* * *
AS WAS OFTEN the case, Megan somehow found an extra measure of energy after she helped the girls through their evening routine—medication, bath, pajamas, story—and settled them into bed.
After they were asleep, she sat out on the lanai with the video monitor and a book, listening to the whispering palm fronds and the soft, soothing sound of the waves.
All the craziness of the evening seemed to fade away out here in the breeze. She drew in a deep breath, relaxing her neck, her shoulders, her trunk. She leaned her head back against the cushions of the settee and closed her eyes, letting the quiet peace seep through.
She might have dozed off. She wasn’t sure. But when she opened her eyes, she found Shane standing a few feet away, watching her.
He still wore the dress slacks and the Hawaiian shirt he’d worn to the wedding rehearsal, and he looked strong and handsome in the moonlight.
“I’m sorry I woke you. I saw you up here with your book and thought you were reading.”
“I wasn’t asleep,” she answered, almost sure of it.
“What about the girls?”
She held up the video monitor. “Deep in dreamland. I was worried they might be too excited about the wedding tomorrow to fall asleep easily, but they dropped right off. They’re not used to all this excitement.”
“Hey, I’m a police officer in one of the most crime-ridden cities in the country and I have to admit that being thrown into the middle of my dysfunctional family is too much excitement for me, too.”
She smiled a little. He watched her for a moment, then came over and eased down beside her on the settee.
“I came to apologize.”
“Why?” She wondered briefly if he was referring to that stunning kiss again. If so, she might have to smack him.
“My mother. I’m sorry you were saddled with her all night. I should have stepped in earlier. The truth is, I wasn’t paying attention and didn’t realize what was going on. She’s not a big drinker, since she’s smart enough to know it goes straight to her head. Usually she has the sense to stay away from alcohol. I should have been more in tune.”
“I handled things.”
“I’m guessing you prevented her from causing a scene. Am I right?”
She shrugged, a little astonished at the accuracy of his guess. No wonder he made a good cop, with detective skills like that. “It was no big deal. Turns out, she was easily distractible. Kind of like the girls when they’re gearing up for a tantrum.”
“Well, thanks. I owe you.”
She shifted, uncomfortable with the idea of him feeling obligated to her for anything. “Don’t be silly. I didn’t do anything. Anyway, it’s small payment for the personalized tour of Kauai you gave us today.”
“I enjoyed today,” he answered. “Sharing the island with you and Grace and Sarah was like seeing it for the first time all over again.”
“It’s a memory I know I’ll never forget.”
He said nothing, only continued gazing out to sea. She remained quiet as well. Maybe he needed the quiet calm as much as she did.
The night was seductive, the two of them alone in the soft, warm darkness, and she felt closer to him than ever.
CHAPTER SEVEN
HE SHOULDN’T HAVE come here. It had been sheer impulse. After he’d settled his mother in her cabana, he’d been walking toward his own lodgings along the beach when he’d seen her here on the porch, her features softly lit by a small reading light.
He had been drawn to her, unable to keep away.
Now he didn’t know what to do, especially when the only thing he could think about was their stunning kiss that morning—and how badly he wanted another taste.
“Shane,” she began.
He didn’t know what she intended to say. The sound of his name on her lips, low and beguiling, shivered through him as if she’d trailed a hand through his hair.
Just once more. The night was too perfect, soft and romantic. He had to kiss her.
He shifted on the settee and found her face tilted to his, almost as if she were waiting for him to lower his mouth to hers. He drew in a ragged breath and then he forgot everything except the wonder of her.
Her mouth was warm and sweet and tasted of chocolate and strawberries, two of his very favorite things.
She gasped a little when he kissed her and he thought for a moment she would push him away, then her mouth softened on his and her arms slid around his neck.
He knew this was crazy, but he couldn’t seem to help himself. Kissing her was addictive, all the paradise he could ever need. It was beaches and soaring green mountains and the vast sea, all rolled into one delectable package.
He was vaguely aware anyone walking along the beach could see them, but they were in shadows here that would conceal them from all but the most careful scrutiny. The truth was, he didn’t want to stop. He kissed her while the palm fronds rustled on the roof of the lanai, while a frog croaked somewhere nearby, while drums from a distant luau sounded in the night.
He wanted to drag her back to his cabana, to lay her down on the beautiful Hawaiian quilt and make love to her all night long.
Emotions welled up inside him, as tender as they were terrifying.
He was falling for her.
He supposed it had started that day in the hospital, when she’d teased him and smiled at him and distracted him from the pain racing down his arm. Seeing her again, discovering the woman inside the nurse’s scrubs, had only deepened his growing feelings.
He had never felt these things before. They scared the hell out of him, left him unsure how to proceed.
Desperate for a little space to catch his breath and his sanity, he eased away from her.
She looked breathtaking in the moonlight and he practically had to dig his nails into his palms to keep from reaching for her again.
“Sorry,” he murmured. “I told myself I wouldn’t do that again.”
Her eyes looked huge in the dim light. He couldn’t quite read them, though he had the vague feeling he’d hurt her.
