That Unforgettable Kiss (Kissed By Fate Book 1)

by Tamara Ferguson

  The silence between them was electric.

  Stop it, she mentally swore, taking in a deep unsteady breath. Gazing into Murphy’s glittering green eyes, Kate quickly cleared her throat. “So. What are your plans once you graduate?”

  The atmosphere became a little less charged as they became more deeply involved in intense conversation. And when Murphy began discussing the architectural firm he’d eventually be working for, his face lit up.

  “Very impressive. That has to be so exciting, getting a job offer even before you graduate. How’d it happen?”

  “Ryland and Associates sponsored a contest open to engineering students at my school. We had to design an energy efficient home using new materials which have recently become available.” He grinned. “And I actually won. My instructor was sure proud. Anyway, Mark Ryland guaranteed me a job once I graduate.”

  “So why aren’t you working there this summer?”

  “Supposedly, my designs are great, but I need to become more familiar with practical applications. My recommendations for finish materials evidently weren’t realistic. Mark Ryland was the one who suggested I do a construction internship this summer.”

  Kate nodded. “I imagine that economical choices of materials can come into play more if you’re remodeling high-rises and apartments in Chicago – especially now, when there’s a huge focus on energy efficiency.”

  “Definitely,” Murphy agreed. “But I’ll still have a few more years of school left once I graduate from Northwestern.”

  Kate gave Murphy a rueful frown. “Really? Why?”

  “Well, I’ll gradate with my degree in civil engineering from Northwestern. I’ll move on over to U of I in Chicago for my master’s in Architecture. Ryland’s will sponsor and pay my way.”

  “A scholarship?”

  Wryly, he smiled and nodded.

  “Engineering, huh? Don’t you have to be pretty good in math and science?”

  Murphy cleared his throat uncomfortably. “Yeah.”

  Kate grinned. “So. You’re not actually a dumb football jock, then?”

  Murphy snorted. “Let’s just say I’m probably not as dumb as I look,” he said dryly.

  She laughed.

  “So. What about you?”

  Kate was startled by the question. “Me?”

  “No plans for college? Business courses? Becoming more informed on energy efficient materials being utilized for construction?”

  They continued paddling the canoe rhythmically. Definitely distracted now, Kate frowned, staring straight ahead at the water. Murphy made a good point. Why hadn’t she considered this before now? If she wasn’t the one to implement changes and modernization at Callahan Construction, who would? Maybe she should consider diversification? She frowned. “I hadn’t really thought about it until now.”

  “I couldn’t help but notice your inventory system is somewhat inefficient,” Murphy pointed out.

  She grinned. “That’s an awfully nice way of asking me – why isn’t our inventory computerized?”

  “If you used computers, you might’ve noticed the missing materials sooner.”

  Kate nodded in agreement. “That’s exactly what Dan said.” She sighed. “Unfortunately, you can’t always teach an old dog new tricks. Our warehouse manager’s been with us for almost twenty years. Frank should be ready to retire soon, but Dad’s afraid to make changes while he’s still working for us. Frank would be offended if he thought he was being replaced by a computer.”

  Murphy shrugged. “He probably wouldn’t be offended if someone like you decided to implement the changes. After all, from what I’ve heard, everyone expects you to take over some day, anyway. Maybe you could come up with some tactful way of including him when you make the changes.”

  “Well. When you put it like that...” Kate pursed her lips, considering the suggestion. “Maybe Dad and I should consider making some changes. Maybe I could hire an assistant for Frank. But it’d have to be the right assistant.” Glancing over her shoulder at Murphy, she smiled. “Frank can actually be very responsive to a female influence.”

  * * *

  When Kate smiled suddenly, Murphy felt like he’d been punched in the gut.

  And the fit of his shorts immediately became a whole lot tighter. Luckily, Kate’s thoughts appeared to be elsewhere as he squirmed uncomfortably on the hard metal surface of his seat.

  They were taken unawares when the canoe was abruptly whipped into a stronger current. They maneuvered through a rough patch of water, speeding like a rollercoaster, twisting and dropping through the rapids and over a progression of shallow falls.

