Love's Sporting Chance: Volume 2: 5 Romantic Sporting Novellas

by Cynthia Hickey

  “Do you really think we will?” She cleared her throat. “I usually catch more fish early in the morning, before Daddy feeds them. I’m afraid they’ll be sleeping about now.”

  He laughed. “Putting their babies to bed and relaxing with their wives.”

  “Or husbands.” She sighed. Conversation with Joseph was fun, and there always seemed to be a little tension that kept it interesting. But he seemed on edge now, so she tried to think of something to relax him a bit. “What’s the biggest fish you’ve ever caught?”

  His quick intake of breath let her know she wasn’t successful. “I … uh … “ He pursed his lips, stopped in the middle of the path, and turned to face her. “Oh, I might as well admit it now because as soon as we get to the pond, you’ll figure it out anyway.”

  A sense of dread flooded Rose as she put down her fishing pole. “What do you have to admit?”

  He glanced down at his shoes and then slowly lifted his gaze to hers, a look of despair written all over his face. Her heart tightened as she tried to imagine whatever dreadful thing he needed to tell her.

  “I have never been fishing other than that deep sea fishing trip.”

  “You what?”

  “I don’t know how to fish.”

  A tiny giggle escaped her throat. “You buy and sell fish, and you’ve never even been fishing?” She nodded toward his rod. “Then why did you buy that?”

  “Because it seemed like the right thing to do since … well, since you bought one, and it seemed to make you so happy.”

  A look of confusion crossed her face. “You bought that rod because it made me happy to buy one?”

  He nodded. “Yes, in fact, there’s something else I should admit. I was hoping that I could learn how to fish, and you and I …” He stopped and cleared his throat.

  Rose studied his face for a few seconds until it dawned on her. He liked her. Really liked her. In a way that a man likes a woman he wants to see in a romantic way. And that made her all giddy.

  She licked her lips as she tried to think of something witty to say, but nothing came to her. Instead, she turned back toward the pond. “Then we’d best be getting down to the pond so I can teach you how to fish before the sun goes down.”

  A slow smile spread across his lips, and he nodded. “I’m usually a very fast learner.”

  Rose took the lead, but even though he was behind her, he could hear her voice as she spoke. “I’ve never taught a man to fish before. I hope you’re a fast learner because once a fish bites your bait, you’ll have to pull it in by yourself. That’s not something I plan to do for you.”

  “Nor would I want you to.”

  They went around a patch of trees and came to a clearing. “What a beautiful pond.”

  “I know.” Rose looked around until she found a good spot that caught some of the fading sunlight. “Daddy put tree stumps around so we’d have a place to sit, but I’m not so sure we’ll be doing much sitting … at least not if the fish are biting.”

  She put down the can of worms and lifted her rod. “Have you ever baited a hook?”

  He shook his head. “Afraid I haven’t.”

  “That will be the first lesson. Here’s what you do.” She stuck her bare hand into the dirt and pulled out a wiggly worm. “See this?” She lifted the hook with the other hand, being careful not to touch the point. “You stick it—”

  She paused and looked at him to make sure he wasn’t squeamish. He was watching very studiously.

  “Does it matter where you stick it?” He dipped his own hand into the bucket and grabbed a worm. It didn’t seem to bother him that the worm wiggled right out of his hand and dropped to the ground. He laughed and picked it up. “Oops.”

  “Yeah, oops.” She laughed right along with him. “You can stick it anywhere you want, and you’ll have to do it twice. Just make sure you leave enough of the worm tail loose so it can wiggle in the water and attract the fish.”

  He glanced at the worm. “Which end is the tail?”

  “Your guess is as good as mine.” She giggled as she drew closer to him.

  The look in his eyes nearly knocked her off her feet. Next thing she knew, he dropped his worm back into the can and took her hand in his, pulling her closer. As he dropped his face to hers for a kiss, a sigh escaped her throat.

