by Jaci Burton
Why was she being so ridiculous about her and Deacon? What difference did it make if everyone knew they were together? They were a couple.
Yet the feeling caused a twinge of doubt in her stomach that wouldn't go away.
And that worried her all the way to the backyard.
Chapter 25
* * *
DEACON GOT UP before dawn and knocked on Loretta's door. She opened it, squinting at him.
"Morning."
She yawned. "Is it?"
He smiled. "Okay, not quite. But it's time to rouse Hazel."
She nodded. "Okay. I'll get her up now."
He went into the kitchen and started a pot of coffee. Will walked in, his dog, Archie, following along behind him.
"You're up early," he said.
Will nodded. "Jane said if you're taking the kids fishing, I have to go."
Deacon cracked a smile. "Sorry about that."
"Don't be. I haven't been in a while, so I'm looking forward to it. And Ryan and Tabitha are excited about it."
"I thought it might be something the kids would like." He poured a cup for Will and handed it to him, then another for himself.
Loretta came down the hall. "Good morning."
"Morning," Will said.
"You didn't have to get up."
"I thought I'd make some breakfast sandwiches for you to take along. Why don't you pour me a cup of coffee and I'll get started cooking."
He was about to tell her it wasn't necessary, but he knew she'd prepare something anyway, and it would be helpful to have something to eat. This way, they could stay longer and fish without the kids getting super hungry.
He poured her a cup of coffee.
Then Jane came in. "Oh, are you making breakfast sandwiches for them?"
"Yes."
Jane nodded. "I'll help."
"Thanks, Jane," Deacon said. "Will and I can start gathering supplies."
Deacon and Will packed up the poles, some lawn chairs, and other gear. Deacon grabbed his fishing cooler and shoved that into the back of his truck. Otis had gotten up, so he let him wander around for a bit, figuring Hazel would want to bring the dog with them. He went back inside to mention that to Loretta. She already had Otis's food bowl ready.
"I thought you might want to bring him along, so I'm going to feed him," she said.
"Archie will want to come along, too," Will said as he packed some things in Deacon's truck. "I'll make sure to feed him."
It figured Loretta would have thought ahead. She had amazing organizational skills.
While the dogs dove into their food bowls, Loretta disappeared down the hall, likely to make sure Hazel was getting ready. Jane already had Ryan up, so she left to check on Tabitha.
"Where are we going fishing?" Ryan asked.
"Just a few miles down the road," Deacon said. "There's a shady and quiet spot that not a lot of people know about."
"Does it have tons of fish?" Ryan asked.
Deacon laughed. "Well, I don't know about tons, but you have a pretty good shot at catching some."
Ryan smiled. "Great. I want to catch some fish." He turned to Will. "Hey, Dad, if we catch some fish, can we cook them for dinner?"
"You bet we can. And hopefully we'll catch a bunch."
It took about a half hour to wrangle everyone, then they got into their trucks and Will followed him. They stopped at the shop to get fishing licenses and bait first, then drove to the spot at the lake where he wanted to fish. The sun hadn't risen yet, which meant it was still quiet when they took out their gear and made their way to the edge of the lake to set up.
"I've never fished before, Deacon," Hazel said as they got the poles out. "Will you help me?"
He looked down at her. "Yup."
"Do you think I'll catch a fish today?"
"I know you will."
Hazel was inquisitive and not at all afraid of the worms, so he showed her how to bait her hook. She asked a lot of questions, which was good, and before long he and Will had all the kids set up with their lines in the water.
He'd explained to them that too much loud noise would scare the fish, so Hazel and Tabitha whispered quietly to each other. Ryan stayed completely quiet and sat next to Will. The dogs had wandered around when they first got there, but Deacon put Otis on his leash, and now the dog was sleeping next to him.
Deacon opened his thermos and took a long swallow of coffee, enjoying the peaceful surroundings of predawn. He had a cute little girl sitting next to him, her tennis-shoed foot tapping up against his, and he wondered if, had things not changed between Loretta and him, this little girl might have been his.
