Manhunting

Chapter Ten

The rest of Kate’s vacation passed in a pleasant, lazy blur of floating on the lake with Jake in the mornings, playing with Penny in the afternoons, bartending in the evenings, and then making love with Jake with such passion that she forgot there was anything in the world but the two of them. Periodically, the cold threat of the future sliced its way into her consciousness, but she repressed it ruthlessly. She wasn’t leaving until Saturday. She’d think about it later. Not now.

The week was hardly without its distractions. She worked on the plans for the bar with Nancy and felt a satisfaction she hadn’t felt for a long time as things began to fall into place there. Knowing Nancy ’s possessiveness about the bar, she was careful not to overstep at first, but Nancy seemed genuinely enthused about the changes she proposed, and finally Kate relaxed and enjoyed working with her.

At the hotel, she watched Donald Prescott pursue Valerie with the single-minded passion of a businessman pursuing a profit. Valerie did everything but throw him in Will’s face, and Will remained oblivious throughout. So Valerie grew more determined.

And, of course, Jessie called.

“Are you engaged yet?” Kate heard her say as she picked up the phone.

“What happened to ‘Hello’?”

“Hello. Are you engaged yet?”

“No, and I’m not going to be,” Kate said. “I’m in love with a man who’s allergic to marriage.”

“Jake’s allergic to marriage after one bad assistant district attorney? He sounded tougher than that.”

“How did you know I was talking about Jake?”

“Oh, please,” Jessie said. “It was so obvious. Once I heard you’d been drinking beer with him in a rowboat, I knew it was just a matter of time. So, does he fill all the important requirements of your plan?”

“Important requirements?”

“You know,” Jessie said. “Great sense of humor. Equal rights for women. Terrific in bed. Loves you to the point of madness?”

Kate thought about it, surprised. “Yes,” she said slowly. “He does. What do you know, he does.”

“Good,” Jessie said. “You may marry him.”

“I don’t think so,” Kate said. “I don’t think Jake is ever getting married again.”

“Ha,” Jessie said.

“You don’t know Jake,” Kate said.

“No, but I know you,” Jessie said. “You’ll find a way. Now what do you want on your wedding cake?”

“Fish,” Kate said, Jessie’s certainty cheering her up. “And a rowboat.”

“You got it,” Jessie said. “I’ll start designing it now.”

And on Thursday, after an intense game of tennis and an even more intense conversation back at the cabin, Kate held Penny’s hand while she made a tearful call to Allan and broke off their engagement.

“I did the right thing, didn’t I?” she asked after she’d hung up and Kate was blotting her tears.

“Why don’t you go discuss it with Mark?” Kate suggested. “See how you feel?”

“Do you think he’ll even talk to me again?” Penny said.

“It’s a sure thing,” Kate said. “Begin by mentioning you’re no longer engaged because you’re in love with him and will be until the end of time.”

“All right,” Penny said. “But even if he doesn’t, I’m glad I broke the engagement. Allan was really nasty on the phone. I wouldn’t marry him now, even if Mark doesn’t want me.”

“Well, that’s good to know,” Kate said. “Come on. I’ll walk you down. I need to tell Jake I’m running late anyway.”

Jake and Will were conferring at the lobby desk when they walked in, so Kate stood by the door to the bar and watched Penny try to talk to Mark. He looked at her warily when she walked in, and then she leaned across the bar and said something. He dropped the glass he was holding, vaulted the bar, and pulled her into his arms.

Kate grinned and turned away, thinking, I love a happy ending. I wonder if Jake can jump over a bar like that.

She was heading toward the desk to ask him when Valerie caught up with her.

“I’ve been looking all over for you,” she exclaimed and put her arm around Kate.

“I have to talk to Jake and go,” Kate said quickly. “I can’t possibly play pool tag or anything else.”

Valerie laughed. “Don’t be silly. I want to talk to you about us.”

“Us?” Kate said, confused. “What ‘us’?”

“You and me,” Valerie said. “We’re going to be spending a lot of time together and, frankly, I couldn’t be happier. Now that Jake’s settling down-”

“What?” Kate asked, trying to disentangle herself. “I don’t know-”

“Now don’t be coy,” Valerie said. “Everybody knows about you and Jake.”

“Oh, great,” Kate said.

“It’ll be just the four of us,” Valerie began. “I know it’s too soon for you and Jake to set a date-”

“Uh, Valerie-”

“But Will and I will be making an announcement very shortly,” Valerie said, looking very pleased. “I don’t know why I was so upset before. I should know by now that that’s just the way Will is.”

