Okay, if this was all he had, he wouldnt have rented a lake house. Unless hed promised his daughter
No. She was being ridiculous. Hudson was a grown man, and she had no business worrying about his financial status. If hed rented a house he couldnt afford, that was his problem. She had her cash up front, and that was all that mattered.
Right?
A PRESSURE AGAINST Hudsons stomach woke him up. He cracked one eye open to a pitch-black room. Bethany was sitting on his rib cage.
Daddy! Are you awake?
I am now. Hed tossed and turned until the wee hours of the morning. It was too quiet here. He missed the white noise of traffic, horns, sirens. He liked the idea that there were people all around him. This house was too isolated. The only nearby neighbor was Amanda Dewhurst, and hed managed to alienate her.
The quiet had nearly driven him crazy.
Im bored, Bethany announced.
Hudson checked the illuminated dial on his watch. It was a little after five oclock. Go back to bed. Its too early. It would be six, Boston time. He would already be on his way to the hospital, mentally preparing for his first surgery.
I cant sleep, Bethany said.
Bethany had never awakened him before. Back home, if she cried in the night or had a bad dream, she went to the live-in housekeeper. Shed been told not to disturb his sleep, because he needed plenty of rest if he was going to stick a scalpel into someones heart the next day.
Now he had no such excuses. His daughter was his responsibility, totally. It scared him a little.
Do you want to climb into bed with me? he asked, a little apprehensively. He wasnt sure that was proper, but maybe it would help her feel more secure if an adult was nearby.
No. I want you to get up. Im hungry.
Hudson groaned. Get a Pop-Tart. Theyre in the cabinet.
I cant reach.
Hudson reached over and turned on the bedside lamp. His daughter stared at him earnestly. He would have to get uphe didnt know what else to do. Maybe he shouldnt have made Bethany take that long nap yesterday.
He set her on her feet, then climbed out of bed and pulled on a pair of jeans.
As he was fixing Bethany a Pop-Tart, he looked out the window and noticed lights on at the house next door. Amanda must be an early riser. He thought about asking her over for coffee. It would be nice to have another adult to talk to. He was going batty here, and hed been here less than a day.
Then he realized how stupid an idea that was. First, he didnt have any coffee. And even if he did, the cabin didnt have a coffee maker. Second, an attractive woman in his cabin would only make his blood pressure go up. And the objective was to make it go down. Hed brought a cuff with him and he intended to check it often. The moment he got the numbers down to normal, he was heading back to Boston.
Third, Amanda probably wasnt speaking to him. Although he hoped the cash left on her door would lessen her anger with him.
He thought back to the way shed gone off on him yesterday. Her eyes had sparked fire, and little wisps of blond hair had pulled free of her tight twist, framing her face in a shimmering halo. Hed liked seeing her that way, free of her ultraprofessional real-estate-lady persona. He just wished her anger hadnt been aimed at him.
He thought about her loss of composure and wondered what it meant. Yelling at him about the check he could understand. But that business about Mary Jo Whoever stealing her trophythat was over the top.
The light upstairs went out, and another came on downstairs. Maybe he could take her out for coffee. Did Cottonwood have a Starbucks? He doubted it, but hed seen something called the Miracle Café that served breakfast all day.
Are you gonna give me that Pop-Tart or what? Bethany asked.
Hudson realized hed been staring at the house, lost in thought. The Pop-Tart had popped up and was cooling off. He plucked it from the toaster, set it on a paper towel, and handed it to Bethany.
Grandma Ruth says we always have to eat at the table.
At home, maybe. But were on vacation.
Whats vacation?
You know, a trip. Where we have fun.
Im not having fun.
You didnt like sleeping in the loft?
Yeah. But Im awake now.
Lets go watch the sunrise.
Why?
Becausebecause its pretty. Because thats what people do when they stay in a lake house, I guess.
What about fishing?
When Hudson had checked out the house yesterday, hed seen some fishing equipment in the garage. Sure, why not? Well eat breakfast, get dressed, and by then the sun will be up and we can go fishing.