He looked down at Hazel's ball cap with her little ponytail that poked through the hole in the cap and was suddenly struck in the heart with emotions he wasn't sure he could handle.
Hazel wasn't his. She'd never be his daughter. But damn if he didn't have strong protective feelings toward her.
She looked up at him, a worried frown on her face. "Nothing's happening, Deacon."
She looked so concerned his chest tightened. "It's okay. Sometimes it takes a while. You have to be patient."
She took in a deep breath, then let it out in an exaggerated sigh. "Okay. I'll try."
His lips curved. He realized patience in a nine-year-old wasn't an easy thing. Otis got up, stretched, leaned in to him to be petted, then went around and laid down next to Hazel. Archie had done the same thing, lying down next to Ryan.
Five minutes later from Tabitha: "Why aren't there any fish?"
Hazel answered before he could. "Tabby, you're just going to have to be patient."
Deacon's lips twitched.
A few minutes later he noticed the tug on Hazel's line.
"Hazel."
"Yeah?"
"Look at your line. You've got a bite."
Her eyes went wide. "What do I do now?"
He got up and showed her what steps to take; how to give the fish some line, but not too much. He made sure she was in control, letting her run the reel. She gritted her teeth and wound the reel, then gave it some slack.
"You're doing good," he told her. "He's on there, so don't pull too fast."
By then, everyone was behind her, spurring her on.
"You got this, Hazel," Ryan said. "Just bring him in."
She wound the line and hauled the catfish in, with some help from Deacon. It wasn't a big one, but Hazel was laughing with delight, and that's all that counted.
Will scooped it up in the net. They took a picture of Hazel holding it, and they bagged it and put it on ice in the cooler. Everyone was excited. She even got a high five from Ryan.
"Good one, Hazel," Ryan said.
Hazel grinned. "Thanks."
They stopped to eat their breakfast sandwiches. The kids all huddled in a group to talk about Hazel's fish.
"She did good," Will said.
Deacon looked over at her, animatedly using her hands to talk about how she reeled in the fish. He laughed. "Yeah, she did."
"I'm glad you suggested fishing. I've been trying to find the time to take Ryan and Tabby, but work's been crazy. We've had a couple of guys leave, and we're taking on some new hires, so between training and double shifts, I barely have time to breathe."
Deacon took a sip of water and nodded. "And now you're adding another kid to the mix."
Will grinned. "Yeah, that'll be crazy, too."
"But you're happy about it, right?"
Will looked over at the kids, then back at Deacon. "Happier than I have a right to be. When I married Jane, she had Ryan and Tabitha and I thought that was it. And God, I love those kids as much as I love her. Adding another one to this family will only increase this windfall of insane happiness that is my life."
Deacon laughed. "Sappy sucker."
Will laughed, too. "I know. I'm pathetic."
"No, you're happy. It looks good on you."
"Thanks. And what about you and Loretta reconnecting after all this time? That had to
be a surprise, huh?"
"More than a little."
Will crumpled up the tinfoil from his sandwich and tucked it into the cooler. "So is it getting serious between you two?"
Deacon shrugged. "I don't know. I think we're both a little wary considering how it all went down last time. So we're just taking it day by day."
"Probably a smart thing, especially since there's a kid involved."
"Yeah."
"My suggestion is to tread lightly. If you fall in love with her again, then that's great. If it's just fun and games between you two, keep in mind that Hazel's involved in this, too."
That gave him something to think about. "You're right about that. Thanks."
After they ate they went back to fishing. Will caught one, and so did Ryan. Tabitha caught a couple of small ones, and Deacon caught a decent-sized catfish. All in all, a successful morning. By then the sun was well up and he could tell the kids were getting bored, so it was time to head back to the house.
Zach, Josie, Reid, Sam, Brady, and Megan had taken the boat out, so it was just Jane and Loretta at the house when they returned.
"We all caught catfish, Mama," Hazel said.
Loretta gave an appropriately excited response. "You did? That's amazing, Hazel. I'm so proud of you."
Hazel nodded and rocked back on the balls of her feet. "I caught a big one. Can we fix it for dinner?"
