The Bachelor's Twins

“It’s Liam...and you make time for what’s important,” he told her.

Chloe and Cassie exchanged a disappointed look, so Liam decided he’d better clarify the statement.

“Which means an otter photo shoot just became one of the stops.”

Chapter Five (#uc9766389-7c55-508a-b6d2-8549b8f4b5ca)

“Yay!”

Chloe and Cassie leaned toward each other and slapped their hands together in a high five that set both canoes rocking.

Before Anna could warn them to sit back down, Liam beat her to it. And he didn’t respond with a scold or a scowl, either.

“Rule four,” was all he said.

For a bachelor who’d grown up with brothers, the man’s patience and easygoing humor with two little girls who chattered more than they paddled was something Anna hadn’t expected.

But then again, Liam wasn’t quite what she’d expected.

Even apart from all the rumors swirling around the three brothers, Anna had always found Liam a little unsettling. There’d been times, during study hall or in the school cafeteria, she’d caught Liam looking at her. No, not just at her. Through her. Like he knew what she thinking. Or feeling.

That’s what had unsettled her.

But he’d never gone out of his way to talk to her—until the senior prom.

Memories came rushing back. Anna’s astonishment when Liam had led her into the center of the gymnasium and then guided her out to the courtyard. Her defensive reaction when Anna discovered the real reason he’d asked her to dance.

I saw what Ross did in the parking lot, Anna. My dad...he wasn’t a very nice guy. He would bully my mom like that, too.

Ross wasn’t bullying me.

He grabbed your arm.

Anna had denied it even though her arm had still burned where Ross’s fingers had bitten through the lacy sleeve of her dress.

Look...just be careful, okay? Liam had persisted. You don’t have to let him treat you like that.

She’d made excuses for Ross. Told Liam in no uncertain terms to mind his own business.

But she hadn’t believed him.

Anna rubbed her arm. The bruises had faded years ago but the wound Ross had inflicted on her heart still hurt.

The theme, A Night to Remember, had fit as perfectly as the tiara placed on Anna’s head when she was crowned queen. But, like so many other moments in her past, that night had become one more thing she wanted to forget.

At least in high school, her wishes and dreams had centered around the plans she and Ross had made for Friday night or on the dress she’d picked out for an upcoming dance. Anna had poured out her heart in a journal similar to the ones Rene Shapiro had handed out to the Sunflowers. Protected her secrets with the turn of a key that fit into a tiny gold lock.

She wasn’t willing to take the chance that Liam—or anyone else for that matter—would see the one she kept locked inside her heart.

“Oh, look at that bird over there! Isn’t it cute?”

The bottom of Anna’s canoe scraped against a rock, warning her that the canoe had drifted into the shallow water. Fortunately, no one seemed to notice she’d broken rule number six—Pay Attention to Your Surroundings—because their attention was focused on the shoreline.

“It’s a kingfisher,” Liam said. “You can tell by the crested head and the color of his feathers.”

“He’s making a funny noise.” Cassie stopped paddling and Anna could read her mind.

Time for another photo session.

“He’s talking to his friends farther down the river.” Liam was already reaching for the camera.

“What’s he saying?”

“He’s saying...” Liam tipped his head to one side and pretended to listen. “Look at those people over there! Aren’t they cute?”

Cassie and Chloe giggled, but it was the grin on Liam’s face that sent Anna’s heart rocking back and forth like a raft caught in a swell.

“It just went under the water!” Chloe exclaimed.

“He’s looking for his lunch,” Liam said as the bird disappeared underneath the water.

“Lunch.” Cassie sounded a little envious.

Her comment reminded Anna they’d been on the river for well over an hour and her daughters hadn’t complained a bit about boredom, achy muscles or empty stomachs.

Liam must have realized it had been a while since breakfast, too.

“Is anyone getting hungry?”

“I am!”

“Me, too!”

Liam looked at Anna, and whatever he saw in her eyes seemed to cast the deciding vote.

“Okay, then.” He dipped his paddle in the water. “Next stop—Eagle Rock.”

Anna had noticed the spot marked on Sunni’s map, but until they paddled around a small, tree-lined peninsula jutting out from the shoreline, she hadn’t realized Eagle Rock was a...rock.

More like a small cliff, from what Anna could see. It jutted over the river, shading a wide stretch of beach like a sandstone canopy.

As they neared the shoreline, Anna spotted a ring of stones and the blackened remains of a campfire, evidence that Eagle Rock was a frequent stop for paddlers.

Liam, a few lengths ahead of her and Chloe, reached the shoreline first. He hopped out of the canoe, reached for Cassie and deposited her on dry land.

“Are we going to have a campfire on the beach?” Cassie asked hopefully.

“We could...” A smile kindled in Liam’s eyes. “But the view is better at the top of the rock.”