As Max watched, the skiff came catastrophically close to a sandbar at full tilt. Amando stopped celebrating long enough to reach and cut the throttle. The boat stalled. The woman hugged him. Amando allowed it. Max stared.
He couldnt see much of herthey were at a distance nowbut he did note that she had a pretty fantastic body and a great deal of hair. To the best of his calculations, this made the third new arrival on Brunhia this week. None of the visitors seemed to be Portuguese. This womans copious curls were as blond and bright as the sun.
Something was going on up at the big house. Max didnt like the feel of it. His isolated, nobody-knows-about-it Utopia was being invaded.
The thought depressed the hell out of him. Max went below for another cup of coffee before dealing with the rooster.
When the boat stopped rocking enough that she no longer needed to grip the rim of the dashboard in white-knuckled hands, Honey planted those hands on her hips and let her gaze roll over the coastline. Brunhia was not even remotely what she had expected. She did not spy anything resembling a hot European lover moving along the rugged beach.
What had gotten into Marcus anyway? Why in the world would he choose to get married here? Maybe it had something to do with the new voodoo-gened siblings hed found.
Getting here had been an exercise in the damned-near-impossible, she thought. Shed flown into Lisbon last night and had caught a shuttle flight into Portimao. From there everything had gone to hell in awell, a sea skiff. This little guy, Amando, had come to the hotel looking for her at six-thirty this morning. An hour lateran hour that shed had to beg forhed tossed her luggage into his boat to bring her to Marcuss hideaway.
The ride had turned out to be a kick though. Halfway into the three-mile span of gulf that separated Brunhia from the mainland, shed convinced Amando to let her take the wheel. Hed kept his hands on it along with hers, of course, especially as theyd gotten closer to the island. Rocha! Rocha! hed yelled. Rock! Rock! Shed managed to miss them and a few sandbars and shoals as well. When theyd gotten clear of the worst of it, hed let go of the wheel to cheer.
The boat finally bobbed to something close to a standstill in the current and Honey turned on one hip to grin at Amando. Thanks. That was a great time.
You are very bonito. How I say no?
His English was choppy but she caught his meaning. Beautiful? Her nose was a tad too long and shed spent twenty-three years aching for straight hair, but shed take the compliment. Thanks.
No one ever my boat ride say great!
No one likes your boat ride? Then they need to lighten up. Which brings to mind a question.
Voce esta pensando de umo pergunta?
Whoa. Hold the thought, amigo. She dug her English-Portuguese dictionary out of the back pocket of her favorite vermilion shorts. For the first time in her life, she blessed the Spanish classes she was forced to take in high school. Though Portuguese was a bit different, it was essentially close. Say again?
Amando repeated himself and she flipped pages.
Ah, gotcha. Yes, I am thinking of a question. She flipped more pages until she thought she had the translation straight to get her point across. With any luck, she wasnt asking for cheese on the moon. O que esta la fazer ao vedor para o divertimento aqui? What is there to do for fun around here?
The senhora would like fun?
Fun! Yes! Fun!
He began laughing so hard it was entirely possible he might wet his pants. The concept of fun on Brunhia was apparently hysterical. This, Honey thought, was not a good sign. I changed my mind. I want to go home.
And then, for reasons beyond her, she felt compelled to look over her shoulder. It was a substantial, physical pull, like warm fingers gripping the back of her neck. When she did, she saw him. Her Portuguese lover. Made to order.
He was standing on the deck of the boat shed noticed coming in, the Sea Change. She was too far away to see his face, but his black hair gleamed in the sun and he had what looked to be very decent pecs. There were a few other nice parts and pieces of him, too. She could tell because he appeared to be wearing blue-and-red plaid boxer shorts.
Amando stopped laughing long enough to get a pole from the bottom of the craft. He stuck it overboard, using it to pull them closer to the shore. Honey felt the little bump that told her they were beached.
You can jump, senhora, no? Salto? Amando pantomimed his intent.
You betcha. Honey climbed up onto the bow, gathered herself and leaped. She cleared the shore line with inches to spare, then she planted her hands on her hips again and looked around.
There was a rutted dirt road straight ahead, trees crowding it tightly as though to protect it from trespassers. To her left, about an eighth of a mile down the beach, were several cabins of aged wood. They hugged the tree line and, though the day was warm, one of the chimneys belched smoke that smelled of fish, though not unpleasantly. Bayberry bushes crowded the fronts and sides of many of the dwellings.
