“You sure are a good kisser, Ben Shotbrook.”
“You’re wrong, it’s all you. Come on, let’s get to the falls so we can spread out a blanket and enjoy our lunch. I think that lying under the evergreens with you sounds like my idea of heaven.”
They held hands the rest of the way to the falls. Ben wasn’t surprised that his presence took a backseat as Kara marveled at the beauty of the waterfall. He surprised her with a sketchpad that he had purchased, as well as some charcoal pencils.
“Oh, Ben, this is our date. I want to pay attention to you.”
“I know, sweetheart, but I knew you would want to sketch the falls. Why don’t you just take an hour or so to do that? I’ll just rest and watch you.”
“But you don’t understand, when I get into the zone, I block out everything else. I won’t remember you’re even here,” she said with a sad expression. Ben couldn’t help but grin.
“I already thought of that. Why do you think I gave you the sketchpad before lunch? If I’ve learned one thing about you, it’s that your appetite will get the better of you.” He was delighted by her deep-throated laughter. He could spend days just making this woman smile and laugh.
He left the food in the containers and watched Kara sketch. He enjoyed seeing her get so immersed in what she was doing. It was almost exactly one hour into her sketching that she turned to him and asked, “Where’s the food?”
“I’ve been waiting for you to unpack it and serve it to me. That’s women’s work, after all.” They unpacked the containers and found fried chicken, potato and macaroni salad, green beans, biscuits, corn on the cob, and apple cobbler for dessert. There were two thermoses of lemonade.
“Is Florence single?” Kara asked. “I think I’m going to propose marriage.”
“Sorry, she’s married. What about me? I’m the one who hauled all this up the trail. What’s my reward?” Ben asked as he bit into his fourth piece of chicken.
“You, I’m considering making out with. Florence is marriage material.”
“I don’t make out with girls unless they consider me the marrying kind.”
Kara threw back her head and laughed, and he couldn’t take his eyes off her. Her hair glinted in the sunlight as it streamed down her back.
“What’s so damn funny?”
“The idea that any guy would pass up a make-out session. I think the quote is, ‘Women need a reason to have sex, men just need a place.’”
“I don’t know whether to be offended or just laugh.”
“Which route do you think will lead to the make out session?” Kara queried as Ben laughed. They started putting away all of the remaining food and cleaning up the area, making sure they left it as clean as when they arrived. After they were done, the atmosphere changed. They were suddenly a man and a woman kneeling alone on a blanket staring at one another in the middle of a majestic forest.
“I know we’ve been teasing about a make out session. But Kara, I think I’m going to die if you don’t let me kiss you again,” Ben said as he tentatively trailed his hands up and down her arms.
He was so relieved when she lifted her hands and reached behind his head and tugged at the leather strip that held his hair back at his nape, freeing his hair. “I’ve wanted to do that all day,” she said as she ran her fingers through his hair. He loved it when she pulled his head toward hers, bringing him down so their lips could meet. He couldn’t help but groan as their lips met in a fiery kiss, her fingers pulling his hair. He reached up and tangled his fingers through strands of white-gold silk, and tugged, eliciting a moan against his lips. Oh, she liked that. He moved his hand closer to her scalp and pulled again, and she arched against him. With his other arm, he clasped her to him, needing her body close to his.
He loved it when she pulled one hand out of his hair and wrapped it around his waist, bringing them even closer together. He slowly lowered them down onto the blanket so that she was lying beneath him. She looked up at him, her eyes a languid blue.
“I like this, Ben. I like this a lot.”
“This isn’t just a place for me, Kara,” he said seriously. “It’s you. And we’re not going to do anything more than share a few kisses and maybe share a few touches.” He watched her carefully, gauging her reactions.
“It’s been a long time for me,” she admitted.
“How long?”
“I’ve only ever had one boyfriend, and that was almost five years ago.” She looked away from him. That didn’t add up to the outgoing, beautiful, and passionate woman in his arms.
“Did he hurt you, Kara?”
“No, nothing like that.” She rushed to assure him. “I’m just…I just haven’t found anyone who seems to like the artist-me, and the me-me. You know? And I’m not real good at the boyfriend-girlfriend stuff.” Ben tried to assimilate what she was telling him.
“How long were the two of you together?”
“All through college. He was an artist too, but he didn’t get the part of me that wasn’t an artist, the part that liked to hike and be with my family. He didn’t even understand how much I liked food,” she said in a sad voice.
Ben finally understood the “me-me” comment. He was lucky. Here in Sitka, people really took the time to understand and appreciate all aspects of everyone. His family was fully supportive of all that he tried to accomplish. As for the comment of her not being good at the girlfriend-boyfriend part of life, boy, was she in for a surprise. He saw a small strand of wheat-colored hair that was stuck to her moist lower lip, and he tucked it back behind her ear as he smiled down at her.
“I have to say, I really like the artist part of you, Kara, the way you get so enthralled with whatever moves you. The way you see beauty in things that I just pass by fascinates me. As for this ‘me-me’ aspect of your personality? Well, you could be an honorary Shotbrook. You’d fit right in.” He watched the smile that bloomed across her face. Then he molded his features into a solemn expression.