  Chapter 4

  Joseph surprised even himself when he kissed Rose. He knew he’d eventually try, but he didn’t expect to do it now—not when he had a worm in his hand. One look at Rose, and he saw that she didn’t seem to mind. In fact, she looked quite happy about it.

  “Sorry, but I couldn’t resist.” His apology came out weak.

  “No worries. I actually liked it.” She picked up the worm she’d dropped and started threading it on her hook. The only indication that she’d just been kissed was the slight flush to her cheeks. She also wore a half smile, but he’d seen that on her more than once, so he couldn’t take credit for that.

  He began to hook a worm, but he missed and snagged the edge of his finger. “Looks like I need practice.”

  She waved her hand from the wrist. “Oh, everyone does that every once in a while. You’ll be fine.”

  Joseph couldn’t help but laugh. Rose looked every bit the woman she was, but she appeared as capable as any man he knew when it came to other things. First, he’d seen her not be fazed by the dog pouncing on her. And now she had her worm hooked and ready to feed to the fish.

  “Let me finish this up and get my worm ready for a swim.”

  She grinned as she tossed her line into the water. “This is how I do it with my cane pole. Since you’ve never fished, I’ll have to get someone else to teach me how to use the reel.”

  Once his worm was firmly on the hook, he inspected his reel. “It doesn’t look all that complicated.”

  Her eyes widened. “Oh, trust me, Joseph. If you’re not careful, you can wind up losing all your line … or just as bad, get it all tangled up.”

  “Then I reckon I better do what you’re doing.” He tossed his line into the water about twenty feet from hers.

  She grinned. “Smart man.” Her pole jerked, so she turned toward the water. “I think I have one.”

  He watched in awe as she pulled the fish toward the bank, and when she had it as far as she could pull it without moving, turned around, and ran away from the pond, until the fish was on the grass, flipping and flopping all over the place. She grabbed the bucket, filled it with pond water, and set it down beside the fish.

  “Watch this.” She grabbed the line with one hand and the fish with the other, her hand wrapping around its gills. As she pulled the hook from the fish’s mouth, he tried to imagine any other woman he’d known doing that. He couldn’t.

  “I’m impressed.”

  “You shouldn’t be.” She glanced at the fish in the bucket before looking back at him. “It’s barely big enough to keep. Let’s see if you can catch a bigger one.”

  “I’ll work on it.” He had no idea what he needed to do to catch any size fish, let alone a bigger one. He stared hard at his fishing line, hoping something would bite.

  “You know that doesn’t help, right?” Rose jabbed another worm with her hook and tossed it into the water.

  “What doesn’t help?”

  “Staring at it.” She grinned. “In fact, I think it might even work against you.”

  “How so?”

  “Like any other animal, fish have a sense about things … at least that’s what Daddy tells me. They can smell your desperation.”

  “Oh, well, in that case, I won’t even bother to look.” He lay his fishing rod down on the ground and turned his back to the pond. When her eyes widened, and she pointed, he spun back to see what she was so excited about.

  “You better grab it before the fish pulls it in.”

  He took off running after his rod that some fish—hopefully a big one—was pulling into the pond. Right before the handle of it disappeared into the water, he stepped on it, slowly b
ent down, picked it up, and tugged.

  “This fish is a feisty one,” he said. “Good thing I have a lock on the reel, or there wouldn’t be any line left.”

  Rose sidestepped closer to him. “Want me to pull him in?”

  “Thank you, but I want to catch this one by myself.”

  “I thought you might.” The sound of her laughter made his heart thud like crazy. Between that and the excitement of catching his very first fish, he knew this day would be one he’d never forget.

  It took him a couple of minutes to get the fish out of the water. When it landed on the bank, he was amazed by the size of it.

  “Good job, Joseph! He’s at least twice as big as mine.” She dropped her rod on the ground and rushed toward him, her arms open wide.

  He opened his arms just in time to catch her. As he pulled her close, he whispered, “Don’t you think I need to get this fish into that bucket of water before he spoils?”

