Recap of Chapter Five

After a long suspicious squint at James, Mr. Hile seemed satisfied with this answer. James had almost heaved a sigh of relief. He had escaped this time. He knew it would not be the last of these interviews. He realized that the farm work was not going to be the problem. What with Caro and her protective father he was going to have quite a time keeping this job.

Chapter Six

James left the barn after finishing all his chores. He walked towards a wooded section of the creek where Mr. Hile had said there was a swimming hole. The sun was just setting and the long, purple shadows were stretching across the fields. He took off his shirt as he entered the glen of trees. It had been hot out this afternoon and the shirt was sticky and sweaty. He was reaching for the button on his blue jeans when he saw the glint of golden hair on the surface of the pool.

Caro was floating on the surface of the water, her hair floating around her head like a halo. She gently nodded her hair from side, feeling her hair move in slow motion in the cool mountain water. Her ears were under also so all she could hear was the steady rushing of the creek. Her eyes were closed, thinking about the book she was reading. The heroine had been caught by bandits and a handsome cowboy had just saved her. Caro smiled, thinking how silly she was to read nonsense like that. But what harm could it do?

James looked at her. She was an irresistible angel in only her white lacy bra and panties with her hair floating around her like that. He watched her smile and wondered what she was thinking about. It seemed almost a sin to disturb her. He would just swim a little farther down the stream. He picked up his shirt giving her one last look.

Caro was so relaxed she stopped fluttering her hands to keep her head above the surface. She began to sink so slowly she didn't notice. Suddenly her head went under. She was so surprised she opened her mouth to scream and only breathed in water. She sputtered, making gargling sounds in her throat. Her eyes were out of focus from lack of air but her feet couldn't seem to find the bottom. Her head sunk again and everything went black.

James heard splashing and turned around to see only waves where Caro had been a few seconds before. He ran towards the swimming hole throwing his shirt on the rocky bank behind him. He looked frantically around for her then saw her body lying on the the bottom on the creek. He grabbed her quickly and took her in his arms. He waded out to the bank, still holding her. Her eyes were closed and she wasn't breathing. He put his hand on her chest and felt a faint heart beat. He was deciding whether to do CPR when he saw her cough.

Caro coughed out water a few times then drew a shaky breath. Her throat was sore but at least she could breath again. She could feel someone's strong arms holding her tightly. She snuggled into the warm soft chest. "Daaddy?" she croaked.

"Oh thank god," a voice whispered then answered, "No, it's me; James." She jerked fully awake. She lifted her head and tried to open her eyes but blurry green swirled above her and she had to lay her head back against his chest. She could feel the muscles in his chest tighten as he held her still. "Caro you need to stay still. Does your head hurt? Did you hit any rocks?"

"I feel dizzy...I dunno." She slurred. She wanted to get out of this position. It was, on top of everything else, making her stomach turn summersaults. "Jame-Mr. Stinson...?" She blushed.

"It's James."

"Umm...Can you put me down?" She asked.

"As long as you promise to stay still. I need to see if you have any broken bones." He lay her down gently on a mossy spot. The sun had set and the breeze was chilly now. She found that she missed the warmth of his velvety chest. She shivered. She opened her eyes. She couldn't see James anywhere, only the trees above her. "James?" she called out in a squeaky panicked voice.

"I'm right here Caro." James returned to her side with his shirt. He lay it under her head as a pillow. "Now I'm going to check for broken bones. Tell me if this hurts." He leaned over her and squeezed her ankle gently then turned in a semi circle one way, then the other. He ran his hand up her leg, gently probing with his fingers.

This was sending shivers up and down Caro's spine and doing nothing for the butterflies in her stomach. She breathed out very quietly, "That feels fine."

He kept his face in a serious mask, not showing how her tone of voice affected him. She probably didn't even know what she was saying, or how she was saying it in her delirious state. But he had to do this before he carried her to the house. If broken bones got jarred out of place they wouldn't grow back together right. He started with her other leg, checking it as he had the other. He could hear her breathing rate increasing as his hand moved up her leg. She let out a soft moan.

He dragged in a deep breath. He couldn't do this. He had always prided himself on his self control. But with her making those noises in that very appealing outfit, or lack of one, he just couldn't keep his cool. He needed some distance. He moved back a little ways from this tempting angel and took another deep breath.

"You don't seem to have any breaks. Does your head still hurt?" Caro nodded then grimaced at the pain of moving her head. "I'll take you up to the house."

She smiled up at him, "Okay." He gathered her up into his arms. She snuggled into his warm body and lay her head on his chest and whispered, "Thanks James." He smiled and silently thanked God she was safe.

A/N: I worked for 5 hours on this chapter please please review! Do you think it's moving too fast? review and tell me! Smiles.