Harlequin Special Edition June 2023--Box Set 2 of 2 by Jo McNally

Author:Jo McNally
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2023-04-15T00:00:00+00:00

* * *

It was a gorgeous day.

Nat threw back her head and just soaked it all in. By the time Danny found a good spot for fishing—based on decades of experience in these waters, and a little machine on the bridge that showed schools on radar—the sun had risen, painting the sky and the water with a wash of orange and rose.

Normally, those were two colors that didn’t complement each other, but somehow, God made it work. She sighed and pulled her jacket closer, hugging herself as she braced against a swell. She loved the gentle sway of the boat, the call of the gulls as they recognized a potential meal, and the smell of the coffee Jax had brought her from the galley before joining the other men in setting up the lines.

The kids were adorable, standing in a row at the stern, in their orange life jackets waiting for a fish to bite. Nat pulled out her phone and took some pictures for Amy, and then wandered the deck, taking more shots here and there. Every shot was a keeper. It was like that on a day like today. Point and click.

She got some really good shots of John J reeling in his big catch—nearly six inches, and another of Georgie, focusing intently on baiting his hook, tongue out and all. And some of Jax, in action. Reeling in a big salmon—and then his dismay when it escaped. Then one of Ben bending down to explain something to Quinn, who stared at him with wide, adoring eyes. Another of Ben and Danny on the bridge deep in conversation.

After a while, she pulled out her book, sat in the sun on the bow and pretended to read. But really, she was just enjoying the day.

How had she forgotten how much she loved this?

“Having fun?”

She looked up as Jax plopped down beside her. It had started to warm up, so he’d stripped down to his T-shirt, revealing the forearms she’d been obsessed with as a girl. Muscled and tan and sprinkled with dark hairs. Gosh, she wanted to pet him.

Would it be rude to pet him? Probably.

“This is wonderful, Jax. I’m so glad I got invited.”

He chuckled. “You can get invited any time you want to be invited.”

There was something there, in his expression, that made her wonder if he wasn’t just talking about fishing. But she couldn’t ask, because how would she ask? What would she say?

“Hey, Nat?” The tenor of his voice shifted, just a little, and he looked around—to make sure they were alone? Her heart hitched.

She stuck her thumb in the book she wasn’t reading to hold her place. “Yeah?”

“I, ah... Well, I’m not sure how to ask this...”

“Just ask.” She leaned in to give him a nudge. The heat of his sun-warmed arm kissed hers. A part of her wanted to keep leaning.

“Hmm. Okay. Well, today, this morning, when I saw you at Amy’s...”

“Yes?”

“Was I imagining it, or has something changed?”

“Changed?” She nearly burst out laughing.

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