Island Heat: Love Is Forever: The Templetons

by Rebecca Day

  Wyatt sat cross-legged, his hands holding the mug, which rested lightly on his lap. His mind began to relax and so did his muscles. His private, morning time might be called, "meditation," to others, but he was only doing what came naturally. This was what kept him sane, kept him centered. Answers to problems came to him during these times. His temper was soothed, and his body refreshed.

  He sat awhile like this, putting life into a healthy perspective, and he began to feel at peace with himself, again.

  His state was almost dreamlike, and when he first saw her, he thought he had indeed fallen asleep and was dreaming, but after a while, he realized it was no dream. Wyatt was woken out of his thoughts by the vision of Janie in the lagoon, swimming near him.

  His initial resentment at the invasion was replaced by admiration for her swimming. She seemed a natural in the water. Even athletic swimmers sometimes couldn't swim outside of a pool in an open current. She was doing fine, like she had been doing this all her life, but Wyatt knew that she was raised in the Midwest, as he was.

  He wondered if she, like he, had swum in the many lakes in the area, pretending it was a faraway ocean or sea.

  Janie suddenly stopped swimming. Her head bobbed up, and she waved to Wyatt. Before he could think, he waved back. Why did he have to go and do that? Now she was swimming right towards him. She stopped when she hit the shallow part and walked slowly and deliberately out of the water.

  Wyatt felt his jaw drop uncontrollably. Against his will, he felt a stirring inside him. Janie was wearing a relatively modest one-piece bathing suit, but he was still jarred by the sight of her. Surely he had seen all types of bikinis on Hawaii's beaches, but on Janie's body, it didn't matter what suit she wore. She was stunning. Wyatt found himself ogling her strong shoulders and back, her long, shapely legs, and everything in between that was so nicely outlined in spandex.

  Janie smiled sheepishly but walked right by him. Wyatt turned and saw that she was heading for a towel not two feet from where he was seated. He hadn't noticed it before. She quickly tied it around herself and then pulled her hair out of a ponytail. It fell down her back and gathered at her waist. Wyatt found that his mouth was still agape. Embarrassed, he closed it and turned back around.

  Janie came and sat down next to him. He could feel the warmth from her body, and he quickly took a sip of his coffee, as if to cool off.

  "I see you found the coffee I made," Janie said. "Good. I hope you don't mind me using your Kona. It's always been my favorite kind of coffee."

  "Oh, yes," Wyatt stumbled over her words. "I mean, no. I don't mind you using it. I don't use it every day because it really packs a wallop of caffeine."

  Janie smiled. "Yeah, so I noticed. I took a sip and just had to go for a swim."

  "Well, thanks a lot for making the coffee. It was a welcome sight this morning. I'm not used to having a woman around the house."

  "So I noticed," Janie said, almost under her breath.

  Wyatt arched an eyebrow but decided to let the remark slip. "By the way, don't let the early hours fool you. Hawaii is Sunscreen Central. You'll get a horrible burn without it."

  "Oh, don't worry. I slathered on 50spf before I went in the water."

  "Good. Good." Wyatt realized he was staring into her eyes again and tried to tear himself away but couldn't. "I suppose you will be joining me later with the dolphins," he said.

  Janie's eyes brightened. "Oh, yes, just as soon as I go get my gear."

  "I like your enthusiastic attitude," he said, generously.

  "It has always been my dream to work with dolphins," she said in explanation. "And I've been studying your work for years."

  Wyatt was taken back in surprise but still cautious. "So, you've been working for the government, looking into my work for years?"

  "Oh, no," Janie shook her head. "I have studied YOU," She pointed dramatically at him, and he laughed. "On my own because I think you're the best there is."

  "You sure know how to get on my good side, Janie."

  "Well, I hope so," she said, looking a little too long, a little too deeply, into Wyatt's eyes.

  "Um, what sorts of things were you planning to do while you're here?" he asked, changing the subject.

  Janie's face turned serious. "Please just go about your business as usual, and think of me as an assistant."

  Wyatt tried to remain patient. "Yes, but what is your purpose? I didn't request an assistant."

