Horizons (33 page)

“You’d better,” he told her fervently, reaching for her hand and kissing the finger that now bore his ring. “It and I are going to be yours for a long, long time.”

Epilogue

Two years later—Spice Island

K
elly closed the bedroom door, snapped the lock, and smiled at Zach, who was lying on the bed waiting for her. “That’s it. The kids are in bed, and I’m all yours until morning.”

Zach returned her smile, and patted the space next to him. “Then come here, sweetheart, and let’s make every minute count. God knows, with four children running about underfoot, especially the twins, we deserve a little time to ourselves when we can steal it.”

Sure enough, just as Kelly had warned, their “baby” turned out to be a pair of boys. Aaron and Adam were now a year and a half old, and into everything that wasn’t tied down or hung out of their reach. But Becky really was good about helping to watch her baby brothers, when she wasn’t busy with her schoolwork, which she did via a computer-linked classroom similar to the school of the air
used by students in Australia. Then there was Sydney, now four years old and still full of mischief. Her only blood relative, her mother’s sister, had entered a convent and therefore hadn’t been able to take Sydney. Sister Agnes had heartily approved of Zach and Kelly adopting the little girl, and tried to visit the child every few months or so.

Kelly kicked off her shoes, and flopped onto the bed, fully clothed. Zach automatically leaned over and began undressing her, slowly revealing the delights that awaited him.

“The grand opening of the resort went well, don’t you think?” Kelly commented lazily.

“Thanks to you and your idea of holding a memorial service for Frazer and the crash victims, we’re booked solid,” Zach said. “And inviting the President to be part of it was a stroke of genius.” He swirled his tongue into her naval, and chuckled as she gave a wild lurch. “Ah, another ticklish spot to add to my repertoire. This just keeps getting better and better.”

“Speaking of repertoires, Alita was in excellent form this evening. I’ve never heard her sing with so much feeling.”

“Maybe seeing Gavin again inspired her,” Zach suggested. “I can’t believe he’s already been married and divorced.”

“I can’t believe he’s actually studying to become a lawyer!” Kelly exclaimed, her tone that of someone betrayed. “After Brad, I’m really sort of soured on them, but Gavin claims he’s going to be one of the ‘good guys.’ I can only hope so.”

“He will be, I’m sure. It’s Blair and the transformation in her that has me in shock. Having a bestseller made into an Oscar-nominated movie has really given her a wealth of self-confidence. Poor Anton can barely hold his own with her now.”

“Yes, the shoe certainly is on the other foot in that
household,” Kelly agreed. “And high time, too, I hope the movie wins this year’s Oscars, At least one for Blair and her film script, and another for Alita as best actress. And I’m not just saying that because they’re our friends. It is an excellent film.”

They’d been invited to the premiere, and had left Pete in charge of continued construction on the resort while they extended their trip to the U.S. mainland to visit both sets of relatives. Pete, Leah, and Seth were now permanent residents of Spice Island—so dubbed by Becky upon smelling the vanilla, ginger, and multitude of fragrant fruits and flowers growing in such abundance. The other family members had taken to reserving their vacations and holidays for extended visits to the island, and would probably do so more frequently now that the resort was open for business.

It had been a long time coming, and it wasn’t entirely complete as yet. Zach still wanted to build several private bungalows to complement the main villa, and a group of industrious Polynesians had just begun work on an authentic thatch-hut community along one of the beaches. It promised to be a great tourist draw, with the villagers selling their handmade arts and crafts. The small landing strip along the west coast had been one of the first projects to be initiated, essential for bringing in goods and building materials. However, some items and guests still arrived the old way, by ferrying in on flat-bottomed rafts from ships docked beyond the reefs. The tourists from the cruise liners seemed to get a kick out of arriving in that fashion, claiming it added that special island flavor to their trip.

