River of Desire: A Romantic Action Adventure/Thriller (9 page)

* * *

Leah’s weak voice awakened him. “Dylan, where are we?”

He sat up, instantly alert. Fear streaked through him at the memory of their close call. When he realized they weren’t in any immediate danger, he leaned back on his elbows. Beneath the dawn mist from the river, he could see Leah in the raft levered up by one arm. “How are you?”

She rubbed her head. “Woozy. The last thing I remember is limping into the jungle. What happened?”

“You passed out from pain during our escape from the Jivaro, so I moved you to a safe spot downriver.” He shook off sleep and boarded the raft, standing beside her.

Leah, hair tousled, eyes wide, watched him. From his vantage point she looked sexy. Seductive. “Let me look at that snakebite.” He stooped onto his haunches and lifted her leg onto his knee. A glance at her ankle told him the binding had loosened overnight and needed to be retied.

He unraveled the gauze pad and, to his relief, the swelling had dissipated in spite of their midnight jaunt. The hot pink had faded to a blush. Although still warm to the touch, it had improved since the last treatment. He placed the Jergon Sacha solution on it and encouraged her to drink another cupful.

Without warning, Leah threw her arms around him and buried her head in his neck. “You saved my life a second time. How can I ever thank you enough?”

He pressed her to him, thinking how right she felt in his arms, cherishing the feelings she stirred in him. In the next instant, he remembered that she was only passing through the jungle on an assignment. She would soon return to her big city life and the man she had called out to when delirious. He abruptly pulled away, noting the look of surprise that spread over her face. 

He glanced away and suddenly realized that something was awry in the raft. But what? A quick scan told him two boxes of provisions were missing. In the dark, under pressure, he had failed to detect their disappearance. “We obviously had a visitor to our raft when it was unguarded.”

Leah’s eyes opened wider. “What do you mean?”

“
We’re missing two boxes, probably as much as one person could carry. That places us in a bit of a tight spot. Since we still have a couple days to Iquitos, we’ll have to ration our food.”

“
I can always use the diet,” she quipped, pinching her side, but he couldn’t detect an ounce of excess fat.

She was really a good sport and he appreciated it. “You don’t look as if you have a problem.” 

“I hide it well. Actually, I’m a hard-core Ben and Jerry’s junkie. I can go through a pint of Chunky Monkey in minutes and then I’m forced to fast the next day. I know that’s nuts, and I’ve been trying to curb it, but without much success before this trip.”

He grinned. “I don’t know of any Ben and Jerry’s in Peru, or chunky monkeys for that matter, but I promise to take you to a great ice cream pallor in Iquitos.”    

“Ummm. Sounds delicious.” She wet her lips with the tip of her tongue.

“
Tempting?” Almost as tempting as her now glistening lips.

“
I can’t wait.” She bit her lip.

“
Neither can I.” He turned his gaze away from her mouth. “I hate to do this to you with that ankle, but we should shove off downriver immediately. If we don’t, you’ll be stuck having to eat the agouti and arapaima I catch.”

The now familiar look of disgust crossed her expressive features. “Aye, aye, Captain, your First Mate’s ready to set sail.” She saluted him. “After my ice cream fantasies, that fish would be too much of a let-down.”

He suppressed a smile. “I thought you’d see it my way.”

Chapter Seven

With every bump and jolt on the river, Leah’s leg throbbed. The humid air that enclosed her reminded her of a windowless bathroom on a hot summer’s day. The farther the Maranon carried them to the south, the more oppressive the air became. The only thing that lightened her discomfort was a glance at Dylan and the thought that he, in his infinite wisdom about the rain-forest, had spared her life, not once, but twice.  

After a particularly rough run over minor rapids, she unintentionally groaned. Dylan shot her a look of concern.

“How about pulling onshore earlier than usual and making an early start tomorrow?”

She smiled inwardly, grateful for his kindness. “If you think it’s best.”

“I do.”

After Dylan established camp, refusing her help and encouraging her to sit with her leg elevated, he gestured toward the tree line. “With those menacing clouds, I’m going to take a short sunset hike to find palms for a make-shift awning.”

Though still in pain, Leah didn’t want to be left alone in her present condition. It seemed safer to tag along. “Can I join you? I need to stretch my legs.”

His eyes softened. “Are you sure you’re up to it?”

“I’d love it.” Leah levered herself unsteadily to standing, but refused the offer of a hand up. She slowly limped behind Dylan into a thicket of ferns, fungi and air roots. Dylan slashed through the underbrush and she followed, stopping intermittently when the ache became too great to give her leg a rest. 

With a glance over his shoulder at her, Dylan doubled back to where she leaned against a tree. “Are you sure you want to do this? I can walk you back to the campsite and fetch what we need myself. It won’t take long.”

