Serenity Harbor

by RaeAnne Thayne

  After Wynnie’s wedding, she had faced the grim truth that she was falling for Bowie. She recognized all the signs in herself.

  So much for her good intentions, her plans to remain cool and friendly but casual.

  Every morning, she woke up with a little kick in her chest at the idea that she would probably see him for a few moments in the kitchen when he would hurry in—freshly showered, clean-shaven, smelling so delicious she wanted to nuzzle against him. He would grab a coffee, talk to Milo for a few moments, give her a polite greeting and then hurry to the office. It usually lasted all of ten minutes, but her pulse would race for much longer.

  It was thoroughly ridiculous, and she knew it.

  Now they wouldn’t be able to avoid being together for at least a few hours.

  “Oh, this is going to be so much fun!” McKenzie exclaimed. “The perfect evening. I can’t wait!”

  Though she knew it was foolish and would probably only add to her heartbreak when she left, Katrina had to admit she felt the same.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  AS THE AFTERNOON wore on and she and Milo returned home, Katrina tried not to check her inbox on her smartphone, which was now dry and working, but it was becoming increasingly clear that she would not receive an email response from Angel Herrera that day.

  Considering it was late Friday afternoon and he had already demonstrated over the last several months that he never checked email on weekends, odds were good she wouldn’t hear from him that day.

  If he didn’t respond by Monday, she told herself, she would start calling him nonstop until he spoke with her and told her the truth about what was happening with the adoption proceedings.

  Aware she could do nothing about that particular problem from thousands of miles away, she tried to focus on Milo and his excitement about the coming boat ride. It didn’t help her mental state that the very thing that had him vibrating off the walls was yet another source of anxiety for her.

  “Bo?” Milo said.

  Was he saying boat this time or Bo? She couldn’t quite tell.

  She looked up from the fruit she was chopping to the clock on the microwave of the kitchen. “He should be here soon,” she said.

  He had texted her an hour ago that he would be home before six so they could meet Kenzie and Ben. She couldn’t tell by the terse text if he was annoyed at having plans made for him by two interfering women.

  “Okay, I’m done with the strawberries. Do you want to add them to our salad?”

  Milo nodded and climbed back on the chair next to the work island. With his tongue held between his teeth, he scooped the strawberries gingerly into the bowl that already held pineapple, kiwi and sliced bananas.

  Just as he spooned the last of the fruit into the bowl, she heard the unmistakable sound of the garage door opening.

  “Bo!” Milo said.

  “Yes. That’s Bo.”

  With that same ridiculous anticipation zinging through her, she hurried to finish the salad, adding the final ingredients just as he walked in.

  “Hi,” he said.

  Her heartbeat seemed to accelerate to what were probably unhealthy levels. “Hello,” she greeted him.

  “Bo,” Milo said.

  “Hey, kiddo.” He walked in and rubbed Milo’s head, a gesture the boy tolerated more easily than hugs and warm embraces.

  He gazed into the bowl. “That looks good.”

  “I hope so. It sounded refreshing for a summer night.”

  “I guess we’re going on a boat ride.”

  Why did he have to be so darn gorgeous and smell so good? She would have a much easier time being casual and friendly and distant if he didn’t punch every single one of her yum buttons.

  “I’m sorry,” she said, then cleared her throat so her voice didn’t squeak like a thirteen-year-old boy’s. “I never meant to push you into it. I only mentioned to McKenzie that Milo would love a ride sometime and, well, you know how she is. Hurricane McKenzie. She kind of took the idea and ran with it.”

  “It’s fine. I did mention it to Ben after we talked about it a while ago, but both of us have been slammed.”

  “Milo’s looking forward to it, aren’t you?”

  “Boat,” the boy pronounced, enunciating the T in an exaggerated way as they had practiced all afternoon.

  Bowie’s eyebrows rose. “That sounded great. Can you say it again?”

  Milo complied, looking pleased with himself.

  “Good work.”

  “He’s been trying hard,” she said. “Milo is a little excited for the boat ride, if you can’t tell.”

  “That’s the important thing.” Bowie smiled and held his hand up in a fist. After a moment, Milo tucked in his fingers and bumped his brother’s much larger hand, and Katrina felt like they’d both fist-bumped her heart.

  Oh, she was in trouble.

  How was she going to make it through the next few days without completely falling hard for both of the Callahan brothers? She had no idea. She only knew she had to try.

  * * *

  “I CAN’T BELIEVE you’ve been here for two months and I still haven’t taken you out on the Delphine,” Ben said, shaking his head. “She’s a beauty, isn’t she?”

  “Stunning,” Bowie agreed. “I’ll admit, I didn’t quite catch the vision a few years ago when you started looking for a Killy, but I’m starting to understand now. This is a piece of art.”

  “My family knew how to build boats, that’s for sure.”

  Ben rubbed a hand over the glossy wooden surface in front of him, and Bowie couldn’t help thinking how different his friend looked out here. He was relaxed and lighthearted and happy, worlds away from the focused, serious, borderline obsessive-compulsive guy he was until a few years ago.

