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“The fish like them,” Colt explained.
“Do the fish eat them?” she asked.
He nodded.
“So, we eat worms when we eat fish?”
Regan replied, “I suppose we do, but we’ll cut that part out so you don’t have to eat the worm.”
The girl looked relieved but no more convinced. While they watched, Regan did more digging and soon there was a small pile of the wrigglers in the bottom of the basket. “I think that might be enough to get us started.”
“I think so, too,” Colt said. He was again amazed by her pluck. Her knees and hands were covered with mud. He thought back on how hurt she’d appeared in response to Ben, and his anger churned to life once more. Since first meeting her, she’d radiated nothing but confidence, but Ben’s strike had left her shaken. Outwardly, she seemed to have recovered but Colt never wanted to see her hurt that way again. “Do you want a pole, Anna?” he asked.
She quickly shook her head. “Can I just watch this time?”
“Sure.” He didn’t press. She was only six years old. She had plenty of time to get comfortable with new activities like this one.
So, with Anna looking on, Colt, Regan, and Odell baited their hooks, cast their lines into the fast-moving river, and waited for a bite.
It took only a few minutes for Odell to pull up a large bass. “Look at that, Anna!” he crowed. “It’s almost as big as you.” He tossed it into the basket, baited his hook again, and threw his line back into the water.
Colt followed by catching a fat trout. Anna clapped, and when he and Odell caught three more, she clapped even harder.
Looking over at the still waiting Regan, Colt asked her, “You sure you’ve fished before?”
“Hush up, doctor man, my worms are just being particular.” Her line tugged and she gloated, “See?” and she pulled up an old black wader. Her shocked face gave Anna the giggles. Colt and Odell laughed like loons.
Apparently not minding being the butt of the joke, she worked the boot free and said to Anna, “I think this will make a great dinner, don’t you?”
“No,” she replied through her laughter.
Odell said, “Probably be real tasty with pepper sauce.”
Regan stuck out her tongue, rebaited her hook, and tried again.
Regan finally hooked two medium-sized trout and after that, everyone agreed they’d caught enough.
Odell volunteered to cook. “Anna, you want to help me build a fire and get the fish ready?”
“Do I have to touch worms?”
He grinned. “No. Just bring me the plates and tableware you and your folks brought.”
She nodded and hurried over to the items they’d unloaded from the wagon. Colt went with her to carry the kindling needed for the fire.
Colt placed the kindling down near the ring of stones Odell used as a fire pit, and asked, “You want me to start gutting and scaling?”
“No, I want you and the missus to go take a walk and let me and Anna do our jobs.” He looked to Anna. “Do you think they should take a walk together?”
The smiling Anna nodded.
Odell said, “Then it’s unanimous. Get going, you two. Pretend you like each other’s company. Anna will be okay. When you smell the fish cooking it’ll be time to come back, not before.” He made a shooing motion. “Go.”
So, they did.
“Is this his way of playing matchmaker?” Regan asked as they followed the rocky shoreline away from their fishing site.
“I don’t know.” But the old trapper was definitely up to something and had roped Anna in as a coconspirator.
