Total pages in book: 158
Estimated words: 145803 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 729(@200wpm)___ 583(@250wpm)___ 486(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 145803 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 729(@200wpm)___ 583(@250wpm)___ 486(@300wpm)
The rope was old but it held, and she nodded to Zahra, who stepped aside and placed it in Elsa’s hands. She stood beside the woman, giving her instructions on how to climb up with the water pouring down on her. It wouldn’t get into her face, but still, it was a nuisance and distraction if one wasn’t used to climbing. Looking down at her, Vienna could see the determination on Elsa’s face. The moment she neared the top, she broke out in a smile and Vienna reached for her, dragging her to the flat surface, where she stepped aside and peered down at Verma and gave her the thumbs-up.
Verma struggled a little bit more than Elsa did. Liza’s sighs could be heard above the roaring of the water falling. Vienna helped Verma onto the top of the rock and then everyone waited for Liza to make it up the rope. She slid down twice the first time she tried. Zahra rolled her eyes and put a hand on her hip, but no one sighed or made a comment the way Liza had. Cursing, Liza fought her way up until she got to the top and dragged herself over the rim, where she sat for a minute catching her breath.
Zahra caught the rope and easily climbed, Stella and Shabina following. Harlow and Raine waited to ensure the rest of their kayaking group made it up without incident. There were two more ropes and then they were in between two large boulders. Evidently, Benny expected a ladder to lead to the top of the boulder, but the ladder was missing. Instead, two men seemed to be camping in the nest at the top of the boulder. They had camping chairs set up and had laid out their personal gear.
One man stood up. “Hello, ladies,” he greeted. He was an older gentleman with a long graying beard and a good body, and he was wearing absolutely no clothing. “I’m Rick. This is Morty.”
Morty remained seated in his camp chair.
Zahra’s eyes went wide and she put her fingers over them but splayed them wide so she could still see. “Oh my. Definitely not PG in here, Benny.”
“Merciful heavens,” Verma said, fanning herself. “Benny, you need to charge more.”
“Where did you find him? He’s rather well put together,” Elsa added. “I agree with Verma, you aren’t paying him enough.”
“How did you get here?” Benny asked.
“We hiked in from the trail,” Rick supplied. “We’re camping.”
“I can see that,” Benny said.
Rick seemed very comfortable in his nudity, but then he had every reason to be, Vienna decided. He folded his arms across his chest and leaned one hip nonchalantly against the rock as if he owned the place. “Don’t have a lot of extra, but if you ladies want to join us . . .”
Two of the younger women who had come with their mothers giggled. Benny glanced over at them. They were underage. The mothers didn’t know whether to laugh or be outraged.
“Sorry, this hasn’t happened before,” he mumbled. “Let’s keep moving. Lunch is at our next stop. No one needs to join them.”
“That’s disappointing,” Rick said, winking at Zahra.
Benny scowled at him. “This is a family event, Rick.” He began to usher his group of kayakers away from the tall double boulders.
Vienna exchanged a smirk with the others. He hadn’t seemed that upset until Rick singled Zahra out. Zahra had that little mysterious smile she sometimes got that no one seemed to be able to interpret but drove men crazy. Liza stayed very close to Clay, much to the amusement of Elsa and Verma. Burt and Blane kept a distance from the group of women, preferring to keep the mothers and teenage girls in between them.
The paddling to the next stop, Arizona Hot Springs, was easy enough, with Zahra putting her core behind each stroke. When she wanted to get somewhere, she was good at any sport. She might not be able to swim and she might even give them all a hard time and say she was going to fall asleep in the kayak, but she would never leave all the work to Vienna.
“What’s up with you hanging with Benny so much, Zahra? And don’t give me a bunch of crap about finding him attractive. Or that you’re saving him from Liza. Especially now that Liza’s zeroed in on Clay. As long as Clay doesn’t let it drop that he isn’t from one of the wealthiest families on the planet, he’ll get very lucky.”
Zahra gave one of her very charming giggles and sent Vienna a quick look over her shoulder. “I wish I’d thought of that one. Elsa and Verma are wonderful. I really like them.”
“I do too, but that isn’t going to stop me from wondering about Benny.”
Zahra sighed again as she turned back toward the front. “As long as I’m with him, he can’t arrange any accidents for you. Don’t think I’m paranoid. I still have this feeling of dread. It’s getting stronger, not going away. Do you know Benny has four brothers? He’s the oldest.”