Fortunately, the geohydrological report Zach had ordered before beginning construction had sited a large underground freshwater spring, the hidden origin of the pool. Without this, or some other source sufficient to sustain a small community, they would have had to abandon
the notion of creating a resort on the island. Nor would they have been able to do it if the mining project had proved unprofitable. They’d hit a large vein of rich ore, which extended out onto the ocean floor. And they wouldn’t have been able to purchase the island at all, if Kelly hadn’t sold her two U.S. salons and presented the proceeds to Zach in the form of a bridal dowry, to use as their down payment on the bank note.

Zach had, at first, been adamant against using her funds, but Kelly had been even more stubborn. “It’s going to be my island, too, Zach, and I want to contribute my fair share,” she argued. “And you can’t reject my dowry, after all, without rejecting me as well.”

In the end, he’d relented, and it had all gone splendidly. So well, in fact, that Gavin’s share would allow him to start his own law firm immediately upon graduating and passing the bar exam. And Blair’s portion, along with the royalties from the book and film, had ensured she would never have to clip coupons or shop for her children’s clothes at garage sales again, unless she wa
nted to do so. As for Alita, if
she never made another album or movie again—which she would, of course—she’d always be able to afford her caviar and champagne and those outrageously flamboyant costumes she so adored.

For Zach and Kelly, it meant the resort, combined with Kelly’s newest health club/boutique, and raising their family on the island where they’d first fallen in love—far from the fast-paced, crime-ridden environment beyond their shores. This time they weren’t totally isolated, as they had been before, and had the added convenience of indoor plumbing, which made their tropical paradise all the more pleasurable. After spending a fortune to tap into the undersea cables, they had electricity, telephone, and fax service, instant communication with the outside world—a world just a few hours away by plane, or a couple of days by boat,
in case Kelly got the urge to immerse herself in a major shopping binge at an honest-to-goodness mall.

For now, however, they were perfectly content with their semi-isolation, and the only thing Kelly wanted to immerse herself in at the moment was her private whirlpool tub, built for two. “What do you say, Zach? Do you feel like romping in the spa with me?”

He grinned at her. “Sure, but no more of that wimpy mermaid/merman stuff. This time I want to be an octopus on the attack.”

She chortled, tugging at the dark fur on his chest. “Aren’t you always?” she joked. “From the beginning it’s seemed to me you’ve had more than the normal quota of arms, not to mention Russian hands and Roman fingers.”

“It’s the only way I can combat that glib tongue of yours,” he countered, scooping her off the bed and heading toward the spa. He bent his head to lap at her bare breast
.
“Ah, I have the twins to thank for these. They were nice before, but now they’re spectacular. Lady, you really can fill out a sarong!”

Minutes later, they were submerged up to their necks in soothing, swirling water, letting the jets pulsate pleasantly against their bodies. Zach tugged Kelly onto his lap. “Put your arms around my neck,” he instructed. “I want to try something. It’s occurred to me that these jets are like liquid vibrators. I want to see if they have the same affect.”

“Zach! You’re incorrigible!” As he twisted her around, aiming for a more advantageous angle, she objected weakly, “Are you deliberately trying to drown me?” Followed by, “Holy Moses, Zach! I’m not double-jointed.” Then, on a sharply indrawn hiss, “Oh, my! Oh, God! Oh, Zach!”

Things were just getting r
eally interesting when the tub-
side phone rang. “Let it ring,” Zach murmured past the nipple now clasped lightly between his teeth.

Kelly was already fumbling for the connect button. “I can’t. It might be something important.”

It was, in an oblique sort of way. Alita’s voice came over the speaker phone. “Gavin and I were just talking over old times, and I suddenly remembered something strange I forgot to tell you and Zach. Last month, when I was in LA. promoting the movie, I saw a man who reminded me very strongly of Earl, but this guy had a beard. I only caught a quick glimpse of him through the limousine window, but it was enough to give me the willies.”

“It couldn’t have been him, Alita,” Zach sta
ted flatl
y. “He’s dead.”

“It was probably just someone who looked a lot like him,” Kelly put in.