Loretta lifted her gaze to Deacon, who gave her a knowing smile. "Will and I will clean the fish."
Loretta laughed. "Then yes, we'll have fish for dinner."
"Awesome. Can we go in the pool now?"
"Yes, you can."
The kids all ran off. Jane took a peek at the cooler. "Ugh. I'm avoiding the whole fish thing until after they're cooked."
Loretta gave her a sympathetic look. "No worries. I'll take care of it."
Jane stood. "You're my savior. I'll go make sure the kids don't throw dirty socks or fishy-smelling clothes on our bed."
Jane and Will disappeared down the hall, giving Loretta a chance to talk to Deacon. "How did it go?"
"It went great. Hazel's a champion fisherwoman."
She laughed, then moved in against him for a kiss, wrinkling her nose as she stepped back. "You smell like raw fish."
He tugged her back against him. "What? That's not an aphrodisiac to you?"
She palmed his chest and pushed away. "No. Eau de catfish is not a turn-on."
"Then I guess I should go take a shower. Or maybe grab you and throw you in the pool."
She arched a brow. "That sounds fun. Jane and I have been lounging in the house enjoying the air-conditioning."
"Really? Why?"
She took a quick glance around Deacon toward the hallway where Will and Jane had recently disappeared. "Mostly because Jane didn't feel good this morning. I think she's trying to put up a brave front, but she looked really pale."
"That makes sense. You're a good friend."
"I try to be. And she seems to be feeling better now. We watched a little television, and she took a nap. Then I made us something to eat, so I think that helped."
"I'm glad to hear that."
The kids all ran down the hall at the same time, with Will and Jane behind them.
"Ready to hit the pool, huh?" Deacon asked.
"Yup," Ryan said. "I'm gonna do a cannonball."
"Not if I get there first," Hazel said.
"Of course you are. Well, don't cannonball all the water out of the pool before I get there."
Ryan laughed on his way out the door. "Better hurry, Deacon."
Deacon looked over at Loretta. "I guess I should go change."
"I guess you should. I'll see you outside."
Loretta fixed herself a glass of iced tea, then wandered outside, where mayhem in the pool had already ensued. She imagined that the kids had to sit quietly while fishing, so now they had excess energy built up. Even Otis was excited, running around the edge of the pool barking at the kids, which then got Archie barking as well. Roxie and Not My Dog were outside, too, so then it was a free-for-all of barking dogs.
Fun.
It was a good thing they were used to noisy kids. She sat under the umbrella table with Jane.
"Feeling better?" she asked.
Jane nodded. "Much. Thanks for hanging back with me today. You didn't have to."
"I didn't mind. Sometimes the quiet is nice."
Jane's lips lifted as she stared out over the pool where all the kids were splashing each other and screaming. Will had joined in, so the battle was getting intense. "And rare."
"This is true."
Deacon came out. "Why aren't you two in the pool?"
"I think I'll pass on that," Jane said.
"Understood." He took Loretta's hand and stood her up, then scooped her into his arms. "You, on the other hand, don't get a pass."
Before she knew it, he had carried her to the water's edge and jumped in. She barely had time to hold her breath before they went under. She came up gasping, then pushed at him.
"You dumped me in the water."
He laughed. "You needed to get wet."
Hazel swam over and hung on to both of them. "Deacon got you, didn't he, Mama?"
She had no choice but to laugh about it. "Yes, he sure did."
"Come on and swim with us."
With a glare at Deacon, who leveled a smirk at her, she joined Hazel and the others. Before long they strung up the volleyball net and formed teams. Hazel decided she had to be on Deacon's team--traitor--and it was Hazel, Deacon, and Ryan against Will, Loretta, and Tabby.
Since Tabby was the weakest swimmer, they were in the shallow end of the pool, which suited Loretta just fine, since she could get off some zingers against the opposing team.
It didn't seem to help, though, because even in deep water Deacon managed to defend every one of her serves.
The bastard. And he laughed at her. Which only made her even more determined to take him down.
During a short break they took for Tabitha to use the bathroom, Will came over to her.