Kate shot a glance at Will behind the lobby desk. “Valerie, have you actually discussed this with Will?”

“Well, in a manner of speaking, of course,” Valerie said.

“Not ‘in a manner of speaking,’” Kate said. “In a manner of sitting down and you saying, ‘I think we should get married,’ and him saying, ‘Yes.’”

Valerie shook her head. “That’s not the way Will and Jake are,” she explained. “They don’t like confrontation. You try that and you’ll never get anywhere.” She lowered her voice. “They’re both very stubborn.”

“I know,” Kate said. “But I don’t think…”

Valerie patted her on the arm. “Trust me. I know the Templetons.” She smiled at Kate. “After all, I’m going to be one. And if you play your cards right, so will you.”

Kate looked at her, appalled. Valerie hadn’t even talked to Will. She just assumed that she knew what was going on.

Kate looked up and saw Jake crossing the lobby toward her. Of course, she hadn’t talked to Jake, either. And she was running out of time. I’m no better than Valerie, she thought. I’ve got to stop hedging around. Jake would want me to be up-front about this.

“Jake’s not like that,” she told Valerie.

“You’ll see,” Valerie said. “They’re all like that.”

“I’ve got the order forms for Nancy,” Jake said, coming up behind her. “You want to run them down now or wait until this evening?”

“This evening,” Kate said. She took a deep breath. “We need to talk.”

“Why?” Jake asked suspiciously.

Valerie waggled her finger at Kate. “I warned you,” she said and left them to join Will at the desk.

“Tell me you’re not planning something with Valerie,” Jake said.

“I’m not planning something with Valerie,” Kate said. “What are we doing here?”

“We’re standing in the lobby,” Jake said. “Is this some game?”

Kate stood her ground. “No. You and me. This thing we’re doing. What is it?”

“This thing?”

“This relationship,” Kate said.

Jake groaned and stepped back. “I hate that word.”

Kate looked over at the desk. Valerie was standing close beside Will, shaking her head at Kate and smiling. Jake’s retreat was obvious from clear across the lobby. “Fine,” Kate said, and turned away.

Jake caught her arm and turned her back. “Look, this is not the time or place to talk about it.”

“Fine,” Kate said. “Where and when?”

“Later,” Jake said, looking around the lobby. “Much later. Someplace else.”

“I’m going home day after tomorrow,” Kate said.

Jake jerked his head back to face her. “Saturday?”

Kate nodded. “My reservation is up Saturday morning. I have to be out of my cabin by noon.”

Jake looked relieved. “Well, hell, if that’s the problem, move in with me. You practically have already, anyway.”

“Jake,” Kate said. “I have a job. A career. I can’t play house with you forever.”

“Is that what you want?” Jake asked. “Forever?”

Kate stopped for a minute, took a deep breath, and then said, “Yes.”

“Oh,” Jake said.

“Thank you,” Kate said, turning away again. “This clears things up nicely.”

“No, it doesn’t.” Jake grabbed her arm again. “Damn it, stop walking away from me and give me a chance to think.”

“Haven’t you thought about this at all?” Kate asked him, her anger finally breaking through. “Hasn’t it once occurred to you in this past week that this was going to end?”

“Yes, it’s occurred to me,” Jake said. “I’ve just tried not to dwell on it.”

“You know what one of the most annoying things about this is?” Kate asked him through her teeth.

“What?” he said uneasily.

“Valerie was right.” Kate wheeled around and walked away before he could stop her.

“Hey,” he said and followed her to the lobby desk.

“Sorry, Valerie,” Kate said. “Next time I’ll listen.”

She turned to leave and Jake blocked her path. “Wait a minute,” he said, and she said, “No,” and opened the first door at hand, and went in, slamming it in his face.

“That’s my office,” Will said to Jake. “Not that I mind, but I may need it later. Anything going on here that I should know about?”

“No,” Jake said. “I will handle this.” He opened the office door and went in, closing it behind him.

Kate was standing in front of the desk, visibly trying to keep calm. She wasn’t doing a very good job of it.

“Okay, I’ve been a jerk,” Jake said. “Let’s talk.”

“Let’s not,” Kate said. “I’m so mad at you, I could kill you. Go away until I calm down.”

“Running away would be a cowardly thing to do,” Jake said. “I’m not a coward.”

