Chapter 43
Sam ran down the hill and jumped over Quinn's head. She grabbed her nose before she hit the water. The Ely boys were laughing and smiling as she surfaced.
"Good jump, Sammy," Nate told her.
"Thanks," Sam smiled at him.
He grabbed her and slung her over his shoulder like a backpack. Sam was laughing as she hung upside down, trying to keep her head out of the water. Nate loosened his grip and she flipped around so she was riding piggyback, her arms around his shoulders and her legs around his waist.
"Watch your feet there, Sammy," Nate choked out. Kit and Adam started to laugh. Little Sammy must have her feet very close to Nate's groin. Nate gave them an amused look.
Kit glanced at Jake who was floating on his back. Kit glanced back at Sam and couldn't help the wolfish grin on his face. If she looked at Jake right now, she'd probably be able to see his nakedness from her perch on Nate.
Sam though, wasn't even looking at Jake. She was looking down at the water as if she could see beneath. Kit would bet she had felt something with her foot and was wondering what it was. He had to turn away as his laughter came bubbling up out of him.
"What's so funny?" Quinn asked him.
"Nothing," Kit's laughter just kept coming. Adam started laughing with him and so did Nate.
"Almost got a bit of an education there," Nate managed to say as he laughed.
Adam started to cough he was laughing so hard.
"Ten more years," Kit said to Adam.
"It will be interesting," Adam responded.
"Ten more years for what?" Bryan wondered.
"You'll find out in ten years," Kit answered.
"Or less," Adam laughed.
"Nah, the big reveal is in ten years," Kit laughed.
"Yep, that's true," Adam nodded as he laughed.
Bryan, Quinn, Nate, Jake and Sam all wondered what they were talking about.
"Sammy will be nineteen," Kit said.
"That's old," Sam responded.
"Kit will be twenty-eight," Jake told her.
"Now that's old," Sam said.
"Gee, thanks Sammy," Kit laughed, splashing her.
Sam kicked her foot out at him and Kit grabbed it, pulling her off of Nate's back. With a shriek, Sam flew through the air to land face first on top of Jake. They both went under, Sam flailing away as she panicked.
Her hands reached for anything that would keep her from drowning. Sam's small hands grabbed onto the first thing she felt.
"Ow," Jake's head came out of the water. Sam's head bobbed next to him, her arms and legs still flailing.
"Let go, Brat," Jake's hands were under the water trying to pry her hands off of him.
"What's she grabbing, Jakey?" Adam teased.
Jake gave him a look as he managed to get Sam's hands off of him under the water.
Adam's jaw dropped.
"No!" he sputtered.
"Oh my gosh," Nate burst out laughing.
Kit almost gulped in a mouth full of water as he laughed.
Sam climbed up Jake's chest as she tried to keep herself from going under again. Her arms wrapped around his neck and her legs were around his waist as she coughed.
"I'm sorry, Sammy," Kit told her as he got control of himself. "Are you okay?"
Sam nodded quickly though not releasing the hold she had on Jake with her arms and legs.
"You can let go," Jake told her. "You won't drown."
"You don't know that," Sam responded.
"We won't let you drown, Sammy," Bryan assured her.
Sam shook her head.
"Come here," Adam held out his hands.
"You just want her to grab…," Kit began before he saw the look that Jake shot him. Little Jakey was not pleased with what he was about to say.
Sam was reluctant to let go of Jake.
"It's okay," Jake said.
Slowly Sam pried her fingers from Jake's skin and unlatched her legs from around his waist and Adam grabbed her immediately so she didn't go under.
"Jake needs to teach you to swim," Quinn told her.
"She swims fine in the river," Jake responded. "She's frightened is all."
Adam met Kit's glance, the two of them remembering their prediction. Jake was awfully protective of Sam at the young age of ten. What would he be like when they were both older?