“Rachel, are you all right?”
Ethan’s voice drifted through the hazy memories, and for a moment she resented the intrusion. Then she smiled and looked at him.
“I was remembering. This place makes me happy. There are a lot of happy memories here. It’s nice to be able to grab onto a few of them, to know they’re real and not some fantasy I’ve conjured in a hallucinogenic state.”
He drew her to him, cupping his hand behind her neck as he tilted her up to meet his kiss. He didn’t act as reserved as he had before. Not since she’d kissed him this morning in bed. Maybe he’d been waiting for her to make the first move.
“I’m glad you have happy memories. How about let’s go make some new ones? I’ll even let you throw me in.”
She grinned and then darted around him, instinctively going down the stone path that led around the house to the back. She’d wanted to ask him why he’d quit the SEALs and why he wasn’t working for KGI, but now she was loath to ruin the lighthearted mood they found themselves in.
When she rounded the corner and bounded onto the deck, she stopped in her tracks at the gorgeous sight before her. No wonder she’d loved it here so much. The water sparkled like a million diamonds under the veil of sunshine. Rich blue with a fringe of white on the tops of the gentle swells. It looked inviting, and suddenly she couldn’t wait to get in.
She glanced over at Ethan and bit her lip to keep the mischievous smile at bay. She eased from her flip-flops and then bolted down the ramp toward the dock.
“Last one in is a rotten egg!”
She couldn’t remember the exact depth of the water from the dock, only that she’d been thrown in more times than she could count, so she sailed off the end feet first and landed with a splash several feet away.
The cold exhilarated her and stunned her. She came up gasping for air and shrieked at the chill.
“Serves you right,” Ethan called from the dock.
She looked up to see him removing his tennis shoes. She gave a little shiver and then started back to the dock. He stripped off his shirt, and she caught a glimpse of his chest silhouetted against the sunlight.
He was, in a word, magnificent.
Then he executed a perfect dive into the water beside her. Barely a ripple disturbed the surface. He came up several yards away and shook the droplets from his short hair. White teeth flashed in a broad grin. He ducked underneath again, and the next thing she knew, she was being lifted in the air.
She laughed as he held her high out of the water while treading water.
“How on earth are you able to do that?”
He dropped her with a splash, and when she came up, he gathered her close.
“I’m a SEAL, remember? We do the impossible, and we do it in the water.”
She rolled her eyes and then her question came back to her. Cocking her head to the side to let the water drain out of her ear, she peeked at him from under her lashes. “Why did you quit the SEALs? I don’t think you’ve ever said. I mean I’m sure you did,” she added hastily. “I just can’t remember.”
Darkness flickered in his eyes, momentarily chasing away the sun’s rays. “You needed me. I needed to be here.”
“Why didn’t you go to work with KGI? Is that why you quit, so you could go to work with your brothers?”
He shook his head and then dove beneath the surface. She watched the swirl of water that signaled his presence underwater and followed it a good distance from the dock.
Somehow she’d stumbled onto unwelcome territory. Either he was unhappy with his decision to quit or there was some other reason she didn’t know. More than ever her lack of memory frustrated her. How was she supposed to forge a future when the past lay silent?
Determined that the day wouldn’t be ruined by things beyond her control, she swam after Ethan, colliding with him midway in a tangle of arms and legs.
Laughing around mouthfuls of water, she beat at his shoulders. “You planned that!”
“You two having fun?”
Rachel looked toward the dock to see Sam standing there at the end, watching them with amused eyes. Today she couldn’t remember why she was so guarded around him, and she let her good mood take over.
“Come in,” she said with a wave. “The water’s not too cold.”
“I know exactly how damn cold—”
He was cut off midsentence when he pitched forward into the water. Rachel stared in shock as Garrett doubled over laughing from the end of the dock where he’d shoved Sam over.
Sam came up sputtering, and he turned with a shout in Garrett’s direction. “You son of a bitch! I’ll get you for this. Kelly motto number two. Don’t get mad, get even.”
Garrett just howled louder. Donovan ambled behind him and gave both brothers a curious look.
“Dude, it’s better to wear swimming trunks. Getting wet jeans off is a bitch.”
“Oh f**k you, Van,” Sam grumbled.
Rachel couldn’t control herself any longer. Laughter bubbled up and spilled over. She laughed so hard, she had to reach down to grab her sides and then sputtered when her head sank below the surface.
Ethan yanked her back up and held her by the arm as she laughed and spit simultaneously.
Garrett grinned down at Sam. “There. That had to be worth the unexpected swim.”
Sam smiled good-naturedly. “Yeah, you got me there. Just, next time? You can make her laugh by going in.”
This she could remember. Lots of laughing and joking. Good times in the summer. Them all swimming until late in the evening. Having a beer on the dock with their feet dangling in the water. Watching the spawning bream in late spring.