“Running away would be the wise thing to do,” Kate said, warning him.

“Well, I’m not wise, either,” Jake said, moving toward her.

Kate backed away until she bumped into the desk. Then she exploded. “You make it very clear that you hate women who manipulate around an issue instead of confronting it. Then when I try to confront it, you try to evade the subject.”

“I know,” Jake said. “I told you I was a jerk. You just sort of sprung it on me, and I dropped the ball.” He held out his arms to her. “Come here. I’ll make it up to you.”

Kate ducked out of his way. “How?”

“Well, I thought we’d neck,” Jake said, grinning.

“You can’t be serious,” Kate said, edging toward the door.

“I’m always serious,” Jake said and grabbed her. She kicked out at him and he dodged her, tripping over the edge of the carpet and dragging her to the floor with him when he fell.

“Ouch!” Kate said and tried to roll away, but he pinned her under him.

“Listen to me,” he said. “You’re right. We have to talk. I’m sorry.”

“Not sorry enough,” Kate said, trying to push him off her.

His arms tightened around her. “I’ll be as sorry as you want. Just tell me how.” He tried to concentrate on what she wanted, but she was soft and warm, wriggling under him in his arms, and all he could think about was how good she felt. Almost automatically, his hand moved up and cupped her breast.

Kate glared up at him. “You’re apologizing and groping me, at the same time?”

“It was just a reflex.” He grinned down at her.

She looked indignant, but there was warmth behind the glare. I know her, he thought. I know when she’s angry and when she’s just trying it on. And right now, she’s just trying it on.

She moved to roll away from him. “Some apology.”

He rolled with her, and she landed on her back again, still under him. “You’re not mad.”

“Bet me,” she said and swung at him. He caught her fists with his hands and pulled her arms over her head, pinning her to the floor.

“This is going to look great if Will walks in,” she said conversationally.

“He’s not that dumb.” Jake ran his tongue down the opening of her blouse, which gave him another idea. “How much time have we got before you go to work?”

“Not enough. Get off me. I need a shower.”

“I thought you tasted pretty salty.” He let her arms go but stayed on top of her, kissing her neck.

“Get off. You weigh a ton.”

“You’ve never complained before.” He bit her earlobe.

“I was turned on before.”

“Well, I’m working on that,” he said and moved his hand to her zipper.

“No!” She shoved at him hard and pushed herself out from under him, standing before he could reach her again and backing away from his hands. “I’ve got to go to work.”

“Feeling better?” he asked lazily, propping his head on one hand.

“Yes.” She straightened her blouse. “Now that you’re off me, and I can breathe, I’m feeling much better.”

“You have a real mean streak, woman,” Jake said, getting up. “Good thing you have a nice body.”

“Very funny,” Kate said and walked toward the door.

Jake caught at her arm and stopped her, suddenly serious. “Look, I’ll pick you up at the cabin later and take you to Nancy ’s,” he said. “And then, as much as I hate this, we’ll talk tonight when you get off work. You were right. We’ve got to talk about this.”

Kate bit her lip. “Thank you,” she said. “I’m sorry I blew up like that. I’ve just been putting off dealing with this for so long, and then when I finally got the courage up to face it, you didn’t want to.” She leaned against him. “I’m truly sorry.”

“Good,” Jake said, patting her back. “We’re both sorry. Equal guilt. You sure you don’t want to neck?”

Kate pushed him away and laughed. “Later.” She opened the door and crossed the lobby, and when she reached the outside door, she looked back and saw that he was leaning in the office doorway, watching her walk away. She put a little more sway in her hips as she left the hotel.

That’s mine, Jake thought. That swing is for me.

An incoming guest turned to stare at her and stumbled on the step. Don’t bother, buddy, Jake thought. The lady goes home with me tonight.

The bar was crowded for a weeknight, but by nine, things had calmed down to the point that Nancy, Will, Jake, and Kate could spread the finalized notes out on a corner table and talk.

“This makes so much sense I don’t know why we didn’t think of it sooner,” Will said. “And it’s not just the liquor. Look at the glassware.” He shook his head. “It’s brilliant” He looked at Kate. “You’re brilliant.”

“Thank you,” Kate said. “But it’s not that great. This is what I do for a living.” She shrugged. “This is pretty much business as usual for me.” She pointed to a notation on the plans. “Now this part is fascinating. Look at the shipping totals for…”

Jake watched her face as she explained her notes to Will and Nancy. She was so beautiful, but she was so much more. What the hell would she do, stuck in Toby’s Corners? And what the hell would he do, stuck back in the city? No wonder he’d been avoiding talking about this. He was going to lose her.

