Jane Millionaire (21 page)

“I can teach you,” Bachelor #4 spoke up.

Maybe they’d lose him in the small lake where she and Jeff had picnicked. She gave a tight smile in his direction, before turning to JP. “Okay, if canoeing is on the agenda, I’m cool with that.”

“Smile. It’s not like we’re talking extreme sports here.” JP advised. “You’ll have a great day.”

“Sure.” Canoeing would eliminate the possibility of seeing Rob this morning.

She’d really wanted to look in his eyes to see how he felt about last night. Did he have an extra bounce to his step? A satisfied gleam in his eyes? Or would she see regret? Regret for making love to her? Or regret for asking her to leave his bed?

Maybe when they got back from the lake, she’d have the opportunity to search him out.

Luck was on her side. After changing into a pair of shorts and a plain taupe T-shirt, she ran into Rob in the corridor outside their suites.

“Rob,” she breathed when she almost collided into his thick chest.

He winced. She might have been hoping to catch a glimpse of him, but Rob hadn’t wanted to see her this morning. He regretted their night together and obviously preferred to forget. “Ji-ane.”

Hope spiraled down like a fighter jet shot from the sky. So he wanted to avoid her. Fine. That was what she’d promised to do when she’d seduced him.

“It’s a beautiful day. I’m heading to the lake with the bachelors. Will you be joining us for the trip?” Her face hurt from holding her smile in place.

His gaze narrowed and he looked at her, really looked at her, for the first time since she’d almost ran over him. “No. JP will be supervising this morning’s shoot. I’m working on tonight’s show. We’ll boot another two bachelors.”

“Can I pick which ones?”

His brow lifted. “No. Not until the last show do you get to chose.”

“I know.” She nudged his arm playfully, pretending not to notice how sparks of awareness dug into her from the contact. “I was just teasing.”

One corner of his mouth lifted in a tight smile and he looked beyond her to the door of his suite. “Have fun on your trip and don’t get wet.”

“Ready, boys?” she asked when she saw the bachelors present and crew present. Seems she’d been the last one to arrive on two occasions today.

She chatted to Jeff and Steve for a few moments before JP joined them.

“You look lovely, Your Highness.” JP grinned at her, then shook his head with regret. “I apologize for the change in plans, but I’m no longer going to be able accompany you. Gregory’s on his way to inform Rob he’ll be supervising today’s outing.”

At that moment, a red-faced Rob bounded down the stairs.

“We need to talk.” He grabbed JP’s arm and tugged him across the foyer and into a neighboring room.

Although she couldn’t make out Rob’s words, it didn’t take a genius to figure out he wasn’t pleased about the change of events. Undoubtedly, spending the day watching her wasn’t on his priority list.

Too bad, because the grin JP shot her when he reentered the room assured her that once again JP had gotten his way. Rob would be going on the canoe trip.

Jill smiled and hooked her arms with Jeff and Steve’s elbows. “So, which one of you gents am I going to be rowing with first?”

Chapter Thirteen

Who’d have known canoeing would make her seasick? She’d never been seasick. Couldn’t believe something as serene as a paddle across the small private lake would make her regret her breakfast. Nothing should make a woman regret delicious food. But with each shift of the elongated metal boat, her stomach pitched.

Things might not have been so bad, but after three trips across the water with various bachelors, she wasn’t sure she’d be able to take much more. Especially since her current companion was Bachelor #4.

“Has anyone ever told you the one about the preacher and the four cops?” he asked, ignoring the fact she hadn’t laughed at his last three jokes.

Would he just please shut up? Who wanted to hear lame jokes about body functions or another one downing cops when one’s stomach threatened to upchuck?

Rob and two crewmembers trolled beside them in a small gas powered boat. Knowing Rob was near, if inaccessible, helped. She snuck a quick glance across the twenty feet or so separating them.

He wore a headset to listen in on their conversation, courtesy of the mikes they wore. His face looked terse, unyielding. Guess he didn’t find any of the jokes funny either. Despite his grim expression, he provided the only bright spot to her current excursion across the lake.

Turning back to Bachelor #4, she blocked her mind of her aching stomach and imagined Rob sat across from her. Would he smile at her as he rolled them across to the middle of the lake? Would he take her hands and kiss her to distract her from her uneasiness in the canoe?

“Wanna hear something really funny?” Bachelor #4 asked.

Did he know anything really funny? If so, why had he been holding back all these weeks?

“Why not?” Jill smiled politely, although she’d have preferred to keep fantasizing about Rob and pretending she didn’t feel nauseated.

He launched into another unfunny joke. Jill’s stomach pitched and so did the boat as the man slapped his knee in amusement at his own tale. In his merriment the oar slipped from his fingers and dropped into the water.

Had Jill not been fighting to keep her breakfast in her body rather than on her clothes, she’d have foreseen what the man was going to do. Instead, she was just grateful he’d shut up.

Until the canoe tilted at an awkward angle.

