Bait Shop Blues Page 10

Todd drew himself up to his full length, which was half a foot shorter than Leif’s formidable height. “I made a mistake, Cassandra. I want you to be my wife.”

  Laughter bubbled from between Cassandra’s lips.

  “I’m serious!” he protested.

  “So am I,” she snapped, her smile disappearing. “I don’t love you, Todd. I’m not marrying you. And I’m certainly not returning to Chicago. This is my home now.”

  She waited with baited breath for Leif to deny it, relaxing when he didn’t utter a word.

  Todd gave her an incredulous look. “You call this shack a home?”

  Leif went nose to nose with Todd. “Get out. Now. While you still can. And find your own damned way back, even if you have to swim.” Leif strode out of the store, his body tight with anger.

  Cassandra sighed and looked at Todd. “Now you’ve lost your ride, I’m afraid.”

  Todd grinned. “Gee. That’s too bad. Guess I’ll have to stay the night.”

  Cassandra drove him into Crane Lake and got him settled in the only accommodation in town, Mrs. Harrison’s B&B.

  “But you can’t leave me here,” he protested. He sniffed and looked around with distaste. “The accommodations aren’t what I’m used to.”

  Mrs. Harrison’s B&B was a tiny house with three bedrooms. She rented out two of them to guests in order to supplement her social security. The place was clean and kept up well. To Cassandra’s way of thinking he shouldn’t complain.

  “Your choice then is to find a way to the airport.”

  “All right. We’ll talk tomorrow.”

  She’d started heading down the walk to Leif’s truck but paused and glared at him. “No, we won’t. I said we have nothing to say to each other, and that’s that.”

  “It’s that outdoor guy, isn’t it? Your partner,” he spat. “You’ve got it good for him, don’t you?”

  It took her a long while to reply. Of course, she liked Leif, but love? She didn’t think so, still she replied, “Yes, I do. Good-bye, Todd. Do yourself a favor and don’t show up at the store tomorrow.”

  ~ * ~

  The next morning Leif had no guiding trips lined up so he planted himself on the stool behind the counter and sorted a new shipment of fishing jigs, finishing up what Cassie had started the day before. He heard the door open and he scowled as Todd came storming in.

  “You’ve poisoned Cassandra against me!” he shouted, stopping in front of the counter.

  “What?” Leif snapped. He opened another small plastic bag of jigs. “Thought you’d be on a flight back to Chicago by now.”

  “She’s fallen in love with you,” he said, disgusted. “What are your intentions toward her?”

  An incredulous expression crossed Leif’s face. “What in the hell are you talking about?” Love? Cassie-girl? Nah.

  “Cassandra told me, in so many words, that her place now is here with you. I hope you do the decent thing and marry her.”

  Leif snarled as he rose to his feet, “Listen, Fairbanks. If you’re insinuating I’m leading her on the way you did, you’re way out of line. Now get the hell out of my store.”

  “How close is this place to a hospital?”

  Leif growled, “What’s it to you?”

  “Cassie’s not well, that’s why.”

  Leif’s heart raced at Todd’s words and he softly said, “What in the hell do you mean by that?”

  Todd sighed. “Didn’t she tell you one of the main reasons why she left Chicago was to get away from the fast-paced business she owns? Didn’t she tell you she’s got high blood pressure and a bleeding ulcer, besides?

  “No,” Leif said in chagrin. “She didn’t say a blasted word. She told me she’s allergic to dust, though.”

  Todd scoffed, “That’s minor. She’s a typical Type A personality, if you know what I mean.”

  Leif narrowed his eyes on Todd. “No. I’m not sure what in the hell you mean. Enlighten me.”

  “Cassandra is a perfectionist. Everything in her world—in her life—needs to be perfect. The problem is, as you and I both know, nothing in life is perfect. She worries about her business all the time; worries it won’t be a success; worries that she won’t be a success. She doesn’t sleep well or much, for that matter. The doctors told her to take an extended vacation. As much as I hate admitting it she looks better now than in the past four years I’ve known her.”

