“Sounds like fun. But why fishing?”
“Because it’s relaxing, and because we all enjoy it. And because I heard a rumor that the trout are really biting right now out at Armstead Canyon.”
Beth started to object, then stopped herself. Why was she trying to find an excuse or a reason why it wasn’t a good idea to go? When the answer came to her, anger flared. Trey’s pranks made her want to hide in her room so she didn’t have to face the ongoing battle to pull herself and her life back together. She wanted to go fishing and barbecue with Nick and his brothers and June and Aelissm, but the relentless harassment wearied her. Getting out and doing something she enjoyed with people she loved and who supported her would help her put everything in perspective and remind her that there was more to life than the nightmare she was struggling to free herself from. Her life would go on, she told herself, no matter what Trey did.
“So… first we invite your brothers and June and Aeli. And then we go get the fixings.” She tilted her head and frowned. “Do you still have your fishing pole here? Because mine’s at home in Northstar.”
Nick stepped over to the closet and slid the door open. Grinning, he pulled two poles and a small tackle box out. “You’re in luck. I have the spare I bought for Michelle.”
“Ugh. She likes fishing, too? She really is a perfect match for you.”
“So are you,” he murmured. “Come on. Let’s get out of here.”
Nick quickly stowed his schoolwork, grabbed his fishing gear and his favorite old Carhartt coat, and shoed Beth out of his room so he could lock it. They tromped downstairs and went first to June’s room. As luck would have it, Aelissm was with her friend, working on some assignment or other for one of the classes they shared. Both women agreed that a fishing excursion sounded marvelous.
“We just need to finish this, and then we’d love to,” June said. “Shouldn’t take us more than an hour. Do we need to bring anything?”
“Nope,” Nick replied. “Just yourselves. You know the picnic area just south of the marina, right? The one by the outcrop of rocks on the west shore across the dam?”
“Yep.”
“We’ll meet you there.”
They caught Henry and Aaron just as the twins were leaving their rooms to head to football practice.
“Fishing? Barbecue? You bet we’ll be there,” Henry remarked.
As Nick and Beth headed out to his truck, she admitted that she was already feeling better. Their brief shopping excursion to purchase the requisite goodies for their barbecue was an effective distraction because Nick wouldn’t let her wallow in self pity or fear. When they stopped at the co-op to pick up a couple cartons of night crawlers on their way out of town, he pulled a worm out and made a show of it begging them not to use it as bait. He dropped it in the flowerbed outside the door, and Beth laughed.
“Have I ever told you that you’re a bit of a softy?”
“Is that such a bad thing?”
“Not at all. You have a gentle heart, Nick. I think that’s why all the animals love you. I mean, Remington makes a fool of himself for you.”
He chuckled. “Yes, he does.”
The drive south to the lake further improved her mood. While Nick drove, she stared out her window, taking in the sprawling ranch pastures and the snow-capped mountains that ringed the broad river valley like a glowing crown. The interstate passed between a pair of massive, rounded rock cliffs that stood like a gateway to the narrow ravine beyond, and wound along the outlet river of Armstead Canyon Reservoir. Occasionally, where the river had changed course in its history, small pastures lined its shores, butted up against the steep hills coated thickly in golden grasses and dotted with fragrant sagebrush. This canyon was so different from the lusher Northstar Valley though it was less than an hour’s car ride away, and despite having spent her entire life in this county, Beth was still amazed at the range of landscapes it had to offer. She was blessed to call this place home and understood that she couldn’t keep letting Trey ruin it for her.
Eighteen miles from Devyn, the canyon widened into a narrow, sparsely populated valley and began the slow climb up to the dam of the reservoir. Nick took the exit just before the dam, and when he rolled up to the stop sign, the lake came into view. Surrounded by grassy hills topped by a dusting of pines and firs and very few houses within sight, the reservoir always seemed to Beth to be very lonely and desolate and yet never failed to instill in her a soothing tranquility.