Kate looked up and caught him looking at her and smiled. “Hey,” she said. “Aren’t you proud of me?”

“Very,” he said without smiling back, and she looked concerned.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” he said, and when she still looked worried, he held out his hand to distract her. “Let me see your figures. You probably screwed them up. Women are no good at math.”

Kate shoved the plan across to him. “Do you feel all right?”

“Yes,” he said and bent to look at her notes. “Aha,” he said. “You forgot to add the depreciation on the glassware.”

“You can’t depreciate glassware, you moron,” Kate said and reached for her plan back.

“Listen to the expert, kid,” Jake said and the two of them began to argue while Nancy and Will listened, growing more and more surprised.

“I can’t believe it,” Will said to his brother finally. “She’s got you talking business again. It’s a miracle.”

Kate winced, and Nancy kicked Will hard under the table, but the damage was done. Jake dropped the plan on the table and glared at Kate.

“Don’t look at me like that,” she said. “You’re the one who asked to see the plan, and you’re the one making dumb statements about depreciated glassware.”

Jake opened his mouth to retort, but before he could get the words out, Valerie showed up with Donald in tow and put a chill on the conversation.

“Where have you been?” Valerie said to Will. “I’ve been looking all over for you.”

Will clenched his jaw for a moment and then visibly forced himself to relax as he turned away from her. “Here,” he said evenly. “Nancy and I had some things to talk about.”

“What things?” Valerie said suspiciously.

“We’re going to order everything for the bars together from now on,” Will said, keeping his back to her, unaware of the storm in her eyes. “It’ll save us both a bundle. Kate came up with the idea.” Will smiled over at Kate. “She is one smart cookie.”

“Is she?” Valerie said. “We need to talk about this.”

Nancy and Kate glanced at each other, but Will seemed deliberately oblivious to what was going on.

“Why should we talk about it?” Will said. “It’s a great idea, and we’re going to do it.”

“But what about our bar?” Valerie said evenly.

“What about it?” Will said. “It’s doing fine.”

“Not the dinner bar,” Valerie said. “Our country bar.”

“We don’t have a country bar,” Will said. “We don’t need one. We have Nancy ’s.”

Valerie put an arm around Will’s shoulders as she stood beside him, and they all saw him stiffen. “But darling, I thought we agreed-”

“No, you didn’t.” Will glared at her. “I told you when you came up with that idea that we weren’t going to do it.”

“Well, I think it’s a fine idea,” Donald said. “I think you should listen to Ms. Borden. I certainly would if she were in my employ.”

“Who the hell are you?” Will asked, peering at him in the dim light. “Oh. Prescott. What do you want?”

“Well, actually, I want your social director,” he said, laughing nervously. “I know I told you I was a stockbroker, but actually-”

“I know,” Will said tiredly. “You’re a scout from Eastern.”

“You knew?” Valerie said, dropping her arm from Will’s shoulders.

“Well, then, we can put our cards on the table,” Donald said. “I’ve just offered Ms. Borden a very generous contract, but she insists on giving you the opportunity to match it.”

Will looked at Valerie for a moment and men turned back to the table.

“She’s yours,” he said.

“Ouch,” Kate said, and even Jake winced a little.

“What?” Valerie said. She moved her hand to Will’s shoulder and pulled him back in his chair to face her.

“Go with my blessing,” Will said, patting her hand once and then prying it off his shoulder.

“What about us?” Valerie said, clenching her teem.

“What ‘us’?” Will said. “Hey, don’t think I’d stand in your way on something like this. I wish you all the luck in the world. Eastern is the big time. Go for it.” He turned back to Nancy and said, “So, do you agree with this ordering idea?”

“Absolutely,” Nancy said, keeping a wary eye on Valerie. “Do we need to sign anything?”

“Naw,” Will said. “We operate on trust around here.”

“Trust?” Valerie said, her voice rising to a shriek.

“Trust? Three lousy years, and all I get is ‘Good luck,’ and you call that trust?”

Will turned back to her. “Oh, come on, Valerie,” he began, and then she picked up his beer mug and threw the contents of it in his face.

“I thought so,” Nancy said and slipped out of her chair to get a towel.

“Hey,” Jake said, getting up, but Kate caught his arm and pulled him back down.