  Back then, Bowie never would have guessed Ben might seem completely comfortable behind the controls of a sleek, elegant wooden boat on a lovely Idaho summer evening.

  As the boat glided smoothly over the wake from another boat, Bowie shifted his gaze to the back of the boat, where Katrina and McKenzie sat on either side of Milo like lovely bookends, one blonde and one dark-haired.

  Bowie had no doubt who deserved credit for the changes in Ben over the last few years. McKenzie seemed to have helped Ben learn to slow down and enjoy his life more.

  “It’s a great legacy,” Bowie said now. “You must be proud.”

  Ben looked amused. “I don’t know about a legacy, great or otherwise. The Kilpatricks knew how to build boats. Let’s leave it at that.”

  From hints Ben had dropped over the years—not to mention the fact that he’d once sold Aidan all his family holdings in Haven Point for a song—Bowie knew his friend’s memories of this place hadn’t always been pleasant. It was rather remarkable that he could seem to be so at peace here now.

  “I appreciate you finding the time for this. I know you’re as busy as I am when you’re in town.”

  Ben still supervised the varied Caine Tech operations across the Pacific Northwest and California and traveled a great deal. Like Aidan, he now used Haven Point as home base and flew in and out with regularity.

  “If you want the truth, I’m grateful to Milo for giving me an excuse to get her out. It’s been too long.”

  They both glanced again toward the back of the boat, where Milo had his face lifted to the wind and his eyes closed, as if memorizing every sensation. Funny, but he seemed as at peace as Ben did out here.

  “He loves it,” Ben commented.

  Bowie felt a funny ache in his chest as he looked at this little boy he still felt like he barely knew finding such joy in a simple moment.

  “Yeah. He does,” Bowie said.

  “If you decide you want one, let me know. I’ve got connections now in the wooden boat restoration wo
rld.”

  “I’ll think about it,” he answered.

  That seemed like a huge commitment, way more than he was prepared to take on right now. He was still trying to figure out what to do with Milo. On the other hand, this could be a good way for the two of them to connect, especially after Katrina left.

  “Seems like a no-brainer to me, especially since you’ve got a private dock there in Serenity Harbor that most boat owners would kill to own.”

  What would he do with a boat if he ended up not living here in Haven Point for much longer? Or if the autism specialist arrived and decided Milo might benefit more from a boarding school somewhere?

  He hadn’t completely discounted that possibility for his brother, as much as he disliked thinking about it. If Debra Peters thought Milo would thrive in a residential treatment school, maybe he owed it to his brother to try it out.

  “I’ll think about it,” he repeated.

  Ben appeared to accept that as they headed for the north end of the lake. A few moments later, he gestured to Bowie. “Here. Take over.”

  “What? Now?” He tried not to let shock show on his features.

  “Yeah. Just while I grab a beer. Try not to hit anybody else. There are a bunch of idiots on the water this time of year who don’t know what they’re doing.”

  Um. He happened to be one of those idiots right now. He had rarely even been on a boat, forget about driving one. But how would he ever decide if he wanted one of his own if he never gave it a shot?

  Ben didn’t give him an option, anyway, he just got up and moved to the back of the boat toward the others and the cooler they had stowed aboard.

  Somehow Bowie managed to negotiate around a few fishing boats and a hot-rodder on a personal watercraft until Ben returned and handed him a beer.

  “Sweet, isn’t she?” Ben asked.

  “She is, indeed.”

  For the rest of the ride, he tried to emulate his brother and simply enjoy the ride until they returned back to Ben and McKenzie’s house on Redemption Bay as the setting sun was sending orange and pink rays across the water.

  Milo complained a little about having to get off the boat, but McKenzie seemed to know just the trick to persuade him.

  “We have steaks and hot dogs to grill,” she said. “Is there anyone here who might like some?”

  Milo raised his hand instantly, making the rest of them smile. Yes, he might have autism, but he was a six-year-old boy first.

  He was even more excited when McKenzie went to the back door of the house and opened it for the two dogs, who were clamoring to come out and join them on the terrace.

  Both dogs headed straight for Milo, who actually giggled as they licked at him, a sound Bowie had rarely heard from him.

  “Better add a dog to that wish list,” Ben said.

  Katrina had been telling him the same thing, that his brother adored dogs and would probably thrive with a pet of his own. That was another thought that completely overwhelmed him right now.

  “A boat and a dog? You don’t think I have enough to worry about, with a new brother, a new job and a new house?”

  “You’d be surprised at how quickly a guy can adapt to a different way of looking at the world.”

  Not that surprised, he thought a short time later as Ben grilled steaks and Katrina and McKenzie bustled around setting dishes out on the tablecloth Ben’s wife threw over their patio table. He was already seeing the world differently than he had before that phone call informing him about Milo. He stood at the water’s edge, keeping a careful eye on his brother, who was beginning to tire after his long day. Bowie could only hope they would make it through dinner.

  He turned back to look at the scene and saw Katrina laugh at something McKenzie said. Her hair seemed to gleam like silky gold in the sunset, and Bowie was aware of an odd feeling curling through him.

  Contentment, he realized. It all felt so...normal. Two couples, a pair of dogs and a kid, enjoying a beautiful summer evening beside a mountain lake.

