After Kate followed Murphy outside, she locked the door of the cabin. They approached Kate’s truck, where it was parked in the drive.
As he hopped into the passenger seat, Murphy said, “I can snap a few pictures of your tables and e-mail them off to my mom. But how about I just plan on taking a few of your things back with me anyway, at the end of the summer?”
“After only seeing a couple of pieces – you’re really so sure that she’ll like them?” Kate asked doubtfully.
“I’ve already seen plenty of your work, Kate,” he said dryly. “You’re also a perfectionist as a crew boss, too.”
Kate seemed taken aback. But when she slid into the driver’s seat of her truck and started up the engine, she gazed across at Murphy and smiled. “Alright.”
“Good. I can’t wait to see what Mom has to say. I’ll bet your stuff sells just like that.” He snapped his fingers. “And I won’t even ask for commission,” he added, grinning.
Rolling her eyes, Kate smiled wryly.
CHAPTER
TEN
As she and Murphy strolled along the path leading down from the parking lot of the Riverbend Lodge, Kate tipped her face upward studying the sky. Although a few more clouds had gathered, it was still a beautiful day.
Murphy seemed to be feeling much better, she couldn’t help but notice.
After spotting her older sister, Kate steered Murphy down toward the pier where most of her family had gathered. “There’s Lucy with her husband, Gabe. Have you met them yet?”
“I’ve met Lucy,” Murphy answered. Following Kate’s lead, he waved. “But only in passing – she was dropping off her daughter one morning to spend the day with Kelly.”
“That’s Gabe over there.” She pointed him out.
Murphy seemed surprised. “He’s quite a bit older than Lucy – isn’t he?”
“By almost fifteen years. They’ve been together almost three years, now. But I’ve never even questioned their age difference.” She chuckled. “Now, my mom...well...that’s a different story.”
“Jenny? Really?” Murphy obviously wanted to hear more.
“Poor Gabe – my mom made his life miserable. He didn’t know whether he was coming or going. He felt so guilty about the age difference between him and Lucy – he kept avoiding Lucy – when they were obviously crazy about each other.” Kate snorted. “And it was awfully difficult for him to avoid her, considering she worked as his live-in nanny.
“I imagine some of your mom’s protectiveness had to do with Lucy’s assault? Maybe your mom was afraid Lucy wasn’t thinking rationally when she became attracted to an older man?”
“That’s it, exactly. But Lucy was always cautious. She’d gone eighteen years, already, hoping that someone special would come along, someday.” And then, Kate added wryly, “We’re not at all alike.”
And there it was again, that tension between them, when Murphy’s eyes met hers.
Kate continued, “But I always knew that they’d be perfect for each other.” She smiled reflectively. “Gabe’s daughter, Isabella, loved Lucy from the moment they met. She was dealing with some pretty rough issues of her own at the time. First, Izzy lost her mother, and then she lost her grandmother, too.”
Surveying the scene as they approached her family, Kate immediately lost her smile. “Damn,” she swore softly. What in the hell was Brian doing here?
Murphy frowned, noticing Brian. And, suddenly, he seemed strangely irritated. Nodding an abrupt farewell at Kate, he strolled over and spoke with Dan.
Did Murphy think she’d actually invited Brian to join them? Kate was surprisingly disappointed. She’d been enjoying this day with Murphy immensely.
“Hi, Kate.” Brain smiled sheepishly. “I hope you don’t mind? I... uh...kind of invited myself.”
Her sister Lucy was staring at her sympathetically. Kate had mentioned how difficult Brian was becoming. But even Kate hadn’t figured on him inviting himself to, what was meant to be, a family get-together. “I told him it was fine.”
Kate sighed resignedly.
Lucy shrugged helplessly. “We’ve got an extra canoe.”
Wryly, Kate smiled at her sister with silent understanding. Brian wouldn’t have taken no for an answer anyway.
Lucy smiled back at Kate. “How about you and Brian take Kelly along with you? Jeff can go with Dan and his friend, Murphy.”
But Brian was obviously annoyed now, when he realized he wouldn’t be alone with Kate.