  Janie looked down, contemplating a bit and then answered bravely. "I have been requested not to discuss my mission, Wyatt. My work is confidential."

  Wyatt felt that now familiar rage building in him, but he tried to keep a calm demeanor. "Fine, then," he said. "If you are my assistant, meet me at the dolphin pen, and be ready to work." Wyatt got up abruptly and marched off, leaving Janie sitting on the sand, alone.

  Janie had never had a conversation so confusing, so filled with conflicting emotions. Wyatt seemed to really like her, seemed friendly, and then he would just turn on her. He always left her feeling emotionally exhausted.

  She was so embarrassed when she realized that he had been watching her swim. She still wasn't comfortable being seen in a bathing suit, even though she knew that was just ridiculous and infantile. She cringed when she thought back to her diving for the towel. She couldn't get it around herself fast enough. Wyatt's eyes seemed to bore right through her, studying every inch of her. At first, she thought it was attraction, but now she wasn't so sure. Maybe he was sizing her up for different reasons – because he disliked her and disliked having her on his turf.

  Oh, well, she thought and stood up. "Just get to work and don't try to think too much about Wyatt Templeton," she said aloud.

  Janie walked quickly back to the house, anxious to get to work and prove her worth. She decided to hold off on taking a shower until the evening because she would most likely swim again in the lagoon, and she would definitely get hot and sweaty through the day.

  She opened the second drawer in her armoire, and pulled out some sturdy, khaki shorts. Then, she slipped on some sandals. She picked up a couple of bags of supplies (laptop, paper, camera, etc…), and she was done. She thought about her usual work attire and smiled. This was much better than pantyhose, a suit, and pumps every day!

  Janie returned outside, back to the lagoon, but this time to the enclosure. She had peeked earlier that morning and was very impressed. The dolphins had a vast area to themselves. It was the last step before they were set free. Janie felt another boost of excitement. She couldn’t believe that she would be part of this wonderful experiment.

  As the lagoon came into view, Janie spied Wyatt standing on the edge of the dock, looking down, obviously looking at his dolphins. Janie decided to watch a little while. Even though it wasn’t entirely ethical to spy like this, she had an overwhelming desire to see how Wyatt worked, and since he was so cold and distant when she was around, she thought this might be her only chance.

  Wyatt was still wearing only his swimming trunks. Janie couldn’t help but notice his muscular build. His chest was very wide and defined, like a swimmer’s, and his abs were the definition of washboard.

  All of a sudden Wyatt dove into the water. Janie creeped forward a little to see better. About 10 dolphins surrounded Wyatt, and they seemed to communicate with him.

  After a moment, they started to swim together. Sometimes they would pull Wyatt; sometimes they would give him a ride on their backs. Other times they would just swim together freestyle. No wonder Wyatt had a swimmer’s body, she thought. This was some workout.

  It was the most beautiful workout she had ever seen. It was akin to a lovely water ballet, something out of Janie’s realm of imagination. The dolphins seemed to treat Wyatt like one of their own, and it was if he understood their every movement and gesture.

  The Project was more than just work to Wyatt, Janie now understood. This was family.

  Janie ventured out to the edge of the dock. She had a wonderful view from there and
could really see the affection between man and dolphin. Janie wondered how this obviously sensitive and talented man could be the same man who had been so rude to her since her arrival.

  It was Janie’s turn to surprise Wyatt. He stopped swimming suddenly when he saw her. He nodded but continued with the dolphins. Janie sat down on the pier with her legs dangling off the edge. Up this close, she could tell that Wyatt wasn’t simply swimming with the dolphins, but he was attempting to get them to socialize with each other. The dolphins had come from different marine parks throughout the country, and Janie had read how they were antagonistic towards each other. Wyatt was obviously trying to turn them into a family unit.

  After a while, Wyatt climbed up onto the pier. “I see you made it. Well, you better make yourself useful. These dolphins are hungry. Do you think you can manage it?”

  “Yes, of course,” Janie said, standing up.

  “I have vitamized some fish. They’re in the red bucket over there.” Wyatt pointed. “You must make sure that each and every dolphin gets one and only one of these vitamized fish. It will be a good way for you to learn to tell them apart.” Janie gulped. They all looked alike to her.