“Maybe, but one thing really struck me odd. He only had one arm. The other one was missing from the elbow down. Like maybe he’d lost it in an accident of some sort— or had it bitten off by a shark. Or perhaps even got it ripped off, like Earl might have, struggling to stay aboard the raft in that storm, or if those handcuffs got hung up on something.”

Kelly’s eyes widened, meeting Zach’s in mutual query. After a moment of thought, Zach said, “Thanks for telling us, Alita, but even if it was Earl, which I seriously doubt, I don’t think any of us have anything to worry about He’d still be a fugitive from the law, and lying low. He’d avoid us, knowing we might recognize him. He certainly wouldn’t want us to know he was still alive.”

“Oh. I was afraid he might do just the opposite, and come after us because we could identify him,” Alita explained. “It had me really worried.”

“All for nothing, most likely,” Gavin added, having appropriated Alita’s phone. “I told her she was being silly, but I guess she needed to hear it from someone else, or
she wasn’t going to be satisfied. Sorry if we disturbed you folks. See you in the morning.”

After Gavin had hung up, Kelly said wit
h a shiver, “
Lord! That’s enough to give a person the heebie-jeebies, isn’t it? A one-armed man who looks like Earl? Do you suppose it’s remotely possible that it truly is him?”

“I think you and Alita are getting worked up over nothing. She’s a very high-strung, emotional woman with an overactive imagination.”

“I wouldn’t criticize someone else’s imagination after the trick you just pulled with those jets, fella,” Kelly rebutted. “Only you, with your twisted, inventive mind, could come up with something that bizarre.”

Zach shot her a satisfied, if slightly pompous look. “It worked, didn’t it? Or were you just screaming to high heaven to exercise your vocal chords?” He pulled her close, and began nibbling on her ear lobe. “Now, where were we before we were so rudely interrupted?”

Kelly’s hand delved below the water in search of him. “Right about here, if I recall correctly,” she murmured.

A short while later, Zach
was sheathed within her satin-
smooth body, as they created tidal waves in the spa and each other. They’d just reached that rapturous peak, and had begun their tumbling descent, when the telephone rang again.

“Damn, Sam! Don’t answer it,” he grated though climax-clenched teeth.

The phone continued to ring, until Kelly could stand it no longer. This time, it was Blair, who blurted excitedly, “The Baldwin sisters!”

Kelly frowned in confusion. “Pardon me?”

Zach, whose moment of ecstasy had been cut short, was feeling much less polite. “What the devil are you blathering about, Blair?”

“Those two old women on ‘The Waltons.’ Remember
when we were trying to identify all the characters from the show, and couldn’t think of what they were called? Well, I finally, just this minute, remembered their names. They’re Miss Emily and Miss Mamie Baldwin,” she announced proudly.

“I’m thrilled for you,” Zach grumbled, as Kelly started to giggle. “We’ll issue you an extra banana at breakfast, as an award. Now, if you don’t mind terrible, I was in the middle of making love to my wife.”

“Oops! Sorry!” Blair said in an apologetic tone, and promptly disconnected.

“Hell’s bells!” Zach declared disgustedly, pulling the plug on the phone. “We finally got the kids trained not to come barging in on us, and now we’ve got a bunch of idiot adults bugging the heck out of us! Is there no end to it?”

From the tree outside the open window, a shrill voice called out, “Hell’s bells! Damn Sam! Awk!”

Zach sank into the tub with a persecuted groan. “Blast you, Fricassee!”

Kelly, convulsed with gales of laughter, choked out, “I hear parrots can live to be a hundred years old. How long do you think Frick has got yet?”

“Only until I can catch his feathered butt and pop it into a stew pot,” Zach proclaimed. “Then—maybe—with immense luck, we’ll finally stand a chance of making love without anyone or anything intruding on our privacy at the most intimate and inopportune moments!”

“Don’t bet the farm, or the island, on it,” she advised him. “Now’s probably not the best time to announce this, but I think I’m pregnant again—you virile, randy rascal.”