The November day was diamond bright, the waters of Table Rock Lake so clear that Brianna, looking over the stern of the boat, could see all the way down to the rocky ledges that had given the lake its name. The trees along the bank stood bare, but their fallen leaves flashed autumn colors where they drifted on the subtle current.

In happy times past, it had been Brianna’s mother who sat in the stern and manned the tiller. Now that honor had fallen to Brianna. She ran the Evinrude E-TEC twenty-five horsepower outboard motor at trolling speed, inching along on a parallel course with the shore, while her father taught the first-timers, Liam and Allison, how to cast for largemouth bass.

“Bass like shelter,” Burke was saying. “See those rocks down there? That’s a place where they like to hang out and wait for food—worms, minnows, whatever comes their way. But we don’t need live bait. These soft plastic lures look enough like the real thing to fool them. Now let’s try casting.”

Liam went first. Last night at dinner, Brianna had held her breath when he and her father were introduced. But within a few minutes they were hitting it off like buddies, talking about the vintage cars they both prized.

Liam, who’d never fished before, was eager to learn. After a couple of tries, with coaching from Burke, he could cast the line smoothly and accurately. To Brianna, that was no surprise. Liam seemed to do everything well.

Their future was still unsettled. Brianna had been accepted by Missouri State University for the upcoming semester. Liam was applying for jobs in Springfield. He’d had several offers but was taking his time, looking for the right opportunity to build his own business.

Burke had taken a rare day off from supervising the renovation of the American Heartland. Once he’d turned the photos of the forged contract over to his lawyer, the threat of legal action had scared off the Edgeway Group. And Burke had agreed not to press charges against Garrett if his partner would sever all ties with the business and leave town. With Garrett gone and the bank loan in his hands, Burke had made his wife a full partner in the agency and his assistant in the still risky theater project.

“Now it’s your turn.” Burke handed the rod to Allison and stood behind her, guiding her hands. “Just like I showed Liam. Thumb on the release button and the action smooth, not jerky. That’s it . . . up and over . . .”

Allison looked nervous. Clearly she didn’t have Liam’s natural talent. The line went up and came down tangled, the lure plopping into the water near the boat.

“That’s all right,” Burke said. “Reel it in and try—”