“Will’s a big boy, and he got himself into this,” she told him. “He can get himself out.”

“Don’t bother with two weeks’ notice,” Will was saying quietly to Valerie while he dripped on the floor. “Just leave me an address so I can forward your mail.”

“Just like that,” Valerie said.

“Val, it was always just like that,” Will said. He took the towel Nancy handed him and blotted the beer off his face. “I thought you knew that. You never asked for anything else.”

“What do you mean, ‘He got himself into this’?” Jake said to Kate.

“They lived together for three years,” Kate said. “Obviously there were expectations there.”

“Three years,” Valerie said with venom. “I thought-”

“No, you didn’t,” Will said. “I never told you I loved you, and you never told me. The one thing we had going for us was honesty. Don’t blow that now. Go off with Prescott and have the career you’ve always wanted. This place was too small for you, anyway. You’ve always hated it.”

“You won’t forget me,” Valerie said.

“That’s for sure,” Will said, and turned back to the table.

Valerie turned and walked away, with Donald Prescott trailing in her wake.

“Sorry about that,” Will said. “Now where were we?”

“What do you mean, ‘expectations’?” Jake asked Kate.

“Do you want to fight about this?” Kate said.

“Oh, hell,” Will said. “Don’t. It’s over. Why should you fight about it? Personally, I’m relieved.”

“I know you are,” Kate snapped. “It’s the worst thing I know about you.”

“Hey,” Jake said. “He didn’t ask for any of this.”

“Yes, he did,” Nancy said. “I’ve got no time for Valerie, but she got screwed on this.”

“Feel free to discuss my personal life,” Will said.

“You owed her more than ‘She’s yours’ after three years,” Kate said.

“He did not,” Jake said. “Stay out of this.”

“She’s hurt,” Kate said. She looked over at Will. “It wasn’t kind.”

“I don’t believe this,” Jake said angrily.

“Being kind to Valerie,” Will explained, “is a waste of time. She only hears what she wants to hear unless you’re so blunt that you’re rude.”

“Maybe,” Kate said. “But that was brutal.”

Will looked over at Nancy and she nodded.

“Okay,” Will sighed and stood. “I’ll apologize.”

“Are you out of your mind?” Jake said.

“I didn’t say I’d take her back,” Will said. “It won’t hurt me to say I was a jerk. Maybe I was. We were together for three years. Maybe she deserves a better goodbye.”

“No, she doesn’t,” Jake said. “She’s a bitch. She tried to run Nancy out of business and you into marriage. She deserves exactly what she got.”

“Nobody deserves what she got,” Kate said.

Jake glared at her, and she glared back.

“Well, at the least the two of you are communicating,” Will said with a slow grin. “That’s more than Val and I ever did.”

“Communication like this, I don’t need,” Jake said, and pushed his chair back.

“Where are you going?” Kate asked.

“Away from you,” Jake said and stalked off toward the bar. Will shook his head and followed him, saying something to him and slapping him on the back before he went out the door to find Valerie.

“What’s wrong with Jake?” Nancy asked. “He never gets mad, and now he’s been tense all night.”

“We’ve had a bad day,” Kate said. “I’m leaving day after tomorrow, and we have a few things to work out. Such as whether we’re ever going to see each other again.”

“Day after tomorrow?” Nancy sat back in her chair. “So soon?”

“Well, I have this career,” Kate said. “It’s not much, but it keeps me in French Provincial furniture and Kentucky vacations.”

Nancy looked unhappy. “When are you coming back?”

Kate sighed. “From the looks of Jake at the moment, never.”

“He’s not that dumb,” Nancy said. “He’ll get over it.”

Kate looked over at Jake, hunched over the bar, his whole body still tense with anger. “Not any time soon,” she said. “Not unless I do something about it.”

“Well, do something about it,” Nancy said. “He may be a big enough fool to throw what you’ve got away, but you’re not.” When Kate didn’t answer, she stole a glance at her. “Are you?”

Kate stared at Jake’s back. “No,” she said. “I surely am not.”

At ten, Jake took Kate home in silence.

“Come down to the lake with me,” she said.

“I’m tired.”

“No, you’re not.” Kate could feel her temper rise. “You’re mad at me because of what Valerie did. That’s dumb. Come down to the lake with me.”

“No.” He kissed her on the cheek. “Good night.”

