Hurricane Watch

Chapter

Nineteen

“YOU’RE BEING QUIET.” Kerry commented, glancing over at Dar as they mounted the steps to the lodge. Her hands were tucked firmly in her pockets against the chill air, and her breath escaped as puffy clouds of vapor.

Dar also had her hands hidden, and she sniffled a little against the cold. ”I’m not, generally speaking, a noisy person,” she responded mildly. ”I was just thinking, that’s all.” She reached out and pulled the heavy door open, then inclined her head for Kerry to precede her.

”You always do that,” Kerry commented. ”Open doors.”

”Well, you need to, Kerry or you crash into them and get a lot of splinters in your face,” Dar responded drolly. ”How’s your shoulder doing?”

”It’s a little stiff, but okay,” Kerry replied. ”Actually. ” She blushed a little, and moved closer. ”My butt hurts more.”

The blue eyes twinkled a little. ”You probably bruised your tailbone.” She patted the spot gently. ”I’ll have to get you a pillow for the office for a week or so.”

They went into the dining room, already half full with guests at the scattering of tables. A table near the window was made available and they settled into it, gazing out at the view of the last rays of sunset over the lake. The room was fairly dim, wall sconces made to look like candelabra and torches were the motif, and they spread a warm, reddish glow around rather than a harsh brilliance. A fireplace in the rear crackled merrily, and leant to the rustic atmosphere.

”It smells great in here, ” Kerry commented, as their server arrived, bearing a basket of warm, fresh biscuits and a bowl of sweet butter. ”Is it the wood they’re using in the fire?”

Dar glanced over at it, as she snagged a yeast biscuit and broke it open. ”Um, that might be hickory, so yeah.” A tiny hint of a smile appeared. ”You know, this winter stuff isn’t all bad.” She tugged on her collar. ”Except that this wool’s driving me nuts.”

Kerry laughed. ”Well, you look really nice in that sweater, even if it’s tickling your chin.” The turtleneck, a rich, solid electric blue brought out the color of her eyes like nobody’s business, and framed her angular face wonderfully.

Dar looked pleased at the compliment. ”You look very nice, 254

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yourself,” she returned it, eyeing Kerry’s layered flannel and sweatshirt combination. Kerry’s face had a gentle tinge of color from the wind they’d ridden through, and her pale hair was pulled back into a ponytail, with a few wisps escaping around her pink ears.

Which grew a touch pinker at the words, something Dar found eminently adorable. ”I’m glad our flight’s not until eight tomorrow night—gives us the whole day,” she remarked. ”You’re going to teach me to sail in the morning, right?”

”Teach you? Dar you’ve been on the ocean all your life. What do you mean teach you?” Kerry protested, smiling a thank you at the server as he put a cup of frothy local ale in front of her, and a similar one in front of Dar.

”Mmm. ” Dar took a sip, and raised her brows. ”Not bad, um, I can drive about anything on the water that uses petroleum products, and I even got to sit at the controls of something that uses...” She paused, and waggled her head. ”A more esoteric form of fuel, shall we say, but I’ve never sailed.”

”Really?” Kerry thought about that. ”Esoteric? I don’t—” She remembered what branch of the service Dar’s father had been in. ”Oh, oh, I get it, right.” Pause. ”They didn’t let you drive a submarine, did they?”

Dar held up a finger to her lips. ”Sshhhh. I didn’t even have a driver’s license at the time.”

Kerry covered her eyes. ”Oh, I suddenly feel so, sooo, safe,” she sighed.

”I didn’t hit anything,” Dar objected mildly. ”And I’m a safe driver, you know that.”

Their conversation was interrupted by the entrance of a large family, who took a table not far from them. The father was an older man, gray haired and stocky, dressed in a flannel shirt and corduroys.

He directed the three assorted children to sit down while his wife pulled the waiter aside. The children were all slimly built and meticulously dressed, and the mother had, incongruously, a mink stole around her shoulders.

Dar snorted as she took a sip of her ale, then glanced over and saw the pensive look on Kerry’s face. She reached over and covered Kerry’s hand with her own, chafing the fingers of it lightly. ”Hey.”

Green eyes flicked her way, then held.

”Memories?” Dar guessed.

”Something like that,” Kerry acknowledged softly. ”When we were younger, we used to go to a Christian retreat up in the north lake area.

