"You seem so strong all of a sudden."
"He gave it back to me, Kate. I don't know how he did it, but I feel so much better since Sean came back. I'm starting to believe my old self might still be in there somewhere."
"I hope so. I like that girl."
"Me, too." Ashley got up. "I've got work to do."
"I'll walk, you out."
Kate followed her sister down the hall, realizing a second too late that she should have steered her past the living room.
"Oh, my!" Ashley exclaimed. "You had quite the picnic last night, didn't you?"
Kate was almost afraid to look into the room. She wasn't sure what state it was in, but it had to be bad. She forced herself to peek around the corner. The sofa pillows were on the floor, along with the blanket, which was completely twisted and tangled among containers of food, some still half full.
"Is that whipped cream?" Ashley asked in amazement. "Just what did you put in your basket?"
"It was for ice cream sundaes. They weren't part of the original basket."
"I bet they weren't." Ashley turned to her with amusement edged with concern. "Are you sure that was smart?"
"I am nowhere near sure. But it happened. And, before you ask, there was no pillow talk, no spilling of secrets. Just a lot of really great . ." Kate couldn't quite find the right word.
"Conversation?"
"Exactly," she said with a grin.
"I'll bet. Tell me, big sister, did the whipped cream actually go on the ice cream?"
"Ashley!"
"Hey, you're supposed to be my mentor. If there's something more interesting to be done with whipped cream, I think it's your sisterly duty to tell me about it."
"I think it's time you went to work."
Ashley paused at the front door. "I'm glad you had a good time. You deserve it." She paused. I kind of wish you would have had this emotional breakthrough with someone else, though."
"That would have been easier," Kate agreed.
"Well, easy has never been the McKenna way."
"I was selfish, though. I could have put us all in a bad position."
"It's not selfish to fall in love."
"I'm not in love."
"Oh, Kate, come on. You don't have sex with guys you don't care about."
"It was just a fling. He's leaving in a few days. It's nothing."
"It may be nothing to him, but it's something to you. You don't give your body or your heart lightly. I don't care what you told Tyler Jamison. I know that for a fact. And if you slept with him, then you're falling for him."
"He's all wrong for me, Ash. I don't want to care for him."
"And I don't want to care for Sean, but we don't choose love. It chooses us. Once it grabs hold, it doesn't let go." She paused, bending over to pick up a piece of paper. "What's this?"
Kate's heart skipped a beat. Had Tyler left her a note after all?
"Kate?" Ashley looked at her with a question in her eyes. "Where did you get this?"
"What is it?"
"It's one of my medical bills."
A flash of disappointment swept through her, followed by confusion. `How did that get there?"
"I have no idea. I didn't even bring my purse in." They stared at each other for a moment, both coming to the same conclusion at the same time.
"Tyler," Ashley muttered. "He was in my apartment yesterday."
"And in my house last night," Kate added. But it didn't make any sense.
"Why would Tyler swipe a copy of my medical bill? What on earth could he hope to find there?" Ashley asked, echoing her thoughts.
"He must be on the wrong track."
Ashley looked at her through troubled eyes. "Or maybe we are."
* * *
Tyler sat back in the boat as Duncan steered them out of the marina and past the buoys that marked the beginning of the day's races. There were lots of boats sailing in the area of the start, which would take place in approximately thirty minutes, but Duncan apparently had a different course in mind. He headed them away from the racing area toward the north end of the island.
"Are you eager to be out there racing?" Tyler asked.
Duncan nodded. "I can't wait. There's nothing like a fast start to get your blood pumping."
"It must be different when the race is longer. You have to stay ahead for weeks, months at a time. Must require a great deal of endurance, not just a fast start."
"Long-distance ocean sailing is like running a marathon. You have to pace yourself and take into account changes in weather, temperature, sails, every little detail that could alter the outcome of the race."
"And you don't stop for anything, do you?" Tyler asked. "Not even if someone is sick or injured. You just keep going."
Duncan shot him a thoughtful look. "We didn't have to worry about that."
"The girls were healthy the whole time?"
"They were as fit as any of the crews out there."
