Free Royal Ransom by Eric Walters Page A

wouldn’t she? Don’t you think my cousin is good enough for her?”
    â€œNo, I was not implying that!”
    â€œSo you do think he’s good enough for her then?”
    Albert looked flustered and confused. He took a deep breath. “It is not a question of who is good enough or not good enough, it is simply a fact of life that she is a princess and must be treated as such. Understood?”
    â€œThat’s no problem for me,” I assured him.
    â€œAnd for you?” Albert asked Ray.
    Ray shrugged. “I’m not planning on kissing any of you. Now, if you don’t mind, how about if we get them up and get on with our day.”
    I FOLLOWED RAY ’ S LEAD and started to angle in toward the shore. Although it was hidden from view around a slight outcrop of land, I knew there was a river just ahead. It was a short stretch connecting this lake to the next.
    â€œAre we heading to shore?” Victoria asked.
    â€œHave to. We’re running out of lake. We’ll portage around some rapids.”
    â€œAre they big rapids?” she asked.
    â€œNot too bad. I’ve been down them before.”
    â€œDo you think you could navigate those rapids with me here in the bow?” she asked.
    â€œProbably.”
    â€œThen why don’t we try?”
    Up ahead, Ray and Andrew had disappeared around the little point of land.
    â€œLots of reasons.”
    â€œLike what?” she asked.
    â€œFor one, you’re still not very experienced.”
    â€œBut you’ve been telling me how well I’ve been doing all morning!” she protested.
    â€œAnd you are. Second reason, Ray didn’t say we could.”
    â€œAnd if I could convince him?” she asked.
    â€œThat would still leave us the third reason.”
    â€œAnd what is that?”
    We rounded the point and the river opened up right in front of us.
    â€œAnd the third reason is that the river flows into this lake and I’ve never met anybody who could paddle up a rapids.”
    She turned around and scowled at me and I started to laugh. She took her paddle and splashed water up at me, spraying my face.
    â€œHey!” I yelled.
    She splashed me again.
    â€œCut it out!”
    â€œAnd if I don’t?”
    â€œWell … Hey, stop it!” I yelled as she hit me with another blast of water.
    â€œWhat are you going to do about it?” she asked again. “I’m going to do this!”
    I put all my weight on one side of the canoe, practically pushing it down to the waterline and then quickly shifted to the other side, almost causing the canoe to tip. Victoria screamed.
    â€œYou going to stop? Or are we going in?” I yelled.
    â€œNever!” she hollered, and she splashed me.
    I cupped my hand and tossed up a handful of water that hit her in the back of the head. She turned away and I splashed her again, and again, and again!
    â€œI surrender!” she screamed.
    I splashed her once more for good measure.
    â€œYou win! I quit … honestly!”
    â€œThe person in the back of the canoe is always going to win,” I pointed out.
    â€œI believe you. Maybe I should paddle in the back tomorrow.”
    â€œYou need a little more experience before that can—do you hear something?”
    She perked up her ears and looked around. “Just the sound of the river. Wait, I do hear something. It sounds like a motorboat.”
    â€œNot a motorboat. A plane.” I scanned the sky but I couldn’t see anything.
    â€œDo you think it could be your father?” Victoria asked.
    â€œThere’s a good chance. There aren’t that many pilots who fly into here.”
    â€œOver there!” Victoria said, pointing.
    Coming up behind us, still far off over the lake, was a plane. It was too far away to see much about it, but it certainly wasn’t orange, so it wasn’t my father. It was coming in fast and low, almost straight toward us.
    â€œI don’t