Well, that was just too damned bad. Why wouldn’t he just back off? At least she’d have a short reprieve from being alone with him.
“Izzy’s gonna be disappointed. I promised her that she and Kelly could take their own canoe, today. But the current’s just too rough.”
And Kate agreed – it’d been a rainy spring. Even now, the bank of the river was nearly overflowing. “Mom and Dad didn’t make it?”
“Nah.” Lucy smiled. “They’re taking a day for themselves. Last I heard, they were going out to lunch with Jake and Danielle Loughlin.”
Kate frowned.
“Why? Is something wrong?”
Kate discreetly nodded at Brian as she met Lucy’s gaze. “I just needed to talk to Dad about something that’s work related.”
Imperceptibly, Lucy nodded. “Mom and Dad will both be home tonight.”
“No big deal. It can wait until then.”
Lucy and Gabe began handing out life jackets. Each time she saw them together, Kate couldn’t help but think what a striking couple they made. Petite, with white-blond hair, Lucy was lovely with her flawless skin and sky-blue eyes. And Gabe...well...he was absolutely gorgeous. He had the traditional good looks associated with his Sicilian origin. Curly black hair, olive skin, and eyes so deep and dark a blue, they were nearly violet. And his daughter Isabella was the spitting image of Gabe.
Lucy and Gabe began assigning the seating. After discovering they wouldn’t be allowed to handle a canoe on their own, Izzy and Kelly began to whine.
Gabe immediately reprimanded his daughter with a silent stare.
“Girls,” Lucy quietly admonished. “Remember what I said? It’s a group outing. Canoeing can be really dangerous. It’s important that you always follow the directives of your group leader.”
“Izzy. Lucy already warned you that the current might be pretty vicious today,” Gabe added.
Izzy hung her head sheepishly.
“I never expected you to complain. Especially after seeing what happened to Lucy a few years ago.” For a moment, Gabe became decidedly grim.
With widened eyes, Izzy stilled, as she stared at Lucy. “I’m sorry, Lucy.”
“That’s okay, sweetie,” Lucy whispered.
When Izzy ran over and hugged Lucy, Kelly wasn’t far behind.
“Izzy, I’ll never forget that you saved my life. But I wouldn’t want anything like that to ever happen to you. I love you so much. Both of you,” she added, pulling Kelly into their embrace.
Kate had to blink back the tears from her eyes.
Brian, as usual, appeared to be totally oblivious of the drama unfolding before them. But Kate noticed that Murphy, who was apparently curious, turned and questioned Dan. She’d sure love to hear their conversation.
Jeff was excited about accompanying Murphy and Dan in their canoe. With a grin, Kate watched as Dan rolled his eyes. Jeff eagerly balanced the canoe near the shore to enable Murphy to step inside.
Dropping down and gripping his seat, Murphy scrambled to right the canoe as it wobbled from side to side.
And Kate began to laugh.
Scowling, Brian turned and stared at Kate. “What’s so funny?”
“Uhh...Murphy almost flipped his canoe when he tried to jump inside. Dan’s probably gonna have his hands full.”
Squirming somewhat uncomfortably, Brian cleared his throat. “It’s not really that difficult, is it, Kate? Just juggling the paddle back and forth – and rowing?”
“No?” Incredulous, Kate turned
to stare at Brian. “You’ve gotta be kidding me – right?”
Brian grimaced.
“You’ve never canoed before? Didn’t you tell me that your family home, down in Madison, is located right on the lake, too?”
“Yeah. But we’re more into boating and skiing. Dad has a pontoon. And a couple of jet skis.”
Not only would she have to deal with Brian’s unwanted company, apparently, she was gonna be stuck with steering since Kelly wouldn’t be much help. Kate sighed. It was sure gonna be a long day.
* * *
The final half-mile of the trip would be in calm water. They’d stopped at a lovely rest area that was located right alongside the river. Supposedly, it was one of several drop spots for canoes. Rates for canoe rentals at the Riverbend Lodge were adjusted for the length of the trip. Employees from the lodge would truck to the drops throughout the day to pick up their customers along with their canoes.