"Want me to swim over there and kick his ass?"
She laughed. "I might."
They played for another half hour until the boat returned. The kids were excited to see everyone, so they ended their volleyball game and greeted Zach, Josie, Megan, Brady, Reid, and Sam.
"How was the boat ride?" Loretta asked the women.
"It was exhilarating," Megan said. "We waterskied and tubed, and it was a blast."
Sam nodded. "Then we toured the lake and had a fabulous time. You have to go out on the lake, Loretta. It's fantastic."
"I agree," Josie said. "I haven't been out on the water in a long time. I had a great time."
"Hmm, maybe we'll get a chance to do that," Loretta said. "Are you all hungry?"
"Starving," Brady said.
"Let's fix lunch."
They put together turkey wraps with avocado for lunch. Megan and Jane made fruit salad, and Brady and Reid fixed up fresh salsa. They gathered around the dining room table and chatted about this morning's fishing adventure, as well as the trip around the lake.
"Can we go out on the boat, Deacon?" Hazel asked.
Deacon looked over at Loretta, who shrugged. "It's up to Deacon. And Zach, of course."
"I'd go out again this afternoon, if you all want to," Zach said.
"I'd love to go again, too, if you don't mind," Josie said.
"That's a yes, right?" Hazel asked.
"We want to go," Ryan said.
Will looked over at Jane, who shook her head. "You already know my answer, but if you want to take the kids, go ahead. I'm happy to sit in the shade by the pool."
"Great," Zach said. "We'll head out after lunch."
The kids had been going nonstop since before dawn, so both Loretta and Jane insisted they spend a few minutes taking some downtime to catch their breath before heading out. In the meantime, Loretta went and filled up a bag for the boat with towels and sunscreen, th
en went into the kitchen, where Josie was refilling the cooler with drinks.
"You're having fun?" Loretta asked.
"I'm having so much fun. I love being out on the water. And who wouldn't love this house? Isn't it amazing?"
"It is spectacular."
"The boat is the same way. Huge, with tons of fun equipment and lounging areas. You could live on that thing."
Loretta laughed. "I'm so glad you're having a good time."
Josie paused to give her a look. "You're having fun, too, though, right?"
"Absolutely."
Josie looked around, then leaned in. "And you've gotten some alone time with your hot guy?"
Loretta's lips tipped up. "A little."
"So you've gotten a little. That's better than none at all."
"So true."
"Are we ready here?" Deacon asked as he came into the kitchen.
Loretta stepped back. "I think so."
"I'll carry the cooler to the boat. The kids are squirming on the couch, and they might just self-combust if you don't release them from their imprisonment."
"I'll do that. They can help carry stuff."
She was worried about the boat accommodating them all. She needn't have worried. It was massive, with plenty of room for the number of people who climbed aboard. After Zach lectured the kids on the safety rules and made them repeat the rules back to him to make sure they'd been listening, they got the kids into their life vests and headed to the boat.
Otis followed.
"Not this time, buddy," Deacon said.
"Come on, Otis," Reid said. "You can come hang out with the other dogs."
Otis followed Reid, spied the other dogs, and took off in a run.
Zach started off slowly, then hit the throttle once they got out onto open water. Loretta was in heaven as she sat between Hazel and Deacon. The boat hardly bounced on the glassy water as they flew along the lake. Hazel giggled the entire time, her ponytail flying in the breeze.
Zach finally slowed, and they got out a couple of tubes and tied those to the stern.
Hazel stood next to her, practically vibrating with excitement. But Zach and Deacon went in the water first, making sure the tubes were secure. Once they gave the go-ahead, the kids got in the water.
It was a gloriously hot day. Loretta jumped in the water, too, and she and Josie swam while Deacon, Zach, and Will played with the kids.
Josie and Loretta swam over to the nearby beach and sat in the water, watching the guys play with the kids. The kids hung on the tubes while the guys dragged them around. Loretta smiled, listening to Hazel's squeals of laughter. She hadn't heard nearly enough of that over the past several years. It was a true delight hearing it now.