And his mouth covered hers.
Chapter Sixteen
Feeling the hot slick glide of Michael’s tongue against hers, Kate’s head was reeling when she kissed him back. Just a kiss, she mentally swore. But kiss was far too simple a word to call this powerful connection that simply rocked her world. Surging through each and every nerve in her body, she could feel his kiss all the way down from the top of her head to the tips of her toes.
She hadn’t expected this. Usually, she couldn’t even stand being held – it was confining and restrictive. But when Murphy drew her against him, every bit of resistance fled. When he deepened his kiss, the heat of it melted away the last rational thought still left in her head. Sinking up against him, the burning pleasure was almost unbearable. Breathtaking and pulsating, the kiss went on and on.
And on.
Until, finally, common sense gradually invaded, and they slowly, reluctantly, began to pull apart.
Yet they still kept staring into each other’s eyes.
But then, Kate suddenly became aware of movement in the distance. One of the crew members was approaching the parking lot from the path.
She cleared her throat. “Let’s get outta here.”
Murphy reached for her hand. “Yeah. We definitely need to talk.”
Kate nodded. She avoided his gaze, awkwardly pulling her hand from his. Had he noticed that her hands were shaking? She jerked the gears of the truck into reverse, before quickly spinning the vehicle around and exiting the parking lot.
Her entire body was shaking. What was wrong with her? But – oh – my – God – what a kiss! No one had ever kissed her like that before.
She heaved a sigh. But, then again, no one had ever made her feel like this before. She was actually nervous.
Kate turned, surreptitiously stealing a quick glance at Murphy.
His gaze was focused, his fiery green eyes watching her intensely.
And suddenly, she was finding it difficult to breath. Oh man, oh man, oh man – she was really in trouble this time.
Determinedly, she squared off her shoulders. “Dragonfly Pointe. It’ll be quiet out there today,” she suggested softly.
Murphy nodded, but remained silent. He sure seemed to be a heck of a lot calmer than she was.
They were quiet for the entire fifteen minutes that it took for Kate to travel through town and along the graveled road leading out to Dragonfly Pointe. She pulled the truck into the parking lot belonging to the beach.
After shutting down the engine, Kate stared sightlessly through the windshield at the concession stand.
“Have we got enough time for a walk?” Murphy asked. His voice was terse, and Kate began to realize he wasn’t as calm as he appeared.
“Yeah – no problem. I’m not really hungry, anyway.” Taking in a deep breath, she turned to Murphy. “How about you?”
“I’m fine,” he said. Hopping out from the truck and strolling around to the other side, Murphy pulled open the door before Kate could reach for the handle. “C’mon.” He calmly reached for her hand.
His touch sent an electric shock zipping straight through her fingers, and his eyes immediately jerked to hers.
Kate sighed with relief. Apparently, she wasn’t the only one feeling that jolt between them.
And now, Murphy seemed to be at a loss for words.
Just like she was.
Murphy cleared his throat uncomfortably. “I’ve brought Kelly and Jeff out here to the beach, a couple of times, now, along with a few of their friends. We had ice cream at the concession stand, on Saturday night.”
With those words, the tension eased between them and Kate stared at Murphy accusingly.
He shrugged and offered Kate a grin. “What? I can’t help it – I actually kind of miss my brothers. We did a lot of stuff together.”
She gave him a wobbly smile. “I bet that little sister of mine has you wrapped around her fingers, too.
When Murphy appeared sheepish, Kate lifted a brow when he grinned. “Probably. She sure is a cutie.”
Kate snorted. “She’s a natural-born flirt. Kelly’s gonna be gorgeous when she grows up.” She met Murphy’s gaze. “Dad will probably have to beat off men with a stick.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t be surprised to hear that your dad had suffered the same problem with you and Lucy, too,” Murphy said dryly.
Kate rolled her eyes. Still holding his hand, she steered Murphy along the mossy pathway.
“It’s really quiet out here today. I thought Dragonfly Pointe was booked up solid?”
