“Look, it’s the way it’s done. Someone has to do it.” His frustration was evident. “How do you think the food ends up on the shelves?”
“I know, but I didn’t ever think I’d be part of it. Baiting and catching are different than actually killing a living thing. I’ve always tried to keep someone alive. Do we have to? Is it too late? Can we put it back?”
“What kind of fishing did you do before?”
“Catch and release, unless the fish struggled and then someone would take it away. I never knew, I thought they died naturally.”
”The fish is having trouble breathing. If we put it back now, it’ll die soon. We have to finish the job.” He lowered the club with a swift flick of his wrist and the fish stopped moving. He hooked it on some sort of medieval contraption and put it over the side of the boat in the water. “It’ll keep cold until we get back to shore.”
The fun had suddenly vanished from the day. “Do we really have to fillet it?” Anna asked.
“Yes, if we’re going to have it for supper.”
“Could I give it to someone?”
“No. I think we each have to follow through with this or we’ll turn into vegetarians afraid to pull carrots from the ground,” Nick said. “We should take a picture with your first trophy fish. It’s a good size, Anna. Not many of those are caught.”
She smiled weakly. “I told you I had beginner’s luck.”
“How about sharing some of that luck? Tell me about your relationship to John Good. I need to know.” His voice was husky. “Did you win the cottage in a lottery? An auction? None of us know your connection. Not that I’m complaining, I’m glad you came to Regina Beach and glad that you caught me without my prosthesis.”
“Oh, Nick, I would have rather won it in a contest, believe me. But there may be a connection in my story that you won’t like.”
“Will you let me be part of the decision making on this one? As of next week, I’m a free man. No job to go to. Time is my own. Will you spend time with me?”
She bit her lip and wouldn’t look at him. “I can as a friend.”
“If that’s what you need right now, then that’s what it’ll be.”
They docked the boat. Nick corralled a friend with a digital camera to take photos of Anna snug in her life jacket, holding her catch. In most of the pictures, he stood by her side with a proud smile.
He dropped her off promising to fillet the fish and bring it around later. Her job was to extend an invitation to Margaret and Herman so they could all share the first fish of the season for dinner.
That evening, Margaret made golden potatoes. Anna mixed a fresh green salad, Nick barbequed the fish fillets, while Herman chortled in the corner. “Nick, out-fished by Annie. Wait until the guys at the community center hear this.”
“It may be the only time we ever have fish from the lake if we have to hit it over the head.” Anna shivered.
“It was fast.” Nick defended himself.
Anna poured coffee into mugs and set the sugar and creamer on the picnic table. They moved from the kitchen to the deck to enjoy the evening.
Nick reached for his side.
“You okay, boy?” Herman asked. “You look like you got hit with indigestion.”
Nick and Anna looked at each other knowingly and chuckled. “No. When my cell phone vibrates, it surprises me.” He glanced at the number. “Excuse me.”
He stepped to the opposite side of the deck.
“We should all walk downtown to the Blue Bird Café and have a soft ice cream for dessert. We can sit on the steps with our neighbors and tourists,” Margaret said.
“Great idea.” Herman patted his stomach.
“Sorry, folks. Count me out. As Dad suspected, someone has arrived at the B and B. I’ve got to run.” Nick bent to kiss Margaret and chucked Herman on the shoulder. He smiled at Anna and slung an arm around her shoulders. “See you later, alligator.” He leaned forward and kissed her cheek, light as a butterfly wing.
“In a while, crocodile.” She covered his hand with hers for a moment.
Herman winked at Margaret who declared, “We’ll clean up when we get home. Let’s go now while everyone’s busy watching the cars drive up and down Center Street. They sit on the steps of the café and comment on anything that moves. We’ll get our sweaters and meet you outside.”
“I’ll grab a sweater, too,” Anna said.
“Our treat,” Herman called.
The sun hovered on the horizon. The evening flowers were open. Lights were on in a few houses, air conditioners whirring. “How often do people do this?” Anna asked.
“Every night when it’s not raining. It’s quite the tradition. The Blue Bird Café has been owned by the same family for seventy-nine years. People have been sitting on the steps since the early twenties,” Margaret replied.
“Not the same people,” Herman offered.
“Of course not. But relatives. Families have owned some of the cottages for as many years,” Margaret clarified.
Anna mused, “I wonder if I’ll be able to say I’m not a newcomer in say what, twenty-five years or so.”
“Could be. We grow on people.” Margaret put her arm around Anna.
Margaret and Herman sat and talked with people on the steps or passing by, while Anna joined the line. She gave each of them their cone and sat beside Herman. The cement steps were hard but warm.
Suddenly, a woman dressed in a smock waved her Bible at Anna. “Sick! Sick! Having carnal relations with your half-brother, you’ll not meet your maker on the other side!”