  With a nod Leif said, “Thanks for filling me in. Now leave.”

  Todd growled, “You haven’t heard the last from me.”

  Leif took one threatening step and Todd whirled around and tore from the store.

  Cassandra came up the basement stairs where she’d been doing laundry and said, “Do you need help up here? Thought I heard customers.”

  Leif gave Cassie a half-smile and a shrug. “I took care of them already.” He reached out and plucked a curl. “Hey, you look tired. Why don’t you take a nap?”

  She gave him a wide-eyed look that made him feel guilty. “As a matter of fact I’ve had a headache for the past few hours and thought about doing just that.”

  “Go. I can manage here.”

  “You sure?”

  “Yes. It’s a nice change of pace from guiding.”

  “You’ve got to be kidding!”

  “Just for a day is all I meant, not on a regular basis.”

  “Sure.”

  Leif reminded her, “Don’t forget tomorrow I’m giving you swimming lessons.”

  She paused and looked at him over her shoulder. “I haven’t forgotten. That’s one reason I’m having a tough time sleeping.”

  He jammed his hands on his hips and eyed her up and down. “You that afraid of the water? What happened in your past for you to feel that way?”

  She shrugged. “No idea. I just have always been afraid of it. If I don’t sleep, though, I might have trouble getting rid of this headache, then I won’t be able to go swimming tomorrow.”

  “I’m not letting you get out of it that easy,” he retorted. “No swimming, no trip. Goodbye Gateway. Hello Chicago.”

  “Well,” she began, “maybe we don’t need to take that trip after all.” She grinned and added, “You seemed to be in a big hurry to get rid of Todd.”

  “Did you think just because I got rid of your old boyfriend I’d changed my mind about you being here? I haven’t. Don’t read into what happened today more than it really is, Cassie.”

  She turned on her heel without a word and Leif immediately felt guilty at his harsh words. He especially felt uncomfortable about his past treatment of her, how he’d constantly badgered her about why she wanted to stay at Gateway. Why hadn’t she told him she’d been given doctor’s orders to take a vacation? Why hadn’t she mentioned she’d been ill? Would he ever understand a female’s mind?

  Chapter Seven

  Leif didn’t give Cassandra swimming lessons the next day because he couldn’t pass up a guiding request. Labor Day, the day Leif planned for them to leave for their trip was drawing nearer, though. They wouldn’t officially close down Gateway for another month, but he couldn’t wait that long to give Cassandra lessons. The lake would be too cold by then.

  Maxie and her son had volunteered to take care of the store for the week he and Cassie would be gone. Already the sumac had turned a brilliant shade of red, as it did with autumn’s approach, and several of the deciduous variety of trees had lost their leaves. The chill in the air in the morning and at night was another indication fall would soon be here. It was now or never.

  With the passing of every day, Leif was growing anxious for Cassie to return to Chicago. He didn’t like the feelings running through him every time he set eyes on her. His attraction for her was growing by leaps and bounds each passing day. Todd Fairbanks’s interest in her, and his arrival hadn’t helped matters. The fact the guy still had the hots for Cassie made Leif jealous as hell. This was a feeling he’d never before experienced over a woman and he didn’t like it. What guy fell head over heels for a woman in
six weeks time?

  Finally, an open day for Leif to give Cassie swimming lessons arrived. Now, he eyed Cassandra as she stood on the edge of the dock with her pretty, naked knees clamped together, a beach towel clutched in her hand, staring dubiously at the lake water.

  She shuddered and said, “I’m not going in there, Leif. It looks cold!”

  “Sure it’s cold. But we’re not going to be in the water all that long. Look, see those ducks over there?”

  Cassandra followed the direction of his finger pointing along the shoreline and she nodded.

  “It’s as easy as it looks and they just use their feet to propel themselves through the water. Now, unless you’re ready to learn how to swim, you may as well head right on back to Chicago,” he warned.