“Fine.” She got out of the car and slammed the door. “But I’m going. And when you find my poor drowned body in the morning, you’ll have no one but yourself to blame.”

She started down the path, and after a few moments she heard him behind her.

Damn right, she thought. I’ll teach you to sulk, buddy.

Kate kicked off her shoes and threw her hat on the shore, and then she pushed the boat into the water and climbed in. Jake caught the prow just as she picked up the oars.

“Where are you going?”

“The willow. I want to see it at night.”

He climbed in. “Give me the oars, or we’ll be out here all night.”

When they got there, Jake rested on the oars without tying the boat up. “How long do you need to look at the willow?”

“Not long.” She stood up in the boat and took off her vest.

“Oh, hell. Not now, Kate,” Jake said. “Sit down. You’re going to tip us over.”

“The thing is,” Kate said, ignoring him, “if I were a man I’d be straightforward about this and just say, ‘Jake, you’re being a real jerk about this because I am not and never have been either Valerie or Tiffany, and you have no right or reason to assume I ever will be.’”

She stripped off her tank top, and the motion made the boat rock a little.

“Very funny,” Jake said. “Sit down, damn it.” He reached up to pull her down and she stepped back, making the boat rock even more.

“Furthermore, you know as well as I do that Valerie had a point back there in the bar. You just don’t want to admit it. If I were a man, I’d point out that that makes you a duplicitous jerk.”

“Hey,” Jake said.

“But I’m not a man,” Kate continued. “I’m a woman. So instead of confronting you with the truth, I will manipulate you into a better mood by taking off my clothes and seducing you.”

She unzipped her skirt, pulled it up over her torso, and threw it in the bottom of the boat.

“Kate, it’s not going to work. I’m not in the mood.”

Then she stretched in the moonlight, dressed only in her black lace bra and bikini panties, and he gave up.

“That’s dangerous,” he said.

“Stretching in a boat?”

“That, too,” he said, and she knew she had him.

Kate grinned at him. “I knew you’d come around. We women always get our men by manipulation.” She unhooked the front clasp of her bra and started to pull it open, but then she stopped. “No,” she said virtuously. “This is wrong. It’s wrong to manipulate men, even if they are behaving like morons.” She hooked her bra again.

“Kate,” Jake began.

“No, I’m going to handle this the right way,” she said, her hands on her hips, looking down at him sternly, “The manly way. I’m just going to tell you frankly and honestly that you’re a jerk and make you row me back to shore.”

“Right,” Jake said, and grabbed her arm, jerking her down on top of him. The boat rocked wildly, and she shrieked and held on to him.

He ran his hands up her back. “You didn’t really want to go back to shore, did you?” he asked.

“Of course not,” Kate said. “I’m not the moron in this boat.” She relaxed as the boat stopped rocking and began to bite him on the earlobe.

“I’ve been wondering how you were going to kill me,” he said conversationally as she straddled him and unbuttoned his shirt. “The other guys got pushed over cliffs and kicked by horses. Me, you’re going to kill with sex.”

She moved down to unzip his jeans and pull them off, and he ran his hands along her sides as she balanced above him.

“Where do you get all this fancy underwear?” He ran his fingertips across the lace. “Do you belong to some kind of club?”

She bent to kiss his chest, and he unhooked her bra, pulling it down over her arms and then running his fingers lightly over her skin, cupping her breasts.

Kate eased away from him, her tongue moving slowly down across his stomach, feeling his muscles there tense under her lips.

“Kate?”

She dug her fingernails into his sides and moved her mouth between his legs, stroking her tongue across him and nibbling on his thighs. “Kate!” He laced his fingers in her hair as she took him in her mouth. She heard him gasp and felt his fingers tighten in her hair, and then she thought only of him, moving against her tongue, growing hard in her mouth. She forgot the moonlight and the lake and everything but Jake.

A few minutes later, she felt his hands reaching down to drag her, gasping, across his body.

“Oh, God, Kate,” he said, drawing a ragged breath.

“You still complaining?” she whispered.

“Me? No.” He pulled her pants down over her thighs and stroked her until she moaned. She pulled away from him and kicked her pants off, and then eased herself down onto him, straddling his body in the moonlight, crying out a little as he thrust up to meet her. She swayed, and he braced her hips with his hands to keep her erect so he could watch her, and she moved over him until the rocking of the boat against the water blended with the rocking of her against him.

“You’re silver in the moonlight.” He ran his hands across her skin. “I’m going to remember you forever like this. You’re burned in my brain.”

