“Wait, let him run,” he said.

“Run where?”

He laughed. “Let him take the line a little. Wait.”

“How long?”

“Now. Jerk the pole to hook him.” He watched as she did what he said. Her pole bent as she reeled the fish in.

“I caught a fish,” she said, laughing.

Jaxon grabbed the net. Presley stood and kept reeling the fish in.

“Oh my God! He weighs a ton.”

Grinning, Jaxon stood beside her and when she got the fish close enough, he scooped the net under it, lifted it to see a little Blue Gill on the line. He almost burst out laughing at the look on Presley’s face.

“That little fish is it? I was sure it was a big one.”

He could hear the disappointment in her voice.

“It’s a good fish. Here, let me get him off the hook.” He reached for her pole.

“You’re going to throw him back, right?”

“Yes, ma’am. Catch and release here only.” He removed the hook from the fish and tossed it back into the pond.

He turned to look at her to see her watching him. She smiled at him and strangely enough, he was glad they were together without hopping into bed. Although, he’d love that too, but he was enjoying just spending time with her and wasn’t going to pressure her.

Soon, it was time to head back and he was surprised that he wanted to do this again with her. Damn it. What the hell was he going to do?

Chapter Ten

On Saturday afternoon, Presley sat in her cabin listening to the rain tapping on the tin roof. Josie had called earlier to tell her they had canceled the trip to town. However, the dance would still take place as scheduled. The trips to town were every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, and Presley enjoyed seeing the quaint little towns. It was like stepping back in time with the old brick buildings and sidewalks made of wooden planks. Tuesday was the trip to Spring City, Thursday was Clifton, and Saturday was Hartland.

The towns boasted antique stores, feed stores, dress shops, and Spring City had a department store called Walton’s. She’d been through all the stores at least twice, she was beginning to love the small town, and the people were so friendly. One place she’d really enjoyed was the Clifton Diner. She had never had a better tasting burger. Smiling, she thought back to meeting Priscilla and Lucy Callahan on one of the excursions to Spring City.

“Hi, are you with the group from Bur Oak?” asked a beautiful woman with copper-colored hair and eyes the color of summer grass.

“Yes, I am.” Presley smiled.

“I’m Priscilla Callahan, and this is Lucy Callahan,” she said as she stuck her hand out. “I’m married to Roark, and Lucy is married to Reid.”

“Presley Reynolds. It’s nice to meet you both,” Presley said. Lucy was just as beautiful with her dark hair and bright blue eyes.

“Are you enjoying your time at the ranch?” Lucy asked her.

“I am. I have two and a half weeks then I go home to Idaho Falls,” she said, and her heart seemed to skip a beat at the thought of leaving Jaxon.

“Maybe we can come to the ranch and have lunch together? We try to get out there once a week to have lunch with Willa.”

“I’d love it. I’d better get going. I don’t want the van to leave without me. It was great meeting you both.” Presley smiled then frowned when the two women tilted their heads together and grinned. What were they grinning about?

She’d mentioned it to Jaxon, and he’d laughed telling her that Willa had probably told them about her and Jaxon seeing each other. When she’d blushed, he pulled her to him and kissed her temple.

“Don’t worry about it.”

“Easy for you to say. You didn’t see the way they looked at me.”