A bark brought their attention to a knee-high dog coming up from the cabin. His tail formed a curly-cue, and it wagged as he took in Sammy.
You got another dog, Cassie said, watching the dogs do their territorial sniffing ritual and feeling grateful for the diversion. What is he?
One hundred percent pure, certified, pedigreed mutt.
The dog was cloud white, with short hair and big brown eyes. A mutt. Perfect for Dan. Did you name him after a fishing icon? Samuel Kent was one of the greatest fishermen in history, according to Dan. But inside he was a Sammy, and hed communicated that to her, just as hed told her he liked his ribbons and bells.
No. He puffed his shoulders the slightest bit. His name is Thor, he said in a deep, throaty voice.
She couldnt help but laugh as she scratched Thors soft fur. Did it really bother you that much that I thought Sammy was too cute a dog for a guy?
Maybe I just like the name Thor.
She held Thors chin in her hand, tilting her head as she looked into the dogs eyes. I hate to tell you this, Dan, but this dog has the heart of a poet.
Oh, no you dont! Hes Thor, mans best friend.
She stroked the dogs chin, nodding with conviction. Thornton.
Thor. Each time he said the dogs name, his voice got deeper. His gaze had taken her in for a moment, but he shifted it to the dispersing crowd. Okay, Ill teach you about fishing, but there are a few rules you gotta follow.
She rose, eyeing him warily. No, Im not going to be your anchor.
He laughed. Laughed! Shed almost forgotten that laugh, robust and sudden, like a boys. It filled her with a swirling heat.
Nothing as treacherous as that. First, none of that skimble-scamble. And none of that head-tilting thing either. In other words, no using your feminine willies.
Willies? I thought they were wiles.
His mouth tilted up in a smile. With you, theyre willies. Before she could clarify that, he went on. And no calling my dog Thornton.
Anything else, Captain McDermott?
He lifted his chin. Yeah, I like the sound of that. Call me that.
Oh, brother. Aye, aye, that.
He leaned closer. Thats Captain to you, matey. She backed away. Someone yelled out Dans name, and he waved back. Were about to kick this thing off, and I get to fire the starting gun.
Why you?
He leaned close again, as though he were going to plant a kiss on the tip of her nose but stopped himself just short of contact. Because Im the fishing god.
3
MY, BUT THIS WAS an interesting turn of events, Dan thought as he listened to Cassies take-down of the weenie she worked with, including her evil thoughts about switching Ben-Gay for his Preparation H. She sat in the tall chair next to him, Sammy burrowed in her lap. Dan debated telling her the one tidbit that would spin things even more, and then decided against it. She kept talking about how she hated dishonesty, and unless he fessed up now, he was going to fall right into that category. Too late, he decided. She was bound to find out sooner or later that he owned Lure Em In Tackle Company. Hed instructed his sales and marketing manager to call her. Hed figured on showing up when Cassie was presenting her ideas and surprise her. Then hed see if there were any sparks between them.
This was even better. Having her all to himself was a gift from God. The best part was he could already tell the sparks were there. He just hoped she realized it before she learned the truth. Otherwise, he was going to have a heck of a time convincing her they needed a second chance.
And then my boss has the nerve to tell me I should be a gentleman after the sexist remark about florists and banks! She threw her arms in the air, making a sound of exasperation that had Dan trying to hide a grin.
All the engines made it sound like a full-fledged invasion. He steered through the mass of boats wending their way to the open water of the Gulf. Thats when things really started, when lures would be cast and lines would glisten in the sun like spun silver, waiting for just the right fish to tug the line and take him to the limit. Who said fishing wasnt romantic?
The guy sounds like a jerk. In fact, they both do. Why even stay there?
She fussed with the silly bow on Sammys head. Thats my plan, putting in my time and learning my craft so I can eventually go out on my own.
Youre going to start your own business?
Yes. You know, the American dream and all. I have each stage mapped out, along with a timetable. She pulled out a small notepad on a chain.
He shook his head. Youre making lists? Miss Spur-of-the-moment.
