Page 21 of Their Reluctant Catch

Colton

The quiet stretches its heavy blanket over the dock, broken only by the faint lapping of the water against theSea Spirit’shull. Normally, I don’t mind the silence. It’s part of the rhythm out here, a companion to the work. But now that Todd and Savannah are gone, it feels different, almost oppressive.

I can’t help but wonder what’s happening in that van. Is their ride silent? Awkward? Or is Todd doing what he does best, making her laugh, pulling her out of whatever guarded shell she’s built around herself? He’s good at that, better than I’ll ever be. He genuinely likes people, whereas I...

I sigh, shaking my head as I move to the nets and start putting them away.

Savannah, though. She’s harder to figure out. Reserved, but not shy. Sharp enough to make you think twice before crossing her, but not cruel. I don’t know if she’s simply tired, wary, or if that’s her default way of being.

She beautiful, though, and appealing. Hell, Todd’s already halfway to liking her. I can see it in the way his smile gets a little brighter when she’s around.

The nets slide into place with a muted thud. I get another. The task gives my hands something to do while my thoughts spiral. I secure the nets with a few practiced knots and let my gaze drift toward the horizon. If only my thoughts were this easy to handle.

I pull out my phone and fire off a quick text to Todd.

Colton

I’m walking home.

Three miles isn’t much, and I could use the time to clear my head. The roads are quiet this time of day, and the sun dips lower now, the sky streaked with pale gold and vibrant orange.

TheSea Spiritcreaks, rocks, and settles into the dock like she knows she won’t be going anywhere tonight.

I check my phone. No response yet to the text I sent Todd. Not that I expect one. He’s probably too busy being charming, making sure Savannah’s taken care of.

The silence presses in again, heavier this time.

Damn it.

I tuck my phone into my pocket and climb onto the dock, my boots crunching against the weathered boards.

The road is lined with bare trees, their spindly branches clawing at the sky. The snow is packed underfoot, patches of dirt showing through in places where the sun hits hardest. It’s a route I know well, one I’ve taken hundreds of times, but tonight it feels... off.

I pass the Johnsons’ place, their farmhouse tucked into the bend of the road. The chimney’s smoking, and their old Husky raises his head as I walk by before settling back down on the porch. The mutt loves snow and only will go inside for food.

The quiet stretches on, unbroken except for the occasional snap of a twig or the faint rustle of the wind through the trees.

By the time I reach the house, the sky is starting to deepen into twilight. The building is sturdy and well-kept, the kind of house built to last against Maine winters. Functional. Nothing fancy.

To someone like Savannah, though? I don’t know what she’d see.

It’s not small, at least. But it’s plain. The paint’s holding up, but the garden—now just patches of snow and frozen dirt—won’t impress anyone. It was never meant to.

I kick the snow off my boots at the door and step inside. The warmth hits me instantly, but it doesn’t do much to shake the tension clinging to me.

After dropping my jacket on the hook, I head upstairs, the creak of the wooden steps echoing in the quiet. The bathroom is as plain as the rest of the house, but the water runs hot, and that’s what matters.

I strip off my shirt and step into the shower, letting the water scald my skin. The steam clouds the mirror, curling around me as I lean against the tiles.

They’re just two people. One’s my brother. The other’s a stranger passing through.

That should be the end of it.

But I can’t stop wondering what she sees when she looks at this town, this house. At us.

And I can’t stop wondering why I care.

Chapter10

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