Page 1 of Catch and Release Groom

Chapter One

I love you, but I’m afraid this isn’t something I can get over—the wedding’s off.

The words had scraped on the way out, leaving her throat achy and raw. It’d been the hardest declaration that Imogen Kaplan had ever uttered in her life, and she couldn’t imagine a time when she’d say otherwise.

Relief had immediately whorled, only to be combatted with a heavy dose of guilt. Disbelief over speaking the unspeakable crashed into hysteria, and she’d nearly taken it back. As if it were a phrase that could ever be scrubbed from one’s memory.

The string that’d attached her heart to Brett’s tugged tighter and tighter as the man she’d originally fallen for when he was only a boy and she was just a starry-eyed girl, walked away from her.

Snapwent that thread, and even though they clearly wanted different things, the loss of any sort of safety net had always sent Imogen hurtling headfirst into panic. The ground rushed up to meet her, the inescapable, agonizing impact of that decision coming at her fast, and she jolted upright in bed with a gasp.

Not her California king with her weighted blanket and bevy of pillows to help switch positions after a long day of poring through documents. The windows were in the wrong spots as well, with gauzy white curtains that, even if she pulled them aside, wouldn’t boast a semi-obscured, seventeen-story view of the Chicago River and the always-bustling Lake Avenue.

Ever so slowly, her surroundings took shape, as unfamiliar as they were charming. When she’d imagined being on her honeymoon, all the rustic wooden paneling and flooring would’ve been accompanied by a warm male body at her side, and likely a different kind of morning wood.

Now that—that would be familiar. No matter how many times she expressed her longing for romance, passion, and a little wooing, her late-night attempts were often shrugged off in the name of being too tired. The next morning, like clockwork, she’d be awoken over how muchheneeded a release.

Which often resulted in her being behind on her day, andugh—the entire reason she’d forged ahead with this trip was to escape the fallout from calling off not only her wedding, but also a long-term relationship that’d defined her teen-to-adult years.

Not to stroll down memory lane and experience conflicting sensations over not making that walk down the aisle.

The hour and a half Uber ride from the Atlanta airport to the Talladega National Forest had given her a little too much time to consider backing out, particularly as the reality of taking this trip solo began to eclipse the idea of it.

Technically, the doubt started around the time a cheery flight attendant delivered two flutes of champagne to Imogen and the empty seat next to her. “For the happy couple,” the woman had loudly announced, and several passengers craned their neck for a peek.

Cheeks aflame, Imogen explained she was a party of one now. “A happy party of one,” she’d added, even as tears burned her tired eyes.

If second-guessing herself was an Olympic sport, she’d have several gold medals to hang over the hollow spot in the center of her chest.

It’s okay to miss him. Okay if it takes time to heal.

Following through with a ceremony she might later regret would’ve been the real tragedy. Besides, she’d told herself after canceling one nonrefundable thing after another, she’d already paid for the scenic, romantic getaway for two. Originally meant to be a happy surprise and gift to her fiancé, the trip became the straw that broke the metaphorical camel’s back.

But again, she hadn’t traveled to the middle of forested nowhere to rehash that.

A loud knock caused Imogen to jump and gather the sheets and comforter in an ineffectual shield against whoever stood on the other side of the cabin door.

Relax. You’re at a five-star resort with a dozen other cabins nearby and a decent-sized staff milling about.More, she’d done her due diligence about safety and security measures herself. Still, better safe than sorry and ignored rather than pitied, she figured remaining mum about no longer having a plus-one was the way to go.

The rapping of knuckles came again, louder this time, along with a garbled mumble, something about a lesson?

Imogen flung off the covers, snagged one of the two terry-cloth robes hanging on a hook from the wall, and then padded over to the door to answer.

Crisp morning air filtered in as she squinted at the dark figure. With the rising sun, the only thing she could make out was a tall, muscular profile of a man. The large backpack gave him extra breadth he definitely didn’t need to eclipse her petite, five-foot-three frame. Dude even had a bow staff, and did that mean this stretch of wilderness was more dangerous than the website originally let on? What did one even battle with a bow staff, besides a wizard?

No wait, that was a fishing pole.

“Mornin’, ma’am,” he said in a deep, drawling voice that caressed her skin and awakened the rest of her senses. “I’m here for your first fly-fishing lesson.” The guy tapped the Cove Lakeside Resort badge clipped to his chest without fully turning to face her, so while she noted the official logo, her sleep-weary eyes couldn’t quite make out his name. “We’ll be heading downriver in my truck to a calm, open bend that’s perfect for beginners, so make sure you grab everything you’ll need for the next few hours.”

At some point between the initial booking, where she’d excitedly clicked the add-on package as a special surprise for her betrothed, and the moment their engagement crumbled, she’d spaced on the one-on-one fly-fishing instruction.

Before her lagging brain could fully catch up, the guy gave a high-pitched whistle that was downright offensive any time of day, much less at such a revoltingly early hour. “Come on, girl. Time to go.”

A large gray and white dog rounded the corner of the cabin, wet paws suggesting it’d been playing in the creek around back. Good thing, too, or else she’d have to murder the guy for whistling at her like she was a…well, a bitch who’d come running.

As he returned his attention to her, the shade provided by the bill of his faded baseball cap granted Imogen her first full look.

And my,oh my, what a sight to behold.

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