Down the other way, five or six kids splashed naked in the surf. A woman with long inky hair sat on the sand, her knees drawn up, her dark skirt pooled around her thighs. Every once in a while she shielded her eyes to count heads. The sun was turning the water to a million shifting, glaring diamonds.
Honey was inclined to admit that it was beautiful. Primitive, but beautiful. Then she heard a creaking sound coming from the direction of the road and her gaze snapped that way.
Marcus!
Honey hooted and ran for him. He sat on the plank seat of a mule-drawn wagon and as she approached, one of the mules flattened his ears. Marcus cautiously reined the team in and jumped down. Honey, for Gods sake, Ive got no idea how these beasts react to
It was all he got out before she leaped at him. He braced himself and wrapped his arms around her and Honey peppered his face with kisses.
Well, he said, setting her down. Hello to you, too.
Its been forever! Tell me everything.
I already did. In my letter.
Honey looped her arm through his and led him back toward the cart. That wasnt everything. That was my real parents were part of a government experiment and I have at least one other sister. By the way, Im not entirely sure how I feel about that.
Trust me, Honey. No one can top you. He lifted her into the wagon. Youll like Gretchen. Shes here. Her husband owns part of the island.
Honey shifted her weight a little to make sure she wasnt going to get any splinters in her backside. That would put a damper on what she was starting to consider as her Portuguese Plan. She glanced back at the sailboat anchored offshore, but the man had gone below deck now. Well, she said, looking around at the wagon, her hubby must be loaded. Were really traveling in style here.
Your sarcasm hasnt waned with the months. Marcus went down to the beach for the luggage, which Amando had deposited on the sand, then he returned to the wagon and took up the reins again. They started moving with a little jolt.
No way to get cars over here, he explained. A ship large enough to carry one cant get close enough to shore because of all the shoals out there.
She didnt particularly care. She wanted to talk about what really interested her. So was this Gretchen hatched in a test tube, too?
You didnt read my letter.
Sure I did. Im here, arent I?
You skimmed it on your way to do something designed to turn Moms hair grayer.
Only the first time. The second time I read it.
If you had, youd know that my real parents were as human as you and me.
Honey glanced sideways at him. No offense, bro, but the jurys still out on you. You said they tinkered a bit with your genes.
They did.
Okay, Ill bite. Go ahead and change shape or something.
If you insist. He stopped the wagon and left it again.
Honey watched him walk off the road. There was a good-sized boulder over there, tucked into the trees. As she watched, he squatted, braced himselfand lifted it.
Whoa, she whispered. This was weird.
Marcus came back to the wagon.
Have you always been able to do that?
More or less.
Why didnt I know about it before this?
I just felt more comfortable keeping it to myself.
So what does it mean to me? Honey demanded.
He tucked his chin and looked down his nose at herwhich was difficult to do, she thought, given that she was perched high in the wagon. Honey, not everything in this world revolves around you. Stay out of it.
If you wanted me to stay out of it, then you shouldnt have told me.
I had an obligation to tell you. Several people connected to all this are going to be on the island this week. I decided the best way to handle that was to tell you the truth and advise you in the strongest possible terms to keep your nose to yourself.
Honey frowned. Do Mom and Dad know? What about Drew?
I told Mom and Dad. I asked them to pass it on to Drew.
So, Honey thought, things remained a little tense there between her brothers. Is he coming to the wedding?
Sam sent him an invitation. He picked up the reins and they started up the road.
Honey sighed and crossed her arms over her breasts. I want to know more about your voodoo genes.
No.
Thats cruel. What you did with that rock was just aa tease. Then she thought, More of the same. God forbid anyone in this family should ever trust me to have a reasonably working brain cell in my head.
He shot her his eyebrows-in-the-clouds look. Something bothering you?
No.
Marcus heaved a sigh. Honey, if you want to be taken seriously, then maybe stop getting arrested.
Her spine shot straight. I was arrested once. And it was for a good cause.
Twice. You got snagged drinking in that bar in Miami when you were only seventeen. And if the good cause youre referring to is the circus-animal fiasco, I doubt the beasts had any idea that you were rushing to their defense.
Those PETA people are idiots. They were my cause. I was trying to prove a point.
By riding a horse through their picket lines? Marcus laughed.
I got their attention.
It landed your tush in jail.
Only for a few hours. And it was worth it. Just because an animal is kept in a stall or a cage doesnt mean hes being mistreated. Hey, if horses had any brains theyd be lining up for the opportunity to live at Conover Pointe in Dads barn.