It was a little like this, except that the focus was bible teaching, and family building.” She let out a faint, bitter laugh. ”Family building, what a joke. It was just one big excuse to get us all together in one place so we could be preached at for a week, and told our faults.”

Dar winced. ”Not all families are like that,” she told Kerry, giving Hurricane Watch

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the nervously moving fingers a squeeze.

Kerry dropped her gaze to their hands. ”I know.” She looked up.

”But I see kids like that,” she jerked her head towards the family. ”And I always wonder.”

Dar studied the children quietly, noting the almost furtive glances as they looked around. The eldest girl was probably about sixteen, and the youngest about ten, she reckoned. As she pondered, the oldest happened to look her way, and their eyes met briefly. The girl immediately dropped her eyes, and a blush made itself evident on her face.A dark brow lifted, as Dar wondered what had garnered that reaction, then she realized she and Kerry were still holding hands. Ah.

She drummed the fingers of her free hand on the table. Well well. ”So.”

She casually pulled Kerry’s knuckles over and brushed them with her lips, then released them. ” What were we talking about, sailing, wasn’t it?” ”Um...” Kerry looked a little flustered. ”Dar, you know, we are in North Carolina.”

Dar blinked at her. ”I know that.”

Green eyes flicked around the room, then back to her face. ”Don’t they still lynch adulterers here?”

The dark brows knit for a long moment. ”Wha— oh.” Dar sat back, nonplused. ”I...” She looked around in a startled manner. ”B...”

Kerry hid a smile behind one hand. ”Dar, Dar, relax I didn’t mean...” She covered her eyes, and felt her skin warm. ”I just, I sort of had you pegged, I thought, as someone who didn’t do PDA's.” She peeked at her lover hesitantly. The angular face was very still, as Dar processed her words, then an indescribable look took it over. ”Dar?”

”I...” Dar released a breath. ”I didn’t think I did either.” She folded her hands and studied them. ”I’m sorry. I didn’t realize it was bothering you,” her voice was steady, and casual.

But Kerry had learned something about her companion over the months. Sometimes she said what she thought the person she was talking to wanted to hear, rather than what she was feeling in her heart, and it usually showed in subtle shifts in her body language.

Like when her neck muscles relaxed, and it dropped her shoulders a little. It wasn’t quite slumping, but Kerry could see it nonetheless.

”No, it doesn’t bother me,” she hesitated, choosing her words carefully.

”I love when you touch me. You have no idea how special that makes me feel.” She watched the dark head lift, and wary blue eyes peeked out at her. ”I guess I’m just not used to being conspicuous.”

”Conspicuous?” Dar repeated.

”Yeah, I um. ” Kerry twiddled her thumbs. ”I made it a practice to attract as little attention to myself as possible. It was sort of a survival reflex.”

”Oh,” Dar murmured. ”I never thought of that.” She played with 256

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her roll. ”I never really cared if I attracted attention or not.”

Kerry rested her chin in her hand, and gazed at her magnetically attractive companion. ”No, I bet you didn’t,” she remarked wryly. ”But it’s going to take me a little while to get over that.”

Dar bit her lip, looking for all the world like a scolded child being denied dessert. ”Sorry. I... I wasn’t doing it on purpose, I just...” Damn it, I should have realized. What in the hell is wrong with me? ”I’ll try to keep my hands to myself from now on.”

Kerry felt a definite pang hit her in the chest, just hearing that self-disgust in Dar’s otherwise even tone.

It was a quiet dinner, and Kerry noticed neither of them ate much.

She zipped up her jacket and followed Dar as she made her way out the front of the lodge, towards where the hayride was forming up, a soft round of laughter coming from the people who were waiting. A large wagon really full with hay was standing there, with two large work horses hitched to it, their placid, gentle eyes regarding the crowd with little or no interest.

The family had decided to go, and so did six or seven other couples, two of them with children. Kerry bounced on her feet a little in the chill, as she watched them all mill around, waiting for the lodge worker to allow them to climb up onto the wagon.

Dar stood quietly nearby, her hands tucked into her pockets, a look of polite interest on her face. Her breath showed as a gentle stream of vapor, and as Kerry kept an unobtrusive eye on her, the stream doubled, as she let out a long sigh.

”All right, folks, let’s get aboard. We want to get over to that campfire real soon, cause this weather ain’t getting any warmer,” the cheerful driver told them, as he unhooked the chain and let the back gate down, then put a set of stairs in place. ”Up you go.”