  He watched Cassandra gnaw on her bottom lip. He’d told her he wouldn’t go on any adventure trip with her unless she learned to do a fair front crawl. He hadn’t figured out yet why she was so scared of water. Hell, she couldn’t tell him why, either. But he knew it would be dangerous being in a canoe with her, even if they were wearing lifejackets. He was determined she learn to swim or she’d have to leave. Which was precisely what he wanted, wasn’t it?

  He shook his head and knew he’d never forgive himself if she drowned during the trip. There was nothing wrong with being cautious. It would do her a lot of good to learn to swim, even if she moved back to Chicago. She’d learn to swim or not, it was her choice, but no way was he getting into a canoe with a non-swimmer.

  “All right, but couldn’t we go into town to the Best Western and use their swimming pool? It would be warmer,” she said hopefully.

  “Listen, sweetheart. You make it sound like ‘town’ is 5 minutes away when it’s 50. We don’t have a hell of a lot of time here to be moseying into town. Besides, if you did fall out of the canoe during the trip, the lake water won’t be like bath water. You may as well get used to it right here and now.”

  She sniffed. “I have no intentions of falling out of a canoe, but I do want to learn to swim.”

  “Good. So, let’s get into the water. Just hold onto the ladder. I’ll be right behind you.”

  She sat down on the dock and he joined her.

  He grinned into her green-eyed, worried, expression. “You know, you should have taken me up on the offer a month and a half ago when you first arrived. The weather was warmer.”

  She scowled. “Rub it in, why don’t you? It took me this long to get up the courage to do it at all.”

  “I’m not hell-bent on teaching you in this cold water, either, you know, but it can’t be helped now.” He slid into the water and held onto the dock as shivers crawled up his spine. They wouldn’t be in for long. It was viciously cold. “Just climb down the ladder until you’re in up to your shoulders. Then hold on with both hands, but let your legs dangle.”

  Cassandra grimaced as she carefully turned and faced the wooden ladder nailed to the side of the deck, pausing when her feet just touched the water.

  “Scowling at the water isn’t going to help. The longer you think about the cold, the worse it will be. And I’m turning blue waiting for you.”

  She muttered, “I’m coming.”

  He watched her, smiling when she slid into the water and gasped. He’d had a great view of her shapely legs and voluptuous buttocks since he’d moved up behind her to catch her in case she fell. He groaned inside at the sight of the tiny, shocking pink and white dotted bikini that fetchingly displayed every splendid curve of her body.

  It wasn’t a suit meant for swimming, but for tanning with lots of creamy bare skin showing. He frowned when she made all sorts of protesting noises about the cold water. Spending two weeks with her was going to be pure hell on his libido, especially when he thought about her vow of celibacy; nothing like throwing a blatant challenge at him.

  Expecting a guy to give up sex until marriage was not going to be easy. Hell, sex was, to his mind, the most important part of married life. If a man and a woman weren’t sexually compatible they’d be doomed to failure. To his mind testing those waters before marriage was imperative.

  “Okay, you’re doing fine. Now, I want you to let your body float away from the ladder, still holding on and kicking your feet.”

  Cassandra did as he asked. She started with a slow churning of her legs and then moved them quickly when she grew more comfortable.

  “Oh!” she exclaimed. “This is easier than I thought! I can do this, Leif,” she said in growing confidence. “Just tell me when I should let go of the ladder.”

  “Not yet,” he warned. “This is the easy part, treading water with your feet like you’re doing. It’s a whole new ball game when you have to coordinate your hands with your feet.”

  After a short while Cassandra said, “I’m ready now. Can I let go?”

  Leif decided her legs were strong enough and she appeared more coordinated than he was ready to credit her with. “Go ahead. I’ll catch you if you go under.”

  She let go of the ladder, kicked her feet and automatically her hands started splashing in order to hold herself upright. Grinning at him she said, “How am I doing?”

  He frowned. “Fine, except you’re going to tire yourself out splashing around like that. Move your hands in the water in slow, easy circles and pump with your legs.”

  Cassandra complied and laughed with delight when she stayed above the water. She turned in a complete circle, then another.

  “That’s enough for now,” Leif grumbled and swam to the edge of the dock. He hoisted himself out of the water and reached for his towel.

