by Cindy Stark
He shrugged as he zipped shut a stuffed backpack and buckled on his holster. "I don't know. It was just an innocent question."
But it wasn't.
"Ready?" he said before she could respond.
"Do you think taking your gun is necessary?"
"I'm comfortable you'll be safe, but there's nothing wrong with being careful."
He held out a folded lightweight blanket to her. "Hope you don't mind carrying this."
"I don't mind." Milo was manipulating the situation, but maybe it was for a good reason. She'd trusted him with her life, so she also needed to trust that he'd make the best decisions regarding her safety. At least for now. She allowed her thoughts to return to the current moment. Kenzie would be okay. If worse came to worse, she could have Quinn call her friend and reassure her. For now, she'd pretend that world didn't exist, and she'd allow Milo to distract her.
She wanted to laugh at the insane idea of her fishing. Instead, she rolled her eyes and smiled. "I hope you know what you're getting yourself into. I do not have clue one when it comes to tossing a line in the water."
"Are you afraid to learn?" He arched a brow.
She wanted to growl at him. He'd obviously figured out she hated to back down from a challenge. "Of course not."
"Then let's go." He slung the backpack over his shoulder and grabbed the poles.
Instead of going out the front toward his truck, Milo led the way out the back door and across his yard. The overworked muscles in her thighs and butt cried out in protest as she climbed the back fence once again. She hadn't realized she'd given them such a workout the night before.
The sun warmed her bare shoulders as she followed Milo on the narrow dirt trail that led through a grass-filled pasture. "Are we trespassing?"
"Nope. This is all my family's land."
All? She scanned the vast open space. "Do you come here often?" She really didn't need to ask. By the looks of the foot path, someone had traveled this particular stretch of land many times.
He looked over his shoulder at her, and the sight gave her a small thrill. "As a matter of fact, I do."
Cows grazed in the distance, but other than them and a few buzzing insects, she and Milo were alone in their own little corner of the world. She couldn't explain quite why, but that filled her with a peace and an unexpected happiness she hadn't experienced in a long time.
It might be because she was out of the house and doing something different that would challenge her. Or perhaps it was because this little town allowed her to pretend she wasn't really a Trasatti. She was no one special. Just another soul on the face of the earth breathing air and trying not to hurt her fellow companions. That's all she'd ever wanted out of life. Yes, she'd enjoyed her father's money, and as she'd grown older, she'd carried tremendous guilt over that, knowing the money that had paid for her clothes and education may have cost someone else his life. She hadn't done anything about her guilt for a long time. She could only hope her testimony now would relieve some of her burden.
She put extra bounce in her steps just because she could. Milo wouldn't see her, and for all that it mattered, there wasn't another person in the world who could see her at the moment.
However, the longer they walked over the hilly land, the more Ariana found herself watching Milo and not the serene surroundings. He had a self-assured, confident gait, and she enjoyed watching the muscles in his back and thighs stretch and contract with each step. His broad shoulders tapered to a fit waist. In another life, she might have had the opportunity to win him over. She might have wanted to. The best she could hope for now was a bit of fun flirting, and someone to occupy her thoughts during the day and keep her from getting lonely.
Fifteen minutes into their walk, they approached a line of trees thicker than the occasional tree they'd passed on the way. Between the sentry of aspens and pines, she caught sight of a beautiful flowing river. She'd seen plenty of rivers growing up, but those massive flows of water were nothing like this. They were dark and deep enough to float a barge. People joked about giving someone cement shoes and tossing them in, but she happened to know for a fact that Hector Malone had encountered such a fate. Some of her father's men had thought it would be funny to reenact the urban legend.
She'd grown up in a sick, sick world. Danny's death might have been the most painful thing she'd encountered in life, but her getting caught with him had ultimately saved her life. Her father casting her out had seemed beyond cruel at the time, but now she could see leaving the heart of her family had saved her soul. She wished she could have taken Danny with her.
But that was the past, and this was now. All she could do was move forward.
The softly burbling water in front of her was more of a stream than a river. She might be able to float a paper boat on this water, but not much else. Maybe a canoe. As they approached, she could see the depth was at best guess about three feet, possibly four in some of the shadowy areas beneath the trees. The river twisted and turned lazily through the grassland, and the water seemed impossibly clear. Sunlight reflected off it, occasionally blinding her, but she didn't mind. The sound of water caressing the rocky shores was like a sweet lullaby from the heavens.
"What do you think? Will it tame your restless spirit for a while?" Milo watched her with a satisfied expression on his face.
"It's beautiful. Very different than the rivers in Chicago."
He snorted. "You are correct in that."
"Have you been there?"
"I have actually. I spent some time there several years ago while I was still with the Marshals. It's a very beautiful city, but while the energy there is flickering with vitality, the energy here has a way of healing a person."
She couldn't have said it any better.
"Let's set our stuff here."
Ariana spread out the soft blanket, and Milo proceeded to unload his backpack. She was surprised to see he'd packed a small collapsible cooler as well as a box full of different-colored lures that looked like miniature plastic fish.