Dar and Kerry were the fourth set of people to get into the hay wagon, and they settled themselves in one of the front corners, out of the way of the giggling children who were burrowing in the hay, tossing bits of it around. Dar drew her knees up and put her arm against them, resting her chin on one forearm.

She thought about what Kerry had said, and found herself resenting the other couples there, who were free to hug and kiss each other, with no fear of any adverse reaction. In fact, the two older couples were watching one pair of lovebirds with an indulgent look on their faces.

She felt, in that moment, as though something very important had been taken away from her, and it was making her mad. So was Kerry’s assumption that she wouldn’t like public displays. So was the annoying cold, that was making her throat dry out and giving her a headache.

She crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back, letting herself slide into a full fledged, self-acknowledged really bad mood. Part of it was at herself, since she really should have guessed that Kerry wouldn’t Hurricane Watch

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be comfortable announcing their sexual partnership to the world, especially here in what she assumed was a bastion of conservatism.

Another part of it was because she hadn’t even realized she was doing it, which made her kick herself for being so damned self-absorbed.

The cold pressed in on her, and she dropped her head a little and let it in, remembering the last time she’d been here. Living through the hurt, and rebuilding her defenses, determined to go back out there, and never, never let anyone get close enough to make her feel that lousy ever again.

So what the hell was she doing here now?

Then the other half of her slapped her upside the head. Get a grip, Dar. She didn’t blow you off, she just asked for some time to adjust. So just chill out.

Well, at least that was easy enough. She glared morosely at her visible breath, bracing her feet as the wagon started, and the other occupants laughed in delight. The horses started to pull them down the road, their hoof beats making a regular pattern in the still, cold air. Stop behaving like a spoiled brat, already. Jesus, Dar, what would Dad say?

He’d kick your ass for acting like this. ”Pretty night out, huh?” She forced her bad mood down, and turned to Kerry, shocked at the effort it took not to reach out and gently move aside the soft blonde hair obscuring her face.

Kerry’s jaw was working, and her brow was knit. She turned her head towards her lover in almost slow motion. ”Yes, it is,”

she

responded thoughtfully. ”It’s cold, though.”

”Yeah,” Dar agreed softly, as she rubbed her arms with her hands.

Kerry studied the wagon’s occupants, noting the huddled duos with a speculative eye. Then she took in a breath, and expelled it.

”Dar?”

”Hmm?”

Kerry chewed her lower lip a minute. ”I’m over it,” she announced.

”I guess the world’ll just have to expand its horizons.”

Startled blue eyes regarded her. ”What exactly do you mean?”

The smaller woman shifted, then crawled the short distance between them and wrapped herself around Dar’s body, tucking her head into the hollow of her lover’s shoulder and exhaling. ”Is this explicit enough, or do I need to suck your tongue?”

Dar felt a surge of heat erupt, as a flush colored her skin, warming her rapidly. ”Uh, no, no, this is fine. I get the idea,” she blurted, knocked off balance by Kerry’s sudden change of heart. She put her arms around Kerry and settled back, letting their conjoined body heat chase away the chill of the air. ”What made you change your mind?”

Amazing, how fast a bad mood could vanish, whisked away on the cold wind.

Kerry thought about the question for a while, as she regarded the people around them. After a few initial, startled glances, they were 258

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being mostly ignored, which was fine with her. ”Well.” She picked up a stalk of hay and chewed it. ”I thought about how uncomfortable I felt about everyone staring at me, and then I weighed that against how comfortable I knew I’d feel if I was snuggling with you, and snuggling won.”

”Just like that?” Dar asked, in mild disbelief.

”Essentially, yeah,” Kerry replied. ”Oh, there was more to it, and I’m still wrestling with stuff, but I realized when I thought about it that you’ve been doing all that stuff ever since we, um...”

”Yeah.”

”So, just because we’re in a strange place, why should that matter?

I know I joked about them lynching people, but then I figured out if anyone’s got a problem here, you could probably kick their ass, so...”

Kerry shrugged. ”What the hell? I never rebelled as a teenager, maybe it’s time.”

”Oh.”

”Maybe I’ll get a tattoo.”

”Uh...” Dar peered at her. ”Don’t get all drastic on me, okay? How about we start with a rainbow sticker for your bumper.”

”I don’t know, Dar,” Kerry mused. ”A nice knot work design, around your name, right on my, um... ” She glanced down.