  They were both drenched by the time they reached the calmer water on the final leg of their journey. Out of breath, Kate turned to Murphy with a grin while he laughed, enthusiastically. “Well. This has been fun. Hasn’t it? I haven’t been out here for a while. I’m really glad that Dan and Lucy suggested it.”

  He gave her a rueful grin. “Yeah – it has been fun.” Although he wasn’t just referring to their trip down the river. “I was actually the one who suggested canoeing to Dan in the first place. But I wasn’t sure how well I’d hold up today after my stupidity last night.”

  When they wound around the next bend of the river, there was a flatbed truck from the lodge awaiting them at the rest area. Murphy followed her example as Kate steered against the current, gradually maneuvering the canoe into shallower water. Hearing the bottom of the canoe scraping up against the rocky riverbed, Kate hopped from the canoe into the water as Murphy began gathering their few belongings. The employee from the lodge strolled over and met up with them at the edge of the riverbank.

  “Hey ya, Nate.”

  “Hey there, Kate. Long time, no see.” Immediately, Nate began to hooking a tow line onto the canoe. “I heard from Lucy just a couple of minutes ago. I’m supposed to pick them up at the Landdown stop, about a mile back. One of the passengers took a tumble.” The twenty-something year old Nate snorted, shaking his head. “What kind of an idiot takes a trip in a canoe without being ready to get wet?”

  Murphy’s eyes met Kate’s and they spoke simultaneously, “Brian!” Murphy snickered as Kate shook her head with annoyance.

  And then, worriedly, Kate returned her gaze to Nate. “Landdown?”

  Nate, too, appeared to be troubled. “Yeah,” he quietly agreed. “Has she ever been back there, Kate?”

  “No,” she said, turning to include Murphy. “Today was Lucy’s first lengthy trip down the river in the past three years. She finally decided it was time.”

  Nate continued to remain silent as he slid the canoe into the towering tiered rack suspended above the bed of his truck.

  As tense silence remained, Murphy watched Kate curiously.

  Kate hesitated. “You’ve heard about Lucy’s kidnapping and assault? It happened about four years ago.”

  Murphy nodded grimly. “Oh, yeah. I’m not really sure about how many of the details were released to the public. You know that they discovered my father’s first wife was killed by the same creep who assaulted Lucy?”

  “Oh, Michael, I’m sorry. Of course I knew that. It’s just always been so hard for me to remember that Lucy wasn’t his only victim,” she said quietly.

  “Yeah. Dad’s had the murder hanging over his head for years. He felt responsible.”

  “Dad mentioned that your father went nearly fifteen years without visiting Crystal Rock?”

  “Yeah. His wife was murdered the day after they left here – they’d spent their honeymoon here.”

  For a moment, they were both silent.

  “At least the Ivers family finally has some closure. It took over twenty years to discover that Merle Hagenmeyer was responsible for Anna’s death, too. It had to be a relief for your father to finally discover who killed his wife.”

  “More so to find out the guy was dead. Going through a trial and dredging up the past would’ve been devastating for our family.

  Kate nodded. “What happened t
o Lucy...well, it was awful having to watch Lucy after it happened. She was just so sad – and she was sinking deeper and deeper into depression. No one could do anything for her. She tried to tell us that this Hagenmeyer guy was stalking her. But no one really believed her. She was so traumatized, and she never left the house – or, so – we thought. Apparently, when she couldn’t sleep, she’d come out here to the river. And then, one day, she took a break at the Landdown rest area.”

  Murphy stilled. “Oh, God. Let me guess?”

  Kate nodded imperceptibly. “Merle Hagenmeyer appeared out of nowhere. Somehow, Lucy got away from him. She ran to her canoe, and hopped inside.” Kate met Murphy’s eyes. “But she’d lost her paddle in the struggle. There’d been a lot of rain that spring so the current was really, really strong. The current swept her up into the most dangerous stretch of the falls.”

  Kate became silent, obviously reflecting on her memories of the past.

  From the corner of his eye, Murphy noticed Nate was nearly finished with loading up their canoe.

