Crossword Genius

Liked a river, but forced to divert round it (5,3)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

cared for

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'liked' is the definition.
(caring for is a kind of liking)

'a river but forced to divert round it' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite understand how this works, but
'a' is found in the answer.
'river' could be 'red' (Red River is an example) and 'red' is present in the answer.
'to' could be 'for' and 'for' is found in the answer.
A single letter 'c' remains which might be clued in a way I don't see.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for cared for that I've seen before include "looked after" , "Enjoyed" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
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