”Uh, Kerry. ” Blue eyes glanced at their neighbors, one of the older couples who were watching them with interest.

”Shoulder blade,” Kerry finished, with a twinkle in her eyes. ”I bet that guy at the desk knows where I could get one around here.”

”All right.” Dar gave her a look. ”Now you listen here, Kerrison Stuart. I am not going to stand by while you get my name tattooed on any part of your body in some hack shop in the backwoods, you hear me?”Kerry’s nose wrinkled up as she grinned. ”Would you do it?”

”Get your name tattooed on me?” Dar countered.

The blonde nodded, but said nothing.

The angular face went serious, suddenly intense as Dar met Kerry’s eyes and held them. ”I already have that,” she whispered, touching her chest above her heart with a finger. ”Written so deep there, nothing could ever remove it.”

Kerry just looked at her, forgetting their watchers, her eyes softening and carrying the sudden glitter of unshed tears. She started to speak, then shook her head, and buried her face in Dar’s shoulder.

Hmm. Dar rested her cheek against Kerry’s pale hair. Not bad, from a hard bitten, cold and ruthless bitch from hell, huh?

Up ahead she could see the brightening glow of the campfire, sending crackling sparks up towards the bright stars winking over them.

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DAR FLOATED BLISSFULLY in a pocket of warm comfort, her arms wrapped securely around Kerry’s peacefully snoozing body. The air outside the blanket felt chilly, but she had no intention of going out into it, at least until the sun took it upon itself to come up.

Funny, though. She could have sworn they’d left the heat on last night. She edged one blue eye open and surveyed the cabin. It was a dull gray from the light coming in the window, and very, very quiet.

Too quiet, Dar realized, as she missed the faint, but just perceptible mechanical sounds of the heating unit. Her eyes flicked to the clock, which showed a depressingly early time.

Great. She chewed her lip for a moment, then decided the only way they were going to get heat in the place was if she got up and turned the heat on, then started up that fire again. C’mon Dar, buck up, you made Kerry get up yesterday, it’s your turn. She told herself firmly, as she eased away from Kerry’s warmth, and scooted out the other side of the bed. Shit. The chill made her start shivering, and she quickly trotted over to her bag, flipping on the heat along the way Tugging out a warm sweatshirt, she pulled it on over her head and rubbed her arms. ”Brr,” she commented softly. ”This cold stuff is for the birds.” But there was a good stock of wood, at least, and she quietly stacked some in the fireplace, remembering how Kerry had arranged it the day before. She packed the moss into the crevices, then she grabbed some matches they’d gotten from the lodge the day before and lit a few, making sure the fire starter caught in several places.

”Hey, not bad.” She sat down in front of the fireplace on the rug and warmed her hands on the growing flames, quite pleased with herself. ”Okay, we’ve got heat going. I got a pot here I can heat up some water with, and we’ve got fresh coffee.” She counted off silently, giving a tiny nod. ”That’ll do.”

On the way to the sink to get some water, she stopped and simply stood, watching Kerry sleep for a long moment. The blonde woman was curled on her side, with one hand tucked under her head, and the other resting on the blanket, and her face was peacefully relaxed in the early hint of dawn. Her breathing was slowly moving the fabric, and Dar felt herself breathing in the same rhythm, as she leaned against the doorway in pensive silence.

Funny. She sighed, and continued on, getting the water and bringing it over to the fireplace, putting the pot on a small shelf evidently for that purpose. A soft hiss went up as the flames evaporated a few droplets on the outside, and she settled into the comfortable chair, tucking her feet up under her and gazing into the fire.

The light caught with a flash of brilliance on the unfamiliar band around her finger, and she found herself staring at it, almost mesmerized by its friendly twinkle. She rubbed her thumb against the inner band and exhaled, finding it hard to believe she was seeing it.

She’d spent so long the last time she was here, just sitting, and 260

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watching the water, and wondering what in the hell she’d done so wrong in her life to earn the repeated disappointments dealt to her where her heart was involved.

Now, here she was, sitting here wondering what in the hell she’d done so right in her life to deserve this. She leaned her head against the chair back. And it wasn’t just the ring. It was what was behind it. It was the equal commitment she’d been searching for almost all of her life.