She looked down at him, and she swelled with so much heat and love for him that she was dizzy. I’m going to love him until I die, she thought Who have I been kidding? The hell with a plan. This is all there is.

“Come down here.” His hands were hard on her as he urged her down. “Come down to me before you lose control and hurt yourself.”

She shook her head. “I’m not ready yet.”

“Want to bet?” He shifted his hips, rolling against her, over and over until she gasped as the first wave of her orgasm hit her. He arched up to catch her as she fell against him, holding her tightly to him as the spasms took her, pulsing up into her to keep her moaning his name, until she was finally quiet in his arms.

Then, holding her hips against his, he rolled over and moved into her as if he were part of her, finding the rhythm of her blood, and she felt herself drowning again, felt the tension build and her muscles clench as he moved with deliberate slowness inside her. The pressure made her blood pound, and she moved to ease the need, only to burn with more. He slammed his hips against hers, moving faster and faster, plunging into her until she thought she’d break. “Don’t stop,” she cried, but he was beyond her voice now, and when she writhed under him as she came, he whispered her name and thrust hard into her one last time. From far away she heard a sharp crack, and then he moved against her again and shuddered in her arms, and she wrapped her arms tighter around him and held him as he fought for his breath.

“I’ve never had anything like this, Jake,” she whispered. “Not like this that I have with you.”

He kissed her slowly. “You’re a miracle.” His lips moved over her, tasting her. “You’re going to kill me, but you’re a miracle just the same.”

She laughed weakly, exhausted to the marrow of her bones.

“You’re such a wimp,” she said from beneath him, her voice muffled in his shoulder. He felt so good on top of her that she didn’t want to ever move.

“Tell my mother I thought of her at the end,” Jake said into her hair.

“You thought of your mother just now?”

“I meant at the end of my life. Don’t tell her we were doing this.”

“You’re not dying, you big baby.” She rolled her head back and realized that they weren’t under the willow anymore. Jake hadn’t tied the boat up, and they’d drifted to the middle of the lake.

“This is pretty,” she said. “Look at the moon.”

Gradually she realized there was something wrong.

“Jake, have you noticed the wet spot is bigger than usual?”

“Hmm.”

“Jake, I’m all wet.”

“I don’t care,” he said into her neck. “I’m not making love to you again tonight. I have to be able to walk around tomorrow.”

“Not that kind of wet.” She pushed him off her and sat up. “The boat is leaking.”

“What?” He put his hand between the cushions where her hip had been. The boat was filling with water. “I knew I heard something crack a while back. I thought it was my spine. Thank God, it’s just the boat.”

“Just the boat?” Kate grabbed her tank top and pulled it on over her head.

“I was wrong.” He lay back against the cushions, exhausted and happy. “You’re not going to kill me with sex. You’re going to drown me.”

“Jake, the boat is going down.”

“So did you.” He smiled at her in the moonlight. “Have I mentioned that was great?”

She grabbed the front of his shirt and shook him. “Jake!”

He sat up slowly. “What do you want me to do? Sing ‘Nearer, My God, to Thee’?”

“You, fool,” she said and started to laugh. “Where’s my underwear? It cost a fortune.”

There was a good two inches of water in the boat now and it was sinking faster. Jake fished around and handed her underpants and bra to her.

“Here. I don’t know where your skirt is.”

“I can’t swim in it anyway.” Kate grabbed for her vest. “I don’t believe this.”

He reached for his pants. “It was a good old boat. I’m going to miss it.”

“You’re going to go down with it if we don’t get out of here.” Kate rolled over the side of the boat and into the water.

“I found your skirt,” he said.

“Jake!”

“Will you relax?” He rolled over the side to join her, holding a bundle of his pants and her skirt. He still had his cowboy hat on, she noticed.

I’m in love with a lunatic, she thought. Boy, am I in love.

By the time they swam to shore, the boat was gone.

She wondered if that was symbolic of their relationship, and shivered. The timing was definitely right. Because great sex notwithstanding, she could feel a sense of impending doom. It hadn’t been pretty in the bar tonight. And they still hadn’t talked about the future.

Maybe because they didn’t have one.

She looked over at Jake, who was staring out at the lake where his boat had died. She didn’t want to talk about it tonight. She knew it was cowardly of her, but she wanted one more warm night with him before they faced reality.

He glanced over and saw her staring at him. “Are you all right?”

“I’m fine,” she said and put on her underpants.

