Reluctantly in Love by Niecey Roy

matchmaker in the worst place on earth. You know I have a fear of freaky murky water!”
    “Well, I didn’t think you’d tip the canoe,” she said, her tone defensive.
    I held my finger up to silence her and gave her a severe stare. “ Uh-uh . Don’t even. I’m going to go apologize to Chase again. You stay here.”
    I trotted over to Chase who stood beside the pickup. He looked up when I stopped beside him. “Come to finish me off?” he teased.
    My face broke into a big smile. “ Ha-ha . Very funny. I just wanted to say I’m sorry, again.” My gaze went up to his forehead. “For all the bruises.”
    “It’s okay. I’m not broken.” He reached into the bed of the truck and dragged the cooler toward him. Flipping the lid open, he said, “How about some water?”
    My mouth would have salivated if there was any moisture left in it. “I would kill for some.”
    He side-stepped to put a foot of distance between us. “No need for violence, Bruiser.”
    “Bruiser?” I took the bottle of water he handed me.
    He grinned as he unscrewed the cap off his water. “Seems fitting.”
    “I don’t think I can even argue with that.” I downed half the bottle. My eyeballs rolled back into my head as the cold, refreshing liquid slid down my parched throat. Afterward, I sucked in a deep breath. “God, I needed that.” I leaned against the side of the pickup. “So, are you staying all weekend?”
    Leaning against the box of the pickup, he turned to gaze at me. I couldn’t tell what was behind those blue eyes of his. I didn’t normally worry about the kind of first impression I left with someone, but for some reason, I was concerned now. Just because I had no intention of ever dating this guy, didn’t mean I wanted him too afraid to be around me.
    “I’m headed to my parents for supper after we get these canoes loaded. Haven’t seen them in a few months. My work schedule’s been pretty crazy.” His lips turned up into the teasing smile that made my stomach flutter-flip. “Why? You going to miss me?”
    “Miss giving you flesh wounds, maybe.” I waggled my eyebrows at him, and he threw his head back with laughter.
    “You know what, Roxanna Leigh Moss?” His blue eyes twinkled back at me. “I think you and I are going to be good friends.”
    If I wasn’t already suffering from dehydration and heat exhaustion, I might have blushed. “I’m sorry I broke you, Dr. Walker. You’re good people.”
    “You’re not so bad yourself, Bruiser.” He set his empty water bottle into the bed of the truck and reached for another from the cooler. “Stay out of trouble. I’m going to help the guys load the canoes.”
    My gaze followed him all the way to the dirt ramp where Matt stood talking to Leo and Lexie, who had just shown up in their canoe.
    He was glorious. Every curve and line of his body. He should never wear a shirt. In my fantasy, he was shirtless, with a stethoscope around his neck . . . and I was in a skimpy nurse’s costume. I chewed on my bottom lip. It was easy to daydream. He looked more like a model than a doctor.
    Gen snapped her fingers in front of my face.
    “Where’d you come from?” I yanked my eyes from Chase’s beautiful flexing back muscles.
    “I told you, you’d be interested in him if you just gave him a chance.” She looked away, too smug for her own good.
    “Of course I’m interested—look at him.” I dumped the rest of the bottled water over my neck and shoulders to wash away the dirt sticking to my skin. “But it’s still not a good idea. I’m just going to enjoy the view, that’s all.”
    “ Mm. ” Gen’s gaze laughed at me.
    I crossed my arms. “Don’t get any ideas.”
    Anything with Chase was a bad idea. When my last boyfriend and I broke up, we both went our separate ways without it affecting any of our friends. His friends weren’t my friends and vice versa. Anything with Chase would be a bad idea because we shared the same friends. I wasn’t into