The fish flopped onto the dock while Katie hopped around it, making sure the slimy thing didn’t touch her.

Sage had been the first one to pull in a catch. She got it off the hook, but it slipped from her fingers and fell to the wooden surface. At first, the two women thought it was dead. Poised over it, they looked at its lifeless body and squealed when the poor thing came out of shock and flopped around their feet.

“Save it,” Sage pleaded to Cannon, who stood at the rail and laughed.

“What’s the point? You’re only going to barbecue it later.” He picked the fish up and held it out to her. “If you don’t want to eat it, then you should save it.”

Sage shuddered before she palmed the fish and brought it to her face. Katie watched from a distance as her friend looked at its mouth open and close. “I’m so sorry, little guppy. Back you go.” Sage tossed it into the lake and watched it swim off. “Visit when you get a chance,” she called after it.

“Why did you throw it back?” Cannon asked. “The point was to catch it and eat it.”

“No,” Sage said. “The point was to catch a fish. I’ve done that. My life is complete.”

Cannon pulled Sage into his arms and kissed her. “I’ll complete your life.”

Katie watched the two interact. A thread of envy wound up her spine and twisted around her heart. Watching them was like watching soul mates connect. There was an energy that crackled under the surface when those two were together. She was so happy her friend had found love and sad she had never experienced anything so wonderful.

“Get a room,” came a deep voice from the end of the dock.

Katie turned to find Bowie walking toward them, his limp less noticeable today.

“Don’t mind if we do.” Cannon looked toward Katie. “She’s still zero-for-zero. Care to take over the fishing lesson?”

Bowie scowled at his brother. “I came home for lunch, not to give lessons.”

He looked at Katie. His eyes skimmed her body, from her long sleeved T-shirt to her tennis shoes. She felt a blush rise to her cheeks when his eyes stalled on her bare legs. She’d always considered them her best feature, and now that the sun was out and the temperature in Aspen Cove had risen to about sixty degrees, she was happy to wear shorts and show them off.

“I don’t need a babysitter,” Katie said. She turned toward the water and prepared to cast her line.

Sage and Cannon’s voices faded as they walked into the house. She didn’t need to turn around to see if Bowie was still there. She felt his presence. He was like heat that wrapped around her. She recognized the tightening in her stomach and the uptick in the pace of her heartbeat. Ever since her surgery, certain feelings were heightened. Any kind of excitement or arousal felt ten times more acute. She wasn’t sure if it was because her donor heart beat faster than her original heart or because she was more in tune with what her body told her. All she knew was that her attraction to Bowie was undeniable. He fit her type—tall, big, and brooding. She liked her men damaged. Not that she had much experience with men. With parents more diligent than prison guards, she had never had much interaction with the opposite sex. But with damaged men, her problems didn’t seem so problematic. His problems and her problems put them on even ground from the beginning.

Pole gripped in her hand, she ran through the steps Cannon taught her: Hold the rod at waist level with the reel above the rod. Press your finger to the line so when you push the doohickey button, the weight doesn’t drop to the ground. Pull the rod back and swing it forward, swiftly pointing the tip of the pole at your target. Let your finger off the line so it can fly.

Katie smiled as the weight hit the water. She let it sink for a count of three and then wound the reel like Cannon had showed her.

Feeling accomplished, she turned around to face Bowie. His hand cupped his mouth to suppress his laughter. His shoulders shook like he was suffering a seizure.

“What?” She narrowed her eyes at him. “That was a perfect cast.”

He walked up next to her and gripped the wooden rail of the dock. “You’re right. It was a perfect cast.”

She turned to face him. At five-feet-six-inches tall, she was average height, but Bowie towered over her, which made her feel small. “Why are you laughing?” She tried to sound stern, but it was hard because the smile on Bowie’s face made her insides turn to goo. She’d never seen anything so beautiful.

“What are you trying to catch?” He walked around to her other side and leaned against the rail. She wondered if he changed positions so she couldn’t see his scar.

“Anything. I’m not leaving until I catch something.”

He looked down at her legs, which now had goose bumps rising on her thighs. “You’ll catch a cold before you catch a fish.”

Little did he know, the gooseflesh was simply a condition of his proximity.

“Sage caught a fish. Why would you think I’m incapable?”

His chuckle came from deep inside him. It moved through his body like a tremor. “I’m pretty sure she used bait.”

If there were ever a moment Katie wanted the ground to open and swallow her, it was now. Bowie was right; she’d cast an empty hook.

She turned toward the water and spooled in the line. Swinging in the slight breeze was her barren hook. “I can’t believe I did that.” It was hard to feel embarrassment for too long because it was so funny. She reached into the open tackle box and pulled out the neon yellow PowerBait.

“That’s cheating.”

“I don’t understand.” She set the container on the edge of the rail. “It’s what Sage used.”

Bowie opened the jar and pulled out a pellet, then held it in front of her. “Using this isn’t really fishing.” He flicked the glowing ball into the water. “It’s like walking naked down the street and not expecting men to look at you.”

Katie frowned and leaned against the rail. She didn’t understand what he was getting at. “Can you clarify?”

