Sweet Talkin' Scoundrel (15 page)

Chapter 30

Kinley

I was still
in Dax’s arms. Right where I wanted to be. It took him no effort at all to carry me back to the house. The way he held me, as if he never intended to let me go, warmed me on the inside. But the rest of me was chilled to the bone. My face stung from the brisk air. Even though Dax’s shirt was soaked, I closed my eyes and huddled against him, hoping to steal his body heat.

The last thirty minutes were mostly a nightmarish blur now. I’d inflated the raft and pulled it into the raging water. A current grabbed the raft and pulled me away from the beach. I was sure I’d made it clear of the dangerous rocks when a wave lifted me up and tossed me back toward the treacherous reef. The raft had cushioned me against injury, but the impact tore a gash in the canvas. Seconds later I was climbing free of the ruptured canvas. I couldn’t get much farther than the bottom layer of rocks. I found a secure perch and huddled there. Waves pounded me and worked hard to dislodge me, but somehow I managed to hold on. Then, in the midst of my nightmare, I heard Dax calling me.

The clouds had cleared completely, leaving behind a chilly night. Dax’s feet stomped the ground hard as he hurried toward the house.

“I’m sorry, Dax. I deserve a royal kick in the ass for this.”

“Not a kick. A spanking, maybe. You don’t need to apologize. I don’t blame you for trying to run.” He climbed the steps to the house and the front door flew open. Katherine’s usual smooth as marble expression had crinkled to one I’d never seen before. I was almost convinced it was worry.

“James, take her straight up to her room for a hot shower. I’ll make hot tea.” Katherine sounded almost motherly.

We swept by Becky, who looked exhausted from crying. I reached out my hand, and she touched it as Dax carried me past.

“I can walk up the stairs, Dax.”

“Not ready to let go of you yet. In fact, I might never let you out of my arms again.” He easily climbed the stairs, and I realized as we passed through the hallway that the lights had been turned back on.

I peered up at him. “Was it my imagination or was Katherine—”

“Acting human? I noticed it too. Weird.” He carried me into my bedroom.

“Not that I’m in any hurry to leave this marvelous pair of arms, but you can let me down.”

He hesitated before lowering my feet to the ground. Some of the trembling had subsided but my skin was still clammy, and I felt lightheaded from the chill. Or it might just have been the incredible looking man standing in front of me, soaked with saltwater and looking more than slightly relieved.

“Thank you. You risked your life out there.” I took a steadying breath to stop my voice from wobbling. “It was a stupid stunt, and I’ll never forgive myself. It’s just that I didn’t know where to go or who to trust and—”

Dax took hold of my arms and pulled me closer. “You can trust me, Rabbit. If I’d wanted that inheritance, I could have gotten married long ago.” His cocky half smile was a dream to see after the horrid night. “As you’ve noted, I’m like a piece of candy in a town full of sweet tooths.”

“Yes, you are. Only now you are my piece of candy, so the other women are out of luck.” I threw my arms around his neck and kissed him.

Chapter 31

Dax

Katherine was almost
civil as I sat in the kitchen drinking hot coffee to warm up. It seemed she did have some empathy and worry in her steely heart. Either that or she was buttering me up for something. Or perhaps she was just taking pleasure in secretly plotting my death.

Marcus stepped into the kitchen looking as if he’d just risen from his grave. His bizarre lifestyle was robbing him of his youth and any happiness. The grim set of his mouth assured me he’d fallen for Kinley, or at least fallen in his sense of the word. “So she’s all right?”

“Yes, Marcus,” Katherine spoke firmly, “come sit. I’m brewing tea for you.”

Marcus walked into the kitchen and shot me a glance that was almost friendly as he sat down in his specially sanitized chair at the far end of the table. He’d barely settled when he hopped up again to stand for Kinley as she stepped into the room.

The pink was back in her cheeks, and the usual sparkle had returned to her blue eyes. She stopped just short of the table and wrung her hands together. “I apologize for causing so much chaos tonight. And, Katherine, I will replace the raft and the flares.”

“Don’t worry about it. We are well stocked. All that matters is that you’re safe. Have some tea.” Katherine set a cup of tea at the table several seats away from me. Then she settled herself on a chair in between.

We were only allowed a few quiet sips before Katherine got right down to business. “Obviously, James, I need to know what your intentions are. If you plan to marry Kinley—”

That statement caused Kinley to suck in her sip of tea. She covered her mouth to stifle the cough.

