He shrugged out of his flannel and tied it around his waist, then turned his back to her, and she hesitantly curled her arms around his neck. When he stood, she wrapped her legs around his waist, and he hooked his arms beneath them.
“Are you sure?” she asked.
“Do I look like a weakling—” He took a step forward. “—to you?”
“Certainly not.”
“I’ll take a look at your ankle when we get to the lake. We have tape and ace bandages, so I can wrap it if need be.”
“Thank you.”
“My pleasure. Hold on for a second.” Without waiting for her to acknowledge his request, he leaned forward to grab his water bottle off the rock she’d been sitting on, and she instinctively tightened her grip on him. “Would you hold on to this for me?”
“Sure.”
“Shall we get moving again?” he asked.
The feel of muscle