Everyone gawked. Anna saw some turn away, while others watched openly with expectation on their faces.
She stood abruptly. “Hear it from my very own mouth. I am not one of John Good’s relations, illegitimate or otherwise. I was about to marry the man who inherited the cottage from John. He died before we made it to the altar. I inherited the cottage free and clear. Now, can you get the facts straight before you pass that around?”
Anna threw her cone in the trash and ran down the street toward the lake before she either bawled her eyes out or flattened the next person who spoke to her.
As she ran she heard Margaret yell, “Harvey, drive us out to Nick’s. Now.”
At the sound of a blaring horn, Nick came to see what the commotion was all about. Molly walked beside him. Wearing his sweatshirt, shorts and one running shoe, he hopped behind his walker. “What happened?”
“Oh, Nick. Mrs. Towers was out, and she held up her Bible, calling God’s wrath on Anna for cavorting with her half-brother in front of most of the town,” Herman said.
“Where’s Anna?” Nick commanded.
“I’m not sure, but she headed down the walking path. I think she’ll be at her rock pile,” Margaret interjected.
“Rocks. Where is this mysterious pile?” Nick stared at Herman.
“Behind the abandoned railway station,” Herman replied.
“Molly girl, stay.” Nick spoke firmly.
“Open the trunk, Harvey. Put this in.” Nick handed the walker to Harvey, whose mouth hung open. He opened the passenger door and settled into the seat. “Close your mouth or mosquitoes will fly in. Tonight’s a night for truths.” Nick reached over and turned on the ignition. “Drive, please.”
On the way they discussed the closest point where Nick could exit the car and walk without getting into too much trouble.
“I’ll come with you,” Margaret said.
“No, thank you. It’s time for Anna and me to have a real talk,” Nick replied.
Herman spoke up. “Harvey, drop us at Center Street, we’ll walk home.”
Anna leaned against a large rock watching the sun sizzle into the horizon over the water. She didn’t turn when Nick hopped over behind his
walker, but he saw her fists clench as if expecting to be accosted. He kept his voice easy. “Want to tell me about it?”
She finally turned. “Nick, what are you doing here?”
“I heard my friend was in trouble. Almost clobbered a Bible-carrying woman, the way I heard it.” He slid beside her and leaning heavily against the rock, pulled the walker closer with his good leg.
“You got that right. This town! They also know what I told you. I’m not a relation of John Good’s, but the part you don’t know is how I was going to be married to one. His parents told me a few details last night when I called. Murray might have been your half-brother. They refused to tell me more. They said it’s their secret.” She threw pebbles toward the lake. Some bounced, while others found their mark, splashed, and sank to the bottom. “I’m so tired of secrets,” Anna bellowed into the night, and picked up a rock and flung it into the lake.
“Nice rock pile. Did you get permission from the Saskatchewan Fish and Wildlife department to remove rocks?” He used his best authoritative voice.
“What are you talking about?” Her forehead furrowed.
“We can’t remove anything near the lakeshore without the department investigating the environment to make certain we aren’t disturbing any animal or fish habitat.”
“You’re kidding, right?” Anna looked into his eyes.
“No.” He shrugged. “Rules are rules.”
She shook her head. “I’ll never fit in here. I should just pack my bags tonight and close the cottage. I’ll give it to you. You have more right to it than I do.”
“No, I don’t. It’s yours. I’m just glad the ladies liked John and he kept track of his offspring. Tell me about your fiancé.” He slipped his arm around her waist.
She pulled her sweater tighter around her chest. “Murray was a firefighter. He was badly burned in a fire ten days before our wedding. I couldn’t save him. He died during the night. We had his funeral on what was to be our wedding day.” Her voice had dissolved into a whisper. “I can’t, I won’t allow myself to love someone else who could get killed on the job again.” She hung her head.
She said love. He heard her with his own two ears. He put both hands on her shoulders and turned her to him. “Look, Anna. A computer programmer can get injured by a computer falling off a shelf. A grocer can get bitten by a rogue tarantula. A mother can get cancer and leave children behind.” He pressed his lips to her forehead.
She leaned into him and laid her hand on the stump of his left leg. “Everyone’s going to know your secret, too.”
“Yeah. But you’re more important to me than titanium and plastic.”
The leaves rustled as birds settled into trees.
“How are we going to get home?” She looked around.
He pulled a flashlight from his pocket. “When I give the signal, Harvey will pull as close to the path as possible and give us a ride to your place.”
He tapped a mosquito that landed on Anna’s cheek.
“Give the signal. I’ll take you home later,” she murmured.
Nick turned the beam of a miniature flashlight on and off in quick succession. They heard a car engine roar to life. Anna scrambled to her feet and passed Nick his walker. She kept her hand on his arm while they navigated around the twigs and branches that seemed to be everywhere on the path.
