He walked through the dark bathroom and pushed at the door that connected to her bedroom. When it opened, he saw that the bed was only a shape in the darkness, and he tiptoed to it. When his eyes adjusted to the gloom, he saw that Kate was staring up at him, wide awake.
"I couldn't sleep," he said, staring at her.
"I can't either."
His heart turned over. If only she knew how much he cared about her and how he worried about her welfare. If only it meant something to her!
Those feelings were too hard to express, at least with words. He only had one way, and that was by making love to her.
She lifted up the sheet in silent invitation, and he sat down on the edge of the bed.
"You're not too angry?" he said.
"No," she answered.
The sheet fluttered down over them as he pulled his legs underneath it. He was aware of her breathing beside him, and he knew she wasn't going to make the first move. Should he, or would she only take offense?
He waited, afraid to touch her. When he'd almost made up his mind not to speak, she said in a small voice, "Morgan?"
He turned to her in sheer relief and she came into his arms.
"I don't like being mad at you," she murmured into his neck.
"I'm sorry. I thought the class was a good thing," he said. "Maybe you were right to be angry."
"I don't like being manipulated," she said.
"I suppose I can't blame you," he admitted.
They lay quietly, listening to each other breathe.
"You breathe very nicely as it is. I can't imagine why I ever thought you needed lessons," he said.
To his surprise she started to laugh. "I'm through with breathing classes, but if you ever find a class on how to get along with the Morgan Rhetts of this world, sign me up."
"We're having the first lesson right now," he said.
"What?"
"Slide your leg over mine—that's it. And move your head slightly to the right—good."
"And now?"
For an answer he kissed her, slowly and deeply, and she sighed with pleasure.
"I sure like this class a lot better than the other one," she said as she rose above him, pale and utterly delectable in the moonlight filtering through the curtained windows.
* * *
The next morning they said no more about returning to the island. And yet Kate knew that they must. She wanted to go back, even though it would mean the end of their romantic interlude.
During the next few days, they often slept until noon, and then they ate lunch. Morgan had given the housekeeper the week off.
"She probably thinks I'm traveling as planned," Morgan said. "Or still at the hunting lodge." He wasn't sure what his housekeeper had learned from his office staff, if anything.
"Do you wish you were? Traveling, I mean?"
"Of course not," he said indignantly, kissing the back of her head. They were lolling in bed after a breakfast of leftover pizza, which Kate adored and which Morgan had thought was disgusting until he'd actually tried it.
"Was eating pizza for breakfast so hard? Did you mind it so much?" Kate asked.
"Pizza cake," Morgan replied with his mouth full, and for that she cuffed him playfully on the side of the head.
"Don't you have to go in to your office sometime?" Kate asked as they gathered up pizza crusts and piled them on the breakfast tray.
"Soon, but not today. I thought we could take a ride over to my place on Teoway Island. I'd like to open it up and air it out."
Kate stretched contentedly. "Mmm. Sounds lovely," she said.
"We could stay there tonight if you'd like."
She smiled at him. "I'll be ready in an hour. Maybe less."
He watched as she headed for the bathroom. If only he could stop time and make everything stay the same forever! If only she would make the commitment to stay with him after the baby was born. He was resigned to suing Courtney for the right to his own baby, and the one thing he still couldn't accept was the impending defection of Kate.
He still hadn't been able to bring himself to tell her about his most recent conversation with Tony Saldone. Tony was full of excitement about Kate's exoneration by the FHF.
"So what happens now?" he'd asked Tony.
"It's all hush-hush pending examination by another committee. We need to keep it quiet for now."
"Keep me posted," Morgan had said, cutting the conversation short. Even though Kate would be delighted at this turn of events, he found it upsetting that exoneration would lead to her return to the scientific community.
Dr. Kate Sinclair, he thought. His Kate was a self-determined woman with a doctorate in marine biology and a career that she'd never wanted to leave. He could imagine her working in a lab or presenting papers at meetings of dignified scientists. She'd smile graciously as she accepted awards for her research, and she'd be the subject of magazine and newspaper articles. She might even blog about oysters on some arcane website.
That picture of Kate didn't square at all with the one that Morgan had been carrying in his head. His was a simple vision of a happy family. This perfect family consisted of a father, a mother and a child. He couldn't make out the baby's face, but he was the father, and the mother was Kate.
This was easy for him to imagine, and it was lately the subject of his daydreams. He was pretty sure that wasn't the case with Kate.
Chapter 12
They drove through miles of beautiful Lowcountry scenery to get to Morgan's Teoway Island house, and Kate loved it on sight.
"I built this place when I was developing Teoway as a golf and tennis resort. I stayed here a lot in those days," Morgan said as he showed her around. He was proud of the house and the achievement it represented, and he'd always wished he could spend more time there.
Kate took in the wide sandy beach on one side of the house and the peaceful green marsh on the other. "It's beautiful," she said. "I feel like I'm a million miles away from the city."