Following the direction of Murphy’s gaze, Kate glanced across the sand at the deserted beach. “This week’s guests are only just beginning to arrive – Monday’s check-in day. The previous week’s guests depart on Sunday.”
“Gotcha.” Murphy nodded. “I forgot that the inn takes weekly reservations.”
“Apparently, they take half-week reservations, too. They even have an entire block of rooms reserved for overnight guests. They certainly have the capability now, with six times the capacity of the original inn.”
They lapsed into silence again, still holding one another’s hands. Reaching a grassy ledge overlooking the lake, Kate stopped walking and nodded towards a rocky outcrop. “Let’s sit.”
When Murphy settled alongside her on the grass, and he slipped an arm over her shoulders, Kate didn’t protest.
“The question is, Kate – what are we gonna do about this?”
“What can we do, Michael?” She stared up into his eyes. “You’ll be leaving in a few weeks.” But, oh, how she wanted him to pull her into his arms and kiss away her cold, clear reasoning.
Along with the fresh cool breeze that was lightly fragrant with pine, the faint scent of his aftershave wafted through her senses. It was a heady combination. Somehow it all mixed in with her desire for Murphy, making her want him even more.
And more.
“I don’t think I can fight this, anymore, Kate.” Murphy continued, “Do you know how much trouble I have sleeping in your room every night? Sleeping in your bed every night? Your scent’s on the comforter – it’s in the closet. Hell – it’s even on the towels in your bathroom.” His eyes held hers and he was brutally frank. “I don’t just wake up in the morning with a hard on because of you, Kate – I fall asleep with one, too.”
Kate was at a loss for words. His candor was the last thing she’d expected. And it seemed to make Murphy much more vulnerable.
As well as desirable.
He grinned ruefully. “Hell. Every time I’m around you, I have a hard on.”
Kate couldn’t help it – she began to giggle. She’d never, ever, laughed as much with another guy as she had since she’d met Michael Murphy.
Obviously embarrassed to have revealed so much, Murphy’s face was ruddy as he rolled his eyes.
She finally stopped giggling just long enough to speak. “Eh-hem...” Kate cleared her throat. “Thanks for your...honesty?”
Murphy snorted.
Abruptly, they both began laughing.
Murphy’s arm remained wrapped around Kate’s shoulders. Growing quiet again, they settled back for a few peaceful moments and gazed across the lake, both lost in their own thoughts.
“I...I’m sorry, Michael,” Kate said quietly. “I just don’t think it would be a good idea for us to start something now.”
Murphy agreed, although he sounded hesitant. “Of course, you’re right, Kate. It’d have to be a long distance relationship. We’ll both be busy – you with your work, here – and I’ve got school and a new job to deal with. I guess the odds are totally against us.”
She nodded reluctantly, but mentally scolded herself. What? Had she wanted him to argue with her logic?
Checking her watch, Kate sighed. “I suppose we’d better be on our way.”
Her mind kept sorting through his confession as they hurried back to the parking lot. Relationship? That word kept repeating in Kate’s mind. She’d assumed that they’d go for a one-night stand �
� if anything. Michael was obviously much more serious about her than she’d initially thought.
Stopping off at the concession stand, Kate insisted on buying a couple of hot dogs along with a few bags of chips.
Fifteen minutes later, she pulled into the parking lot of the campgrounds. They hadn’t said a word to each other during the entire drive back. Murphy hesitated, with his hand on the door. “Are you sure, Kate?”
She nodded imperceptibly, before turning away from his gaze.
But she wasn’t really sure at all, she admitted to herself.
She heard him sigh before he opened his door.
Kate watched dejectedly, as Murphy made his way down the path into the work zone, never once turning back.
Chapter Seventeen
Sitting at her desk in the offices of Callahan Construction, Kate stared down at the stack of paperwork she’d finally decided to sift through. She sighed, stealing a glance at her watch. She’d better get home soon. It was almost seven. Somehow, even her father had managed to take off over an hour earlier. But throughout the day, she’d been distracted – Kate hadn’t been able to quit thinking about Michael Murphy. Had she made the right decision?
“Hello, Kate.”