It was what her parents had, and something she’d simply assumed everyone else was entitled to. Jesus, if I’d known how damn rare that is, maybe I’d have entered a convent. She closed her eyes. The last time she’d been here, she’d made the decision to leave her dreams behind.

This time she found the sudden gift so overwhelming, she hardly knew what to do with herself. Slowly, she lifted the ring to her lips and pressed them against it, feeling a single tear wind its way down her cheek.

There was no doubt this was messing her up. She knew it. She knew damn well this was going to make doing her job the way she’d become accustomed to it difficult to the point of impossible.

Kerry’s gentle, loving influence had already wrecked her emotional shields, breaking down icy barriers she’d kept in place almost effortlessly for years. Now she was left with the same responsibilities, the same goals, but without the single minded, cold purpose that allowed her to achieve them.

Damn right she wished the resignation had stuck. Especially now.

She let her eyes slide open, and blinked them, to clear the moisture out.

Right now, she felt a distinct urge to chuck her whole damn career, and take off with Kerry to someplace quiet, someplace small and sleepy.

Maybe she’d open up a little corner computer shop where the most exciting thing that happened in a day was someone catching a boot sector virus.

Her eyes found her lover’s face. But that wasn’t fair to Kerry, either. She’d just gotten started, and besides, she liked Miami.

Dar sighed. She’d just have to see how things worked out, that was all. Maybe she could change the way she did things.

Yeah. Maybe pigs would grow jet engines and take off from an onramp of Interstate 95.

A rattle broke her out of her musing, and she looked up to see the water pot shivering against the shelf, evidently quite well heated. Dar stood up and retrieved it, yelping a little as the heated plastic stung her fingers. ”Ow.” She put it down quickly, then got two cups ready, and set plastic cone filters on top of them, adding scoops of the fragrant ground beans and pouring the water over it. It smelled great, and she took an appreciative sniff, letting her worries go for the time being.

No point in worrying about it now anyway, right?

She fixed the coffee with lots of cream and sugar, then she picked up Kerry’s cup and wandered over to the bed, now gently bathed in Hurricane Watch

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early dawn’s peach colored light. As she neared, sleepy green eyes fluttered open and blinked at her, picking up the light in their depths and highlighting the golden specks that floated in the misty color.

”Hey,” Kerry burred softly, her voice slightly hoarsened from sleep. She cleared her throat. ”What are you doing up?”

Dar smiled, and sat down on the bed, offering her the cup. ”I had to uphold Miami’s reputation for tough natives. I got up to turn the heat on,” she admitted.

Kerry sat up, crossing her legs and accepting the coffee. She pushed her sleep disheveled hair out of her face with an idle hand as she yawned. ”Mm.” She sipped the beverage. ”Thank you, Dar. I really appreciate this.” Her eyes flicked to the quietly pensive look on her lover’s face. ”Where’s yours?”

”Hmm?” Dar started, then smiled. ”Oh, it’s over there. I was just sitting by the fire waiting for the water to heat up.”

”Mm, sounds nice.” Kerry slid her legs out from under the covers, and stood, taking Dar’s hand in hers. ”C’mon, let’s go back over there.”

She clung to the long fingers as they crossed the cabin, and didn’t let go as they seated themselves by the fire. ”I had a dream about you.”

Dar almost inhaled a bit of her coffee. ”Um, yeah?” she replied.

”Good or bad?”

Kerry chuckled as she took another sip. ”Oh, awful. You turned into a bug eyed giant rabbit and went bouncing all over the place, drooling.” She glanced over, to see wide, round blue eyes staring at her.

”I’m joking.”

She put a hand on Dar’s leg, stroking it gently. ”It was a wonderful dream. It didn’t make much sense, but you were in it, and so was I, and a white horse, and it was summer. and there was a really beautiful grassy meadow.” Kerry exhaled happily. ”And we were laughing, and running through the grass, chasing after the horse.”

Dar smiled. ”Sounds like fun. Did we catch it?”

”Yes.” Kerry lifted their still linked hands and kissed Dar’s fingers.

”And we rode off together, just like we were riding yesterday.”

A faint twinge reminded her. ”How’re the legs?” Dar asked her.

”Still sore?”

Kerry flexed her thighs and considered. ”Just a little, but they’re okay. My shoulder’s okay too,” she added, before she could be asked.

”C’mon, let’s grab a shower, and get dressed. I can’t wait to get out on the water.”