“Yet you did.”
“Whenever I’m around you, I just can’t seem to help myself.”
She was silent, her breathing rapid and her expression veiled by the darkness. “I guess it’s a good thing we’re all going home in a few days, then, isn’t it? Away from the temptation to do things we know aren’t good for us?”
She thought he wasn’t good for her? The thought burned, even though it was the truth.
He rose from the settee. “I should go. I told Nick I would meet him at the bar for drinks, a kind of informal bachelor’s party.”
“Good night. Thanks again for the memorable day.”
He didn’t want to go. He wanted to stay right here with her in his arms, but he knew that was the last thing either of them needed right now.
* * *
“I DON’T WANT to go swimming.” Grace pouted. “It’s raining!”
“Hardly at all, Gracie,” her sister said. “It’s only sprinkling a little. We could still have fun.”
“I don’t want to.”
“How about a movie?” Megan tried.
“No!”
“Should we read more of our book?”
“No.” This time, she whimpered the word miserably.
Megan sighed, fighting for patience. Grace had suffered a restless night, waking several times, which, of course, woke everyone else.
Despite a dose of Tylenol this morning, she still radiated unhappiness.
Megan did a quick forehead scan with the thermometer she’d brought. As it had registered earlier, Grace had a low-grade fever. It wasn’t high enough to cause major concern, but was still worrisome.
Why did she have to choose today, of all da
ys—the morning of her father’s wedding—to come down with something?
It wasn’t the girl’s fault, Megan reminded herself. Grace was tetchy and miserable and probably felt lousy. She had all the signs of an ear infection.
She grabbed her cell phone and speed-dialed her pediatrician back in Chicago, with whom she had a great relationship.
“Given the circumstances, I’m going to trust your judgment,” Dr. Phillips said after Megan explained Grace’s symptoms. “If you think it’s an ear infection, I’ll call in an antibiotic to a pharmacy there in Kauai. You say you’ll be home tomorrow night?”
“Yes. Late.”
“Just bring her in when you get back so we can check things out.”
“Thank you, Anne. I owe you.”
As soon as she hung up her phone, she realized she had another issue—transportation. She’d just have to call a taxi, she decided. It would be easier than trying to figure out bus schedules.
She called the pharmacy for directions and had just hung up when someone knocked on the door.
She opened it to see a rippling cascade of vivid tropical flowers—and a particularly gorgeous man holding them.
Her mind instantly replayed their kiss on the lanai the night before, the heat and passion and sheer romance of it.
“Hello,” she said to Shane, her tone guarded.
“I’m running errands for Cara this morning. These are the flowers for the girls’ hair, with an extra lei for you.”
“Oh,” she said softly. “They’re beautiful.”
They were the most exquisite flowers she had seen yet, pure white edged with a soft purple that would go beautifully with the girls’ dresses. “I’ll put them in the refrigerator until tonight. Thank you.”
“I really get to wear one of those?” Sarah’s eyes were huge.
“Yes. And Grace, too.”
“No. I don’t want to,” she groused from the sofa.
Shane’s eyes widened and he gave Megan a careful look. She imagined he wasn’t expecting that kind of grumpiness from Grace, who was usually unfailingly cheerful, even when nurses were trying to stick her for an IV.
“We’re having a bad day,” she murmured to him. “I’m convinced she has an ear infection. She has all the signs. Her pediatrician just prescribed an antibiotic.”
“Can you get it filled somewhere here at the resort?”
She shook her head. “We’re going to head into town. I was just about to call a cab.”
He made a face. “That’s crazy. I can pick it up for you. You were the last flower delivery. What pharmacy?”
She gave him the address. “That would be great if you could pick it up. Thank you. Let me find my insurance information.”
“No, Sarah,” Grace grumped loudly from the sofa. “I don’t want to play on the iPad. I told you that.”
“You don’t have to get mad at me,” her sister snapped back. “It’s not my fault you don’t feel good.”
“Girls, that’s enough,” Megan said. She worried the antibiotic wouldn’t start working in time to help Grace’s mood before the wedding.
Shane looked between the girls and then at Megan with an expression of sympathy. “Why don’t we all go into town? A change of scenery couldn’t hurt. We could run to the pharmacy and then grab a plate lunch somewhere.”
She wanted to say no. Spending more time with him didn’t seem smart right now. On the other hand, she was at her wits’ end with Grace. If a trip to the store would distract her from her cranky mood for a few minutes, Megan would take it.
“Let me put these in the refrigerator,” she said after a pause.
When she finished, she found him helping Grace into her wheelchair for the trip into town, making silly jokes the whole way. She found something almost heartbreakingly sweet about watching his care with both of her daughters.
The rain had eased and everything smelled fresh and clean as they walked outside.
“Look at that, girls,” Shane said, pointing to something on the wooden side of the simple structure. “It’s a gecko.”
He pushed Grace closer so she could see, and Sarah stood beside her, entranced by the little reptile. “Will it bite?” Sarah asked, sounding not too concerned at the possibility.