  She pulled away and patted her hair. “Um … Yes, I’m sure that would be a good idea.”

  With her step-by-step instructions, he managed to get the fish off the hook and into the bucket where he flopped around for a few seconds before settling down. Now Joseph wanted to hold Rose, but she’d already stuck another worm on her hook and had it in the water.

  “Looks like you’re getting the hang of it pretty quickly.”

  “Getting the hang of it?” He laughed. “More like it’s getting the hang of me.”

  “Well, I just happen to know that Daddy will be impressed. That might be the fish he’s been trying to get for the past month or so.”

  “Oh really?” Joseph tipped his head forward. “Why would you think that?”

  “He said the granddaddy of ‘em all has managed to escape capture, and since he’s so big—” She gestured toward the bucket. “I bet he’s the granddaddy.”

  “That makes me feel bad. How will his grandkids learn about the good old days, now that their granddaddy is gone?”

  She contorted her mouth, making her look cuter than ever, as she pondered that thought. “Maybe there’ll be a great-uncle or aunt who knows.”

  “At least there’s some consolation.”

  They talked and laughed as they each caught a couple more fish, before Joseph finally said, “This is about all I can handle in one day.”

  “Yes, me too.” She wrapped her line around the rod and stuck the hook in one of the joints. “Did you have fun?”

  “I had a wonderful time. I never knew fishing could be so rewarding.”

  “Want me to teach you how to clean them? Daddy always makes me do that before I put them on ice.”

  What did this woman not know how to do? “If you think it’s something I need to know, that would be good. But I do need to leave before dark.”

  “Then we’d best hurry.”

  She quickened her step, and he followed as she led him to a table by an outbuilding on the edge of the yard. “We do this outdoors so we don’t stink up the house,” she explained.

  He watched her scale all the fish, cut them open, and prepare them to be put on ice until they were ready to be cooked. “You’re amazing,” he said.

  She lifted an eyebrow and shook her head. “Someone has to do it.”

  The backdoor to the house opened, and Mrs. Magee walked out, shielding her eyes from the setting sun. “I thought I heard y’all. Don’t you have to be getting on your way, Joseph?”

  “Yes, ma’am, I do.” He paused. “If you don’t need me, I’ll leave now.”

  Rose crooked her finger, beckoning him to get closer. “I’ll get a lesson on how to use the reel,” she whispered. “You don’t have to tell anyone you didn’t already know.” She ran her finger across her lips. “Your secret is safe with me.”

  He grinned back at her. “You’re very sweet, Rose.”

  “Well, no one has ever said that before.”

  The deep tone of her voice made him laugh even louder. “I shall see you soon.”

  ~

  Rose sighed as Joseph went around to the front of the house where his automobile was parked. She couldn’t remember ever having so much fun with a man. The last time Daddy had introduced her to someone, she thought she might die of boredom.

  But Joseph was different. He didn’t have all the skills her father considered essential in a man, but he didn’t mind learning, and he caught on quickly. It didn’t hurt that he was a great kisser.

  Her lips still tingled from that unexpected smackeroo down by the pond. She would have gladly dropped the fishing pole and stayed locked in his embrace if she didn’t think it would backfire. And that’s exactly what would have happened—in so many ways. Not only would they have risked Mama or Daddy walking up and catching them, they might have lost one or both of their new fishing rods.

  “Rose, why are you lollygagging out here?” Startled, she glanced up and spotted Mama staring at her. “You can normally clean a fish faster than lightning, but you’ve been out here a good half hour.”

  “I’m just enjoying the outdoors, Mama.” She turned her gaze back to the fish she’d just finished cleaning.

  “Looks like you and Joseph were enjoying a lot more than the outdoors.” Mama chuckled softly. “He is a very handsome man, and he’s a mighty spiffy dresser. I’m surprised he didn’t mind fishing in his suit.” She looked Rose up and down. “But you certainly look like you’ve been through the wringer. I started to say something during supper, but your father told me not to. Did you fall into some mud in town?”

