Lennox laughed.“Most of them already were fishermen by trade, and Jesus told them to leavetheir nets behind to follow him and he’d make them fishers ofmen.”
“Men, huh? Ihear man meat is a bit gamey. I think you’ll much prefer the salmon and troutwe’ll be pulling out of the River Ness.”
“Sounds likefun. I never knew being kidnapped would include so many outdoor activities.”
“Well, today’syour lucky day, Lennox Tra…” I stopped myself. Unable to utter that man’sfamily name in the same breath as the woman I would die for. “I’m sorry,” Isaid.
She raised aneyebrow. “For what?”
“For everything.For the fact that you’re in mortal danger from your own father. That you, sucha clearly brilliant, inquisitive, and truly beautiful soul could be kept lockedaway from the world as you have. You should have been given every opportunityto be whoever you wanted to be.”
“No one has evertalked about me the way you do.” She blushed. “Or…looked at me the way you do.”
“That’s notpossibly true. You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”
“That’s exactlywhat I’m talking about. No one has ever said that kind of thing to me before,and if they had,” she sighed, “I don’t think I would have taken it well.”
“And whenItell you?”
“I believe you.”
“No one can everlook at you the way I do, and no one can ever love you the way I do. That is apromise.”
Lennox broke eyecontact. “Weren’t you going to make porridge?” she asked, clearly changing thesubject.
“Would you likesome?”
“Me? Eatporridge inside a cabin in the woods? No, no, no. I’ve readGoldilocks andthe Three Bears. I know how this sort of thing ends up for girls like me.”
“Alright then,Goldiloxy. Off with you to find Wellies that arejust right, while Imake breakfast.”
As soon as shewas out of sight I dropped to my knees. I needed a dose of Blue Fang in a badway. The amount of energy I was using just to physically keep myself away fromher was causing my core temperature to hit the danger zone.
* * *
Lennox
Phineas strapped on the largebackpack in which he’d managed to fit all our fishing gear, his boots, a beachtowel, plus food and plenty of water. The fishing poles were strapped to oneside and the top of the pack nearly reached his head.
“You look like aBoy Scout,” I joked.
“Are those theones who make the cookies?”
I laughed. “No,that’s the Girl Scouts, but they don’t make the cookies. They just sell them.”
“What do the BoyScouts sell?”
“Popcorn,” Ireplied.
He frowned.“Cookies I understand, but who would buy popcorn?”
“No one, whichis exactly why we always had a pantry full of Boy Scout cheddar cheesepopcorn.”
“You were a GirlScout?”
“No, but mybrothers were all Boy Scouts.” I rolled my eyes. “Another mandate from myfather.”
“Militarize themearly,” Phin said flippantly.