Katherine waited for her to recover and continued with a questioning look my direction.

“As you can see by Kinley’s reaction, Katherine, the topic of marriage might be a little premature. We are staying together though, and as far as I’m concerned, when Kinley’s ready we can set a date.”

Kinley peered across the table at me with those big blue eyes that I thought about day and night. She smiled faintly and went back to her tea.

I leaned back in the chair. “Katherine, if I got the money, I sure as hell wouldn’t keep it for myself. I know you never loved me, but you allowed me into your home. I won’t ever forget that.” My words caused the slightest flicker of emotion in her face. It was fleeting, but I was sure I saw it.

Marcus picked up his tea. “Well, I for one am glad this is over. Besides, it’s not fair to Becky.” He turned to Kinley. “I hope you consider staying on for Becky’s sake. She’ll be devastated if you leave.”

Kinley had no response. She glanced around the table at each of us. “I love being her teacher but only if it doesn’t cause problems.”

Katherine sighed. “You’re not the problem, Kinley. It’s my late husband, I’m afraid. He’s caused us a lot of grief with his practical joke. If he’d taken care to make sure his real will had gotten to his lawyer none of this would have happened.”

“Have you looked for the will?” Kinley asked. “Maybe it’s somewhere in the house.”

“We have looked everywhere,” Katherine sighed. “It’s in some secret place that none of us know about.”

Kinley nodded and lifted her cup but slapped it back down on the table hard enough to slosh tea over the side. “Wait. A secret place? I know where it is.” She hopped up from the chair.

We sat stunned and speechless as we watched her head to the door. “Hurry up. It’s in the library.”

Katherine, Marcus and I followed her through the hallway, past the stairs and to the library.

“But I spend all my waking hours in the library,” Marcus protested as we stepped into the room. “I would have seen it.”

Kinley hadn’t spoken since she’d told us to follow her to the library. She was concentrating on her mission to find the secret hiding place, and she seemed pretty damn confident about it. I stepped forward to help her pull Jack’s oversized atlas from the shelf. It was an expensive, professionally bound book that Becky loved to look at.

We carried it to Marcus’s work table. His mouth pulled tight with tension as we placed it on the one empty corner.

“Becky wanted me to show her where the pyramids were located, so we pulled this book out the other day.” She opened the book, flipped it to the back cover and flashed us all her perfect smile. “And that’s when I noticed this.” We moved in closer. A large piece of thick paper had been affixed to the back cover. It seemed to be concealing paperwork of some kind. “Becky told me that her dad liked to hide important papers here.” She paused and dropped her gaze. “Papers he didn’t want Katherine to see.” She lifted her face again. “Maybe I shouldn’t have shown you this.”

“Nonsense. Jack’s gone.” Katherine stepped forward. She stared down at the book a second and hesitated long enough that I thought she might have changed her mind. Then her long, white fingers grabbed the corner of the paper and she ripped it free from the book. Kinley had been right. It was the final will and testament of Jack Underwood.

After years of wondering, Katherine wasted no time flipping through it. Her hand flew to her mouth, but it was impossible to tell whether she was happy or horrified. Then tears filled her eyes. I couldn’t remember ever seeing tears in her eyes. Even when Jack died, she’d kept her emotions so restrained none of us ever saw her cry.

“Everyone will have what they need for the rest of their lives.” She looked up at Marcus. “Your father didn’t hate me, after all.” She sobbed once into her hand. Marcus put his arm around her.

I decided to let Katherine and Marcus have some alone time. I motioned to Kinley, and she followed me out of the room.

“Do you think all this time, her biggest worry was how Jack felt about her?” Kinley asked.

“Kind of makes sense when you think about it. When your husband leaves a will that basically hands his fortune to one of his sons, then it’s kind of a slap in the face.” I shook my head. “That Jack. What a scoundrel.”

Kinley stopped and turned into my arms. “Guess I know who you get it from.”

I tugged her closer and kissed her.

Epilogue

Six months later

“Ugh, I hate
algebra,” Becky complained as she tossed her pencil across the desk. “I’m not sure if I could hate anything as much as I hate algebra. Strike that. Liver and onions. I hate that more. Can I be done soon? I’ve got to plan my outfit for Jill’s party. I still can’t believe I’m going to a party in King’s Beach. Can’t wait.”

