Page 11 of Time to Stirrup Love
“I’m sorry. I do have a job to do.”
“So do I.”
“I’m surprised you agreed to help me.”
He shrugged. “It was a government contract. Fishing season isn’t open yet and the money is good. I have to support my sister and mother.”
“That’s admirable.”
“What brother wouldn’t?”
“I wouldn’t know about that,” she remarked. “I don’t have any siblings. It was just me and my mom.”
And then her mom passed. Now it was just her.
“No father?”
Margaid shook her head. “Nope. I never met him. I was raised to be a strong independent woman.”
There was a hint of a smile that curled on his lips. “Good.”
They just sat there in silence and she was pretty sure that it wasn’t just the coffee that was keeping her warm. All her life, before the Great Revelation, she’d been told that the monsters lurking under your bed or in the shadows were bad. And she had no doubt that some were, just like some humans were, but therewas just something about Finnbar Clague which was reeling her in. Like she could be herself around him.
Remember, he’s a sportfisherman. He’s everything you detest and he’s grumpy.
Margaid ignored that thought and stood up as gracefully as she could with really baggy pants. “Well, I better go check on my samples.”
“They’re on the deck. If you’re done, I’ll ready the boat to head back to shore.”
She nodded. “Yep. I think I’m done for today. Provided my samples are intact. We’ll have to test another area of the lake tomorrow.”
He nodded, took her mug from her and set them down in his little kitchen sink, his back turned to her. Through his tight t-shirt, she could see rippling muscles and again she found herself completely ogling his muscular backside.
Get a grip.
She headed out onto the deck and knelt down to look at her samples, but as she did, she caught sight of her expensive hip waders, lying out on the deck, cleaned up. He’d saved them from the river.
He said he would.
Yet, people had broken their promises to her before. It was nice he hadn’t. She smiled, noticing them and the care that had been given to them.
Maybe he wasn’t so bad after all?
Her samples were intact.And as soon as she secured them, Finn was pulling up his anchor before he went back to the bridge and fired up the engine. She curled up in a Muskoka chair that was fastened to the deck and drank in the rays of sunlight asthey sped away from the little spring-fed inlet and back toward Harmony Glen.
By the time they got back to Harmony Glen, her clothes were dry and she quickly changed back into them, making sure that she’d placed the items Finn had lent her into the laundry basket.
He wasn’t saying much as he tied off his boat at the end of the pier. Silently, he helped her bring all her gear off and onto the dock.
“So tomorrow same time?” she asked.
Finn nodded, quickly. “Yep.”
“Well,” she said awkwardly. “Thanks for the coffee.”
“Yep.” That was all the response she got.
What did you expect? A little shared experience and he’d be your pal? You’re threatening his business.