  Except one of those couples wasn’t a couple at all. Katrina wasn’t his. She had made it clear she didn’t want to be.

  Just like that, the feeling of peace shredded like a piece of paper caught in the propeller of Ben’s boat. She was leaving in a handful of days. Every time he thought about it, he wanted to pound his fist into a tree.

  “That’s quite a ferocious look.” McKenzie came up beside him and held out a plate full of appetizers that looked like mini tacos. “Is everything okay?”

  Nothing was okay. His life had been spinning out of his control since the day he stepped foot in Haven Point. He picked up one of the appetizers to give himself a moment to answer.

  “Sure,” he lied. “Everything’s great. Why wouldn’t it be?”

  “You’ve had a lot of life changes in a short time. It can’t be easy for you.”

  Obviously she didn’t have the same suck-it-up-and-deal philosophy as her husband when it came to adjusting to major life changes.

  “We’re figuring things out, a little at a time.” What else could he do?

  “Are you enjoying Haven Point?”

  “Is that an official inquiry, Mayor Kilpatrick?”

  “No. I’m asking as a friend who genuinely cares about you and wants you to be happy. I know some of the Caine Tech transplants from the city have a hard time adjusting to the quieter pace here in Haven Point.”

  “I like the quiet,” he said and was a little surprised to realize it was true.

  “Katrina and Milo seem to get along,” McKenzie observed. “She’s great with him. I’ve enjoyed watching them together.”

  He didn’t want to talk about Katrina—not when the thought of not having her in their lives left him feeling gutted.

  “I don’t know what we would have done without her the last few weeks,” he said. His voice came out a little gruffer than he expected, which earned him an odd, intense look from McKenzie. He had to hope his tangled emotions about her weren’t evident on his features.

  Milo chose that moment to run over to Katrina to show her something he must have found by the lake. Bowie couldn’t hear what they said, but he saw Katrina’s smile and the complete trust his brother had in her.

  McKenzie must have seen it, too. “What will happen when she goes back to Colombia next week? Are you worried about how your brother will handle it?”

  With every single breath. “Yeah,” he said, unable to clear that gruffness away. “That will be one more change we’ll have to deal with, right?”

  “With any luck, it won’t take long to wrap up the adoption and she’ll be back in Haven Point before we know it.”

  “Right.” He wished he could find the same peace in the thought as McKenzie did.

  “I hope the adoption doesn’t take much longer. It’s been such a long, frustrating process. Kat has thrown everything into providing a home for this little girl—all her emotional strength and financial resources. That girl never does things in half measure. I really hope she doesn’t end up getting her heart broken by the whole thing.”

  “How would she?”

  “If she can’t untangle all the red tape, you know? She loves Gabriela already. It’s obvious in the way she talks about her and how pleased she is to show off Gabi’s pictures. After all her effort, Kat would be devastated if the adoption fell through. She would probably see it as one more failure.”

  “A failure of the system, you mean. How could it be hers?”

  “She’ll see it that way. Trust me.”

  “You’ve been friends a long time.”

  McKenzie gazed over at Katrina and Milo, now throwing a ball back and forth while the dogs raced between them in glee.

  “I was friends with Wyn first. She has been one of my best friends since I came to Haven Point in grade scho
ol. Kat is a few years younger than we are, but she was always skipping after us, wanting to play. She was so cute—small, freckled, with a big gap-toothed smile and blond braids. We were all a little protective of her.”

  “Why? Because of her seizures?”

  Surprise flashed across her features. “She told you about those? That’s usually a forbidden subject.”

  “Yes. She mentioned them.”

  “I think she would much rather forget that time in her life ever existed,” McKenzie said, her eyes still wide with surprise. “Having epilepsy always set her a little apart—and being different can be tough when you’re a kid.”

  Like Bowie, McKenzie sounded like she had learned that lesson through bitter experience. Bowie could relate.

  “Her seizures could be terrifying. They would come out of nowhere and could be violent and intense. She missed a lot of school, so she was always behind, and other kids made fun of her for that. I don’t think some of her teachers were very patient with her either. Kat pretended it didn’t bother her, but of course it must have.”

  His heart ached as he imagined her, adorable and sweet and desperate to belong. He could absolutely relate. As they moved from place to place, school to school, he had tried so hard to fit in.

  “That’s one of the reasons Wyn always let her hang out with us. Though I’ve never asked her and thus have no proof, I also think it goes a long way toward explaining why Katrina became a teacher. She is passionate about all her students, but especially those with learning challenges. She won’t tolerate a hint of bullying in her classroom, and she always stayed late to tutor anybody who might have trouble with the course work.”

  Bo wanted to tell McKenzie to stop talking. He didn’t need more excuses to fall hard for the dedicated, wonderful woman who had seen the possibilities within his brother when everyone else saw only challenges.

  “I also think that’s one reason she’s dated so many losers,” McKenzie confided, glancing around to make sure Katrina hadn’t wandered within earshot.

  He really didn’t need to hear this, Bowie thought, but he couldn’t seem to prevent himself from asking the follow-up question.