  Kate drew in a deep breath, distractedly returning her gaze to Nate. “Hagenmeyer nearly caught up with her. But then the canoe flipped over and Lucy’s head must’ve been slammed into the seat. Apparently, she blacked out.”

  “Damn,” Murphy whispered. “How in the hell did she even make it out from the river alive, Kate?”

  “Gabe – or, rather, Izzy – saw her. Gabe and his daughter were in the process of moving into their home at Angel’s Way – it’s right on the junction of the lake and river. There’d been a terrible storm the night before. A huge pine had tumbled into the river and Lucy was caught up in the branches. Gabe said that if they’d discovered her even five minutes later, it would’ve been too late. She was close to going over when Izzy spotted her. Luckily, Gabe had rebuilt his dock and boathouse on the river for fishing and tubing. For safety, he’d hung up a rope with a buoy attached. He tied himself to the rope, and let the current sweep him towards her.”

  Murphy shook his head in disbelief. “How did he end up getting her out of the river? Izzy wouldn’t have been strong enough to pull them in.”

  “The pine tree. Apparently it held steady, even with the pull of the current. But it was sticky and oozing with sap. It took Gabe nearly twenty minutes to drag Lucy back to the shore against the current as he gripped and climbed through the branches.”

  “Whoa.”

  “Yeah,” Kate agreed quietly. “So, if Lucy’s behaving strangely when we meet up with her at the rest area – you’ll understand why.”

  Nate gave them a hand signal, confirming he was ready to return to the lodge.

  “Ready?” Kate questioned.

  Murphy nodded grimly.

  CHAPTER

  TWELVE

  Hearing a sharp rap at the back door, Mike Callahan called out from where he was seated. “Come on in, Jake.”

  Jake Loughlin strolled into the kitchen. “Hey, everyone.” Wearing jeans and a T-shirt, the owner of the Dragonfly Pointe Inn was tall and thin with longish brown hair.

  Kate and Dan remained seated at the kitchen island, while Murphy stood up to be introduced. “Mr. Loughlin.”

  “Nice to meet you, Murphy. Just call me Jake.” They shook hands. “Cal’s told me lots about you. After he mentioned you were an offensive lineman at Northwestern, I figured that I wouldn’t have any trouble picking you out from the crowd,” Jake said dryly. “Heard your team’s gonna be pretty good this year?”

  Murphy was rather startled. Somehow he hadn’t pictured this man, as a multimillionaire and CEO, to be so down to earth and personable. He grinned. “I’d sure like to think so.”

  “I saw a few of your games on TV last year. Hmm. Maybe I’ll join Cal and Dan on one of their road trips this fall.”

  Cal nodded. “You know that you’re always welcome to come along, Jake.”

  Dragging over a stool, Jake took a seat next to Dan. “Seems like every time I’m supposed to come along with you, Cal, some crisis or another comes up.” Besides the Dragonfly Pointe Inn, Jake owned a string of exclusive hotels located in various cities across the U.S.

  “Dan and I were actually out at the inn last night. The place is beautiful,” Murphy added.

  Dan snorted. “I’m surprised that you even remember the inn, Murph.”

  “Sure, I do.” Murphy glared at Dan. “Just because I had a little too much to drink—”

  Dan barked out a laugh. “A little?”

  Kate laughed quietly.

  Jake was clearly amused as he shifted his gaze between Murphy and Dan. “Thanks. I’m pretty happy with the place since we’ve finished all of our remodeling.”

  “Hi, Jake.” Jenny Callahan slipped into the kitchen, pulling a pitcher of iced tea from the fridge. She turned to her husband, “Honey. Would you like another beer? Can I get a beer for you, too, Jake?”

  “Sure, Jenny,” Jake answered.

  After making sure everyone had refreshments, Jenny returned to the family room to watch a movie with her youngest daughter. Jeff was busy in his own separate corner of the room with a video game, while Kelly was munching on some microwave popcorn, waiting on the couch for her mother to begin the movie.

  Jake took a sip of his beer. “So. I hear we’ve got a problem at the campgrounds?”

