Johanna's Bridegroom by Emma Miller

hadn’t happened between them. But instead of leaving her trouble back at Seven Poplars, she was trapped on this fishing boat with him for the entire day.
    Can’t run away from stuff you fear, Johanna heard her father whisper from the shadows of her mind. Be it a rotten tooth or a bad mule, may as well face it down, he’d always advised. And Dat was right. She couldn’t run from Roland...didn’t know if she wanted to. That was the trouble...she didn’t know what she wanted, and just being near him made her common sense fly out the window.
    “You didn’t answer my question,” she said, turning back to Roland. “What are you doing here?”
    “I’m on this boat to catch fish—same as you.”
    What Roland said was mild enough, but the expression on his face—when she turned to face him—was smug. And they both knew that fishing wasn’t his entire reason for being there.
    For just an instant, she had the most wicked urge to give him a good shove overboard. She imagined what a big splash he would make. But she couldn’t do that, no matter how much satisfaction it might give her. Charley and Miriam were probably watching, waiting to see what she would do. They were hoping for a show, and she was determined not to give them one.
    It was too late to chicken out and just go home. The captain had already started the boat’s engines, and they were pulling away from the dock. Besides, the driver who’d brought them in his van had already left, and wouldn’t return until five o’clock. She would have to deal with Roland, no matter what his ulterior motive. She had come here to go fishing. She wouldn’t let Roland ruin her day.
    After a moment’s thought, she offered her hand. “Truce?”
    He returned her smile and shook on it. “As I said, just wanted to go fishing.”
    Why did she doubt that? And why did the sight of him, standing there, so tall and appealing, make her heart beat just a little faster? You’re too old for this nonsense, she told herself. Her head had been filled with ideas of romance once, and life had taught her differently. But why did her hand tingle from the touch of his? And why did her chest tighten and her stomach feel as if she’d swallowed a handful of goose down?
    “And maybe I came so I could see you,” he admitted. “Just as a bonus.”
    She leaned against the cabin, enjoying the feel of the boat rocking gently under her. “I thought we’d agreed that this was a mistake...looking for a match between us.”
    His eyes were shaded under the brim of his straw hat. Oddly, it disappointed her that she couldn’t see the expression in them. Roland had never been good at hiding from her what he was thinking. He didn’t answer.
    “Whose idea was it for you to come?” she asked softly. She wondered what had ever possessed her to propose marriage to Roland in the first place. That was what had caused all this upset. It would have been better for her and Roland both if she had just let things remain as they were, rather than stirring up feelings from long ago.
    Her life with Mam, her children, her sisters and her faith were all fine just the way they were. Seeking out Roland had been a mistake that just made things more complicated. “Whose idea was it,” she repeated, “for you to come on the boat and not tell me?”
    “Charley’s.”
    Johanna’s eyes narrowed. “And Miriam’s? She had to be in on it.” Wait until she got her sister alone. She’d give her a good piece of her mind. Johanna sighed. “Nothing has changed, Roland,” she said. She looked up at him again. “But we used to be friends...a long time ago. Maybe we could just be friends again...for today.”
    He stepped close to her, steady despite the rocking of the boat as it sliced through the waves. “You know I want to be more than friends, Johanna.”
    She folded her arms over her chest. “If we’re going to have a truce today, you have to promise not to talk about that anymore.”
    “You’re tough,” he