Nick turned right and drove across the dam. The road curved around to the left, hugging the lake’s steep shore and gradually dropping toward the marina. The picnic area he’d chosen was about a quarter mile beyond, around a bend to the right, and had seven individual picnic pavilions spread out over two acres with a larger centralized pavilion that housed half a dozen tables and a fish cleaning station. He turned off the main highway onto the gravel trail and headed toward the picnic table closest to the rock outcrop. A small pavilion sheltered the table and its barbecue grill, but with the sun tilting westward toward late afternoon, it shaded only half the concrete pad it covered. Even so, there wasn’t much need for shelter today. The sun was warm but not blistering, and the wind was a soft breeze out of the southwest barely strong enough to coax ripples from the lake’s surface.
Beth stepped out of Nick’s truck, closed her eyes, and smiled as she leaned against the tailgate, facing the reservoir. There wouldn’t be too many more days like this, so she was doubly glad Nick had suggested this outing.
“Feeling better?” he asked, nudging her with his spare fishing pole.
She opened one eye and grinned at him. “Much.”
“We can’t let Trey’s BS get to us,” he said gently. “His pranks are stupid and childish, and unless he does something to hurt one of us or damage something…. At the end of the day, it’s not worth getting upset over.”
“I know that. But it adds up.”
“Yes, it does, and when it does, we take a step back like we’re doing right now.”
Beth extended her arm to him, beckoning him closer. When he obeyed, she slipped her arm around his waist and leaned into him. “I’d be lost without you.”
“I highly doubt that, but I certainly can’t imagine my life without you. You’ve always been in it.” He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Do you know how truly blessed we are to have had that kind of unfailing, lifelong friendship?”
“Trust me, Nick. I am very aware of that.”
“Good. Let’s go see how blessed we are at fishing, shall we?”
She took the net he dug out of his toolbox and one of the cartons of worms along with her borrowed pole. She led the way out onto the rock outcrop, but instead of getting to work setting up her fishing pole, she sat on the edge of a boulder, content to watch Nick’s nimble fingers work as he rigged his pole with the ease of much experience.
“You’re not going to fish?” he asked when he noticed her lack of progress.
“I will, but I think I’m just going to sit here for a few minutes and enjoy the day.”
“Suit yourself.”
Beth stared out at the lake until she heard Nick cast. When he reeled the line back in, she glanced at him and watched as he cast out again.
“No worms?” she inquired.
“Thought I’d try a lure first. It’s a bit more relaxing than just casting out and waiting for the fish to bite.”
“True enough.”
For a long time, she was content to watch him, mesmerized by the fluid motions of his body as he cast and reeled and by the expression of pure contentment on his handsome face. It was an expression she hadn’t seen often enough in the last few weeks, and seeing it now drove away the last remaining trembles of unrest. At last, she picked up her pole and selected a lure from his tackle box, then headed a few yards away over the rocks and cast out.
Proving the rumor Nick had heard correct, she hooked a fish on her third cast, and before she could bring the fish into shore, Nick had one on his
line, too. With the net tucked under her arm, she scaled the rocks to a narrow shelf just above the water’s edge and carefully landed what turned out to be a beautiful, fourteen-inch rainbow trout.
“Are we keeping any to eat?” she called to Nick.
“Why not?”
After she’d netted the trout, she climbed back up to the top of the outcrop and dragged the stringer out of the tackle box. Once her fish was secured on it, she made her way down to Nick and burst out laughing. His trout—another rainbow—wasn’t even half the size of hers.
“Well, I guess we know now who the fish whisperer of this outing is,” he remarked. He lowered his trout into the water, and the fish took off with a thrash of its tail. “Nice catch, Beth.”
They’d been fishing for forty-five minutes when June and Aelissm showed up. Delightfully, Beth’s quiet time with Nick turned into joking and laughter as the four of them fished together. Their evening took a decidedly rowdy turn when Henry and Aaron showed up after football practice. Since the sun was nearly to the tops of the western hills, Nick and Beth set aside their fishing poles to get dinner started. While Nick got the coals going, Beth took the six trout to the cleaning station.