It only took Milo a few minutes to get a pole ready, and he headed down to the water. "If we had more time, I'd teach you to fly fish," he said as he stepped on a large, flat rock at the edge of the stream and motioned for her to join him. She followed, very aware of where she put her feet so she wouldn't fall in. He gave her quick instructions on how to work the reel before he handed the rod to her. "Go ahead and toss it out." She flipped her bright yellow lure out into the water. "Now just sit there. If you feel a tugging on the line, start cranking your reel."
He'd no sooner taken a few steps away from her, heading back toward the blanket for his pole, when her rod dipped and the line tugged.
"Oh my God," she muttered and started turning the little handle on the pole. The fish tugged harder. "Milo?"
"Give me a second."
She reeled harder. "I think I have something."
He hurried back to her, laughing as the silver body of a fish flashed into view. "I'll be damned. It's a nice one, too." He let her reel the fish before he grasped the end of her pole, and reached down into the water to retrieve the fish. He pulled pliers from his back pocket and used them to disengage the hook from the fish. "Looks like we'll be eating fresh trout tonight." He glanced at her. "I cook a mean trout."
Happiness bubbled from within. "I can't believe I caught a fish my very first time trying, and I love trout."
"Ah, darlin', if this is your first time fishing, you've really led a shallow life."
She swallowed past the hurt that tried to surface. She was not going to let thoughts of her father and her childhood ruin this moment. "Yeah? Well, I'd say you'd better get busy and catch yourself a fish. You don't want to be upstaged by a novice fisherwoman."
He put her fish in the cooler and checked the lure on the end of her line. "You're ready to go again. If you catch another before I get my line in the water, I'm going to seriously doubt you're a novice."
She grinned. "It must be beginner's luck."
"Must be."
Unfortuately, she didn't hook another one before he headed back to her. She really would have liked to show him up her first time out, but the odds were against it. That was okay. She could be happy and feel accomplished catching only one fish.
"You'd better hope the cops don't show and ask to see your license."
The thought of being in trouble set off her instincts, and she glanced over her shoulder to make sure they were still alone. She'd never gotten over being busted by her father and the ensuing nightmare. "I thought you were one of the officers around here."
"That's right." He walked out onto the outcropping next to her. "I could have you arrested for fishing without a license."
She dropped her jaw, knowing that he teased her, but that she was also probably being illegal. "Why didn't you tell me I needed a license?"
"What difference does it make? I could have purchased one before we left the house, but what ID would you use? You're a wanted woman."
"Thanks for reminding me." She elbowed him in the side, and he shifted his balance to avoid falling off the rock and in the water. It would serve him right. "Yet, you're standing there and encouraging me to break the law. What does that tell me about you?"
A wide grin split his lips. "I guess I'm one of the cops who prefers to follow the spirit of the law as opposed to being a hard ass about everything. We won't catch more than the limit for one person, okay?"
"Okay."
They stood side by side tossing out their lines and reeling in nothing. She didn't care. Just being there with Milo was enough for her.
"You mentioned college." He tossed his line again. "What did you get your degree in?"
"I have two bachelor degrees. One in education and one in mathematics."
He turned to her, a look of appreciation showing in his features. "Wow. I'm impressed. I didn't realize you were such a smarty-pants."
"Are you sure about that? I think you've being challenging me subtly since the moment we met." And turning her on and on with each passing second. "I get the impression you're a bit of a scholar yourself."
He shrugged. "Maybe. I do have a degree in criminal justice, but I think I've learned more being on the streets than I ever did in school."
She studied his face, the intelligence buried within his brilliant eyes. "I don't think it matters how one educates him or herself. Just that they do. Life is so much richer when a person takes the time to learn about the surrounding world."
"Agreed. But I have to say you're failing at one thing."
She drew her brows together, confused. "What?"
"The whole time you've been chatting, there's been a fish on your line."
She jerked her gaze away from Milo and toward her line. "No." She laughed and started cranking the handle. "I think this one is bigger than the last."
"I think you're right."
When she finished reeling it in, she held out the end of the pole to him, the fish wiggling in the air.
Instead of grabbing the end of the pole and removing the fish, he took the rod and held the end out to her. "If you're going to fish, you need to learn how to remove the hook, too."
She tried to hold back her grimace. "Does that mean I have to touch it?" Lord, she wasn't sure she could.
He nodded, and she was certain he took some kind of perverse pleasure in pushing her limits.
"Fine." She wasn't about to back down. She gripped close to the end of the pole to steady it and grasped the fish. Cool and firm in her hand, the silver fish actually had a pinkish band that traveled the length of it. Black dots careened over the green-tinted back. Must be why it had been given the name, "rainbow". She supposed if she'd refused to touch it, she'd never have gotten such an intimate look at the beautiful species.
"Use the pliers to take hold of the hook. Kind of twist gently to back the hook out the way it came in."