Murphy bit down into his third hot dog. All this extra outdoor activity had him feeling like he was starving to death. Thank God there was little residual left of his hangover.
Looking over at the opposite end of the picnic area, Murphy studied Kate with intense satisfaction. Brian appeared to be making Kate miserable. In fact, she looked damned annoyed with the guy.
“Murph?
His gaze snapped back to Dan. “Hmm?
Resignedly, Dan shook his head. “I give up.”
Murphy widened his eyes. “Huh?”
“Kate.” Dan rolled his eyes. “You should really quit staring. Lancaster’s gonna find a million ways to make your life miserable once you begin working at the campgrounds again.”
“Probably.” Murphy sighed. “By the way – Kate and I really need to talk with you and Cal – probably as soon as we get back to town.”
“About?”
“The missing materials,” he muttered, this time glancing discreetly towards Brian. “We’d better not talk about it here, though.”
Although he definitely seemed curious, Dan nodded, shoving the rest of his hot dog into his mouth. Standing up, he brushed off a few pine needles from his shorts. “Well. I’m gonna do you a favor and take Lancaster off of Kate’s hands. Kelly, too. Kate’s gotta be exhausted. Every time he sticks his paddle into the water, she’s got her work cut out for her – she has to work twice as hard to steer, and he’s no lightweight. Kelly’s not much help, either. I thought, for sure, they’d all topple over when we ran through that last rough patch of current.”
Murphy laughed. “I never even noticed. I was too afraid that we’d go over.” Brushing potato chip crumbs from his T-shirt, he finally stood up. “I’m not so sure that I’m gonna be much better than Lancaster when it comes to paddling, though.”
“Yeah, you are. And at least you listen. Lancaster’s a frickin’ know-it-all. Kate was really gettin’ pissed when Lancaster kept ignoring her instructions.” Dan nodded at Kate. With thumbs tucked into the pockets of her cutoffs, she stood gazing out towards the river. The canoes had been dragged up over the shore, and were lining the riverbank only a few feet away. “Get moving – now’s your chance. Lancaster’s off to the outhouse.”
Murphy grinned. “Thanks, man.”
Dan snorted. “You definitely owe me one. Or maybe five – after what went on last night,” he added dryly. “Later, man.”
Murphy was already approaching the riverbank. “Kate,” he called out.
And then she turned and smiled.
Whoa.
Murphy stilled. That smile did something really strange to his insides. He was beginning to get worried – he was getting in way too deep with Kate. And where was all of this even leading?
“Uhh. Dan suggested you might want to switch partners?”
“Say no more.” Glancing at the restrooms, Kate pulled out two lifejackets from one of the canoes. Handing one over to Murphy, she shoved the canoe deeper into the water. “Hop in.”
As the canoe was caught up in the gentle pull of the current, Kate jumped in behind Murphy.
Strolling out from the restrooms, Brian was immediately thrown off guard. His scowl was intense as he scrambled down the path onto the riverbank. Raising his hand in the air, Brian yelled out, “Kate. Come back here.”
“Yeah. Like I’m really gonna go back to pick him up,” she muttered under her breath. She quickly attached the fastenings of her life jacket.
“He looks pretty pissed.” Murphy barked out a laugh, adding, “That’s telling him.”
Sheepishly, Kate grinned. “I do keep telling him. He just doesn’t listen.”
“Then you’d probably better quit being so nice about it.”
Kate sighed. “He’s been acting a million times worse now, then he did when we were actually dating.”
“He just doesn’t want to lose you.” And then his eyes met hers. “I can’t really say that I blame him.”
And, abruptly, Kate stilled, as he gazed into her eyes.
A sudden wrenching of the canoe spun them rapidly out of control as they were tugged into the stronger current.
Kate jerked to attention. “Well. We’d better get situated.”
Murphy picked up his paddle.
“Did Dan actually show you the right way to use the paddle?”
“Kind of.”
“Are you right-handed?”
“Yeah.”
Picking up her paddle, she rested her hands in place. “Clutch the top of the paddle with your right hand. And then cover the grip with your left.”