”You got it.” Dar grinned. ”I can pick up a basket of pastries and a thermos. We could have breakfast out there. How about it?”

”I like it.” Kerry released her, and stood, stretching luxuriously, then giving a little yelp of surprise as Dar enfolded her in a bear hug.

”Urp.” She felt herself lifted up off the ground. ”Whoa.”

The grip gently straightened her spine, though, and she threw her arms around Dar’s neck with a soft laugh. She could almost feel the 262

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emotion going through her lover, and she exhaled, as Dar finally released her back to her own feet. ”Boy, that felt great.”

Dar rubbed her back and gently kissed her head. ”Yes, it did.” She playfully scooped a handful of sunlight, letting it sparkle off her ring and send tiny flashes darting around the room. ”C’mon, let’s go.”

THE SUN POURED down on ruffled blue waters, unobstructed by a single cloud, and warm enough to offset the chill of the wind that coasted over the lake. Kerry expertly turned the small boat and filled the sails, sending them over the waves, and causing a cold spray to dust their skin.

Dar was seated in the bow, her long body sprawled over a padded seat, and her face turned into the breeze as they plowed through the waves. ”This is great, ”she sighed.

Kerry smiled, as she moved the tiller, and checked the tension on the sail. ”It sure is,” she agreed, her body dredging up old memories of many hours spent out on Lake Michigan in boats not much larger than this one. ”The best day of my young life was the day I got qualified in a sunfish, and I didn’t have to have anyone with me when I went out.”

Dar reached out and touched the canvas sail, as she watched Kerry’s smooth, and precise motions. ”You’re good at this,” she commented, enjoying the sight of her lover’s wind whipped figure.

”And you look really cute doing it too.”

”Oh sure. I probably look like an afghan hound with his head out the window of a car going down US 1.” Kerry laughed. ”Glad the sun’s pretty strong, though, or it’d be really cold out here.” She tied down the sail, then balanced herself and pulled off her heavy sweatshirt, leaving herself only her collared rugby top over her jeans. ”Whoo, that’s better.”

Dar followed suit, taking off her tan sweater and tucking it under the seat, and pushing the sleeves up on the bright red shirt she was wearing underneath. ”You ready for some breakfast?” she inquired.

”You bet. I’m starving,” Kerry informed her, as she edged the boat towards one of the small islands that dotted the lake’s wide surface. ”I figure we can shelter on the lee of that land there, until we’re ready to go back.” She studied the wind. ”I’ll have to tack back, but that’s okay.

We’ve got all the time in the world. Right?”

The words brought a smile to Dar’s face. ”Right.” She edged closer to where Kerry was sitting, and broke a freshly baked blueberry muffin in half, offering a portion to Kerry. ”Here, take a nibble of this.”

”Mmm. ” Kerry captured it in her teeth and chewed. ”Oo, you have more of those?”

”I have more of those,” Dar informed her. ”And I have those ones with all the nuts in them you liked, and I have cornbread.”

Kerry stopped chewing. ”Cornbread? I don’t get it.”

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”Northerner,” Dar snorted softly. ”Here.” She took out a miniature loaf of the corn bread, and spread some soft, sweet butter on it. Then she drizzled a touch of honey over that, and broke off a piece, putting it in Kerry’s open and waiting mouth. ”Try that.”

Kerry closed her mouth and chewed. ”Mmm.” It was a rougher texture than the almost cake like muffin, and the butter and honey made a nice counterpoint to the earthy taste of the corn. ”Oh, I like it. Now I know why the South lost the Civil War; they were too busy cooking.”

Dar laughed in pure reflex. ”I don’t think that’s why, but we definitely go in for comfort foods in the South.” She moved down the padded seat while Kerry skillfully moved around one of the small islands, blocking the wind. She took down the sail and tossed over the small anchor, then squirmed over to where Dar was, leaning against her as they rocked gently in the waves.

She let her eyes roam the skies overhead, watching a hawk circle lazily. Dar reclined next to her, breaking off mouthfuls of her assorted goodies and popping them in Kerry’s mouth as they shared companionably.

”Jesus, this has been such a long week,” Kerry commented.

”Uh huh.” Dar fed her another bit of cornbread. ”I’m glad we had a few days up here just to relax.” She paused. ”Well, sort of,” she chuckled. ”Barring a fall from a horse or two.” She brought out a large thermos and uncapped it, releasing an intoxicating scent of chocolate into the air.

