Time Will Tell

Time Will Tell Part 6

 “The fishin’ hole is this way.” Nathan ran ahead. By now the two were out of earshot from Colin and Gus.

Libby shrugged. “Sure.” Heaven help her. What had she gotten herself into?She shuddered over the idea of actually touching live bait or slimy fish.

“Great.”

Libby only laughed, praying for the fortitude to last a day or two. She wasn’t sure she was up to it, especially considering what she’d just witnessed.

Hopefully she could figure out why she was here and make the trip home sooner rather than later. Colin Thorpe was just too tempting to be around for long without somehow giving herself away.

They walked about a mile to a small lake with trees clustered around the perimeter, creating an idyllic scene. The clear, calm water mirrored the surrounding countryside in a vivid display. Every now and then a fish would jump and produce a ripple, distorting the image for a few seconds. She grasped that she was seeing a view of the past that no longer existed. She would have remembered something this breathtaking in her own time.

Nathan walked over to a bush and moved a rock, yielding two hidden poles. “Since Pa’s swimmin’, he won’t mind if you use his.”

Looking at the odd-looking poles and then at Nathan, Libby felt stuck. Just the thought of wiggling worms sent chills down her spine. Don’t think about it. Just do it, like the ad says.

This boy was her lifeline and she needed his cooperation. “OK.” She took the pole, acting as if she did this kind of thing all the time, but when the hook pricked her finger, she dropped it on the ground.

Nathan squinted against the sun in his eyes. “You ain’t never fished before, huh?”

Libby lifted her shoulders and slowly shook her head. “What can I say? I lied.”

“Well, I guess I can teach you.” He smiled. “First, we need worms. So, c’mon—let’s go get ’em.” He ran to a spot ten feet away and started digging in the damp dirt. She followed him and copied his movements. After digging for mere minutes, they each had worms in a pile of moist dirt, except Nathan had twice as many.

He’s such a boy.

He picked up the moist dirt, worms and all, and started toward the lake. Libby scooped her pile into both hands, held it away from her, and fell in step behind him. She tried not to think about carrying worms. Where was the Enterprise when she needed it most?

At the water’s edge, she dropped the pile and waded into the inviting pool, more to cool off at this point, having become accustomed to the scent of eau de horses.

“You’re not taking your boots off?”

“Nah.” Keeping them on while in the water would get rid of the horse manure. “I’m not taking my clothes off either. It’ll be cooler to fish in wet clothes.”

In seconds, he joined her fully clothed.

The two swam for a few refreshing minutes, after which she followed Nathan out of the water. Her wet shirt and jeans felt good against the warm breeze. Both would probably dry in no time.

Libby eyed him, still grinning. “OK, now what?”

“Now we move over there because we scared all the fish away.” At the spot he’d indicated, both plopped down. When Libby removed her boots and laid them on a flat rock in the sun, so did Nathan.

He put a worm on the hook for her and showed her how to toss the line out. He spent a moment explaining how to hook a fish if she caught one, which wasn’t her goal, but he didn’t need to know that.