Read Online Reconsidering Riley by Lisa Plumley - Free Book Online

a gallon of
water weighs about eight pounds, there's a limit to how much we can
realistically haul in. So while we're on the trail, we'll use a
combination of bottled water, filtered water, boiled water, and
chemically treated water. I'll go into the details tomorrow."
    She nodded and went back to fiddling with
her necklace. Up, down went her hand on its gold chain.
Gently, her fingers curled around the heavy pendant between her
breasts. Rubbed. Riley briefly closed his eyes and made himself
think about something besides how much he'd like to follow that
same path.
    He definitely had to get to the "two
could play at that game" portion of this presentation.
    "To go along with the water," he said,
watching as Alexis held up two foil packets, Vanna-White-style,
"you'll need food. Hiking and camping require plenty of
energy."
    Alexis, who'd been listening to this spiel
since the age of eight, piped up. "In wilderness-speak, 'energy'
means 'calories.' He means you'll need plenty of
calories."
    All the women brightened. He had their full
attention.
    "Everyone will be responsible for carrying
their own food, which the Hideaway Lodge will supply."
    Carla raised her hand. "Is it Zone perfect?
I've been eating in the Zone for two weeks now."
    "Really?" Jayne asked, looking intrigued as
she turned to Carla. "How much have you lost?"
    "Four pounds."
    "Wow! Good for you!"
    They all applauded. Riley cocked his head in
confusion.
    "What about Weight Watchers points?" Mitzi
asked. "How many in that packet?"
    Alexis turned it over quizzically, peering
at the nutrition information.
    "We're on the Atkins diet," Donna put in.
"Doris and I don't eat high-carb foods."
    "Speak for yourself, Doris. This is the
wilderness. We've got to eat to live."
    Kelly raised her hand. "Will there be
s'mores? I went to Camp Weehawkin when I was ten, and we had
s'mores."
    They all looked at him expectantly. Riley,
suffering from a flashback of the lunchtime diet regime
comparisons, took a minute to realize it.
    "I don't know about that stuff. We'll be
eating—" He squinted at the packages. "—old-fashioned beef
stroganoff with mushroom sauce, and down-home vegetarian entrée
with beans. Period. End of story. Now, as far as the rest of your
supplies go...."
    " Awwww ."
    Refusing to be suckered by their
disappointed faces into revealing the Snickers bars he always added
to each pack for trailside pick-me-ups, he went on to discuss the
other essentials. Firestarter. Matches. An Army knife. A first aid
kit. A flashlight.
    "Some of these items will be shared among
teams of two—that's how we divide each group. You'll have a buddy,
and the two of you will keep track of each other."
    The women turned to each other, excitedly
pairing off. Amid the camaraderie, Jayne glanced toward Riley.
Their eyes met. In hers he read curiosity, interest...and a certain
amount of "how about hooking up for old times' sake?" mischief. The
same kind of mischief, he figured, that had led her to flaunt her
sexy shoes, show off her cleavage, and generally make him regret
he'd ever let her go.
    If Jayne thought all that stuff meant he was
going to want to partner with her—in every conceivable way...well,
she was right.
    But wanting to do it and actually doing it were two different things, Riley reminded himself. He
might have to suffer through the former, but he was going to avoid
the latter. He was going to be gentlemanly, helpful...an all-around
good guy. He was going to show Jayne there were decent men in the
world—men who weren't packing the raw materials for
relationship disaster.
    "Later," he mouthed to her, and smiled.
    She nodded and rejoined the
conversation.
    While the group discussed trail buddies and
calorific bonanzas, Riley went to the opposite side of the table
and sorted through the packs arrayed there. He was feeling pretty
good about things. Happy about the way this orientation was
progressing, optimistic about the women's chances for survival and
good times on the