"I got out of the habit of regular visits when Courtney and I were married because she never liked it," Morgan told her. "There wasn't enough happening here to keep her busy."
"What's so wonderful about this place," Kate said, turning around slowly in the middle of the big living room with its view of both marsh and sea, "is that it's as if no one else lives anywhere near. It's like the island—my island."
He wrapped his arms around her. "There's no lighthouse, but look, that hazy cloud on the horizon is Yaupon Island."
"If Willadeen gets her wish and manages to reactivate the light, you'll be able to see it at night," Kate said.
Morgan took her hand and drew her into the master bedroom. "We'd have even a better view from here."
She twisted away. She didn't want to talk about the future. By the time the lighthouse was operative, Kate was sure that she'd be long gone.
They lapsed into an easy domesticity in the house, much as they had in Charleston, but here it was Kate who cooked dinner, whipping up a feast from the odd assortment of canned goods she found in the cupboards. The kitchen was marvelously convenient, with its refrigerator that dispensed ice water and its racks of copper-bottomed pans. Even the colors in which the house was decorated—soft blues and gray—suited her.
Late that night they lay in Morgan's king-size bed with the curtains open so they could gaze out the window at the marsh. "This is my idea of heaven," she said, her head finding a comfortable hollow in Morgan's shoulder.
"Then why not stay here forever?" he said, holding his breath.
She stiffened, then forced herself to relax. "My life isn't heading in this direction, Morgan," she said.
"It could," he pointed out, but Kate didn't reply.
She wished he would understand that she hadn't meant this pregnancy to be anything more than an interlude in her life. Yes, providing life for this baby had given her own life meaning when it didn't seem to have any. And yes, she'd undertaken this pregnancy to prove in some cockeyed way that there w
as a certain continuity to life after her father's death. She loved being pregnant—at least most of the time. And her feelings about her pregnancy were all bound up in her feelings for Morgan, so how could she tell whether she truly loved him or only loved her pregnant state?
She did know one thing. She had never meant the pregnancy to be more than a stopgap measure. She had never meant to give up her efforts to reestablish her standing in the scientific community.
* * *
"I suppose I can't postpone the inevitable any longer," Morgan said the next morning after a hurried phone conversation with Lavinia, who called before they were even out of bed. "I'd better go to my office for a few hours."
"May I stay here in this house? It's so beautiful this morning," Kate said. Through the open draperies she could see that the sea seemed cast in warm golden light, and overhead a few clouds billowed like freshly laundered sheets against a clear blue sky.
"I'd be happy for you to stay here. If you'll promise to behave yourself. No crazy antics," he warned her seriously as he swung his feet over the side of the bed.
"I thought I'd sit on the deck and read a magazine," Kate said meekly.
"See that you do, Kate my darling. I may be gone for the rest of the afternoon."
"Oh?" she said. "Why?"
"I'm going to call Ted Wickes and instruct him to begin court proceedings against Courtney."
She'd been afraid of this. She had no idea what to say because she knew how much he must be dreading facing Courtney in court.
"I feel so guilty," she said, her voice a near whisper.
He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it. "What else can I do? You won't marry me," he said half-playfully, but she saw the apprehension deep in his eyes.
She pulled her hand away and sat up straighter, the sheet barely covering her. Morgan stood and busied himself taking clothes out of drawers while Kate stared contemplatively into space.
How could she let him go back to court when she had the means to spare him that ordeal? He'd done so much for her, after all. She wanted to repay him, and it was true that she felt a deep affection for him.
"Morgan?"
He had sat down on the edge of the bed and was beginning to pull on his socks.
"What, Kate?"
"I have an idea."
"So do I, but we haven't time to do it now," he said playfully.
"No, no, it's nothing like that."
"Too bad. All right then, what is it?" He smiled at her and picked up his other sock.
"We could get married if you wouldn't expect me to remain your wife."
He dropped the sock on the floor and twisted his head around to look at her.
"You're serious," he said after he saw that she was.
"I think so." She wanted desperately to please him, to let him know the depth of her gratitude. She wanted to make things easy for him, but she didn't want to tie him to her forever.
"You'd want a divorce after the baby is born?" The words were sharp.
"Wouldn't it take longer than that? Wouldn't the adoption have to be final before we got the divorce?"
"Yes, I suppose the adoption would have to be final," he said in a subdued tone.
"So then we could be married, but I wouldn't expect a lifetime commitment. It would be with the understanding that we end our marriage as soon as I can find a job or as soon as the adoption is final, whichever comes first." This sounded reasonable, rational. Morgan would have to see the sense in it.
"Is that the way you'd want it?" he asked.
"I'll resume my career as soon as possible. I have a lot to contribute to oyster research, and the work is important."
"More important than being a Rhett?" he said.
"More important than spending my life going to teas and balls," she retorted.
"I see. When would we be married, according to your plan?" he asked.
"Soon. Whenever you want," she said, forcing herself to sound as though the whole matter was of negligible importance to her.
"We could be married in a few days?"