“I’m fine.” His skeptical stare informed her he wasn’t convinced. “Really I am. I’ve just stopped to admire this incredible plant.” She tipped a brilliant red Bird-of-Paradise upwards and delighted in its bright yellow stamen. “I’m actually something of a gardener in L.A., if anyone can really garden in that sprawling concrete and macadam metropolis.”

“
It makes perfect sense to me that you’ve never felt better. Why a little ol’ snakebite is nothing to a worldly woman like you.” His unexpected sense of humor always surprised her, like sun breaking through a thick cloud cover.

She playfully poked him in his ribs. “Don’t be silly. I can handle this. Let’s move on.”

She had spoken too soon. With the sun directly above the western horizon, the light was barely adequate for her to make her way. But as the light dimmed, Leah stumbled over roots and puddles in her path. Her ankle had begun to swell and throb even more, to the point of being almost unbearable. In no time, moisture beaded her face and throat and ran down her back. She had overestimated her endurance and was eager to turn back. She stopped and leaned against a large palm, supporting her weight entirely on her good leg.

Dylan looked over his shoulder again. “Is there a problem?”

It would be wrong to make him feel obligated to return her to the campsite before he collected the fronds. She touched the tree. “I was just wondering why you don’t use these fronds for our awning?”

Dylan laughed. “All palms probably look the same to you, but there are a dozen different types around here. There are queen, banana, coconut and fan palms. The one you’re tapping is the
Pomponesa.
It’s used by the Yagua Indians to make their clothing. You might have a chance to visit the Yagua. They live north of Iquitos on the Napa.”

At the mention of her trip up the Napa without him, clouds again descended over her sunny disposition. She would give anything to have Dylan accompany her beyond Iquitos. Traveling on from there without him struck her as difficult, if not impossible. She wanted to say something, but it was no use asking. He had clearly made up his mind.

They moved on a little farther until Dylan stopped in front of another large palm and said with satisfaction, “This is the one I’ve been looking for. The natives use this palm to make thatched roofs.” He withdrew a knife from his pocket and slashed two fronds. “It’s mind-boggling how well these fronds work. They’ve been known to last six or seven years.”

“
I hope we won’t need them that long.” She wrapped one arm around her middle.

“
Are you sure you’re okay?”

The concern in his voice made her look up at him. “I will be in a minute.”

He stopped what he was doing, took her by the arm and helped her over to a large rock. “Take a break. You’ve had a full schedule the last few days.”

“
Thanks. I needed that.” And she did. She took a minute to let the pain subside before she glanced around at all the vegetation. They were surrounded by trees and plants of every possible variation. “If there are so many different kinds of palms, how do the natives know which one to use?”

He trimmed the stems of two fronds, split a number of leaves in two and interwove one frond with another. “They know this forest like you know English grammar.”

Her editor’s face materialized in her mind. “Bad comparison. My editor’s always correcting my copy.”

“
Sloppy copy, huh?” A grin turned up the corners of his eyes and lit his face from within. “Are you okay now?”

No, but she wasn’t about to broadcast her condition and put an end to their outing. She was enjoying his company too much. She merely nodded.

That must have satisfied him because he pointed at a neighboring tree. “The sap from that tree, the
Retama Sacha
, is used to treat chigger bites. They’re pretty common in the jungle.

“
The natives trim the skin off the fruit like this.” He reached up, plucked a fruit and peeled it, exposing pulp. “Then they rub the fruit onto the irritated area.” After running his fingers over the fruit, he rubbed them together. She shook off an image of him spreading the moist pulp over her sensitive skin.

When he handed her the fruit, their hands grazed and their eyes met. Unexpectedly, her body temperature seemed to rachet up a full degree. He smeared sticky sap from his finger onto hers and she brought it to her nose. It smelled a little like aloe vera. “What other goodies are there in this jungle?”

He went to the base of a huge tree with a wide skirt and laid a hand on the bark. “In one tribe, a man has to chop down this tree single-handed with a simple ax in order to convince his intended bride’s family to permit him to marry her.”

The tree towered over Dylan’s six-foot frame and was as wide as a semi truck. “Must be one strong guy.”

“Could be that love makes a man stronger.”

Their eyes met and a strange sensation wormed it’s way up her spine. A sensation she’d rather not have.

Her face heated again and she quickly looked away. “One thing I know that will make you stronger. A hot meal.”

“
Yeah right,” he said with what sounded like resignation. “I have what I need here. Let’s head back to the campsite.”

She limped behind him toward the river, both relieved she would soon be sitting quietly with her leg raised, and strangely disquieted by the feelings he aroused in her.

* * *

At noon the next day, Dylan found a clearing and steered the raft to shore by a sandy beach.

Leah stretched, well-rested after a dry night in the wet jungle, protected by palm fronds. “Why are we stopping now?”