When she returned, Nick grinned at her. “Michelle always made me clean the trout.”
“So?”
“Technically, that makes you an even better match for me. You know I like a girl who isn’t afraid to get her hands dirty.”
“Mmm. Then you probably aren’t going to be impressed when I ask you to cut the onion.”
With an exaggerated sigh, he pulled the tiny cutting board out of a backpack in his toolbox, grabbed the onion from their grocery sacks, and settled down to work. Together, they stuffed the trout with chopped onions and butter, then folded them into aluminum pouches, and when the coals were perfect, set them on the grill. They opened one of the packages of hot dogs and tossed them and some burgers on as well.
“I swear, you two are getting to be more and more like an old married couple every day,” Aaron remarked, joining them and draping his arms around both their shoulders. “So, tell me. Who caught the biggest fish?”
“That honor goes to Beth,” Nick replied. “I’ve been catching mostly minnows.”
“They were not minnows,” Beth said, giggling. “Not one was under five inches.”
Aaron sat on the bench of the picnic table and leaned back with his elbows on the tabletop and his legs stretched out in front of him. He tipped his head back and smiled. “This was a great idea, Nick. Thanks for inviting us all out here.”
“Mmm, yes it was,” Beth agreed. “Exactly what I needed.”
Aaron met her gaze and offered her a supportive smile. “Nick told me about the notes and the handcuffs. Don’t let Trey get to you, Beth. He’s a piece of crap, and you are way too good for him. He should consider himself damned lucky you put up with him as long as you did.”
“Thanks, Aaron,” she murmured. “That means a lot more to me than you probably realize.”
“You’ve always been like a sister to me, which kinda makes it my job to look out for you. I may not be as good at it as Nick is, but I do care.”
“I know you do, Aaron. And believe me. I am grateful.”
He stood and hugged her. Close to her ear, he whispered, “Good. I hope someday maybe you’ll legally be my sister.”
Beth jerked back and stared at him. “What do you mean?” she asked, even though she was pretty sure what he was insinuating.
“You know exactly what I mean,” Aaron said, glancing at Nick. Once again, he dropped his voice to a whisper. “If my brother ever gets his act together.”
“I appreciate your blessing, but it’s been a rough few weeks, so let’s just see what happens, all right? In the meantime, why don’t you go tell Henry, June, and Aelissm that dinner is about ready?”
Aaron nodded and strode off toward the edge of the rocks where his twin and the two friends from Washington were still fishing. Beth helped Nick spread out the rest of their food and thoroughly enjoyed even that mundane element of their evening. Good company, good food, and good clean mountain air were exactly what she’d needed, she thought again. All through the meal, they talked and laughed and told outrageous stories, and by the time they were ready to clean up, Beth was entirely relaxed.
They drove back to campus beneath a burning sky. Lenticular clouds stacked up all across the sky, glowing brilliantly in shades of yellow, orange, and red, and to the north and south, they were tinged with softer, pastel hues of pink and lavender. Spectacular was the only word Beth could think of that came close to describing it. By the time Nick parked his truck on the side of Cornell Street, the fire had faded, but the underbellies of the clouds were still brushed with a deep, blood red that contrasted sharply against the twilight.
“Thank you for a wonderful time,” Beth said as she and Nick carried their supplies back to his dorm. “I really needed that.”
“I’m glad it helped. We need to start doing more stuff like that again.”
“Yes, we do.”
As they crested the stairs to Nick’s floor, they nearly collided with Rich Hall, one of Trey’s friends and a former teammate of Nick’s. Beth glanced briefly through the doors to their left and spotted several others playing what appeared to be a video game in the TV lounge, which meant Rich was probably heading up to his room on the second floor to get more refreshments or snacks.
“What’s up, Hammond?”
“The ceiling,” Nick remarked and started toward his room.
“Ha. Ha. Ha. You’re so funny. I’ll bet you won’t be laughing when you’re sitting in jail with Big Bubba breathing down your neck. Think you’ll enjoy being his bitch, Nick?”