Except one of them had been pregnant. Why hadn't anyone realized that fact? Tyler frowned, knowing that this tack was no better than the last. Duncan was too smart to give him an easy answer.
Looking out at the water, Tyler tried to drum up some enthusiasm for his quest. But he had to admit that after spending an incredible night with Kate he felt even less inclined to hunt down the truth. She was an amazing woman, everything he'd ever wanted, not just beautiful but sexy, warm, funny, smart, the kind of woman a man could be friends with, not just have sex with. Although the sex had been good, very good.
But he hadn't deserved to have her. He was lying to her.
The fact that she also was probably lying to him didn't make it better. He didn't want walls between them. Then again, maybe he should be happy the walls were there. It would make it easier to do what he had to do and walk away.
And he would walk away. There was no question about that. His life and his job were miles away from this island in the Pacific Northwest. And why would Kate be willing to give her heart to a man who had come to town to destroy her or one of her sisters? She wouldn't be able to forgive someone who hurt her family. Her loyalty ran deep. It was one of the things he loved about her. Not love, he told himself fiercely. Just like. He just really liked her.
"Look, there," Duncan said, pointing to the right.
Tyler got to his feet, stunned to see two incredibly large gray whales just a few feet away. They sliced through the water with power and grace. "Amazing," he murmured. "I didn't realize we could get that close."
"They're used to the boats. They don't pay us much attention."
He saw the joy in Duncan's face. "You love this world, don't you?"
"Every last bit of it. But I won't be back this way for a while. It's time to move on."
"You're going to race down to San Francisco next week?"
"And then on to Hawaii. Maybe," he added, surprising Tyler.
"Maybe? I thought it was a done deal."
"Rick wants the girls onboard. I thought Kate would change her mind. She always came through before." Duncan's voice grew weary. "I guess she's finally given up on me. Hold the tiller, would you?"
"What?"
"Just steer toward those trees. I want to adjust the sails."
Tyler felt awkward with the tiller in his hands. Unlike Duncan, he did not feel comfortable on the water, especially when their progress seemed to be contingent on a couple of pieces of canvas and the stick in his hands. Not exactly high technology. But then this boat had obviously seen better days, much like its owner. They were relics from a past era. They'd never be what they'd once been, but they both had stories to tell. He'd bet his life on that.
"I'll be right back. You're doing fine," Duncan said as he disappeared into the cabin.
Doing fine? What the hell was he doing? He was just holding on to the tiller and hoping he didn't run into anything, but they were away from most of the other boats now, and the islands were getting smaller, too. He'd never realized the Sound was so large, so empty.
&nb
sp; A shiver ran down his arms as the wind picked up and the boat suddenly seemed to take off. But the wind disappeared as quickly as it had come. Tyler relaxed as the boat's speed decreased. He liked adrenaline as much as the next guy, but he would have liked it more if he knew what he was doing.
Tyler wondered what the old man was up to. He hoped Duncan didn't have a stash of vodka in a cabinet somewhere. He suspected that was a foolish hope. Duncan didn't seem to keep much distance between himself and a bottle of booze.
Tyler reached into the jacket of his windbreaker for his cell phone. He had Kate's numbers, both the bookstore and house, programmed into the phone. He'd try the bookstore first.
"Fantasia. Can I help you?"
The sound of her voice stirred him in a way he'd never imagined. Instantly he was taken back to the night before, to the soft, breathless words she'd spoken in passion. His body hardened; his muscles tightened. He didn't want to be out on this damn boat. He wanted to be with Kate, making love to her.
"Is anyone there?" she asked.
"It's me, Tyler," he said quickly, realizing she was about to hang up.
"What? Tyler? I can't hear you."
"I wanted to make sure you were all right," he said loudly. "I wanted to say good-bye to you this morning, but I didn't want to wake you."
"I can't hear you, Tyler. Is everything okay?"
"It's fine."
"Tyler? Are you there?"
He sighed, knowing she couldn't hear him. They were too far out, and getting farther away by the minute. He'd thought this would just be a nice little sail around the island, but Duncan seemed to have other plans. "I'll call you later. I miss you, Kate. I wish you could hear that." Maybe it was better that she couldn't.