  “No, but I did get knocked over by a humongous but sweet dog.”

  Mama gasped. “Where on earth did that happen?”

  “At the fish market.”

  “Trouble always seems to find you.” Mama made a clicking sound with her tongue.

  “Oh, it wasn’t trouble. In fact, I liked the dog. He was just being frisky.”

  “Aren’t you concerned about what Joseph thinks?” Mama asked. “I can tell you like him. It seems as though you’d want him to like you back.”

  “I do like him, and I want him to like me back … but only if he likes me for who I am.”

  Mama sighed. “I’m afraid we missed something when we were trying to help you become a lady. I just hope it’s not too late.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Mama. I’m a lady, but if you’re talking about prissy … well, that’s not ever going to be me. I don’t even like being around prissy girls who are afraid to get their hands dirty.”

  Mama gestured toward the fish that Rose had just dropped back into the bucket. “You certainly don’t seem to mind doing that.”

  “Then I don’t see the problem.” Rose headed toward the house where she planned to put the fish in the icebox so they could have it for supper soon. “Do you want to see the material I purchased? I think it will make a beautiful dress.”

  Mama pursed her lips before nodding. “Yes, I would like to see it. You do realize your father isn’t too happy about what you purchased. He intended for you to find something ready made and perhaps a pretty shade of pink lipstick to match.”

  Rose belted out a hearty laugh as she led the way to the house. “Both of you know me better than that. As long as you keep trying to make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear, you’ll be disappointed, and you know I don’t want to disappoint either of you.”

  After she put the fish on ice, Rose washed her hands and went to her room to get the material. It really was very pretty, and if it had already been made into a dress, it would have cost much more than what Daddy had given her.

  Mama’s eyes lit up when she saw it. “That is beautiful.” She nodded. “Yes, I do think your father will be happy once he sees you wearing it. Why don’t we work on it tomorrow?”

  Chapter 5

  Rose didn’t mind sewing, but once she got deep into a project, she was always ready to be done with it. And making this dress was no exception. Three days after she began, she finally had the sleeves completed.

  The de
sign she chose was tedious and took what seemed like forever to complete. She was grateful that Mama offered to hem it for her.

  An hour later, she modeled it for Mama. “You look absolutely lovely, Rose.” She picked up a mirror from her vanity. “Take a look at yourself from the back.”

  Rose agreed. She’d chosen a deep green color that enhanced her auburn hair, cream-colored skin, and dark brown eyes. Mama had taught her how to use powder to cover her freckles, but she hated wearing it. Some of the stuff always got in her nose and made her sneeze.

  “Your father told me that Joseph is coming for more fish in a couple of days,” Mama said as she helped Rose get out of the dress. “Apparently, another fish market just opened in Laurel.”

  “That’s nice.” Rose tried to keep the excitement from her voice, but she wasn’t sure she was successful.

  Mama smiled and held Rose’s gaze for an uncomfortably long moment. “I’ve told your father to invite him for dinner. He seems to enjoy our …” She smile and placed her hand on Rose’s arm as she corrected herself. “Your company.”

  Rose broke the gaze. “I think he likes good food.”

  “Oh, I’m sure there is something to that as well. However, he can get good food at any number of places, but there is only one place where he can find you.”

  “True,” Rose said slowly. “That’s assuming he wants to be where he can find me.”

  “Don’t think too hard about this, Rose. You need to learn to enjoy the moment and not make assumptions.”

  “Who says I’m making assumptions?” Rose cocked her head to one side. “I don’t like reading between the lines because that almost always brings disappointment.”

  Mama shook her head and backed away. “Why don’t you take this dress off so it will be fresh when Joseph comes over?”

  Rose sighed. Mama wouldn’t let up, no matter what she said, so she figured she might as well save the energy for something that mattered.

  Throughout the day, as she picked butterbeans, shelled them, helped with dinner, and cleaned up afterward, she thought about Joseph. Never in her life had she thought about a man as much as she did him.