Page 53 of Craig

"Gently, you don't want to tear its mouth. Gently now."

He helped her unhook the fish and dumped it into a bucket he had brought with him.

When he started to bait the hook for her again, she shook her head.

"I want to do it. Show me how."

He showed her and, to his secret amusement, watched as she concentrated fiercely on the task. For an hour, they sat side by side, fishing.

He discovered that the woman he was in love with was also very competitive and very soon turned the activity into a sport. The memory of fishing with his dad flashed into his head.

He had also competed with him, making note of who caught the biggest fish.

She was a natural, and she was having so much fun that she bounced around on her bottom as she reeled in another catch.

"Mine's bigger."

"I had no idea we were competing."

"Oh, we are, Mr. I've-been-doing-this-since-I-was-a-child," she told him loftily. "This is my first time, and I'm beating you."

"Do you expect a prize?" he asked her teasingly, happy to see the look on her face.

"Oh, absolutely." When she grabbed his arm and leaned closer to him, he felt heat pearling at his lower body.

"Another one," she whispered.

"It's big. Craig, it's big."

"Then you're going to need both hands." With great reluctance, he removed her hand from his arm.

"Steady now."

And she was right. It was big.

So much so, he had to relinquish his own rod and help her to reel it in. She insisted on taking pictures.

As soon as the fish was inside the bucket, she grabbed her phone from her jacket pocket and snapped away, her laughter ringing out over the silence, causing a flock of birds to abandon their perch in the trees.

But she noticed none of it. She was so enchanted with her victory that she was dancing.

"I'm going to put the pics up on my Instagram page." She grinned at him.

"I already have the title."

"I'm sure you do," he said dryly. They had more than enough for their supper.

"Novice fisherwoman or fisherperson-" She waved a hand.

"Oh, I have it! First time at the sport-" She looked over at him.

"Is it a sport?"

Before he could respond, she continued, "First time fishing against a so-called expert and managed to haul in the biggest catch. Not to mention, I'm a diehard city girl."

She grinned at the dirty look he threw at her. "You're a sore loser, Muldoon."

"I hope you put in there that I was the one who caught the first fish, before handing you the rod. It's my lucky fishing rod, by the way."