  Cal’s expression suddenly turned grim. “I’ve told you about our missing materials?”

  Jake nodded.

  “This is different, Jake. Now they’re actually stealing from you.”

  Jake raised a brow.

  Cal went on to discuss, in detail, the situation that Kate and Murphy had outlined to him and Dan only minutes before.

  When he heard the entire story, Jake absentmindedly fiddled with his beer. “They’re not stealing from me, Cal. They’re stealing from all of the individuals who’re meant to benefit from this facility. If that lumber’s as valuable as you say, think of the additional improvements that could be made with the income from that lumber. Not to mention adding to the fund we’ve created for building the residential and vocational center we hope to be able to include out there someday.”

  The rest of the group murmured their agreement.

  Dan asked, “So. What’s most important? Do we halt the construction and excavate the remaining lumber? Or do we continue to search for the thief?”

  Kate turned to her father. “Maybe, if we’re lucky, our thief hasn’t had a chance to unload the lumber yet?”

  Thoughtfully, Cal nodded his agreement.

  Murphy had a suggestion. “Maybe we could contact potential distributors operating in the area? See if our thief has already attempted to unload the lumber? There can’t be that many companies prepared to handle reclaimed lumber. Can there?

  Dan grimaced. “More than you think, Murph. But I’ll make a few calls to some of our local lumberyards, first, and then work my way through the state if I don’t discover anything relevant within the vicinity.”

  Cal turned to his daughter. “Where’s Luke Arnett with all of this crap going on, Kate? It’s hard for me to believe he’s not involved,” he added sharply.

  Kate shook her head in frustration. “I don’t know, Dad. Why would he hand over the keys to the cabins if he was? Besides – would he really understand the significance of this find? To him, a two by four is just a two by four.”

  Cal sighed. “Yeah. I see what you’re saying, Kate. Luke’s great at overseeing the construction and supervising the crew – but that’s why we have guys like Gus to do the plumbing and Al Jacobs to take on the woodworking details. Even before I promoted Luke, his primary specialty was framing along with door and window installations.”

  Kate nodded.

  Dan shifted his gaze between Kate and his father. “We do agree, then – it has to be someone with woodworking knowledge?”

  Both Cal and Kate nodded their affirmation.

  Cal turned to Murphy. “Murph, you’re going back to the campgrounds tomorrow?”

  “Yeah, Cal.”
<
br />   “Good. Now that you know what to look for, we’ll give you a week or two on your own. If you don’t see anything suspicious, we’ll need to come up with another plan of action.

  CHAPTER

  THIRTEEN

  With her hands on her hips, Kate studied the kitchen of the Ivers’ home with immense satisfaction. The entire ground level had been converted into an open concept plan. After finally locating matching flooring from a demolition site further downstate, the original wood flooring had been refinished, and then stained and extended into the kitchen. Blending in with a few of the original pine paneled walls, which she’d chosen to preserve and refinish, brand new hickory cabinets had just been installed.

  “This place looks absolutely beautiful.”

  With a start, Kate turned, suddenly noticing the stranger stepping in through the sliding glass doors.

  “I’m Jeff Ivers,” he said, moving forward and extending his hand. “I presume that you’re Kate?”

  “Mr. Ivers. I’m so glad to finally meet you.” Kate shook his hand.

  “Oh. Just call me Jeff, Kate.” Jeff’s eyes were intensely blue in his cleanly-shaven face. His hair was dark and somewhat shaggy. But Jeff Ivers had a face that was etched with sadness – his eyes appeared haunted.

  Kate offered him a warm smile. “Jeff, then.” She waved her hand towards the completed renovations. “I was just thinking about how happy I am with the transformation of this entire lower level.”

  “I definitely agree.” He shook his head with amazement. “I never knew this place could look so great.”

  “Would you like to have a look around?”

  Jeff grinned. “Sure.”

  Forty-five minutes later, as they stood upstairs on the final leg of their tour, Kate was hesitant. Only one room remained. “I haven’t touched a single thing in there.” She motioned to the door of the bedroom that was located next to the master suite.