I started cleaning up the classroom. “So, you said Jill was a school friend?”

“Right. During those few glorious years when I was in school, Jill and I did everything together. I couldn’t believe it when Mother said she ran into Jill’s mom and they actually talked. Can’t even imagine my mother just chatting it up with another mom. Weird. She sure is different now.”

Becky walked over and helped me pick up the watercolor supplies we’d been using for art. “And I haven’t told you the big news.” She stopped and her mouth knitted together as if she wasn’t sure she should tell me.

“What is it? I like to hear big news.”

“Mother is considering letting me go to junior high in King’s Beach.”

“Oh my gosh, Becky, that’s wonderful.” I quickly realized why she didn’t want to tell me. I hugged her. “I’ll still be around. I just won’t be the one hounding you to finish your algebra. We’ll leave that chore to your math teacher.”

“So you won’t be mad at me?”

I kissed her forehead. “I could never be mad at you.”

The smooth roar of an airplane dropping down over the island carried our attention to the window.

“They’re back.” Becky raced to the window. I followed and stood behind her. We both watched as the shiny blue and white plane poked its nose through the clouds and headed down toward the runway.

Becky looked back at me. “Dax’s new plane is so pretty. But I do miss Tero. Dax said Tero loves his retirement.” She turned back to face the window. I placed my hands on her shoulders.

We stared out the window. Below us, Katherine was walking across the lawn toward the runway.

Becky’s shoulders rose and fell beneath my hands. I knew she was experiencing the same nervous stomach flutters as me.

“How do you think he did?” she asked quietly.

I had no response. “Should we go down to the runway and meet him? I’m sure he’ll be happy to see us.”

Becky didn’t bother to answer. She grabbed my hand and dragged me out of the classroom. We reached the lawn and decided to race. We were both laughing hysterically and breathing hard by the time we reached the path leading to the runway. It helped relieve the case of nerves we’d both been experiencing throughout the morning.

Those worries and flutters were all but vanquished as we stepped through the plants and into the clearing near the runway. Marcus had already climbed down from the passenger side of the plane. Even behind his sterile mask, it was easy to see that he was smiling.

After a great deal of consideration and waffling back and forth about it, Marcus had finally agreed to get some help. Of course, getting help meant him leaving the island. The doctor he found prescribed him medicine to help make it possible for him to leave his germ free world. Today had been his first trip off the island in more than five years.

Katherine was already at the plane as Becky and I grasped hands and headed across the runway. Dax stepped around from his side, and my heart did its usual hop, skip and jump at the sight of him.

“How was it?” I asked as we reached Marcus.

Marcus lowered the mask. “It went well. Very well. And it helps that the transport plane is no longer held together with just glue and prayers.” He shot Dax a grin.

Once things had been settled with the estate, it had opened up a dialogue between the two brothers. Slowly, they were learning to be friends, and it warmed my heart to see. Katherine’s too. Or at least as much as her heart could be warmed. She, too, had started to come around to the notion that James was an important part of the family. The love and good cheers weren’t flowing like a river yet, but things were definitely more amicable.

“I left the tea kettle on,” Katherine told Marcus. “Let’s go inside. Then you can tell me everything the doctor said.”

“Dax is going to give me a ride in the new plane,” Becky stated. “Can we go now?”

“Come eat lunch and leave James alone for now,” Katherine called over her shoulder.

“Darn it.” Becky pointed a finger at Dax. “Later today. Right?”

“Right.”

Becky skipped off to catch up to her mom and brother.

Dax wasted no time. He took hold of my hand. “I don’t believe I’ve shown you the backseat in this plane.” He led me to the door and gave me a hand up. “It’s really comfortable and spacious, with plenty of room to do activities that aren’t normally done in a plane. Well, at least not in small planes.” 

I climbed into the back row of seats and waited for him to join me. “What kinds of activities are we talking about? I Spy? A game of poker?”

He dropped onto the seat next to me and started unbuttoning my jeans. “I definitely want to spy some things and I might try my hand at something, not sure if it’ll deal with cards though.”

Dax reached over and pulled me into his lap. I wrapped my arm around his shoulder and settled in cozily agaisnt him. I ran my fingers along his jaw. “Happy?”

“I’m over the fucking moon, Rabbit. Over the fucking moon.” He lifted his mouth to mine and kissed me.