Page 51 of Craig

"Azaleas, and those are begonias. Mom was an avid gardener."

His voice became melancholic as he continued.

"She would do her research and rope me and Dad into her garden project. That's the only thing she stood her ground on while living at the manor. She was in charge of the gardens."

Regina had seen the gardens at the manor and admired the lushness of the fertile grounds.

"She planted herbs as well."

"She did. Rosemary, thyme, scallion, basil, among others."

"They are still being maintained."

"The old man hired gardeners to do the job. That surprised me."

"I think he admired what your mother started."

He glanced at her in surprise at her intuitiveness and nodded. "I think he might have."

He pointed out some more flowers blooming and told her the names. The rain had washed everything clean, and there was still water dripping off the blooms.

The scent was fresh and enticing. Squirrels scrambling up the trees added to the mystique.

She was so caught up in the sounds and sights around her; it took her a moment to realize they were headed up to the steps leading to the deck at the back of the building where the boats were docked.

"What're you doing?"

"It's early enough to have the fish biting." He drew her onto the dock, resisting her effort to pull away.

"I draw the line at that kind of activity. Craig-"

"Shh, you're going to scare them away. And you can always watch."

Hissing out a breath, she glared at him, which made no difference.

"What're you going to catch them with? Your good looks and charm?"

"Nothing so complicated. See that shed? Dad and I built it when we came here one summer. It has everything we need."

"I'm not doing a damn thing." To prove it, she folded her arms over her chest, her expression mutinous.

She had a mind to go back to the cabin and sulk or start work on her project. He had brought documents to keep them both occupied on their individual projects.

But after being outside, she was reluctant to go back in. It really was beautiful out here.

"You don't have to." Strolling towards the simply made structure, he pushed open the door and was gone for a couple of minutes.

When he came back out, he was armed with two fishing poles and a tackle box.

"You cannot make me want to take part."

He shrugged, a little too casually, as he started to set up.

"Just sit next to me and look pretty." Lowering himself onto the slatted boards, he put aside the rods and started to rummage through the box.

"I thought we were supposed to be touring." Curiosity had her moving towards him.

"I had the idea that we could eat fish for supper. There's a grill right there."