Watching Kate as he gripped his paddle, Murphy complied.
“There’s a trick to paddling – simultaneously push with your right hand while pulling with your left,” she said, demonstrating. “See? Combine your actions into one smooth motion.”
Only a moment later, Kate had the canoe steered back on course.
For the next few minutes, they remained silent, paddling in companionable silence. The sun continued to beat down brightly on the beautiful summer day. When they began to steer through a valley surrounded by towering formations of rock, the breeze suddenly became nearly nonexistent.
“Lucy likes to call this place her hideaway.”
“It’s nice here.” Murphy sighed. “It seems so isolated – as if we’re far away from everyone and everything.”
Kate pointed out a precipice high above. “Supposedly, there’re caves and walkways all along the cliffs where a local Indian tribe lived hundreds of years ago. This river flows all the way down from Canada. There was even a trading post along the Crystal Rock River back in the late eighteen-hundreds.”
“Cool.” Murphy stared up at the towering cliffs, staggered with vegetation. Tucked here and there beside the walkways, a few lonely pines sprouted from unlikely locations.
“It’s starting to get a little warm out here,” Kate said. She quickly slipped her tank top off from over her head.
And Murphy’s mouth went dry.
Oh, man. He wasn’t sure he’d be able to concentrate on the paddling now. Slim and fit, Kate had the perfect bikini figure. Her waist was so tiny – he realized his hands could easily span it. And that ass...
He started, rocking the canoe.
Damn – what in the hell was wrong with him?
Obviously noticing that the rhythm of his paddling had gone awry, Kate turned, curiously lifting her brow.
Crap. Now he was envisioning his hands on her breasts. They were barely covered by that skimpy blue twist of a bikini.
Suddenly distracted by laughter, Murphy was relieved to realize that Dan and the others appeared to be catching up with them.
“Shoot. If Brian sees us here, he might insist on switching partners again.”
Unfortunately, the water alongside the riverbank was shallow. Smooth river rock encrusted a natural landing that was clearly visible through the sparkling water. It’d be easy to pull the canoes into the shore.
Kate turned to him with a mischievous smile. “Unless...?”
Quickly forgetting his
reluctance, Murphy grinned. “What’ve you got in mind?”
She nodded at an alcove that was barely visible behind a screen of overhanging birch. “The river branches off right there. Since the current’s a lot rougher, Lucy will avoid taking the kids through.” Kate hesitated. “We’ll end up back with the group eventually. Are you game?”
He shrugged, and smiled. “Sure. Why, not?”
CHAPTER
ELEVEN
When Murphy suddenly smiled, Kate’s heartbeat sped up a little bit faster.
Damn. What was wrong with her? Her heart had been kicking up and down the entire afternoon.
Turning to stare forward, she concentrated on maneuvering the canoe through the narrow channel. What a relief to have Murphy along now. She’d worked twice as hard trying to maintain a steady pace with their group earlier. It would’ve been much easier for her to steer the canoe if Brian wasn’t paddling at all. She frowned. She was sure getting sick of Brian’s constant come-ons. Why couldn’t he just accept the fact that they were through? She sighed. What’d she ever seen in him in the first place?
She and Murphy managed the first stretch of rapids without a hitch. Water sprayed from all directions and drenched them when they dropped down from the shorter length of falls. Hearing Murphy let out a long loud whoop of exuberance as the current pulled them treacherously through the drop, Kate grinned.
“That was fun.” Laughing, Murphy shook his head like an unruly spaniel and droplets of water shot out from his hair.
Kate chuckled. “Yeah. Our trip with Lucy was pretty tame. She was worried about the girls flipping over in the canoe. A little too worried, I’d say – the risks are what make canoeing fun!”
But then Murphy pulled off his wet T-shirt.
And Kate’s mouth went dry.
Fit and well-defined, this man had the greatest set of abs Kate had ever seen. Not to mention those strong and broad muscular shoulders. And now she was imagining him, just like she’d seen him in her bedroom...hot – sexy – and...aroused.
That Unforgettable Kiss Page 9