With a final look around Maddox headed for her, leaving Skyler sitting in the grass going through a tackle box. Only then did she notice the fishing poles leaning against the Adirondack chair. “We didn’t leave; we just came out to get the fishing gear ready.” He took her hand, and at the contact frowned down at it. “You’re frozen.”
“I was terrified. I’m responsible for him.”
“Youwereresponsible for him, but now I am.”
“Yeah, well, the jury is still out on whether I trust you,” she snapped, yanking her hand back.
“Really?” he asked with a lift of his eyebrow.
“Okay, so I probably can, but I don’t know you.”
“You know me as well as he knows you,” he said, pointing at Skyler. “You’d better put away that attitude you have toward me, because we can’t afford to have him doubting whether or not he can tell me what he saw. His life, and yours, depend on it.”
She hung her head and blew out a breath. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I just… when he wasn’t there… and you weren’t…”
“It won’t happen again.”
She nodded, but couldn’t bring herself to look at him. She’d freaked out, making a fool of herself.
“Look, he’s down there and looking forward to fishing. I’m hoping he’ll open up and let the details come out instead of questioning him. Why don’t you join us? This way you’ll know he’s okay.”
She nodded, and followed him as he headed back to where Skyler sat picking through the various types of bait.
“He’s going to take me fishing. Can you believe it? He said he would, and it’s the first thing he’s doing,” Skyler rushed out breathlessly.
Oh, the delight on his young face. She thought of the kid she had found just last night behind the dumpster. According to him it had been a couple of weeks that he’d been there, and witnessing his excitement now, she began to suspect it had been his first time running away. That street life wasn’t a familiar thing for him.
And in that moment, she had a bit of hope for his future. If the authorities could get him into a good home, maybe he’d have a shot. This would just be a rough patch, a scary time that he’d never have to revisit.
She ruffled his unruly brown hair and smiled down at him. “Are girls allowed on this fishing trip of yours, or is there some kind of guy code going on here that leaves me sitting in this chair here, twiddling my thumbs?” Maddox had already invited her, but something told her that she needed to give Skyler some power in this one. Plus, if he was so starved for male attention, he might not want her hovering.
He gazed up at her, his brow furrowed as he narrowed his eyes at her. “You know how to fish?”
“Sure do.”
“You look too shiny to know how to fish.”
“Too shiny?”
“Clean and pretty.”
She found Maddox eying her over Skyler’s head, his lips twitching.
Smiling down at Skyler, she winked. “My daddy took me and my brothers fishing a few times when I was a kid. I can even bait my own hook and gut my own fish.”
“You definitely look too pretty to gut a fish.”
“Pretty girls can do lots of things. We get dirty, we swear, sometimes we eat like pigs, and we even sweat. Gross, huh?”
“Do you fa—”
“Boy, I know you arenotabout to ask her what I think you are,” Maddox said, his voice low with authority.
Skyler peeked up at Maddox. “I guess not,” he muttered.
Brynn stifled a laugh, and smiled at the exchange between them. Maddox’s tone brooked no argument, and to some might even be scary, but Skyler showed no fear, only respect.
“So, are we going to fish or what?”