Tyler closed the phone and slipped it back into his pocket. That's when he realized that Duncan was standing at the top of the stairs, watching him.
"Was that Kate?" Duncan asked.
"Yes. She couldn't hear me, though. Bad connection."
Duncan lifted the silver flask in his hand to his lips and took a long drink. "Katie won't leave Castleton. She's dug her heels in. And you're not a man to stay in one place." He paused. "So why are you messing with my daughter?"
"I'm not messing with her. I like her."
"And she likes you?"
"I think she does."
"I thought she had more sense than that. But then, she is her mother's daughter. Nora was a sucker for a smooth line and a charming smile."
"K.C.," Tyler guessed.
"It took her awhile to realize he wasn't who he said he was. Even then she was too softhearted to push him away. Just like Katie should be pushing you away."
"She's been trying."
"Not hard enough. You're still in town." Duncan walked forward. "Move aside."
"Gladly," Tyler said, giving the tiller back to Duncan. "Are we turning back?"
"We're just getting started."
"Where are we going?"
"Wherever the wind takes us."
"That's it? We're at the mercy of the wind?"
"You like to be in charge, do you?"
"Yes, I do," Tyler admitted.
"Then why are you working for K.C.?"
Tyler was once again surprised by the question. "Why would you ask me that?"
"It's just a coincidence that you two turn up in town the same week? I don't think so. You're part of K.C.'s plan to destroy me. He remembers, doesn't he?"
"Remembers what?" Tyler asked, sensing that Duncan was taking off on a tangent that might finally lead to the truth.
"What happened that night," Duncan said impatiently. "Don't play the fool with me. You can romance Katie, intimidate Ashley, or sucker Caroline into talking, but none of them knows what I know."
"What do you know, Duncan?"
"What's it worth to you?"
"I don't understand."
"We can make a deal. Something I want for something you want."
"You don't have anything I want," Tyler said.
"I have Katie." Duncan looked him straight in the eye. "You want her, don't you?"
Chapter Twenty-One
Kate was still waiting for Tyler to call back several hours later, but the phone remained silent. His voice had cut in and out, making his words incomprehensible. Had he said he missed her? Or had she just imagined that part?
And why did she care? The man she'd made love to the night before had some explaining to do, like why on earth he would have taken a medical bill from Ashley's apartment. Her mind was still wrestling with that question. Unless the bill had been in Ashley's pocket and fallen out and she'd just forgotten it was in there ...
No, come to think of it, Ashley had been wearing short shorts and a tank top, no big pockets. It had to have been Tyler who'd dropped it there. Why would he care about Ashley's health? Or was it something else? Was there some type of number on the bill? A social security number? Kate didn't think so, but she supposed it was possible. Maybe that number would lead Tyler to something else, or maybe he thought it would.
Kate sighed as one of her favorite customers approached the counter with a couple books.
"Tough day?" Wanda Harper asked as she reached into her purse for her wallet. "Or do you have race fever like everyone else in this town? All those boats out there make it hard to concentrate on work and chores and all that."
"I know what you mean. I've been restless all day." Kate cast a glance toward the window and was surprised to see some clouds blowing in.
Wanda followed her gaze. "The weather is changing. They're predicting rain for tonight."
"I thought that was tomorrow."
Wanda shrugged. "You know what summer storms are like, they pop up when you least expect them. Thanks," she added, taking her books and walking out of the store.
Yes, Kate knew what summer storms could be like. Intense and powerful. She walked around the counter and stood by the window. In a way, Tyler was like a summer storm, blowing into her life without any notice and drowning her in completely overwhelming emotions. And just like a summer storm, gone by the morning.
The door to the bookstore opened, and Caroline walked in. Dressed in low-rise jeans and a hot pink sweater, she had a smile on her face and energy in her step. Her baby sister was back in form.
"Hi, Kate."
"You look good."
"I feel good. I'm working, so I only have a second. I wanted to give you this." She handed Kate a white paper bag.
"What is it?" She laughed when she pulled out the carton of chocolate-chip cookie-dough ice cream. "You used to give me this when you were in trouble or when you wanted something. Which is it this time?"
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