Thirty minutes later, showered, dressed in old jeans and reasonably well fed with two Pop-Tarts, Hudson was in the garage sorting through a pile of dusty old fishing equipment. He selected what looked like the only two poles that actually had working reels attached. He sort of figured out how the reel worked. He found a tackle box that had an assortment of esoteric things inside, including hooks. He tied a hook onto the end of each line, using surgical knots.
Piece of cake, he murmured.
All the while, Bethany watched intently, asking him what he was doing each step of the way. He tried to act as if he knew the drill, but hed never been fishing in his life except for the time he went deep-sea fishing on a yacht. This was a little different.
The fish bite onto these hooks? she asked.
Thats right.
Why do they do that? Are they stupid?
No. We have to trick them into biting the hook by putting bait on it.
Whats bait?
Its something the fish would like to eat.
What do fish eat?
That was a very good question. He rifled through the tackle box, finally coming up with some rather crusty artificial worms. Maybe these would do.
The point wasnt really to catch anything, right? This was an exercise in boredom.
The sun was just coming up as Hudson and Bethany walked out to the end of the rickety dock. Hudson put a rubbery worm on the end of each hook, then pulled out some extra line so the hook would dangle in the water. He gave one pole to Bethany, cautioning her for about the tenth time about being careful of the hook. Then he sat down beside her and put his own hook in the water.
Nothing happened.
This is nice, he said, trying to convince himself. Just you and me, doing a little father-daughter bonding.
Huh?
Never mind. Is anything happening with your line?
No.
Mine, neither. But I understand you have to be patient to be a fisherman.
Fishergirl, she corrected him.
Oh, Lord. At four years old, Bethany was a budding feminist. Her grandmother would have a fit. Finally, something to make Hudson smile.
Im bored, Bethany said after exactly seven minutes.
Lets talk to pass the time.
Talk about what?
He had no idea what. What do you like to watch on TV?
Princess Pony.
Tell me about that.
Theres a white pony, and shes a princess, and then theres a bad Palomino Queen who wants Princess Pony to go into this cave and never come out.
That sounds exciting.
That sounds exciting.
But now I cant watch it because we dont have a TV.
Originally hed been pleased the cabin didnt have a TV. Bethany watched far too much at home, and the point of a vacation like this was to get outdoors, get some exercise, get healthy. Watching TV wasnt healthy. But it might help Bethany not to die of boredom. Maybe he could compromise, buy a TV and VCR and rent some educational videos or classic childrens movies.
Is anything happening with your line?
No.
Eleven minutes had passed.
They tried a different color of worm. They tried an orange lizard. They tried a silver metal fish with spinners on it. The fish were about as interested as Hudson would be at a vegetarian buffet.
Can we go inside now, Daddy?
Not until we catch a fish. He didnt know what he would do with the fish if he caught it, but he didnt like to fail at his endeavors.
AMANDA GULPED DOWN the last bit of her coffee, then strode through the living room and beat on the bedroom door. Mick? Are you up yet?
No reply.
She cracked the door open. Mick was sprawled on top of the covers, still fully clothed. It was all Amanda could do not to yank him by the ankles and toss him to the floor.
Shed heard him come home last nightat two in the morning. Shed hoped he was at the university library in Tyler, studying. But seeing him now, she knew shed been naive. Mick had been out drinkingshed stake her life on it. It wasnt as if she couldnt recognize the signs. She was very afraid that Mick was his fathers son.
Resisting the urge to fit her hands around his neck, she instead shook his shoulder. Mick. Wake up.
He opened one bleary eye. Huh?
Get your hungover butt out of bed. You have a class this morning.
Not till nine.
Get up now, or youll fall back to sleep.
Get off my case.
You think this is on your case? Just wait and see what happens if I ever catch you drinking and driving again.
She left him with that thought. Back in the kitchen, she grabbed her keys and was about to head out the door when she spotted something interesting out the living room window. Hudson and Bethany were sitting on the end of their dock, fishing.
She watched them for a few self-indulgent moments. Her father used to take her fishing when she was a little girl. It was one of her nicest memories of him, nearly obliterated by other, more recent and far less pleasant ones. But now the images came flooding backbaiting hooks with wiggling earthworms, breathlessly watching the float bob up and down as a fish toyed with the bait, feeling the sun beating down on her bare arms.