“Hi, Harvey. Nice to see you again. The garden’s doing real well.” Anna smiled at him as he opened the trunk and waited for Nick to pass him the walker. She slid along the seat and Nick sat pulling her close to his side.
“Harvey, will you drive to the back of Anna’s property? It’s level there. I’ll be able to walk into the house.” Nick held Anna’s hand in the back seat. He hadn’t directed anyone to drive him since he was forced to wait for a driver during his rehabilitation. He wondered what kind of ribbing he’d have to take over the next few days. He didn’t want anyone to feel sorry for him.
At Anna’s, Harvey shot Nick a sympathetic glance when Nick offered to buy him another dinner. “Don’t worry, Nick, I’ll have lots of bribes to tell everything that happened tonight.”
“Harvey, just tell the truth as you know it. The story will find its own level,” Nick replied.
“They do, don’t they, until the next one comes along. But folks are going to be real surprised. They all thought your leg was still there.”
“It is better this way, believe me. They tell me it was pretty bad. The titanium one doesn’t hurt a bit. Tell them that, will you?” Nick smiled.
Anna opened the back door. “Go in and make yourself comfortable. I’ll run over and let Herman and Margaret know we’re back. I’ve come to my senses and won’t run away anytime soon.”
Inside, Nick began to settle himself into a chair but turned to the couch. It would be her decision if she sat beside or away from him.
He put his foot up on the ottoman and leaned back. The email he had received just before Herman and Margaret drove into the yard gave him something to consider.
When Anna returned, she brought two mugs of tea from Margaret. She passed one to Nick and clung to the other as she sat beside him.
“Does it hurt?”
“You know it can’t but I get phantom pain. Sometimes I feel a burning in my toes, or my calf feels like it’s cramping. But most of the time, I don’t think about it.” The scent of mint tea filled the space between them.
“We sure are a fine pair. We’ve both been on a journey of discovery.” Anna held the mug to her chin.
“I’m at a crossroads.” He took her free hand in his. The breeze fluttered the curtain against the window. “I’d like you to join me on the next path.”
“Oh, Nick. I don’t think I can support you if you go back into harm’s way. I’d sooner die than live through the kind of grief I dealt with last year.” Her chin trembled.
He rubbed his thumb along her lower lip. “We’ve grown close. And I’ll admit I would like to explore this relationship a whole lot further.”
“You’re only saying that because I’m not concerned with a little thing like a missing leg.” A smile pulled at her lips, while her eyes filled with tears.
“That helps. At least I wouldn’t have to explain it to someone new.” He returned her smile. “I assume you know all exercises and prosthetic adjustments.”
“Of course.”
“Anna, if you’re serious about going back into health care, I have a proposition for you.” He felt her fingers relax as his thumb circled her palm.
She placed her hand on his strong, whole leg. “Let’s hear it.”
“It’s an idea in the embryo stage. Just before Margaret and Herman arrived, I was researching a project on the internet.”
“Is that why you didn’t have your prosthesis on?” She snuggled under his arm.
“I was going to go for a swim when that familiar incoming email pinged. My therapist sent me a link about a program she’d heard about at a conference. A group of American soldiers formed a support group at a hunting and fishing camp to help their fellow comrades and their families recuperate their bodies and spirits.”
“Are you thinking of your father’s land?” She sat up straight, eyes shining. “Great idea.”
He nodded. “A lot of families have agricultural roots.”
She leaned in and tilted her head, a signal she wanted to be kissed. A pebble in her pocket pressed against his leg, the first stone on their journey through the next phase of their lives.
Nick brushed his lips against hers, then slowly drew away, their mouths almost touching, lingering. She cupped her palms to his cheeks, rasping against his day old beard. Through half closed eyes he watched her lick her lips, softening them, inviting another kiss.
Ready to lose himself with Anna once more, if fireworks had gone off beside him he
wouldn’t have noticed. His focus was on Anna and her wonderfully soft, inviting mouth. Her floral scented skin.
When they each had to breathe again, he held her close to his side.
Anna leaned her head against Nick’s shoulder. She had kissed a friend and a man she had grown to love through his sweet caring. Their friendship started with loss but their future would fill with love.
She retrieved the pebble from her pocket and handed it to Nick, an earth solid man.
“Will you consider being a part of this adventure, my Rock Queen?” Nick covered the pebble in her hand with his palm.
Anna curled her arm around him. “Of course I will, my thirst-quenching hero.” She brought their cupped hands toward her lips and sealed their journey with a kiss.
A look of calm contentment crossed his face as he held the pebble against her ring finger. “Will you marry me?”
Anna bit her lip and swallowed, but her response was steady. “Of course I will.”
He brushed away a tear rolling down her cheek as she nestled her face against his shoulder.
He kissed her again. “Should we keep this between us until morning?”
“This is one secret I’d like to treasure before we open it to the world.” Anna reached up and brought his lips down to hers.
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