Page 29 of Forbidden Hearts
Great. For the last few hours, I’ve done a good job ignoring Rowan flirting with her constantly and Phoebe blushing.
I’ve managed to keep my simmering rage buried because my brother is relentless, even with Phoebe doing a good job at brushing him off. However, I’ve just had to stay far away from her, but now, I don’t have a choice.
“Yes, daughter?”I sign.
“Can you help?”
“Help who?”It’s not like there’s a group here who can’t fish. Rowan and Brynlee put their waders on and have moved farther upstream to the area most of the fish are.
I don’t take Liv in the water. The current is a little strong at times, and a lot of knowing when or where to go is based on the sound of the water flow.
I’ve almost had it take me out at the knees before.
She shakes her head.“Phoebe.”
I turn to Phoebe. “Do you need help?”
“According to Liv, I’m doing it wrong.”
I chuckle. “You grew up here and your dad fishes every weekend, so why does it look like you’ve never touched a pole?”
“I haven’t . . .”
“What?”
Phoebe shrugs. “I don’t . . . like . . . fish. I don’t like to get dirty or touch guts and fish smell. So, my dad would fish, and I would read or sleep. Most of the time, I left early and went to a friend’s house.”
“So, you have never done this?” I ask again.
“Nope.” She turns to Olivia.“But Olivia is a great teacher.”
Liv beams at the praise. “She was taught by the best.”
That earns me an eye roll. I hear Rowan hoot, which means he got something big. I turn to look and Liv notices my attention shift. She pulls my arm.“Can I go?”
“Be careful and stay on the bank,”I reply, but she’s already moving, leaving me here with Phoebe.
“You don’t have to do this,” she says quickly. “I was just trying to make Olivia happy.”
I run my hand through my hair. “Fishing makes her happy. She’ll be out of school in two days, and I guarantee she’ll want you to bring her here.”
“Really? I doubt it. I would bet she likes fishing so much because you like it and she wants to spend time with you.”
“If that were true, wouldn’t you have wanted to fish with your dad?”
Phoebe stares down the stream and then shrugs. “I guess that’s true, but I still went. Especially when I was little. I would do anything to spend time with my dad. He was always working, and Mom was really insistent that he take me. Then it just became what we did. He fished, and I . . . didn’t.”
“He never tried to teach you?” I ask.
She grins. “Oh, he tried, but I couldn’t care less. I think I frustrated him that I refused to touch anything.”
“Do you want to learn now?”
“Well, only if it’s from the best, which you have self-proclaimed.”
The Lord is testing me. For some reason, I want to help her. I want to teach her, touch her, and learn all about Phoebe, but I can’t understand why. She is not the kind of woman I am attracted to—ones who are younger than my sister, clearly going through some bullshit, and completely off-limits. Yet, here I am, absolutely attracted to her but equally as determined to keep my head on straight. This will be a good test. I can teach her this, be aloof, and prove that this attraction is all in my head.
“All right, you have to hold the pole less like a lifeline and more balanced in your hand,” I instruct. “Loosen your grip.” I wait until her fingers aren’t clutching it or trying to choke it before I nod. “Like that. Perfect.”