"Certainly."
"I suppose," Morgan said, "that we could be married as soon as we can arrange a license."
"That would be fine," she said. Her hand of its own volition reached out and tipped the hairs on his arm with one finger, but he didn't respond. Instead he stood and found his shoes on the closet floor, sitting on a low chair to put them on.
"This is most generous of you, but before we compound all the mistakes that have already been made, I'd better consult my attorney," he said at last, standing up and gazing down at her, his expression unreadable.
"Yes," she said. She hoped he would touch her, and she wished he'd kiss her. Their closeness seemed to have evaporated at the very time when she thought he should be happy. She was doing what he wanted, wasn't she? She had agreed to marry him, hadn't she?
Morgan stood in front of the mirror to knot his tie. She watched from the bed as he put on his suit jacket. The wing tips were back, and he looked every bit the upscale executive. He was no longer the loving Morgan who had so tenderly bedded her, or the supportive Morgan who had accompanied her to Preacher's Inlet to confront Willadeen Pribble. He seemed like a Morgan Rhett whom she hardly knew.
"You look ready for business," she told him, forcing a smile.
"Hmm," was all he said. "I wonder where I put my briefcase? Oh, here it is. Well, I'll see you later. I should be back in time for dinner."
"Would you like me to cook something?" she called after him as he hurried down the hall.
She didn't know whether he heard or was merely ignoring her. In a few moments she heard the front door close after him.
* * *
Morgan closeted himself in his office away from the inquisitive eyes of Lavinia and the other women who worked for him. His expression serious, he punched out a series of numbers on his phone.
Tony Saldone was not at the hotel in Maine where Morgan knew he was staying, but Morgan left word with the operator for Tony to call him. While he waited for the phone call, Morgan tried not to think about Kate.
It was impossible to keep her out of his mind. Last night he hadn't been able to get enough of her long legs twining around his, her softly caressing fingers, the unrestrained passion of making love with a woman who was so totally sensual. How she had gone for three years without a man was beyond him.
And now she had agreed to marry him.
After Courtney's coldness, Kate's warmth was like a breath of spring arriving on the heels of a long, miserable winter. The thought of lying in bed beside Kate every night for the rest of his life literally made his heart leap with joy.
But she wanted a divorce as soon as possible.
He paced the length of his office, waiting for the phone to ring. Would Kate marry him if it weren't for the baby?
No. She had made it clear that she didn't love him. Although he could have sworn that during the past few nights, all the time that she was making of herself a splendid gift, all the times that he was throbbing to the beat of her heart, he could have sworn that—
The phone rang and he yanked it out of its cradle.
"Morgan Rhett," he said.
"You won't believe what that Penelope chick told me last night. It's all settled. The FHF will issue a report in a couple of weeks. It exonerates the Sinclair woman from all wrongdoing. Penelope says—"
"You mean Kate will be reinstated at the Northeast Marine Institute?" Morgan said, sinking down onto the chair behind his desk.
"Penelope says it's inevitable. She tells me that the report lambastes the director of the institute and the coworker of Kate's who falsified data, uh, let's see, his name is Mitchell Robbins. It recommends that the director resign and discredits this Robbins fellow."
"And when will news of this become public?" Morgan said faintly.
"Couple of weeks is all I know. I'll stay on the case."
"No," Morgan said. "You can come home now. I don't need to know anything else."
"You're sure about that? I kinda like Maine in the summer. And Penelope is quite—cooperative."
"Come home, Tony. You've earned your pay."
"I'll send you a written report in a few days," Tony said.
When Morgan hung up, he consulted his calendar. In a day or so, he and Kate could be married. It would be a mutually beneficial union—he would support her until she found a job, she would stay married to him until the adoption was final. A neat deal for both of them, and Morgan considered himself a genius at making deals.
But would she still marry him if she knew that her exoneration and reinstatement at the institute were imminent?
Maybe yes. Maybe no.
Which was, in the end, exactly why he decided not to tell her.
* * *
Kate had dinner waiting when he got back to Teoway Island. He kissed her, a lukewarm kind of kiss, and when she speared him with a quizzical look, he made some excuse about getting out of his suit and putting on more comfortable clothes. He then fled to the bedroom.
It was hard to face Kate knowing what he did about her job situation. It was going to be difficult not to tell her, but somewhere in the back of his mind was the notion that if she married him, they'd be so happy that she wouldn't leave him. She would stay on after the baby was born and give up her idea of resuming a career that, as far as she knew, was defunct.
He didn't broach the subject until after dinner when they were relaxing on the deck, her feet pillowed in his lap so he could massage them. Kate leaned back, one arm around the globe of her belly, the other behind her head. She toyed with a strand of fine golden hair, and he felt a lump in his throat just looking at her. She was so lovely and precious to him.
Didn't she know that he couldn't help being in love with her? Didn't she love him just a little?
He cleared his throat. "I checked into a marriage license today. We can be married on Friday," he said.
"Where?" she asked, turning her face toward him.
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