Chapter Six
There was the smell of coffee. Rance had to be dreaming. One eye opened and then he realized that it wasn’t a dream, but who could have been up before him? Rance grabbed his clothes and threw them on. Then he went in search of that coffee.
The house was silent. Erin was still in bed. But who had made the coffee? He stepped outside and stopped.
“Hi, Uncle Rance!” The voice belonged to his niece. “Surprise! Aunt Tori and I have been teaching Miss Erin the best place to fish. She has already caught two. She’s cool.”
His gaze searched the riverbank and landed on the woman, jeans rolled up to the knees, a bright yellow T-shirt knotted above her waist, hair tied back into a ponytail. Was that one of Uncle Joe’s old beat-up fishing caps on her head? She and his sister Tori were laughing at something. The woman had a rod in hand and was doing a fair job…now and then. He had to wonder how she had learned that skill in a courtroom.
“It’s a little early for visiting, isn’t it?”
Tori shot him a grin. “I thought I would bring by some of the pastries and such that Matt’s wife provides over at Tillie’s. And the coffee was already brewing when we arrived. We were planning to leave the food in the basket and just leave, but Erin was already out here on the deck. Wasn’t polite to leave a guest on their own. But knowing you as we do, we figured we’d best take on the host duties.”
Rance glanced inside the basket sitting on the patio table. The pastries did look and smell good enough to eat. He chose an apple fritter for himself and moved over to watch the trio from the deck’s railing. The sight of the sedate judge standing in ankle-deep water and seeming to fit right in with the pair’s activities was yet another surprise to add to the list in his head.
“Aunt Tori said you’d clean whatever fish were caught,” Jilliebean teased him with a laugh.
“She did, did she?”
“Don’t look so happy about it, little brother,” she tossed over to him. “There won’t be any fish to clean. Your guest seems to be a catch and release type.”
“You caught them and now they’re free again?” He looked at the woman who was intent of each cast.
“I have an allergy to eating fish, so they get a pardon from me.” She tossed the response over her shoulder without missing a beat in her casting. “It’s the thrill of outwitting the fish that’s enjoyable.”
“Unbelievable,” he said, finishing the last bite of pastry.
“Besides,” she added, “I put them back so you can practice being better at the catching part. Your sister tells me that you’re behind in the number you’ve caught this year.”
“She did, did she? Not nice having people talk such trash when a person isn’t here to defend themselves.”
“It isn’t trash, Uncle Rance,” his niece shot back. “I catch more than you do when we do family fish-offs.”
“Whatever happened to the days when children were seen and not heard? I thought I was your favorite uncle, and you aren’t backing me up here.”
“I’m not a child anymore, Uncle Rance. Only a few people call me Jilliebean…which was fine when I was a child. But Jillie sounds much more mature. And anyway, you’re still my favorite…because you’re my only uncle related to me by blood.”
“You spend too much time with your aunt Tori,” he chose to respond with a stern look that was more comical than anything. She laughed at him.
“Well, we need to get back to town. We’ll leave this fish expert to help you out with some instructions. And if you can work it into your busy social schedule, we’re barbecuing at Primrose for Ally’s birthday on Sunday. Erin has volunteered a dish…if you don’t get called back to work.” Tori sent a wink his way while Jillie was occupied helping Erin put away the fishing rods in their storage cabinet next to the steps leading to the deck.
His sister added a whisper for his hearing only. “She’s different from the usual women you’ve brought around. She just might give you a run for your money, little brother. We like her. So, try to not blow this chance?” Aloud, she turned to the approaching pair. “Let’s hit the road. Call if you need anything.”
Rance received a bear hug from his niece. “Stop growing for a while, Jilliebean,” he said on the last tight squeeze, noting she had seemed to grow a foot taller each time he came back to Destiny’s River. Time he had missed.
“Uncle Rance, I told you that’s my baby name. I’m grown up now.”
“Excuse me,” he said, looking appropriately chastened, “but I don’t believe your dad enjoys hearing that. You will always be our Jilliebean, so get over it, kid.”
“It was great meeting you, Jillie,” Erin said, stepping up and looking surprised when she received a quick hug from the girl.
“Same here, Miss Erin. You’re way cooler than my old uncle here. See you Sunday.”
They watched the pair get in the jeep and shared waves as they disappeared down the road.
“I need to change out of these fishing clothes and grab a quick shower. I’ve worked up an appetite so I’ll see what I can find in the way of something more than pastry in the kitchen when I come out.” She didn’t wait for a response before she disappeared inside the house.
Rance was left to shake his head. Again, the woman had surprised him. And not in a bad way. She appeared to fit right in with the activity. That was amazing in itself. Never would he have guessed she would even consider wading into a river or touching something as mundane as a fishing rod and being able to use it…for the most part. She needed more practice, but it had been a valiant effort. That was even more astonishing. And she caught and then released fish. He had to chuckle to himself. The great and tough Judge Latham had a soft spot for fish. Even though she claimed to be allergic, he had a sneaking suspicion that would have been the case even if she could eat them. Yet another side to add to the multidimensional picture of the woman that was keeping him adjusting things in his mind.
