Magic Moment (33 page)

Inwardly she scolded her wayward thoughts.

Her eyes slid past his neck to the broad shoulders and firm chest covered in blue-checkered flannel, and then quickly dipped to his narrow, denim-clad hips. The leg waders he wore emphasized strong yet lean thighs. The whole package reminded her of the men in those outdoor life magazines she’d seen a time or two.

Her jaw slacked and her pulse thrummed at the base of her throat.

Shut your mouth, Whitney, before drool dribbles out, and remember, you’ve sworn off men forever after that huge debacle with Kylie’s father. This one is no exception.

A uniformed officer waded out to the man and looked down, his complexion losing all color.

What were he and the other man looking at?

When the blond turned toward her, the air literally whooshed from her lungs, his gaze so powerful, the ground seemed to give way beneath her. The officer also looked at her and frowned. “What are you doing out here?” he asked in a shaky voice.

“I work at the lodge. I heard your siren and came to see what was going on.” Amazing. She’d actually retained her power of speech, even with the hunky guy in the lake studying her.

“What do you do there?” the blond asked, his eyes boring into hers.

“I’m in housekeeping.”

“Anyone staying at the lodge right now?”

“One guest in cabin four. Five will be checking in throughout the weekend.”

He nodded. “I think you’d better head back to the lodge.”

“But what’s going on?” Something in the water had clearly caused a stir and she wanted to know what it was.

Neither man said a word, just glanced at each other, and then quickly looked away.

Whitney moved closer, hoping to catch a glimpse of what had them both transfixed, but was stopped by the blond’s command to stay back. His tone told her she didn’t want to defy him. The officer, on the other hand, seemed dazed, as if he didn’t know what to say. The man was apparently used to giving orders and people complying. Like Kylie’s father.

That alone made him less intriguing.

Whitney shifted her stance. “Is this going to affect the lodge?”

“It could,” he responded frankly.

His answer surprised her. What could be in the lake that would impact her job? Dead fish? Something environmental?

The man peered at the officer, who stared back blankly.

“Tell your boss I’ll be up to talk with him later,” he said. “You’ll know soon enough what’s happening. Oh, and if you would, could you clean cabin four.”

Whitney frowned.

“I was told to ask if I wanted my cabin cleaned.”

“You’re a guest of ours?” she asked it more out of shock than to him.

As his gaze held hers, Whitney’s chest tightened.