Told you I was different. No more impulsiveness, no jumping into things without studying all the angles, and no more of that skimble-scamble thing. Well, not usually. She pushed some of her hair away from her face, but the wind just washed it right back again. He remembered how soft her hair was, how it felt sliding through his fingers when they made love, or the way it tickled his skin as she laid kisses all over his body.
Hair is fineI mean, lists are fine, if youre a list kind of person, I suppose. He hated lists, duties, timetables. Hated Freudian slips, too. I say jump in now and swim with the tide.
She narrowed her eyes. I see you havent changed.
He caught a whiff of that butter rum candy she liked. He could never go past the candy aisle without thinking of Cassie. Or about kissing her and stealing her candy. The woman was like the candy, spicy and sweet at the same time. Shed swept in and out of his life like a damned hurricane, leaving behind several unfinished redecorating projects and an aftermath of memories and longings. Hed restored his apartment and picked up the memories, but the longings, they didnt go away so easily. And, he noted, the wind was picking up. If he didnt play this right, hed end up a victim of Hurricane Cassie again.
What he wanted to know was, how different was she? Someplace deep inside him didnt think shed changed that much. Passion still blazed in those sea-green eyes, and he recalled that passion oh so well. And she still put bows on Sammy. And bells! Sheesh.
She held Sammy against her chest, presumably so he could see ahead. I am in total control of my life now. Mistress of my destiny. Completely sensible. I cant believe how flaky I was back whenwell, when we were married.
He decided not to mention the bows, bells or the way she held Sammy. Thats what I liked about you.
She rolled her eyes. I thought life was one big adventure.
Whats wrong with that?
Do you realize how close I was to becoming my mother? She shuddered. Youd think after growing up living with whoever would have us, spending every holiday with a different man, getting the names of all her husbands mixed up, Id have seen that I was headed in the same direction. She raised her eyebrows. Flaky as pie crust.
He had met her mom on their wedding day. Andromeda had been living in New Orleans with a jazz musician, and shed flown in for the wedding sporting her own diamond ring: husband number five.
How many husbands have you had since? He couldnt say the words our divorce.
None! Ive been sensible, levelheaded and analytical since Apparently, she couldnt say it either; she referred to it with a wave. Besides, I have everything I want, like (a) a good job, weenies notwithstanding; beneath that (a-1) goals for my future (b) nice apartment (c) good friends and (c-1) Sammy.
This a-b-c stuff
Dont forget (a-1) and (c-1).
He blinked. Right. This lettering thing
She smiled. The new me. Her gaze went to the ring finger on his left hand, real casual-like. How about you? Any wives?
Not a one. His fingers flexed involuntarily
Anyoneserious?
Nope. Three months is as long as I could stay interested. For some reason that seemed to bum her out. How is your mom, by the way?
The same, she said on a sigh. Working on husband number eight, no doubt. And your granny?
The same, cantankerous old broad you knew.
Cassie smiled. The only woman Ive ever known who called herself a broad.
You could say she hasnt gotten you out of her mind, he said, wondering if he werent possibly talking about himself, too. She named her cat after you.
Her mouth quirked. Well, I guess thats better than naming, say, a pet pig after me.
She named the pig Hal.
How appropriate, she muttered.
Says shes too old to remember names, so she names all her pets after people she knows. She named her prairie pup after me. The sun was beginning to glisten on the wavelets. A seagull bobbing in the water took flight as they approached, squawking its protest. That tabbys got your feminine willies. She rubs against my legs and curls up in my lap, and makes that same little meowing noise you made when you
Coughed up hair balls! she interrupted. She squeezed her eyes shut.
I, uh, dont quite recall you coughing up hair balls, Cass.
She turned away and murmured, I tried to keep it to myself.
Interesting that she didnt want to discuss anything relating to sexual bliss. I see.
Well, good for you. Now stop seeing and look where youre going, will you? A few minutes later, she nodded at Daves boat nearby, dotted with beauties already trying to grab sun in their colored strips some might call bathing suits. So, you really have a rule about no women on the boat during a tournament?
One of my few rules in life. He glanced at her. Too distracting. Though hed hesitated on letting her aboard strictly for show.
