

The lagoon nestled perfectly into the river’s curve. The turquoise water rivaled that of any pool, but with the greenery that grew naturally around it, it looked like a tropical paradise. The brilliant blue water formed its own stream as it poured into the river. It merged into a neutral color a few hundred feet down the way. The current was strong, so if you weren’t watching for it, it was easy to miss until you were past.

The other canoes were pulled ashore just past the lagoon’s opening. A dirt path surrounded the pool, which allowed the teens to spread out and perch on large boulders with their sandwiches.

Caleb jumped out, pushing against the strong current and pulled their canoe high onto the sandy beach. Waiting teens surrounded him and reached for the cooler. Caleb stepped onto the path and started passing out icy-cold sodas. “Remember, leave only your footprints. Trash comes back to me. I’ll have a bag hanging on this branch. Got it?”

“Got it!” several voices singsonged in unison as the crowd dispersed. The kids returned to their perches.

Caleb turned to Josie. “Are you getting out of the canoe, or do you want to sit in there while you eat?”

“I’ll get out. I’m just taking in the view. It’s beyond beautiful.”

His smile warmed. “I thought you’d like it.”

He helped her from their boat. Everyone had settled in. The younger boys had already finished their meal and now walked dangerously close to the water’s edge.

Caleb leaned close. “Who do you think will be the first in? You know they can’t stand that close without one pushing the others into the water.”

“A sort of repeat of the last stop?”

“Yep. Exactly.”

A loud splash proved him right. Josie strained to see around Caleb. No one was left on shore. “They all went in?”

Caleb was laughing out loud. “Yep. Jonah pushed the other two but lost his footing and went in after them.”

The older kids were cheering and jeering.

“And I missed it.” She didn’t mind. She didn’t mention that the reason she’d missed it was because she’d been distracted by Caleb’s nearness. His broad shoulders blocked her view of the boys, but she’d been perfectly happy looking up at them.

“You’ll see plenty more of the same as we eat. First, the boys will start in on the girls. They’ll tease about throwing them in.

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