  Wyatt saw the anxiety on her face and took it a little slower. “It’s easy. There’s a list with all the dolphins’ names and their distinguishing marks. For example,” He gently took Janie’s arm in one hand and with the other pointed towards a dolphin. “That’s Jethro. Not only is he the biggest, but he has a scar next to his blowhole. See on the list? ‘Jethro: sickle scar near blowhole.’ Got it?” he asked, looking down at her.

  “Yes, I think so,” Janie said meekly.

  Wyatt took her hand in his. “Janie, when in doubt, ask me. We can’t afford many mistakes around here. But you can take it slow.” Wyatt smiled, making Janie feel greatly relieved.

  He went about his business. Janie grabbed on to the list with one hand and the bucket of fish in the other. There were seventeen dolphins, according to the list. Slowly, Janie found the first on the list: Jethro. Wyatt had already pointed him out; so, he was pretty easy, but with all the other hungry dolphins, it was nerve-wracking making sure he and only he got the fish.

  Janie was on her third dolphin when she became acutely aware of the hot sun on her head. As if he was reading her mind, Wyatt was at her side with a wide-brimmed hat. He handed it to her, wordlessly, and they continued on with their work.

  It seemed like an eternity later when Janie finally finished her morning chore. She looked down at her watch and almost jumped back when she saw the time: 12:30. “Yes, it’s time for lunch.” Wyatt brushed by her and started for the house. “I hope Keiko made something good today. I’m ravenous.”

  Janie saw him go past. She dropped the empty bucket and raced ahead. “Oh, no, Wyatt Templeton,” she called behind her. “I’m making lunch today.” Before Wyatt could protest, Janie was in the door.

  In the kitchen, Janie opened the refrigerator and was a little disheartened to see the contents. She would definitely have to make a trip to the supermarket. There wasn’t a lot here, but she had done fine with worse. She was sure that she could whip something up in a jiffy. One thing was certain; she was not going to make fish. She had had enough of fish this morning. There were still scales encrusted on her hands, even after she had carefully washed up before starting lunch.

  Janie could feel Wyatt pacing behind her. “Lunch in 15 minutes,” she called out to mollify him.

  “Please don’t do anything fancy. We just eat whatever, normally.”

  Janie laughed. “You sound worried. I like to eat, too, you know. Don’t worry. After my morning, I’m not in the mood to do much work during my lunch break, but I’m still hungry, and we need to eat something decent. Not that Keiko’s cooking is fabulous,” she added quickly.

  Wyatt looked around. “Where is Sam? I told her to be home by noon. She spends way too much time at the beach.”

  Before Wyatt finished his last sentence, Sam flew through the door. She threw down her belongings as she walked furiously towards the kitchen, waving her arms in Wyatt’s direction. “I know. I know. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. But when there’s waves like that, you don’t seriously expect me to just paddle in. Right?”

  Sam finally stopped, taking notice of Janie. It smelled very good in the kitchen, and Janie’s hands were working quickly. Janie saw her and grimaced. “Well, don’t just stand there, set the table. We’re hungry,” she urged playfully.

  “Right away, ma’am,” Sam said, ecstatic to have someone cooking in the kitchen. In a blink of an eye, the table was set, and Janie covered the plates with food full of beautiful colors.

  “It’s my special rendition of eggs Benedict—I didn’t have much to work with – and a fruit salad that will knock your socks off. Modestly speaking, that is.”

  Wyatt sat down and looked suspiciously at his plate. Meanwhile, Janie sat frozen, waiting for Wyatt to take his first bite and give his verdict on her cooking. It irked her a little that his opinion should matter so much to her. After all, so what if a woman can cook or not? That was such an old-fashioned way of thinking. Yet, here she was in knots, waiting for a good sign.

  Wyatt slowly picked up his fork and sliced through the eggs benedict. Janie watched as he moved the bite-size piece towards his mouth and precariously bit it off the fork. His eyes closed and a long groan emanated from his throat. He looked at Janie. “This is sooo good,” he said with his mouth full.