True. Im just saying
Suddenly, she forgot about PETA. She sat forward to look around him to the view on the other side of the wagon. Whats that? She pointed.
Marcus glanced over his left shoulder. The marble quarry.
Oh, of course. How silly of me not to have recognized that.
He gave the grin that shed watched bring women to their knees time and again over the years. Kurts uncle bought this land for its marble, he said. He pretty much mined it out, then he died and left the whole kit and caboodle to Kurt.
And Kurt would be
Gretchens husband.
My sister competition.
He grinned a little wider. Trust me, you dont want to get into any competitions with her. At least nothing that involves hieroglyphics, signs or symbols.
Are you doing it again? Knocking my smarts?
Jeez, Honey! Im just saying! I was coded to do things like lifting that rock back there. Gretchen was engineered to be brilliant with encryptions.
Honey got a queasy feeling in her stomach again. When shed first read the letter, it had all sounded rather cool. But, she thought again, this was really pretty off the wall. Let me get this straight. Our government created you guys with specialpowers.
He hesitated, then apparently decided he could tell her that much. More or less.
Are you human?
Marcus grunted. Of course Im human!
Who were your parents exactly?
VioletOh, no you dont.
Honey lifted her brows innocently. I dont what?
Youre trying to snoop more information out of me.
Busted. I never snoop. Im very direct.
He guided the mules around a bend in the road. Honey, trouble follows you like a retrievers tail, wagging all over the place and knocking into everything it gets close to. Ill be damned if Im going to let you anywhere near this situation. Besides, you talk too much.
I do not.
How many people have you told about my letter?
None. Okay, one, she thought. Shed let Naeve read it, but that wasnt actually the same as telling her.
Honey took a different approach. Guess this has Mom and Dad pretty whacked. Her father was military-rigid. Her mother waswell, exactly what the family had spent twenty-three years trying to mold Honey intoa woman who sat still, looked beautiful, knew her place and was content to be doted on. Sarah Evans did not do well with the unusual and the unorthodox.
They came within view of the house. The old marble maven had had a wee bit of taste, Honey thought, their classy chassis notwithstanding. The place was magnificently huge, of weathered wood with six chimneys jutting from the roof. There was nothing so grand as a pillared entry, but there were six sets of windows to either side of the front door, at least on the second floor. They were somewhat more spare downstairs. There was a widows walk at the top with a small, dome-like area tucked inside it. There were windows on that as well.
My, my, she said.
By tomorrow night, it will be jam-packed, Marcus warned. There are six bedrooms but weve allotted all of them, what with people coming in for the wedding.
Ill make it easy on you and take that little room up top there.
The bell room? What would you want with that?
&
nbsp; A bell, she thought, intrigued. What did the old guy need a bell for?
Im not sure. Maybe to call his people in from the quarries. Marcus guided the wagon around the house.
There were several outbuildings behind it, including a long garage-like thing with four bay doors that she already knew didnt contain anything with four tires and a steering wheel. There were also a small, windowless hut and two neat cabins. Marcus reined the mules in near the garage. He got out and hefted her luggage from the back of the wagon.
Come on. I want to get you settled so you can meet Sam.
A smarmy feeling hit her gut as Honey hopped off the wagon, all swimming and sweet. Marcus with a wife, she thought. Who would have believed it? Hed always been so driventhough in some measure, she knew that it had been his way of trying to outshine Drew. All the same, it hadnt left him a lot of time for romance.
She definitely wanted to meet this Samantha, Honey thought. She followed him up a cobbled brick walkway, back toward the front of the house. How did you find her?
Doesnt matter.
Doesnt matter? It had something to do with his super genes then, she decided. That was a little too vague for a man who was about to be married.
They went in through wide, double oaken doors and into an immense hallway that ran the length of the house. Not the depth of the house, she thought, but the length. Side-to-side. Different, she thought. Very quirky. She liked it and let out a quick peal of laughter.
Yeah, Marcus agreed, following her gaze. Come on, Ill show you your room.
There was no central staircase. What the house did have were corner stairs, tucked into the east and west ends of the front of the housewinding, circular things that delighted her. They went up and entered a corridor on the second floor much like the one on the first. It ran side-to-side, but up here, at least, there was a bisecting corridor.
Marcus led her to a door and Honey balked. No, I meant it. I want that bell room. She had every intention of seducing that Portuguese Lothario out on the boat. She needed to keep herself as separate from her family as possible. I like my solitude.
Family Secrets: Books 5-8 Page 47