“But this boyfriend-girlfriend issue, it’s a problem.” He watched as she wilted, and he immediately lowered his head to nuzzle the crook of her neck so that he could whisper in her ear. “The only way we can solve that particular problem will be to experiment. We’re going to have to do a lot of experimenting this afternoon, here on this blanket, to see if you have what it takes to be girlfriend material. I say we get started right now.” With that, he gently bit down on the tendon between her shoulder and her neck, and her whole body arched up against his as she moaned.
“Now, that’s a really good start, sweetheart. I think with another hour or two of intensive experimentation, we might find you have just what it takes to be a very good girlfriend.”
* * * *
At the end of the day, Kara fell into bed like a giddy teenager. Actually, her feelings seemed only right, since she had actually spent at least an hour necking like a teenager out on a blanket! She had never been on a picnic that was really nothing more than a ploy to make out. She hadn’t realized what she’d been missing. Ben could really kiss! Then they had hiked back, and he had taken her out to dinner at a Mexican restaurant in town. Everywhere they went, she allowed him to open doors and pull out chairs for her, and each time he gave her a smile that curled her toes. That night, he had parked a hundred yards away from the lodge and they had literally steamed up the windows of his truck, until he had reluctantly said it was time to get her inside.
Kara also knew that he was going to go back to his house to work on those pesky taxes, so she quickly agreed.
“Wait a minute. Kara, are you that eager to get away from me?” Ben asked with a little bit of hurt showing in his eyes.
“Oh, Ben. No,” she said. She cupped one cheek while stroking the fingers of her other hand through the silky warmth of his black hair. “I just know that you plan to work tonight, and I thought you said you wanted to go to breakfast tomorrow, right?” Kara asked hopefully.
“Oh, yes, sweetheart. I’ll be here at six thirty. You can count on it
.”
“Well, okay then. You need to get home and get some work done, and get your rest.” She smiled mischievously at him.
He put the car into drive and winked at her. “You’d better get some rest, as well, Ms. Johansen,” he warned.
Now, here she was in bed, too excited to sleep. She hoped he was at least getting some work done.
The next morning they arrived at the restaurant at seven thirty, a little later than planned. Kara hoped nobody noticed that her lips were probably swollen. When they sat down at a table, instead of Florence coming to take their order, a stately Tlingit woman with green eyes came toward their table. Ben immediately stood up with a large smile. “Auntie Dot, I didn’t think you were working weekends anymore! I’m surprised to see you here on a Sunday morning,” he said as he enfolded her into a gentle hug.
“On special occasions I do,” she said, eyeing Kara.
“Dorothy Jackson, I would like to introduce you to Kara Johansen,” Ben said, indicating Kara.
Kara stood up so she could shake the woman’s hand. “I really enjoyed eating here yesterday. It reminded me a lot of my hometown.”
“I’m glad you enjoyed it,” the woman said with a warm and sincere smile, which wasn’t what Kara expected. Her surprise must have shown, because the woman’s pretty eyes twinkled. “Oh, dear, were you expecting the third degree?” she asked with a laugh.
“I guess I was,” Kara admitted. “But I’m not anymore.”
“It’s okay, Auntie. Selma was all protective yesterday, so I think Kara was expecting more of the same.”
“Oh, well, that explains it,” Dorothy said. “No, I’m cut from a different cloth. Anything that makes Ben or Quinn happy makes me happy, and I know their Mama, my sister, feels exactly the same way,” she assured Kara.
“I wish you could meet her, Kara. She would love you,” Ben enthused. “Mama was one of the chaperones for Sully’s band-camp trips to Kenai this year. Auntie, would you like to join us for breakfast?” Ben asked.
“Well, that was the reason I came out here, now wasn’t it?” she asked wickedly.
They had a great meal. Dorothy had no children of her own, and was the only sister of Ben’s mother, so she was extremely close to her nephews. Currently, she was staying at the Shotbrook household, taking care of the boys who were there, while Sully and Rosemary were in Kenai.
“So, did you babysit all of the boys when they were growing up?” Kara asked.
“Definitely. I even took Quinn down to Disneyland for a week, when he was ten.”
“I remember that. I was so sad when Quinn left,” Ben said.
“That was part of the reason I took him. He was such a good big brother, always looking out for all of you little ones. You and Randy were three and two, and your Mama was pregnant with Kyle. He needed to be a child.”
“Yeah, even now he takes on so much,” Ben acknowledged.
“Don’t feed me that horse pucky. Since your Papa died, you both take on too much. You’re not just trying to help your brothers. You and Quinn are trying to make sure they have everything you didn’t. You need to stop that. You two did quite well not having everything handed to you,” Dorothy reminded him with fire in her eye.
“Now wait a minute, Auntie Dot. Kyle isn’t starting UAS for a year, because he’s going to work on the boats to make more money for school,” Ben defended.
“Don’t you dare,” she said, pointing a finger at him. “That was all Kyle’s idea. If it were up to you and Quinn, you’d have him at UAS next month.” Kara watched as Ben lowered his head in defeat. It seemed this woman really knew her two oldest nephews. The more she heard about Ben and Quinn, the more impressed she was with the devotion they showed to their family.