Her eyes snapped up from the ledger she’d been studying. “Melissa!” Jumping up from her seat, Kate threw her arms around Luke Arnett’s ex-wife. “And Amy,” she added, as the ten-year old popped into the office behind her mother. “You’re so grown up!”
Amy’s big brown eyes twinkled as she gazed up at Kate, smiling. “Hi, Kate. We’re coming home to my daddy,” she added excitedly.
Melissa stared at Kate in consternation.
And Kate grinned. “That’s absolutely wonderful, you two.” She turned her attention back to Amy. “Kelly’s really missed you, sweetie. I know how hard it is to lose your very best friend.”
Melissa’s eyes met Kate’s. “I still think a lot about Christina, too,” she admitted softly.
Kate nodded imperceptibly. “It’s really weird, Melissa, but, lately, I’ve been thinking about her more and more.” Kate shook away her sadness and smiled as she glanced over at Amy. “Okay, you two. What’s the scoop? Come on in and sit down.”
After settling into her seat, Melissa was obviously embarrassed as she fidgeted with her purse and stared down at her hands. “Luke called me the other day. Something was wrong, I could sense it.” She sighed. “He told me how much he missed me. And then we actually talked – for the first time in a long time.” There were tears in Melissa’s eyes when she returned her gaze to Kate’s. “He told me how much he loved me.”
“Oh, Melissa,” Kate said softly. “Luke’s never been the same since you left.”
“Well, Kate, about that...” Clearing her throat, Melissa glanced over at Amy. “There’s more to the story. I did have a good reason for leaving Luke – it just wasn’t typical. Now, I’ve decided that my reason wasn’t worth breaking up our marriage over.”
Sensing that Melissa didn’t want to reveal much more in the presence of her daughter, Kate spoke to Amy. “Would you like to go over to my house, sweetie, and go see Kelly?”
Amy turned to her mom excitedly. “Can we, Mom? Please?”
Melissa smiled at Kate. “Yeah, honey. There’s something I need to talk to Kate about, along with her father, too. You remember your Uncle Cal – don’t you sweetie?”
“Of course, I do, Mom. He used to always take me and Kelly and Jeff out for ice cream!”
Kate laughed. “Trust her to remember that,” she said, dryly. “I have some pretty good memories, too, of all of us going to get ice cream with Dad.”
Melissa began fidgeting.
“What?”
“I didn’t tell Luke we were coming, Kate. I just packed up some clothes for Amy and I, and we hopped into the car.”
“Hmm.” Kate nodded thoughtfully. “I forgot that Luke’s living in that tiny little trailer near Stone Lake, now. Don’t worry – the two of you can just come and stay with my family. There’s plenty of room.”
“Well. That’s not exactly the problem. I don’t really mind the trailer, for now, you know. We can always find another house to rent.” Melissa continued to fidget and blushed. “I really wanted to surprise Luke, though. If you guys wouldn’t mind, maybe Amy could stay overnight with you? I’d really appreciate it.”
Kate laughed. “Ah, ha! You need a little make up time, I gather? I’m sure that Kelly would be thrilled if Amy came to stay with us for a couple of days.”
❋
Arriving at the Callahan house, Amy instantly ran upstairs to see Kelly. Melissa and Kate settled in at the kitchen island for what proved to be an interesting conversation with Kate’s father.
“Luke’s dyslexic? Oh, Melissa. No one’s ever had a clue.” Kate searched her mind, considering the many times she’d observed Luke struggling with his paperwork. “I can’t believe I never noticed! It explains so much!”
“He’s very good at hiding it, Kate.”
“Yeah.” Cal’s nod was thoughtful. “I knew there was something. I had lots of trouble understanding his paperwork back when I promoted him to supervisor.”
Obviously embarrassed, Melissa turned away. “That’s probably about the time when Luke began having me do all the paperwork for him, Cal. You were asking a lot of questions about his reports. I finally figured out your accounting and inventory worksheets. Luke would recite the details and I would put together the paperwork. Luckily, when Luke was back in grade school, one of his teachers was really patient with him. He began learning some basic techniques to handle the problem. But when his family moved to Milwaukee, he wasn’t so lucky, when help wasn’t available. I’m sure you’re already aware that he dropped out of high school.”
