Read Online A Fair to Remember by Barbara Ankrum - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Barbara Ankrum
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in the direction of her eyes.
He supposed nothing much had changed. “ What ? I’m remembering…” he said.
“Uh-huh.” She hand-flung the fly out onto the water. It landed ten feet away, then she jerked the rod a little and wound the thick line back in. She repeated that process several more times as he spun his line out across the river in an overhead arc.
“That’s cute,” he said, eyeing her technique. “What is that, exactly?”
“My cast.”
He suppressed a grin at the way she stuck her tongue out a little with each toss. “That’s a girl-toss and it’s more likely you’ll hook yourself than a fish.”
“A girl-toss ?” She looked a little indignant.
“Just sayin’.” Grinning, he demonstrated his expert cast for her, sending the tip of his rod sideways off his right shoulder with a little flick-flick-flick , while the thick line he held in his other hand spun out over the water.
“I like my way better,” she told him, and dropped her line in again. “I’m sure there are fish closer in than where you’re sending your line. I’ll catch the close ones.”
“Whatever you say.” He reeled in his cast. Upstream, Deke netted a fat trout and held it up for them to see. Jake gave him a thumbs up and cast his line out again. The falcons dropped out of the sky, then zoomed past him just above the water toward Deke.
“You don’t think I’ll catch anything?” she asked.
He shrugged. “Maybe some cottonwood pollen.”
“Is that a challenge?”
He tugged at the brim of the baseball cap shading his eyes. “Only if you want it to be.”
She narrowed her eyes in a look he remembered from long ago. That competitive streak was still alive in her whether she wanted to admit it or not. “Oh, I do.” She tossed her line back in where it sank like a stone.
“You’re on,” he said.
“First one to catch a fish wins.”
“Agreed.”
“Time limit?” she asked, a determined look glinting in her eyes.
Jake tugged his baseball cap down over his eyes. “By the time Deke lands his third.”
She frowned. “What if he doesn’t catch any more?”
Deke would have his limit in the next fifteen minutes if Jake didn’t miss his guess. “We could be out here all night.”
“Now you’re just trying to scare me.”
He thought she’d never looked more adorable than she did, right now, in waders and the prospect of spending a whole night with him.
He laughed and spun his line out again. Being out all night with Olivia Canaday wasn’t the worst idea he’d ever had. But he’d promised to get her home before dark.
“What if I win?” he asked.
“I cook,” she said.
“Nah, that’s Deke. He’s a gourmet. A little particular about his kitchen. How ‘bout, if I win, I get to… oh, I don’t know… kiss you again. And”—he let his gaze drift down to her breasts—“I get to say where.”
She narrowed a look at him. “Where, as in under a tree? In the helicopter?”
“Where,” he clarified, “as in, on you .”
The sexy combination of arousal and outrage on her face amused him.
“I don’t really think—”
“And if you win,” he said, “you get to do the same.”
She tilted her chin up. “What if that’s not what I want?”
He raised his brows. “What if it is?”
She thought about it for a minute. “Fine.”
I’ll be damned. “Really?”
“Yes.” She tossed her line in again, this time with more fervor, searching beneath the surface for the speckled glimmer of a trout.
“All right, then.” Jake grinned and tugged his cap, glad, for the moment, to be wearing waders as he went hard as a rock, imagining exactly where he’d put that kiss. And even if he lost, which was unlikely, he still won.
Deke shouted across the water. “You two quit dilly-dallying over there and catch some dinner.”
Five minutes later, Deke caught another one, bigger than the last. Olivia flicked a look at Jake who’d been feeling a nibble in a little pool halfway across the
He supposed nothing much had changed. “ What ? I’m remembering…” he said.
“Uh-huh.” She hand-flung the fly out onto the water. It landed ten feet away, then she jerked the rod a little and wound the thick line back in. She repeated that process several more times as he spun his line out across the river in an overhead arc.
“That’s cute,” he said, eyeing her technique. “What is that, exactly?”
“My cast.”
He suppressed a grin at the way she stuck her tongue out a little with each toss. “That’s a girl-toss and it’s more likely you’ll hook yourself than a fish.”
“A girl-toss ?” She looked a little indignant.
“Just sayin’.” Grinning, he demonstrated his expert cast for her, sending the tip of his rod sideways off his right shoulder with a little flick-flick-flick , while the thick line he held in his other hand spun out over the water.
“I like my way better,” she told him, and dropped her line in again. “I’m sure there are fish closer in than where you’re sending your line. I’ll catch the close ones.”
“Whatever you say.” He reeled in his cast. Upstream, Deke netted a fat trout and held it up for them to see. Jake gave him a thumbs up and cast his line out again. The falcons dropped out of the sky, then zoomed past him just above the water toward Deke.
“You don’t think I’ll catch anything?” she asked.
He shrugged. “Maybe some cottonwood pollen.”
“Is that a challenge?”
He tugged at the brim of the baseball cap shading his eyes. “Only if you want it to be.”
She narrowed her eyes in a look he remembered from long ago. That competitive streak was still alive in her whether she wanted to admit it or not. “Oh, I do.” She tossed her line back in where it sank like a stone.
“You’re on,” he said.
“First one to catch a fish wins.”
“Agreed.”
“Time limit?” she asked, a determined look glinting in her eyes.
Jake tugged his baseball cap down over his eyes. “By the time Deke lands his third.”
She frowned. “What if he doesn’t catch any more?”
Deke would have his limit in the next fifteen minutes if Jake didn’t miss his guess. “We could be out here all night.”
“Now you’re just trying to scare me.”
He thought she’d never looked more adorable than she did, right now, in waders and the prospect of spending a whole night with him.
He laughed and spun his line out again. Being out all night with Olivia Canaday wasn’t the worst idea he’d ever had. But he’d promised to get her home before dark.
“What if I win?” he asked.
“I cook,” she said.
“Nah, that’s Deke. He’s a gourmet. A little particular about his kitchen. How ‘bout, if I win, I get to… oh, I don’t know… kiss you again. And”—he let his gaze drift down to her breasts—“I get to say where.”
She narrowed a look at him. “Where, as in under a tree? In the helicopter?”
“Where,” he clarified, “as in, on you .”
The sexy combination of arousal and outrage on her face amused him.
“I don’t really think—”
“And if you win,” he said, “you get to do the same.”
She tilted her chin up. “What if that’s not what I want?”
He raised his brows. “What if it is?”
She thought about it for a minute. “Fine.”
I’ll be damned. “Really?”
“Yes.” She tossed her line in again, this time with more fervor, searching beneath the surface for the speckled glimmer of a trout.
“All right, then.” Jake grinned and tugged his cap, glad, for the moment, to be wearing waders as he went hard as a rock, imagining exactly where he’d put that kiss. And even if he lost, which was unlikely, he still won.
Deke shouted across the water. “You two quit dilly-dallying over there and catch some dinner.”
Five minutes later, Deke caught another one, bigger than the last. Olivia flicked a look at Jake who’d been feeling a nibble in a little pool halfway across the
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