Nick opened his mouth to respond, but Beth beat him to it.
“I didn’t know you were so cozy with Big Bubba, Rich,” she said sweetly, curling her fingers possessively over Nick’s shoulder. “I have to say that I’m surprised he was willing to settle for you.”
Despite the rigid tension in the muscle beneath her hand, Nick laughed. She slid her hand down his arm and hooked his fingers, then tugged him toward his room.
Rich stared after them with his mouth hanging open. Beth grinned triumphantly, barely containing her laughter. Their fishing excursion really had done wonders for her because, if Rich had made the same comment earlier, there was no way she would have been able to snap back like that.
Once they were safely inside Nick’s room with the door closed, he flopped on his couch and laughed long and hard. It was almost a minute before he stopped, but even after, the broad smile remained firmly in place.
“That was great, Beth. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Rich so totally at a loss for a good comeback.”
“I know I haven’t. That felt really good!”
Holding his arms out, Nick invited her to join him on the couch. She set her things on the floor and plopped on the cushion beside him, all the more elated when he wrapped his arms around her and started laughing again.
“I’ll bet it does. That was the brightest spark of the old Beth I’ve seen yet.”
Twelve
“Can’t you make some other night movie night, Nick? Does it have to be Wednesday?”
Nick finished stapling the flyer about the movie night in question to the bulletin board located in the middle of the hall. He glanced over his shoulder at the freshman and nodded. “Yep.”
“But Wednesday is—”
“I know very well what Wednesday is. Why do you think I’m showing a movie you all want to see? It’s part of my job as the RA of this floor to keep you youngsters out of trouble.”
A familiar voice interrupted their conversation. “Don’t you ever get tired of sounding like a broken record, Nick?”
“I do, but someone has to do it,” he replied, turning around to face Michelle. His heart skipped a beat in recognition as he met her watchful green gaze. Having dated her for five months, he never would have thought that a week and a half of not
seeing her would introduce such a jolt of unfamiliarity mixed disconcertingly with the sense of intimate awareness. Without taking his eyes off her, he said to the freshman, “Tyler, I’ll see you later, all right?”
“Sure thing. I can take a hint,” the freshman replied. “Catch you later. And, yes, I’ll be at the movie on Wednesday.”
“Glad to hear it.”
Michelle waited until Nick’s floor mate was back in his room at the other end of the hall before she spoke again. “Surprised to see me?”
“A little, yes, since I haven’t seen anything of you since we broke up.”
“I’m sorry, Nick. I’m not trying to be rude. Just trying to give us all some space. Are you up for joining me over at The Cup for some coffee and a little catching up?”
“Uh, yeah. I have time.”
“No football, no classes to go to…. I imagine you have more time than you want or know what to do with.”
Nick let out a huff of laughter as he walked with her down the hall toward his room. He pulled the door closed and locked it, then gestured for her to lead the way down the stairs. “That’s a pretty accurate assessment.”
They were silent as they walked south across campus to the Student Union Building. The Cup, the campus’s coffee shop, was located in the eastern end across from the eatery that served pretty good pizza, tacos, and just about every other kind of semi-fast food a college student could ask for. At just after eight in the morning, there were surprisingly few students in The Cup, and Nick figured most were either in class or not yet out of bed. After they’d ordered and paid, he and Michelle took their steaming beverages to a table beside the window.
Bright morning sunlight streamed through the colorful leaves of the ash tree outside, adding a tinge of yellowish orange to the already cozy colors of the coffee shop. The non-native ash were always the first trees to drop their leaves, but when a gust of wind—chasing the storm that had blanketed the Northstar Mountains and valley with inches of heavy, wet snow over the weekend—sent a shower of leaves from the tree outside cascading and twirling from their branches, he wondered if there would be any color left in the aspen by the time he and Beth took their horseback ride in a couple weeks. Usually, the groves around Northstar peaked the last week of September and lost their leaves by the end of the first week of October, but it had been a mild fall thus far, so maybe the leaves would hang on a little longer.
First Instinct Page 19