Cal nodded thoughtfully. “That probably explains what’s been happening with the quality of Luke’s work – over these last few years – since you and he split up, Melissa. But he’s always been a great supervisor. I’ve continuously been impressed with his knowledge at the worksite. And he’s never once complained, when I’ve suggested trying out new techniques. Some of my other men are really wary when it comes to experimenting with some of the new energy-efficient materials that’ve become available – but not Luke.”
“Well, Luke can read – when he really concentrates. But it’s so time-consuming for him.” Melissa hung her head. “It was just getting to be so overwhelming for me. They cut my hours at the high school because I was so tired, I wasn’t keeping up. I was only making minimum wage as a secretary, anyway. But then I’d have to come home and do Luke’s paperwork, as well as cook and clean. Luke would go out with the guys, while I barely had enough time for our daughter. We’d planned on buying a house, but...”
Cal sighed. “You couldn’t afford it, once your hours were cut?”
Melissa nodded.
Kate’s gaze turned to her father with a silent question and Cal nodded.
“I think Dad and I agree that there’s a perfect solution to this situation, Melissa. How would you like to be Luke’s onsite assistant – a full-time assistant? Luke could spend more time where he’s needed then.”
Melissa’s jaw dropped. When she recovered her composure, she cleared her throat before answering, obviously choked up with emotion, “Really? I’d love that.”
Cal gazed at Melissa sternly. “But only on one condition, young lady.”
Melissa grimaced, but nodded her agreement.
“If you and Luke have any more problems, you’ll come and talk to me first, before you let things get out of hand.”
Tears of gratitude welled up in Melissa’s eyes.
“And there’s one other requirement, too,” Kate added, making a swift decision.
Melissa and her father both turned to stare at Kate.
“Luke will get help with his dyslexia, too – whether he likes it or not.”
Melissa sighed. “That’s how our problems began in the first place, Kate. Luke was just too proud to ask for help.�
�� She raised her chin determinedly, “And he will get help, now. I’ll make sure of it!”
❋
Out of sight, out of mind – or, so, Kate had thought. “Umm.” How to phrase the question Kate had been dying to ask nearly the entire two weeks since she and Murphy had kissed? “Has Murphy discovered anything new at the worksite, Dad?”
“Nothing, Kate. Murphy’s even been able to get away with hanging around those particular cabins, somehow.” Cal’s gaze was piercing as he stared at his daughter. “I won’t even ask how he managed to do that without Luke catching on. But we’ve pretty much determined that the lumber is being taken by boat during the night. It’s continued to go missing over the past week.”
Kate nodded and sighed heavily. “Maybe we need another plan?”
“Yeah. Jake and I are considering just bringing in the law to set up a trap.” Throwing down his pencil, he stared at the lists of inventory stacked up before him on his desk. Sighing, he scratched his forehead. “Is this everything, Kate?”
“Yeah, Dad.” She sighed, stretching out in the chair in her father’s office. “The stuff I discovered gone, the other day, was the first of the inventory missing from the campgrounds before now. It threw me, too. As far as Luke’s concerned though, the inventory numbers in his records match up with ours. Melissa was definitely telling us the truth. If Luke was actually stealing those materials, he would’ve been trying to cover it up.”
“Yeah – my thoughts, exactly.” Cal sighed. “Although I did notice the extra entries for the plywood and lumber—exactly the amount needed for the subflooring in those cabins to replace the lumber that’s been ripped out.”
“Yeah – me, too. Like I tried to say before, Dad, you don’t suppose that Luke just doesn’t understand that this lumber is valuable? Maybe he’s going along with someone else’s suggestions?”
Cal bolted upright in his chair. “You know what? I’ve been so anxious to put the blame on Luke, I wasn’t really listening to what you had to say. I wasn’t considering any alternatives. And since Luke’s dyslexic, a member of his crew is, most likely, doing some of his paperwork for him – just like Melissa was. Luke’s got what – about three assistants out there?”
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