The Bachelor's Twins. Kathryn Springer

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       Chapter Seven

      Anna jackknifed into a sitting position, but her view of the shoreline was obscured by a tangle of pea-green netting. She yanked off the hat and clutched it against her chest, but it didn’t quite muffle the rapid thump of her heart.

      Had she actually dozed off for a few minutes?

      Fortunately, no one on the sandy beach below seemed to have noticed. The speckled trout thrashing on the end of Liam’s line had captured their attention.

      “Liam got another one!” Cassie and Chloe clasped hands and danced around the fishing creel as Liam removed the hook from the fish’s mouth. “Now there’s one for each of us!”

      Anna pushed to her feet and waved the hat to acknowledge Cassie’s gleeful shout.

      Four trout?

      Either Liam was an expert fly fisherman, or she’d been asleep longer than a few minutes.

      By the time the three fishermen had retraced their steps up the path and scrambled over the ledge with their catch, Anna had added a few more sticks of kindling to the fire.

      “Liam has a secret fishing spot, Mom,” Chloe told her. “The trout like to hide there during the day.”

      “But we can’t tell anyone where it is.” Cassie drew the tip of her finger across her lips, sealing them shut. For the moment.

      “Technically, it’s Aiden’s secret spot.” Liam unleashed a slow smile that rivaled the sun for warmth and sent Anna’s heart scrambling for purchase. “But we’ll make sure he knows how many we caught.”

      “Trout fishing is fun, Mom,” Chloe said. “You’re going to have to try next time.”

      Next time.

      For a split second, Anna let herself imagine another day like this one. Another day with...Liam.

      The thought tugged at her heart like the current, but Anna resisted its gentle pull, afraid it would take her to places she wasn’t ready to go.

      Places she might never be ready to go.

      She swallowed hard and looked up at Liam.

      “Is there anything the girls and I can do while you cook the fish?”

      “You can unpack the cooler. Mom said she’d packed a few snacks for us, but when I was lugging this thing up the hill, it felt like she’d packed it with iron ore.” Liam flipped open the lid. “And now I know why.”

      The girls crowded in next to him. “Why?”

      “See for yourself.” Liam shook his head. “I’m just not sure whether I should be relieved or flattered.”

      “What do you mean?” Anna’s curiosity got the better of her, too, and she moved in for a closer look.

      “Mom knows my fishing skills are a little rusty, and she was probably afraid I’d serve you peanut butter and crackers.”

      Anna’s lips parted as she scanned the contents of the cooler. Sunni had taken the description on the silent auction sheet very seriously.

      Small glass storage containers were arranged inside the cooler like puzzle pieces, each one containing an entrée of the gourmet meal Anna had been promised. Pasta salad studded with tomatoes, zucchini and pearls of fresh mozzarella cheese. Crispy sourdough rolls swaddled in an embroidered tea towel and a mason jar filled with lemonade. If that weren’t enough of a feast, a small but decadent-looking chocolate cake wrapped in fondant and decorated with plump fresh raspberries peeked through the cellophane window of a white bakery box.

      “The fish won’t take long to cook, so I think we should start with the first course,” Liam said.

      No one argued.

      The twins each claimed a corner of the tablecloth, and when Liam sat down, Cassie reached for his hand.