  With the tension broken, the three quickly attacked their lunch, all of them hungry from their strenuous mornings outdoors. “I don’t know how you did this, Janie. It didn’t look like we had much in the fridge,” Sam said between bites.

  Wyatt’s head jerked up and punctuated his words with his fork. “Sam, you and Janie take the car this afternoon and go to the store and buy everything Janie needs. I mean everything.” Wyatt continued to eat. Sam sneaked a glance at Janie, and they both smiled.

  “It’s too bad grandpa wasn’t here for this. Same for Uncle Virgil, Morgan, James, and Doc. They would love this,” Sam managed between bites.

  “Wow, that’s a lot of uncles,” Janie noted, impressed.

  “You’re telling me,” grumbled Wyatt. “Four little brothers. Ugh. They drive me crazy. We are NOT telling them about your eggs Benedict. No way. There will be an invasion if we do.”

  “There already is an invasion, Dad,” Sam commented. “We’re always with them, and Dad loves them, Janie. They are like this.” Sam crossed her fingers to illustrate her point.

  Wyatt grunted and continued eating, his head down, his concentration wholly fixed on his meal. “You can make me eggs Benedict every day, if you want, Janie,” he said.

  “I CAN make other things, Wyatt,” Janie replied, watching Wyatt practically inhale his lunch. “Besides, your arteries would harden up in a week.”

  Wyatt scooped up the last bit from his plate, popped it in his mouth, and dropped his fork on his plate. He wiped his mouth with his napkin and dropped that on the plate, too. He looked up into Janie’s eyes. “Yes,” he said slowly. “But what a way to die.”

  The whole table erupted in laughter, and soon lunch was over. Wyatt offered to put the dishes in the dishwasher, and Sam ran upstairs to take off her bathing suit and get dressed for the store.

  Janie was about to do the same, but Wyatt stopped her. “You might as well not change because I have more work for you when you get back.” He paused. “If that’s o.k. with you.”

  Janie looked into Wyatt’s blue eyes and felt a wonderful warmth come from him. He could be so kind, so thoughtful. “I would love to,” she said. “I really started to feel close to the dolphins, today. I think I can basically recognize each one, too, and tomorrow, I promise not to be so slow.”

  “You did fine, today, actually. I was very pleased.”

  Janie felt her face go hot. “Thank you. It meant a lot to me to work with them. I think they’re wonderful. It was much better than I ever dreamed... all those years in Missouri dream
ing of the ocean and dolphins.”

  “You too?” Wyatt asked, excitedly. “I spent my whole life dreaming of this life.”

  Janie was going to tell him how wonderful she thought the Project was, but Sam interrupted, all ready to go. Janie felt relieved. She had almost said too much. She wasn’t supposed to get so personal, not until the mission was over, in any case. Anyway, she had no right letting Wyatt know her feelings about the Project. She had to remain objective, at least in front of his eyes, and the eyes of her supervisors.

  Chapter 4

  Janie felt a light tapping on her shoulder and realized that she had been standing in the same position for a few minutes, staring out into space. She turned to see Wyatt standing there. “The day’s done,” he said gently.

  Janie exhaled and felt her exhaustion weighing heavily on her. It was almost dark now. She had been working in the dusk for some time. “Thank God,” she said, giving him a weak smile.

  Wyatt looked down at Janie. Her body slumped. “It’s always hard at the beginning,” he said. “But you’ll get used to it in no time at all.”

  “I actually like the feeling of being so physically tired. It makes me feel like I’ve accomplished something.” Janie yawned. She put her hand up to her mouth, but it was a little too late. “I guess I’m sleepy tired, too,” She said apologetically.

  “That’s understandable,” Wyatt replied. “The traveling, the hard day’s work, not to mention all this fresh air. I bet you’re not used to it, either.”

  Janie looked up at Wyatt. He didn’t seem the least bit fazed by the hard day’s labor. She yawned again. “Would you mind if I didn’t make dinner tonight?” she asked.

  Wyatt smiled. How come she hadn’t noticed that dimple before? Janie wished Wyatt smiled more. He looked a lot like Cary Grant that way. “Of course, Janie,” Wyatt said kindly. “Besides, we’re going to Keiko’s tonight. That’s pretty much where we go every night.”