“
This is as good a spot as any to take an early break so we can make time later.” He leaped to shore and brought the raft to a halt.  

After helping Leah out, he treated her snakebite dressing and shimmied a palm for a coconut snack. She watched amused as his long legs grasped the trunk of the tree and he hauled himself upward. The round curve of his butt, clearly outlined by taut pants, touched off more errant thoughts.

Thoughts she rather not think. What was happening to her? This was not the right time, or the right person. She had promised Robert she would consider his proposal and she had every intention of keeping that promise. She had to stop thinking about Dylan as she did. She wandered down to the river’s edge, picked up a stick and ran it absently through water.

A short time later, she heard Dylan call, “Come and get it.”

Get what? Oh, he only meant lunch.
Her willful imagination seemed to be working overtime. She had never before let her relationships with men interfere with her work. She didn’t trust them enough to be playful and open. Perhaps she had simply been playing Jane to his Tarzan for too long.

Back at the clearing, she accepted a slice of papaya and sat on a stump. “River runs fast here, doesn’t it?”

“Exactly what I want to talk to you about.”

She paused at his warning tone. “Go on.”

“We’re about to begin our final descent out of the mountains. In the next few hours, the river will run faster and faster, making this the toughest part of the trip.”

She couldn’t imagine anything being tougher than what they had already faced.

“A few miles from here the Maranon narrows to about a hundred feet across and squeezes out of the Andes through a gap I mentioned before, the
Pongo de Manseriche
. You need to be prepared for trouble and do exactly what I say, when I say. No hesitation. No argument.” He captured her eyes with his. He meant business.

He was obviously preparing her for an ordeal, but she had been through too much to frighten too easily. She had toughened enough in the last few days to take on any curve Dylan Hart could throw her. Well, almost any. “Don’t worry, I can handle this.” A mosquito the size of a hummingbird landed on her arm and she brushed it away.

“The Indians believe everyday life is only an illusion and that dreams are real. If that’s true, you have nothing to fear. If it isn’t, you have more to be worried about than you can imagine. I want you to take this seriously so I don’t lose you.”

A chill passed through her. “You’re serious.”

He crossed the space between them and lowered onto his haunches beside her so close the warmth of his breath caressed her cheek. “Since you’ve never rafted before, you can’t imagine the danger of rapids. These rank with the most difficult in the world. We’re going to run a whole series of rapids through the
Pongo de Manseriche
.” He sketched waterfalls with a stick in the dirt at their feet, then pointed to the top of the drawing. “We’ll start down the mountain at a steep angle, but shortly level off.”

Fear jabbed her between the shoulder blades. She had assumed the name
Pongo de Manseriche
, gateway of fear, had only been local color. With his description, she had begun to suspect it might be an accurate description of the rapids. “Tell me more.”

“
If anything should happen to you and you end up in the water, I want you to stay as close as you can to the raft so I can reach for you. Remember, you’re likely to panic. I can’t easily hold onto you if you’re fighting me. Try to stay calm.”

A tree full of birds fluttered in her gut. “I’ll keep that in mind.

His unblinking granite stare told her more than words could.

Her legs trembled when she pushed herself to standing. His implication was clear. This gorge would be worse than attacks by venomous snakes and hostile headhunters. Her meal churned, burning inside her, but she squared her shoulders. “Thank you for preparing me. I won’t let you down. What’s the plan?”

“First, wear your waterproof clothes and put on your life jacket.” He folded his arms over his chest. “Second, remember to stay low the entire time we travel down the rapids. Hold onto the side of the raft. And, no heroics, okay?”

No problem.

“
And no talking once we’re near enough to hear the rapids.” He resumed packing their gear. “The Indians say if you talk too near the river, the river spirit will suck you under the rapids forever.”

“
Surely you don’t believe that.”

“
Between the waterfalls and rapids, we won’t be able to hear each other anyway, and we’ll have to keep our minds on the business of making it through. If you have any questions, ask them now or before we get there.” He grabbed sleeping bags and pads. “Let’s rest an hour for strength before taking on the gorge.”

She had never seen Dylan this apprehensive before, even with the Jivaro after their heads. His stance as well as his words concealed more than they revealed. He meant business. The danger he described must be real.

She unexpectedly shivered in the overwhelming mid-day heat.

* * *

Although the river rushed past, the turbulence didn’t seem any greater than usual. Water spray filled the air and the mid-day sun shimmered through the mist. The beauty of the day came as a reassurance to Leah.

But she knew not to become too comfortable. Before long, the river narrowed as Dylan had described. Soon they skirted between rock-faced and tree-covered banks. Water sluiced through the constricted opening between banks, spume filling its wake.

Dylan pointed toward the treetops. “There’s a great sloth high in that tree over there.”