  “But we’ve just started!” she protested. “Aren’t you going to show me how to swim?”

  “Tomorrow will be soon enough. Like I said, you’ll turn blue if you stay in much longer.”

  Cassandra made her way up the ladder and when she climbed onto the dock Leif tossed her a towel. She briskly rubbed her body then wrapped it around her, shivering. With an impish smile, she exclaimed, “I’ve first dibs on the shower,” and scampered up the stairs.

  Leif stood in place with an ironic smile on his lips as he watched her rush away, tush wiggling. The thought of sharing a shower with her was tempting, but he swept the idea from his mind, knowing well she’d scream bloody murder if he invaded her privacy. Oh, but he surely wanted to.

  Every day for the next week Leif taught Cassandra how to swim in the cold lake water. When her strokes grew stronger and her coordination more even, he drove her to the Best Western. It was after eleven o’clock one evening by the time they arrived at the hotel. Since he was a good friend of the owners, they allowed them the use of the pool, even though it was officially closed.

  He sat on the top step of the pool and watched Cassandra swim, frankly amazed by her expertise in such a short amount of time.

  “I’ll race you,” she challenged him.

  He slid into the warm water. “You’re on, sweetheart. Two laps. We need to decide on a prize for the winner.”

  Cassandra looked at him suspiciously. “We do?”

  “Sure. Most contests award prizes.”

  Cassandra shrugged. “The very idea of winning against you is incentive enough for me.”

  “Suit yourself,” he said, moving into position at her side.

  “Wait a minute.” She bit her lip and said, “You know, you’ve got a point. I know this is a long shot but how about this. If I win we cancel the trip and I’ll stay on at Gateway for as long as I like, with no protests from you about making changes.”

  Leif grinned. “I’m fine with that. And if I win?”

  “I’ll pack and return to Chicago.” He frowned and she added, “That is what you want, isn’t it?”

  “Of course it is,” he replied gruffly, but thinking all the while that it wasn’t what he wanted at all. It had been, but his feelings for Cassie had changed. Still, he said, “But you’re not getting out of this trip that easily. I plan on proving to you once and for all that city girls aren’t cut out for the wilderness.
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  She sighed. “Aren’t you going to at least give me a head start? It’s only fair.”

  “I’ll give you half a lap.”

  Cassandra bargained, “A whole one.”

  He chuckled. “What the hell. Go for it.”

  And she did. Cassandra gave it her all and Leif even gave her an extra quarter-length when he dived under the water and started stroking. He caught up with her in the middle of the second lap and laughed at her scowling face. Flipping to his back he grinned and backstroked the remainder of the distance at her side.

  He saw a glimmer of hope in her eyes and with a burst of surprising energy she moved ahead of him. Leif flipped over to his stomach and with two long strokes he reached the pool’s edge, gripping it just seconds before she touched it. He treaded water at her side while she gasped for breath. Finally, she managed to speak.

  “I don’t mind losing, but I do mind the fact you teased me into thinking I might have a chance of winning.”

  “You knew you weren’t going to win from the moment you issued the challenge. I swam beside you because I wasn’t sure if you had the endurance to make it all the way.” He pulled himself out of the water and sat on the edge, smiling as she swiped her hair back. He reached down and said, “Come on out of there.”

  She gave him a winning smile as she took both of his hands and yanked. He released her and she went under. She came up, sputtering water.

  Leif shook his head in chagrin as he rose to his feet. “Oldest trick in the book, baby. Let’s get out of here.”

  ~ * ~

  September 5th arrived. Cassandra believed she was as ready as she’d ever be to tackle this new adventure in her life. Because this was a competition with high stakes, she was more than a little surprised when Leif had given her his list of supplies, then accompanied her to the town of Orr to advise her on purchasing the items.

  Now she stood beside her bed and shook her head at the supplies, wondering how in the world she was going to carry all of it on her back in the substantial pack she’d purchased.

  She proceeded to arrange and rearrange the gear, but no matter how she did it, she couldn’t fit it all.