As if she could read Kara’s mind, Dorothy turned to her, “You do realize that it was Quinn who practically raised Ben from the age of sixteen to now? If not for Quinn, you can be damn sure Ben wouldn’t have his GED and have finished two years of online college.”
“Hey,” Ben objected, “I might have had something to do with that.” Dorothy just looked at him and raised an eyebrow. Ben burst out laughing and looked over at Kara.
“It’s true, Kara. After Dad died, we both had to work. There was no way around it. I had to quit attending high school. Quinn rode my ass until I thought I was wearing a saddle. Any time there was down time on the boat, he’d have me studying, or he’d be checking my homework and testing me. There is no way I could have done it without him.”
“Well, you might have,” his Aunt admitted. “Ben is so smart. But, he wouldn’t have accomplished everything so quickly without Quinn. Of course, that was when they only had the one boat.”
“Auntie, I’m not sure I would have finished at all without Quinn. I was okay with the idea of becoming a fisherman like Dad. He didn’t have a high-school degree. Besides kicking my ass, Quinn and I had a lot of long talks about how much the world has changed, and how I also needed to be a role model for the rest of the boys in the family. He really made me understand how important my education is to all of us. I know I’m behind the curve, but I’ll have my degree in business in the next three years because of him.”
“You’re a smart man, Ben Shotbrook. You’re not behind the curve, you’re ahead of it. Right after you got your GED, you and Quinn purchased Shotbrook II. Then you had to captain that one. It’s amazing you’ve managed to finish two years of college already,” his aunt complimented. After hearing everything, Kara had to agree.
“Isn’t it rare for such young men to be able to purchase a second fishing boat?” Kara asked.
“Oh, it was. It was the talk of the town, let me tell you,” Dorothy crowed. “But they had kept their boat out on the water from the first day of every season to the last day, without coming in except to unload. They were the top money-making boat in its size and class for two years running,” Dorothy explained.
“We had to be, to keep the family afloat and to be able to make double the down payment for the second,” Ben said.
“Let me guess, you had to come up with twice the down payment because you were so young. The bank didn’t believe in you,” Kara guessed.
“You got it on the first guess.” Kara was warmed by Ben’s admiring gaze. “Anyway, we now have sixty percent of Shotbrook II paid off, and we’re two months away from having enough to purchase another boat.”
“See, I told you they are remarkable,” Dorothy exclaimed.
“Thanks, Auntie, but Quinn’s boat is the one that’s been the most profitable,” Ben admitted. “He’s insisted I come in more for the internet connectivity to work on my on-line college courses. It’s only been in the last few months that we’ve found two men that we trust to captain for us in our absence.”
“That’s good, because you both need more breaks. Your mama misses you.”
“We know, Auntie. And Quinn really deserves some time off. He’s been the real reason for the family’s success, and the reason there’s money in everyone’s college funds,” Ben said, admiration for his big brother clear in his voice.
“Never underestimate your contribution, Ben. None of us do,” Dorothy said emphatically. Again, Kara had to agree, imagining a sixteen-year-old boy yanked out of school to help a family make ends meet and becoming the man she saw before her. Yes, he was remarkable.
“Well, thanks for letting an old woman join you,” Dorothy said. “I have to leave for church now.” She got up to hug Kara and Ben, and left them.
The couple then enjoyed breakfast and a wonderful day of biking around Sitka, and later, steaming up the windows of his truck. Kara considered inviting him back to her room at the lodge, but it was still too soon. She told Ben she would skip her appointment with Nate the following day to meet him for lunch and spend the rest of the day with him. That way, he could work on taxes while she ran errands in the morning. He agreed.
Chapter 3
It had all been so clear that morning. She’d spent Saturday, Sunday, and Monday with B
en Shotbrook, and she knew that tonight, she intended to spend the night with him. When he picked her up to take her to breakfast, she was nervous, excited, and sad. She was nervous and excited over the idea of intimacy with the man, and sad to realize that on Wednesday morning he would take a boat out for an extended fishing trip and she would probably never see him again. So, as of Tuesday morning, she felt that she knew what she was getting into, or at least she thought she did. Then everything spun out of control.
Ben picked her up at six thirty for breakfast. She had told Nate that she wouldn’t be able to work with him that day either, instead choosing to spend the day with Ben, just as she had the day before. Nate just laughed. Apparently, Sitka was a very small town with a very large gossip mill. He said to give Ben his best, and told her to have fun.
She knew that Ben had finally finished the taxes, working all through the night and probably early into the morning. Yesterday morning she had declined breakfast with Ben, saying she had some errands, and would meet him for lunch instead. She borrowed Lacy’s truck so she could go into town to buy a dress and strappy sandals that she could wear on their last day together. This morning, she had taken time to put her hair up into a fashionable updo.
When she went down at six thirty Tuesday morning in her dress and sandals, she surprised him. Ben always made her feel pretty when he saw her, but now he stood even taller. She could tell she was making an impression as she walked down the stairs toward him. He met her halfway across the yard.
Claiming Kara [Fate Harbor 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 4
