Truly, Madly, Deeply (The Baxters #31) - Karen Kingsbury Page 0,1

mean they’d be apart. Maybe for years. “If you become a soldier, you’ll be the best they ever had.”

Tommy ran his thumb over her fingers. This was one more reason why he loved her. She had no designs on his life, no ulterior motives. Not like his parents did. He glanced at her. “Of course, I could still be a doctor.” He winked at Annalee. “Which would make my mother happy.”

“We don’t have to have all the answers.” She leaned her head back and closed her eyes. “I feel God’s Spirit here. In the touch of the wind and the soft of the sand.”

“Mmm.” He couldn’t look away, couldn’t take his eyes off her. “I feel Him here, too.”

* * *

RAIN FELL EVERY other day in July in this part of Asia, but not that afternoon. Sunshine drenched the beach as Tommy helped Annalee onto the fishing boat. Her parents and brother and two fishing guides were already on board.

Tommy slipped as he stepped inside, and Annalee caught him. “Whoa!” He found his balance.

“Good thing I feel better.” She laughed. “You’re not easy to catch.”

“True.” At six-foot-three, Tommy was easily nine inches taller than Annalee. People often mistook him for a college athlete. He gave Annalee a side hug. “Just testing you.”

Dan and Donna Miller sat at the front of the boat with the guides. The goal was to catch a marlin for dinner. Austin stayed at the back with Tommy and Annalee.

They were a few hundred yards offshore when they spotted the first dolphin. Five more surfaced nearby. About the same time their captain and guide, Hans, cut the engines. “Dolphins know what’s about to happen.” Hans was a veteran fisherman. Backward baseball cap, soggy unlit cigar between his sun-scarred lips. He pointed to the choppy water near the boat. “Lots going on here.”

“Can I jump in?” Austin ripped off his shirt and jumped onto one of the bench seats. “I’ve always wanted to swim with dolphins.”

“Not on my watch!” Hans motioned to Austin. “We’re chumming the water, boy. Dolphins aren’t the only animals we’ll attract.”

Austin looked over the edge of the boat. “I hadn’t thought about that.” He took a step back. “Reef sharks, right? But I read that they don’t bite.”

“A man lost a foot to one a few years ago.” Hans raised his weathered brow. “Stay in the boat.”

The guide outfitted everyone with a rod and reel. Even Annalee. Which was a good sign. She had said she wouldn’t fish if she wasn’t feeling strong. Finally, Tommy thought to himself. She’s past the jet lag.

An hour later, Austin caught a yellowfin but it broke free from his line. Then minutes before they returned to shore, Tommy felt a sudden strong tug on his reel. “Hey! I got one!” The fish doubled his fight, and Tommy dug his heels against the inside of the boat and bent his knees. “Someone help!”

Mr. Miller rushed over. He grabbed Tommy by the waist and the two of them fought the fish with all their strength.

“It’s a marlin!” Annalee’s father was first to see the spikes along the upper part of the fish. “This is the one!”

“Reel it in slowly, gentlemen.” Hans was at their side. “There you go… that’s it!”

Ocean spray whipped their faces, but Tommy and Annalee’s father held on until the monster fish was up and over the boat railing. The two high-fived, both of them out of breath.

“I can’t believe it!” Annalee put her hand on Tommy’s shoulder. “It’s the size of a shark!”

She wasn’t far off. Tommy had seen pictures of marlin, but nothing had prepared him for the behemoth catch. Hans helped Tommy and Mr. Miller hoist the fish up for a picture. Then they dropped it into an oversized tub of ice.

Tommy was still breathing hard as he turned to Mr. Miller. “Thanks for the help!” Tommy wiped the seawater from his face. “That was crazy!”

“Teamwork.” Mr. Miller put his arms around his wife and Austin. “That is one massive catch.”

“Congratulations!” Hans measured the fish and faced them. “Biggest marlin of the year!” He grinned. “Most tourists come back with nothing. You’re a sporty group!”

Back on the beach Hans prepared the fish and cooked it over an open flame. What they didn’t eat, he would take to a nearby restaurant, where people from the village would line up for free fish.

When Hans was gone, Tommy sat with Annalee and her family at a table near the water and Mr. Miller prayed over the meal.