She wouldn't admit it, but removing the hook terrified her. With unsteady fingers, she used the pliers and gripped it. The fish arched and bent, its movements surprising her. In a swift, instinctive move she squealed and flung the fish. Her actions put her off balance, and she stepped back to steady herself. In a stalled second, she realized her mistake. Her foot hit a slippery rock. Just as she started to fall, Milo reached for her and missed. Her leg sunk to the bottom of the waist-deep water, and she flailed her arms as her other foot found the bottom of the riverbed. The water hit her crotch-high, but she managed to keep herself upright.
She stared at Milo, his eyes wide as she tried to register the fact she hadn't gone completely under. She started to laugh. "I can't believe I just did that."
Milo joined her laughter as he held out a hand and pulled her from the cold river. "Are you okay?"
"Yes…no. I can't decide if I'm mad I fell in or happy that only half of me is wet." She should be angry or embarrassed, but even though the bottom half of her was soaked, this day still ranked up there with one of the best times of her life.
She shifted on the rock to get a better footing, and Milo latched on to her waist as though he was afraid she might fall again. "If I'm supposed to be protecting you, I guess I'd better step up my game."
She smiled. It felt impossibly good to be standing there with him, having him care about what happened to her. Yes, it was his job, but it still stirred her emotions. "I'm going to dry off. You'd better see what you can do about earning your dinner."
"You're all wet. I think we should head back."
"No." She was not about to let a little water ruin her day. The thought of being trapped inside a building when she could be here was not acceptable. "You're not using that excuse as a way to justify me catching more fish than you."
He let out a genuine laugh, the sound filling their serene surroundings with beautiful noise. "I see how it is." He lifted her pole, the fish still on the hook. "Caught one. Now we're even."
She shook her head. "Nope. That one's mine, too. I earned it the hard way. The score stands at two-to-zero, zippo, none. I can't believe a big, bad cop like you is going to let himself get upstaged by a city girl."
He narrowed his eyes as laughter teased the corners of them. "Oh yeah? Then game on, darlin'. Prepare to lose."
A thrill rushed through her as she stepped off the rock. "Game on, deputy."
Her shoes squeaked with each step she took, water leaking out the sides. By the time she'd traveled the short distance to the blanket, it sunk in exactly how uncomfortable she would be to remain in her water-laden attire for very long.
She slipped out of her shoes and peeled off her socks, stepping onto the dry meadow grass. She wiggled her toes, the blades tickling her as she dried her feet. Why had she never taken the time to get this close to nature before? It fed her spirit like nothing else.
She glanced at Milo, who seemed more intent on watching her than fishing. "Don't you think you should be concentrating on what's on the other end of your line?"
"I am."
"Uh-huh. Turn around. I'm going to strip out of these wet jeans."
"You tell me this and then ask me to turn around?" He arched a seductive brow.
"Turn." She twirled a finger in the air. When he complied, she popped the button on her jeans and began to work her way out of the wet denim.
CHAPTER SIX
Good God almighty. Was he being punished for all of the times he'd flirted with women and then left them wanting? Knowing that the woman who'd haunted nearly every thought he'd had since he'd met her was half-naked within viewing distance was more than he could resist. He'd like to meet the man who could.
He managed to keep his eyes off Ariana for all of ten seconds before his gaze slid in her direction. He'd have to concede he was no gentleman, but the ding to his honor was worth the prize. He let his fishing pole go slack as he feasted on the sight of barely-there turquoise panties clinging to the nicely rounded pale flesh of her ass. She wiggled as she shimmied out of her wet jeans, and he grew instantly hard. He forced a swallow past the thick lu
mp in his throat. Damn.
She bent over to slip her feet from her pants, and the pole slipped from his hand. The movement jerked him from his lusty thoughts, and he grabbed it before it slipped into the water.
When he glanced back at Ariana, she narrowed her eyes. "You peeked." She tucked in the edge of the blanket she'd wrapped around her waist.
He gave her his best innocent look and shook his head.
"Don't try to lie to me. It's written all over your face." She sauntered toward him, her long dark tresses caressing her bare shoulders, her blanket-covered hips swinging with each step. She stopped in front of him, her gaze penetrating his façade. "Admit it."
He searched her eyes, sparks flying between them, and he knew in that moment he was in deep shit. He wasn't admitting anything. To do so would only sink him further into the mire. Instead, he grinned and turned back to the river.
"Fine." She picked up her rod and stepped in close to him. "I hope you did look, and I hope you're eating your heart out right now."
He let out a slow, easy breath in an effort to release some of his pent-up tension as he reeled in his line and cast it again. She had no idea of the current state of agony she'd put him in.
One thing was clear. He'd have to keep up his guard, or she'd snag him faster than she had her first fish.
* * *
Their outing had ended much too soon for Ariana, even if she had spent a good portion of the afternoon without her pants. Storm clouds brewed on the horizon, prompting Milo to call it a day. It would be a while before she'd let him live down the fact she'd caught two trout compared to his one.
Dinner had been a feast. Milo had lived up to his promise of delivering a meal to die for, but now that they'd finished eating and cleaning up, her protector had dove back into the thick volume of nonsense he was reading, and she was left to her own devices once again.