And listening to her father tell stories. Sometimes he told real stories from his youth. Sometimes he made up fairy tales. And sometimes she couldnt tell the difference. But she didnt care. She just loved to hear him talk. He could weave an interesting tale around the most mundane of events and keep her endlessly entertained.
She wondered what Hudson and Bethany were talking about.
As she watched them a bit longer, she realized they werent catching anything, not even little perch or sunfish. The longer she watched, the more she realized they hadnt a clue about what they were doing. They didnt even know how to cast!
Its none of your business, she reminded herself. Fishing was very personal. Maybe this was the technique that worked for Hudson.
She had to get to work, anyway. She had an appointment in a couple of hours with Clea Marsden about selling her rental property. But she could go over and thank Hudson for leaving her the cash. And she could give him a few pointers on fishing. It had been years since shed dipped a hook in the water, but she hadnt forgotten how.
Yes, that was the polite thing to do. She would have to live next to Hudson for a month. Might as well try to be on good terms with him. Besides, what if he really needed the fish to supplement his groceries?
Her mind made up, she marched next door, then tiptoed down the dock. If there were any fish around, she didnt want to scare them.
Good morning, she whispered.
Hudson jumped a good six inches, and Bethany peered over her shoulder. Why are you whispering? she asked.
So I dont scare the fish, she explained.
The fish are underwater, Bethany said patiently. They cant hear us.
Oh, but they can, Amanda assured her. Then she looked at Hudson, who appeared touchably rumpled and unshaven. Normally she didnt care for that un-shaven look, but on Hudson it worked. He wore a pair of jeans even more faded than the ones hed had on yesterday, and a Harvard T-shirt.
Harvard? Your alma mater? she asked, pointing to the shirt.
He looked down at it. This? Someone gave it to me.
Oh. Well, anyway, I wanted to thank you for making good on the check.
I told you I would.
I know, but Ive learned not to trust people when they say things like that. So many dont live up to their word. I appreciate that you did, and Im sorry I lost my temper yesterday.
He smiled. Its forgotten.
So, youre fishing, huh?
Yup.
What are you using for bait? She didnt see a bait bucket anywhere.
Right now? Some little wooden fish we found in the tackle box.
Ye gods! No wonder they hadnt caught anything. You couldnt use plastic worms or plugs or other artificial lures for bobber fishing. And now that she was closer, and Hudson had his hook out of the water, she could see they werent using floats or sinkers, either. This was the most pathetic fishing effort shed ever seen.
What are you trying to catch?
Hudson shrugged. Anything.
Would you mind a few pointers? I mean, you arent familiar with this lake. She didnt want to point out his complete ignorance in front of his daughter.
I would be grateful for some pointers.
Okay. First of all, if youre just going to hang your hook in the water, you need live bait. Minnows, or at least earthworms.
We dont have any of those things. These fake fish look pretty realistic to me.
Amanda shook her head. Yes, but you have to wiggle and move them to make them attractive. They wont work if theyre just hanging still in the water. Also, most of the fish will already be in deeper water this time of the morning. They come close to shore only at dawn and dusk.
I dont have any worms or minnows.
Wellif youre not too particular about what you catch, raw bacon might work in a pinch. At least it smells good to the fish.
Hudson shook his head. I have hot dogs.
That might do.
Hudson sent Bethany back to the house for hot dogs, an errand she gladly performed. She was getting tired of just sitting here, anyway, Hudson admitted.
Well, she wont be bored when you start catching fish. Bethany dusted off a spot on the dock and sat down, careful to protect her stockings and her modesty in her short skirt. In a couple of minutes flat she had both poles properly outfitted with sinkers, floats and hooks. Bethany returned shortly with a package of franks. Amanda took a small bit of wiener and worked it onto one of the hooks in a way that would disguise it.
Now. You need to cast your line out a little ways from the dock, and let the current move it along. She and Hudson stood, and she demonstrated the correct procedure. As she stretched her arm back preparing for the cast, she got the distinct impression that Hudson wasnt watching her formnot her fishing form, anyway.