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Henderson had said another bad crash in the arena could disable him for good, but the chances of that were slim no matter what Penny thought. It was a risk he’d just have to ignore.
    At the sound of approaching footsteps, Logan looked up and saw Carrie making her way across the rocky shoreline to stand at the water’s edge.
    She was dressed in faded jeans and a moss-green T-shirt knotted at her trim waist, her glossy hair shimmering in the sunlight. She looked like one of the woodland sprites in the painting Penny had kept on her bedroom wall since she was a child.
    Just looking at Carrie made him want to run his fingers through that beautiful hair. Made him want to whisk her away to someplace where they could talk and get to know each other a lot better, away from the intermittent hustle and bustle of this place.
    But that was a bad idea.
    She hadn’t fled after he told her about Sheryl’s death and the trial—which was incredible in itself—though she’d been carefully formal and distant ever since, offering a polite wave or nod if they happened to cross paths.
    He knew she left for school by seven in the morning and didn’t return until almost two. Afterward, she worked on lesson plans, according to Penny, or left again in her SUV to head for the endless miles of hiking trails in the area. She had yet to go anywhere in the evening, though…and disappeared into her apartment with the windows closed and shades drawn before nightfall. So what was up with that?
    Not that it was any of his business, and he planned to keep it that way.
    As if sensing his attention, she turned away from the river and sauntered up to him. “Penny says you have just one raft guide hired for the summer.”

    Warning bells sounded in his head. “That’s right. Tina and Penny both take groups down the river. I do, too, in a pinch.”
    “But you have three rafts, and she says there’ll be times when you’re shorthanded.”
    He hesitated, then nodded.
    “I’d like to work for you, if you need a spare guide. My afternoons and weekends are free.” She lifted a delicate shoulder. “Future summers, too, once school is out each year.”
    He hid a smile at her naiveté. She had no idea how tough it was to manage a big, bulky raft with a load of people…or about the endless hours of training it took to get to that point. “I appreciate the offer, but it’s a lot harder than you think.”
    She didn’t bother trying to hide her own smile in response. “I do have some idea.”
    “This river has some Class I sections, but even if you’ve been white-water rafting before, the wilder stretches are dangerous. Right now, with spring runoff, they’re up to a strong Class IV, and the river channels are changing all the time. Have you been rafting before?”
    “California Salmon River, Class V. Colorado River, Grand Canyon.”
    He whistled. “Those must have been exciting vacations.”
    She tipped her head in agreement.
    “But being a passenger and being a guide are two different things. The responsibility…”
    Penny rounded the corner with an armload of life jackets and plopped them on the ground next to the raft. “I see you two are getting things settled, then. Glad to have you on board, Carrie. We need the help.”
    Startled, Logan looked between Carrie and his sister. “Wait a minute—”
    Penny beamed. “I actually had to sort of talk her into it, but we are so lucky. I had no idea that she’d been a raft guidebefore. And experienced guides usually just want to hire on with the bigger companies.”
    Eyeing Carrie’s petite build, Logan felt his mouth drop open. If she could handle a kayak on a glass-calm lake, he’d be surprised. “Experienced? Her? ”
    “It isn’t all about brawn,” Penny retorted, her eyes sparkling. “I don’t suppose you asked her, but she put herself through college working as a raft guide on the Snake.”
    He blinked. “The Snake.”
    “Jackson Hole area.”
    “I do know where it is.” He felt