“What are you doing?” she exclaimed when he stretched over the edge of the precariously perched canoe. The oar remained out of his reach. “Sit down. Now.”

“Just a little more and I’ll have it.” He extended further and managed to get a hold on the oar. Looking quite proud of himself, he stood, waving the oar through the air. “See, I told you I’d get it.”

The bachelor shifted his weight and the urge to knock him into the water with her paddle threatened to take hold. He lifted his oar triumphantly over his head, bobbing the canoe back and forth. This crazy man was going to make her toss her cookies on National television. Jill took aim. This was one bachelor she was going to eliminate herself.

Too late. His eyes widened as he lost his balance and the canoe tipped, tossing him from the canoe.

Just great, Jill thought as she was dumped into the water. All Gregory’s hard work primping her hair and she’d come up looking like a drowned rat.

But at least she’d be out of the rocking boat.

Although she knew the temperature wasn’t that bad, the water felt like icy fingers grasping at her as it soaked through her clothes and pulled her into it’s murky depths. She kicked her feet to resurface but the edge of the canoe spun, righting itself, and caught her on the head. Hard.

A searing stab shot through her, momentarily blinding her. She gasped in pain. Water filled her lungs, gurgling in her throat. She sputtered trying to rid herself of the liquid as she ached for air.

Blinking her eyes, she forced them to stay open and tried to keep from panicking.

Stay calm. You’re a strong swimmer. Just swim to the surface. That’s all you’ve got to do.

But the light letting her know where the surface lay faded into darkness as her face grew cold.

No. She wouldn’t black out. Not from a little bump to the head. She struggled to keep conscious, to find her way to where the water met life-giving air, but the darkness took over.

Images of Rob making love to her, whispering her name, Jill, not Jane, beckoned her to close her eyes and dream sweet dreams.

# # #

Where was she? Rob searched the glossy water for some sign that Jill had surfaced. Nothing but Bachelor #4 waving in their direction.

He’d wanted to pound the man’s face in when he’d realized the idiot was going to topple them over. Still might once they’d reached shore.

That’s when he caught sight of her hair floating loosely about her. Red tinged the water like a luminous cloud above her still form.

He jerked hard against her chest with the arm he held her with, hoping to clear her lungs. Rubbing her cheek with his free hand, he prayed he’d been in time. Water spilled from her lips and she coughed. Blood trickled down her face, oozing from the gash on her head.

“Jill, open your eyes.”

Her lids sprang apart to reveal dazed, dilated pupils. She coughed again and sucked in air. Her body trembled against his as he kept them above surface.

“Rob.”

“Shh, it’s going to be okay, babe.” Without thought he kissed her temple. “I’ve got you.”

The boat pulled up to them and Rob reluctantly let go of Jill to assist the crew in pulling her into the boat. With water dripping off her soaked body, the crew hauled her from the lake.

Rob attempted to lift himself into the boat, but found he couldn’t. His muscles had locked down. He grabbed hold of one of the cameraman’s hands and allowed the man to help him.

He ignored an offered towel and immediately went to Jill.

She huddled on the matted boat carpet, shivering. A towel wrapped around her drooped shoulders. Another towel was pressed to her bleeding head. Coughs racked her body as she fought to clear her lungs.

Whoa. He was jumping the gun. He didn’t have her to lose. They’d had their one night and had both agreed that was all they’d ever have. The show was what mattered most to him. That’s why he’d been so worried about her. Without her, Jane Millionaire didn’t exist. His concern wasn’t personal.

Jill was just a sexy as hell woman who he’d been thrown into an extraordinary circumstance with. It wasn’t as if he wouldn’t have done the same for anyone. He would have.

“No, I doubt you plunging to the bottom of the lake would help ratings.” His gaze dropped to her clinging shirt. “Although if the network ever decides to air a wet T-shirt competition, you should definitely audition.”

Her mouth dropped open as her gaze lowered to her sopping clothes. Rob grinned, then remembered the idiot who’d caused all this to begin with.

He glanced around, knowing the crew would have hauled the man into the boat.

Bachelor #4 sat in a seat with a towel draped over his shoulders, looking stunned by the events that had followed his foolish behavior.

“I don’t have to. You’ve already been voted off.” He turned to the cameraman who’d stopped him from creating a liable situation. “Make sure he sticks around long enough for tonight’s taping and then escort him off the premises to where the other bachelors are being detained. I don’t want him left alone. Remind him of the contract he signed in regards to what his liabilities are should he discuss any of the events he’s participated in during his stint on Jane Millionaire.”

“You can’t do this,” the man repeated.

With barely contained anger, Rob faced the man once more, ignoring his words. “If you ever have the misfortune to cross my path again,
run
. Because I intend to crack a few knuckles beating your face in.”

# # #

“How the hell did that happen?” JP sank onto the settee in Rob’s suite. When the crew had told him what had occurred he’d almost had a heart attack. How would they have finished filming if something happened to Jane?

“Because casting did a crappy job selecting bachelors. The man is a walking disaster.” Rob pulled a dry T-shirt over his just shampooed head.