Kerry accepted the cup of hot chocolate, and gave Dar a gentle kiss.

”It’s been wonderful despite the horse.” She gazed into the blue eyes.

”We’ll have to come up here again when we can spend more time.”

They were sitting in the bottom of the boat, with their heads resting against the padded back seat, and Dar shifted, slipping an arm behind Kerry and drawing her closer.

Kerry put the cup down, and half turned, sliding her hands over Dar’s shirt and tangling her fingers in the fabric, as she willingly met the lips searching for hers. They tasted each other for a breathless moment, then backed off a little, as Dar reached up and stroked Kerry’s face. ”I wish we didn’t have to go back.”

Kerry studied her face, evaluating the statement. ”You mean that.”

The blue eyes dropped. ”Yes.” Dar exhaled, as she regarded the rippling water. ”I keep trying to dredge up interest in going back into that office on Monday, and I just can’t,” she confessed. ”I don’t know if I can just go back to business as usual.”

Kerry's blonde head cocked to one side. ”Dar, I don’t understand. I thought you’d worked things out with Alastair. Did something else happen?” She put a hand on her lover’s arm in concern.

A soft laugh. ”Sort of.” Dar’s lips twisted into a wry smile. ”We happened,” she stated quietly. ”I don’t think I can put that aside, when I have to be the company bastard anymore.” She glanced up at Kerry 264

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honestly. ”There are things I’ve done that I couldn’t do now, not and look you in the eye at the end of the day.”

Kerry felt a little shocked. She hadn’t expected that, hadn’t even considered it, really. ”Dar, you don’t know that. I mean we’ve hardly had a chance to—”

”I do know it,” Dar interrupted gently. ”I knew it that afternoon up at Disney.” She picked up Kerry’s hand. ”When I wouldn’t trade a roll in the sack for a contract just because you were there.”

A slow intake of breath. An exhale. ”Oh.”

”Yeah,” Dar murmured. ”What you think of me matters, Kerry. I’ve never had to worry about that before.” She tangled her fingers with her lover’s. ”I can’t do things the old way.”

Kerry tried to jump start her brain into action. ”Find another way then,” she offered, faintly. ”We can do it, you and I.”

A long pause, as the hawk called overhead, lonely and regal.

Finally, Dar blinked. ”Maybe,” she murmured. ”I guess we’ll find out.”Kerry studied her lover’s body language, often a far more accurate guide to her feelings than her speech was. “Are you tired of doing what you’re doing, Dar?”

The sound of the waves floated over them for a few minutes. “I...”

Dar paused. “I think I’m just tired of it never ending,” she admitted. “It never gets any better. It’s just one fight after another, one crisis after another. I’m just over it.”

“Wow,” Kerry murmured.

“I’ve been doing this a long time,” Dar went on. “I was just thinking it would be damn nice to just take a few weeks off and, I don’t know, just do nothing.”

“Funny,” her partner mused. “I couldn’t wait to start working because I felt like I was finally doing something useful with my life.”

She nudged the sail a bit with one foot. “The one thing I knew I didn’t want to be was someone who just stayed home and did nothing.”

Dar looked at her. “Wow,” she echoed.

“But you know what?” Kerry continued. “It would be okay to do that if it was with you. I could spend the rest of my life just doing nothing with you and be happy.” She looked at Dar’s profile. “And no, I’m not just saying that because it’s romantic and goopy and it would make you feel better.”

Dar’s lips twitched, as she bit off exactly that accusation. “Well,”

she sighed. “Now that Alastair’s okay with us maybe we can work together to change things back there,” she said. “At least I’ll have success to go back with. Maybe that’ll help.”

Kerry traced Dar’s cheekbone with her finger. “If not, we’ll make a change,” she said. “Now we can be partners all the time, and I know that’s going to make a difference to a lot of people in how they treat me.”

Hurricane Watch

265

“Good or bad?” Dar wondered.

“Both,” Kerry acknowledged. “But you take your advantages where you find them. I learned that the hard way growing up.”

“Mm. We’ll see,” Dar said. “What the hell. Let’s give it a try.

What’s another challenge anyway?”

Kerry nodded, profoundly relieved. ”Right.” She rubbed Dar’s hand against her face. ”Speaking of challenges, you ready to learn to sail?”A smile spread across Dar’s face. ”Yeah.” She cupped Kerry’s cheek affectionately. ”Teach me.”