This is a continuation of the story 'Commander Murphy's Woman'. It should be read first for a better understanding of the characters and the plot, although this story stands alone.
Commander Andrew David Augustus Murphy, U.S. Navy (Retired) sat in his chair in front of his desk watching the news on TV. He grumbled under his breath about the situation in Iraq. Then he smiled; he was being careful with his language now that his fiancΓ©e and her daughter were living with him. He had promised Angela he would be more careful because three and a half year old Molly loved to sneak up and surprise him. His grin broadened as he realized how much he loved the attention from the two females who were suddenly in his life.
He had had a few live in girl friends over the years but none of them were right for him. Angela was perfect and he had known her for years. Her father and Andy were in the same Navy Seal Teams off and on for years. He had met Angie when she was a young child and watched her grow into a beautiful young woman. When she was fifteen, he fell madly in love with her. He was twenty-five and he did not trust himself around her.
He had not seen Angie for over ten years when she came to him begging his help because her abusive husband had kidnapped her daughter to force Angie to return to him. All the feelings he had for Angela came flooding back. She confessed she had always loved Andy too.
Andy ran an intelligence gathering business from his huge home in North Central Florida. The installation was on a fenced square mile of heavily wooded land on the Ocklawaha River. The capabilities of his organization rivaled those of any intelligence agency in the world. His staff consisted of many retired agents from other services, many of whom were still quite young. His web of informants was extensive and they were only paid for useable information. His efforts were primarily concentrated in the U.S., Europe, the mid-east and Asia. He was able to recruit informants that many governments did not use for various reasons. The informants learned it was unwise to try to cheat him in any way.
Andy muttered again under his breath about the failure of the Iraqi Government to unite its people and forget tribal differences. He grinned as he heard a stifled little giggle behind him. Small hands covered his eyes.
"Paris Hilton, is that you again? I told you I am busy." A little blonde girl scrambled into his lap and took his face in her tiny hands. She looked at him with her big bright blue eyes. "Who is Harris Pilton?"
The small hands from his eyes turned his head and gentle warm lips covered his mouth. Angie smiled, "Does she kiss better than I do?"
"Who? Harris? No one kisses better than you do, my love. No one! And you can take THAT to the bank."
Molly kissed him too. She giggled, "Mommy ordered breakfast for you. She says she always knows what you want. Is she right?"
"She sure is, she always knows, but she doesn't always give me what I want."
The little girl looked at her mother. "What does he mean Mommy?"
"Sometimes he wants things that are better eaten later in the day."
"Oh!"
Angie and Andy smiled as they looked in each other's eyes.
Andy said, "Some things are delicious any time of day or night."
"True my dear, very true. Your breakfast is ready now though."
After breakfast Molly said, "Daddy, you said that you would take us fishing today. We need to catch another rainbow fish for the big tank."
Andy scooped her up in his arms. "Yes, Sweetie, I am going to take my two girls fishing this morning. The boat is down at the dock ready to go. I can almost guarantee you will catch a friend for the fish in our tank."
Twenty minutes later Andy cast a worm baited hook, below a bobber, so that it landed beside a weed bed in the river. He sat Molly in one of the fishing seats and let her hold the rod. He said, "Sweetie, watch the bobber, if it jiggles let me know, if the bobber goes all the way under water start reeling it in. OK?" Andy had fished this weed bed hundreds of times as a boy and later as a man. He had been born and raised nearby.
Andy cast a rig out for Angie and turned as Molly shrieked, "I got one, I got one."
"Reel, girl, reel him in like I taught you. Good girl! Oh! Look babe, you have a Bluegill, a twin to the one in our tank." Andy netted the fish and after showing the fish to the girls he put it in the aerated live well under the driver's seat.
Angie screamed, "I've got a big one on. Help me Andy, help me!"
"Boy, you do have a biggie on. From the bend in your rod, it looks like a very good fish. Hang on and do not reel until he stops taking out line. OK, reel now, he is jumping now. Hey, it is a huge bass. Hang on girl. Reel again now."
Angela looked at him. "Look at him fight! Wow!"
"Hey girl, you look at the fish. You have him coming in now. I have the landing net ready." Andy's cell phone started ringing. He pulled it out and answered it. "ADAM here. OK, tell him my girl has the biggest bass I have ever seen on her line and I have to net it right now. Set up a return call in twenty minutes." He put the phone in his pocket and moved beside Angie. He gently rubbed her neck and said, "Great work my love, get him in a few more feet and we will have him." He slipped the net under the fish and lifted it from the water.
He reached in the net and gripped the big bass by the lower lip. He lifted it to show the girls. Andy removed the hook. He showed Angie how to hold the fish by the lip and took several pictures with his phone. He weighed the fish and grinned, "Sixteen pounds eight ounces! Way bigger than I have ever caught. Let's put her in the aquarium too, OK?"
Angie jumped up and down like a little girl. "Yes, let's put her in the tank so Molly and I can see them every day. Oh! Andy, you are so good to us. I can't believe I caught that monster fish, did you see the size of her mouth. I think I could put my whole head in there."
Andy grinned at her. "They call them 'bucket mouths' when they get that big. I am so proud of you. Listen, I have to go back now, we can come back out later if you want to. That is a very important call and I have to answer from my office."
Angie grinned, "Hey! I'll never be able to top that fish, I'm happy, take us home. Who was the call from?"