“Not geckos. They’re pretty harmless. Cute, aren’t they?”
“I want one for a pet,” Grace announced. “Can I take him home?”
His low chuckle sent Megan’s stomach twirling. “I don’t think this little guy would be very happy with our cold Chicago winters,” Shane answered. “What do you think?”
Grace pouted a little but seemed to accept the logic of that as Shane continued pushing her to the small parking lot nearby.
The idea of trying to distract her had been pure genius. Grace’s mood improved immensely. Without her bad temper, everyone else’s mood did, too.
The drugstore had an aisle filled with souvenirs. Before Megan headed to the pharmacy counter to pick up the antibiotic, she put the girls to work selecting a few items for their friends back in Chicago. When she returned to the aisle, medicine in hand, she found Shane wearing about four wildly colored artificial leis, a funny hat and a pair of sunglasses with pineapple-shaped frames. The twins were laughing uproariously.
“No, let’s try this one,” Sarah said in a rather bossy voice. She picked up another silly hat, this one fashioned like a coconut. As Shane bent down so the girl could swap out hats, Megan felt a soft warmth seeping through her.
She wasn’t sure how, but Shane had become immensely important to all of them. The girls would miss him after all the fun they’d enjoyed together during this trip. Their life in Chicago would seem drab by comparison. She fought down the pang. She didn’t have room for him in her life, remember? Things were complicated enough.
She pushed away her sudden melancholy, the wildly hopeless wish that they could stay here forever.
“That is a very good look for you,” she said.
He grinned at her, looking so adorable she wanted to stop right there in the aisle and kiss him.
“Thanks. I think the pineapple sunglasses help me pull the whole thing off, don’t you?”
“Definitely. You’re not really buying all those things, are you?” she said to the girls. “I thought I said something about macadamia nuts.”
“We got those already,” Sarah said, pointing to a nearby cart. “We just wanted to see how Shane looked.”
“I like the hat best of all,” Grace offered.
He smiled, pulled it off his head and set it on hers. “Then I’ll buy it for you. And Sarah, what do you want?”
After careful consideration, she selected a T-shirt with a cute monkey wearing a hula skirt.
They paid for their purchases and headed out to his Jeep, where Megan gave Grace the first dose of her antibiotic. This was one of the few times she was grateful for her daughter’s feeding tube, which helped her get enough nutrition through formula that was pumped all night. Medications went down much easier when Grace didn’t have to taste them.
Shane watched the whole thing with interest. “So food and medicine can go right into the stomach?” he asked.
Grace nodded. “Cool, huh? Sarah always has to swallow yucky medicine but if I don’t want to, I don’t have to.”
Megan smoothed a hand down her hair, loving this little girl who never resented that her twin didn’t share her limitations.
They grabbed lunch at a nearby restaurant that featured the ubiquitous Hawaii plate lunch, either chicken, shrimp or beef cooked in a sauce over rice. They ate on picnic tables overlooking the ocean, their napkins anchored with salt and pepper shakers.
Megan had a teriyaki and pineapple chicken that was just about the best thing she’d ever eaten. She tried to savor the moment with Shane, knowing their
time together was limited. Soon they’d be back in their separate lives. She likely wouldn’t see him again when they returned to Chicago, a prospect that left her feeling bleak.
Within five minutes of leaving the restaurant, both girls fell asleep, cuddled together like puppies in the backseat.
Megan discovered them and winced. “They’re out,” she said.
“You say that like it’s a bad thing. I would think you’d want to celebrate naptime.”
“I do. Believe me, I do. It’s just that I was hoping to make them have a little quiet time in their beds before we have to start getting them ready for the wedding.”
“Want me to drive around for awhile to let them sleep?”
She was conflicted. The girls were both much happier when they were well rested, but that also meant more of this dangerous time with Shane when they were virtually alone.
“Do you mind?” she asked. “We were up and down all night with Grace’s earache. I finally sent Sarah into my bed so I could stay in with Grace. Even a half hour would help.”
“If you need to sleep, too, I don’t mind driving all the McNeil ladies around for awhile.”
She smiled. “I should be okay. I’m not tired.”
They lapsed into a comfortable silence as he drove, passing fruit stands and beaches and exclusive homes set away from the road. Hawaiian slack-key guitar played on the stereo, quiet and relaxing.
Despite her words, the rough night must have caught up with her. When she blinked her eyes open, they were once more parked at the resort, and Shane was gazing down at her, an unreadable expression in his eyes. She had the oddest feeling, completely comfortable and natural.
“Oh. I feel asleep.”
He smiled, white teeth gleaming in his tanned face. “Two minutes after you said you weren’t tired.”
“I’m sorry. That was a poor trick to play when you were kind enough to play taxi driver.”
“I told you I didn’t mind if you slept. I had nothing to complain about. Sunshine, gorgeous scenery, great music and a beautiful woman beside me. I would have kept driving, except I knew the girls would need to get ready for tonight.”
Island Promises: Hawaiian HolidayHawaiian ReunionHawaiian Retreat Page 6