Bowie turned his back to the lake and leaned on the rail next to her. “All I’m saying is, it’s not really fishing. There’s a skill to fishing. It doesn’t really count if you drop the meal in front of the prey and turn on a flashing neon sign that reads ‘eat me.’”

“What does it matter if in the end I catch a fish?”

“Stay here.” Bowie left for a few minutes while Katie looked out at the water. When he returned, he was dangling a worm between his fingers. “Use this.”

She took a step back. Katie didn’t do bugs or snakes; a worm, in her opinion, was an amalgamation of both. “I’m not touching that.”

He stepped forward. “Oh, come on. It’s only a worm. If you want to one-up Sage, you’ll use it.”

“I’m not interested in one-upping Sage. I want to catch a fish.”

“Compromise? I’ll put it on the hook. You cast the line. You get the bragging rights when you catch your fish.”

Katie looked at the neon container sitting on the rail. There was something unnatural to using bait with the texture of a marshmallow and the glow of the sun.

“Fine, but if I don’t catch a fish, it’s your fault. You’ll have to live with denying me the ability to cross this off my bucket list.”

“You don’t have a very ambitious list.” He pierced the worm and watched it dangle from the hook.

She imagined his list, if he had one, would include things like running through fire, hang gliding, or swimming with sharks. There was a dangerous vibe attached to him. Not that he looked dangerous, but he didn’t seem the type to avoid it.

“I want to experience more common things before I try jumping out of an airplane.”

She gripped the handle of the pole and went through the motions of a perfect cast. This time when the hook hit the water, she knew she was set up for success. How could she go wrong fishing with the man who ran the bait and tackle shop?

“I’ve done that hundreds of times. The jump is always exciting. The flight invigorating. The landing terrifying. At least for me.”

She reeled in the excess line and waited. “Haven’t perfected the landing?” She knew from Cannon that Bowie had been a Ranger. No doubt he had jumped out of many things, including airplanes.

“The landing can be a real bitch when you’re dodging bullets.”

“I can’t imagine, but I thank you for your service. I’m sorry it was cut short by injury.” She looked down at his leg. A red scar ran from the bottom of his knee until it disappeared under the frayed edge of his cut-off cargo pants. “Does it cause you a lot of pain?”

“Some, mostly stiffness, but I cope.”

“Sometimes coping is all we can do.”

Katie understood that concept too well. She’d never experienced a crushing pain as profound as when they cut through her breastplate to remove her heart. It took months to heal. Occasionally, she felt the phantom pains of healing. The sharp stabbing of bones stitching themselves together. It had been years, but some things she never forgot.

A ripple in the water and the bobbing of her line caught her attention. “I’ve got a bite.”

“It’s just a nibble. Wait for a second.” He stood behind her, wrapped his arms around her body and showed her how to hold the pole. “On the next nibble, let’s give it a firm tug.”

His chin sat on her shoulder, and a ripple of awareness coursed through her body. Katie didn’t know what made her heart beat faster. Was it that Bowie was pressed against her or that she had a fish on her line?

The end of her pole bent, and with his help she gave the line a yank. Within seconds, she was in a battle against the fish. By the way the thing fought, she was certain it weighed a hundred pounds. To her surprise, when she finally got it reeled in, it was no bigger than her size eight shoe.

“It’s a good size. You want to keep it?” Bowie gripped the slimy fish and finessed the hook from its mouth. The poor thing didn’t even get to keep the worm that came out with the hook.

Her head shook before the words were out. “Nope. I’m happy just knowing I caught it.” She was so giddy with her accomplishment that as soon as Bowie tossed the fish back into the water, she threw her arms around his neck and kissed his scarred cheek. “Thanks so much for your help.”

He stood back and stared at her. “You’re easy, Duchess.”

“Yes, but I’m told I’m not cheap.” She giggled as she took a knee on the dock and packed up the tackle box.

“You’re funny, too.” He stood above her, throwing a shadow across the dock as she put everything away.

“Only on Saturdays.” She closed the container and stood. “I should get back to the bakery so your dad can have lunch, too.” She picked up the pole and box and started toward the house.

“How did you get him to work there?” Bowie followed her to the porch, where she dropped off the pole and tackle box, then continued on her way to her SUV.

“That was Sage. She got him started. He only stays because he gets free muffins.”

That wasn’t the truth. He stayed because, contrary to Katie’s desire to be independent, she needed him. One thing she’d learned about Ben was that he needed a purpose. Although things might change down the road, Katie provided him with one.

“Will you stay?”

Bowie looked around. His focus landed on the bed and breakfast. “There are just too many memories here for me.” He opened her car door. “I’ll stay for the summer. Cannon needs the help.” His eyes lit on her legs as she climbed into her car.

He’s a leg man. “You could make new memories,” she said in a hopeful tone. Even though she’d just met Bowie, there was a vulnerability that pulled her to him.

“There’s nothing left here for me.” He waited for her to put on her seat belt before shutting the door.

She backed out of the driveway. When she turned her car down Main Street, the only thought in her mind was, I’ll prove you wrong.

She couldn’t wait to get home and jot a new item on her list. Somehow, she’d make Bowie see Aspen Cove in a different light.