Im not distracting. The women gave Dan cute little finger-wagging waves. He returned the wave, wondering if they realized he was mocking their cutesiness. He glanced at Cassie, in her cotton shirt and shorts that came down to her knees.
She followed his gaze. See, nothing distracting here.
He raised an eyebrow. You forget I know what you look like naked.
Dan, puh-leez! She fiddled with the notepad.
She thought he was kidding. He shook his head, focusing again on the parade of boats all around him. The problem was, he remembered way too well. She used to have a hang-up about her legs being too skinny, but he couldnt find one fault, not a single one. He loved the way she felt in his arms, the way she went nuts when he kissed the spot behind her ears. Shoot. The wind was definitely picking up.
Did you bring a bikini?
She furrowed her eyebrows. Dan, I didnt come along to be your bow ornament. I came to learn about fishing lures.
He laughed, which strangely enough made her grin. Bow ornament, huh? Yeah, that about sums them up.
Im surprised you dont have one or two yourself.
Theyre for the boys who come out here to play. Thors my only ornament. Hes a lot easier to maintain.
You sound like Hal. I always wondered if youd end up like him.
At first he focused on the fact that shed wondered about him. Then the disappointment in her face forced the rest of the sentence into his mind. Im not like Hal. Except for the beer drinking, the fishing every spare moment, the perpetual bachelorhood. Well, at least he had been married once.
Why was it when he looked at her mouth, he thought of all the times hed kissed it? When he looked at her body, he remembered the way shed fling herself into his arms or hop on his back and wrap her legs around his waist, just for the heck of it. Hed loved that, loved her spontaneity. And he could hardly wait for that massage, even if, when she learned he owned the tackle company, she was likely to be pretty ticked.
So, besides tournaments, what do you do with yourself? she asked.
A little of this and that, organizing tournaments or entering them.
Oh. So how does this work? This whole tournament thing, I mean.
We all have to stay within a certain area. This is a catch-and-release tournament, meaning we register the fish with the judge, and then he tags and sets them free. At the end, the totals are added and the trophies and prize monies are given out.
And Lure Em In sponsors the tournament.
Yep. So, of course, everyone uses their lures, and each contestant gets two with his or her entry. And a nifty T-shirt. He nodded to a plastic bag on the bench.
Cassie pulled out the shirt featuring the Domino. From what I could tell of Rogers notes, their new one is the Big Bopper, she said, folding the T-shirt and looking in the bag. Its not one of these.
They havent released it yet. Everyones pretty excited about it.
They are?
He laughed at her disbelief that anyone could get excited over fishing lures. This lures supposed to have some intriguing features, like a special kind of wiggle thats sure to lure the fish in. He winked at her. Women arent the only intriguing things with wiggles, you know.
Im ignoring you, she said in a singsong voice. She turned the lure package around, studying it. The Domino, not surprisingly, was white with black polka dots sprinkled on top. Sure to luredo you use Lure Ems lures?
The question is, who doesnt? He shrugged. At least in this area. Its a regional phenomenon. They say the guy who started the company knows more about the way a fish thinks than even a fish.
Oh, brother. Hey, wait a minute. Who uses the Big Bopper? The question is, who doesnt? Sure to Lure. Hmm.
Do I get a cut if you use my words?
Ill buy you a years supply of worms if I win the campaign.
Worms. How thoughtful. But she was madly scribbling down notes. Whys it so important to you, Cass?
She met his gaze. I want to prove to myself that I can stick with something, not walk away without a fight. Something bittersweet flashed in her eyes. Ive left too many things unfinished.
He watched her sink into her thoughts. Was she thinking about their unfinished business? He hadnt made any plans when they got married, enjoying living and loving by the seats of their pants. But he had planned on staying married to her for a long, long time. Before he knew it, theyd soared, plummeted, crashed and burned before hed even learned to fly the damned plane.
Had he changed enough to make it work this time? Or had she changed too much to even try?
UNFINISHED BUSINESS. The words echoed in Cassies thoughts after she and Dan lapsed into silence. One minute they were crazy in loveand just plain crazyand the next, they were married. Admit it. You were a flake. You ran away in a full-blown panic.