“You killed my boat,” Jake said, putting on his. His jeans were wet so he threw them over his shoulder with her skirt.

“I’m not the one who pounded on the boards until they broke,” Kate said. “In fact, I feel a deep kinship with that boat. I know just how it feels.”

“Well, it died in a good cause.” Jake put his arm around her. “Let’s go back to the cabin before somebody catches us out here in our underwear.”

Mark and Penny were sitting on the cabin steps when they got back.

“You’re probably wondering about the underwear,” Jake said.

“Not me,” Mark said, looking at Kate’s legs as she went past him into the cabin.

“I am,” Penny said, and Mark put his hand over her mouth.

“No, she isn’t,” he said.

“You get a raise, kid,” Jake said, and followed Kate inside. “Mark and Penny?” he asked her when the door was closed and they’d stripped off their wet clothing.

“Yes, isn’t it nice?” Kate pulled him down with her and snuggled next to him. “She dumped her fiance for him and they’re getting married. They’re so happy. And Penny says he’s great in bed.”

Jake moved away from her a little. “Yeah, but can he sink a boat?”

“Oh, go to sleep,” she said and pulled him close to her with a little more force than necessary. He kissed her forehead and held her tightly until she finally fell into a restless sleep.

When Jake woke up the next morning, she was gone. He pulled on his jeans and went down to the lake and found her sitting on the stony shore, staring out across the green water.

“You know this lake fetish you have is beginning to worry me. Should I put an aquarium in the bedroom?”

Kate turned her head and looked at him. “I guess I’m going back to the city.”

Jake looked at her for a long moment. “I know,” he said. He sat down gingerly beside her on the stones and stared out at the lake.

“And I don’t suppose you’re coming,” Kate said, trying to keep her tone light.

“No.”

Kate swallowed. “I’ll stay here. If that’s what you want.”

“And do what?” Jake turned his head to face her. “Even if every business in Toby’s Corners hired you as a management consultant, you’d be done in a week. Two, at most.” He shook his head. “I thought about this last night while I watched you with Nancy and Will. You were amazing. And you were so happy.” He smiled ruefully at her. “I hate it, but there’s nothing for you here.”

“Well, there’s you,” Kate said, and Jake laughed.

“Yeah. There’s me.” He turned away. “It’s not enough.”

“You might let me decide what’s enough for me,” Kate said tartly.

“Okay.” Jake faced her again. “Is it enough? Think of all those long days here with nothing to do.”

“Well, I’m thinking about the long nights with you, too,” Kate said.

“Yeah.” Jake turned away and squinted up at the sun. “But the physical stuff doesn’t last.” He picked up a stone and skated it across the water.

“I beg your pardon?” Kate glared at him. “We are more than just ‘physical stuff.’”

“We don’t know that,” Jake said. “After a week? We don’t know that.”

“So all you think of me as is a great lay,” Kate said.

“Well, of course not,” Jake said, and then he added, “But I do think it’s too soon to start giving up careers-”

“Or taking up one,” Kate snapped, suddenly overwhelmed with frustration and anger.

“What?”

“You’ve been retired for five years now. Isn’t it about time you got back in the game?”

“I don’t want back in the game,” Jake said. “I want to stay here and-”

“Float on the lake? It’s too late. Your boat sank.” Kate felt all her repressed anger tighten in her chest. Be calm, she told herself. There’s no reason to get upset.

This is a civilized conversation between two civilized people.

“I keep thinking,” she said, “of what Will said last night. To Valerie.”

“I don’t want to talk about that,” Jake said crossly. “I don’t want to fight about that again.”

“She said, ‘Just like that,’ and he said, ‘It was always like that.’” Kate looked at him. “That’s us, isn’t it?”

“No,” Jake said. “I love you.” He swallowed. “I think.” He tried again. “I just don’t…” He paused, searching for the right words.

“I know,” Kate said, gritting her teeth. “I know everything you don’t. You don’t want to go back to work. You don’t want to be hassled. You don’t want to get married. Everything with you is a negative. Every sentence about the future starts with ‘I don’t.’”

“Look,” Jake said, annoyed. “I never pretended to be anything different.”

“That’s pretty much what Will said last night. Now tell me the one thing we’ve got going for us is honesty.”

“What do you want, Kate?” Jake asked tiredly.

“I want a career and a husband. No,” she said as he started to speak. “I want a career and you as my husband. No substitutions.”

“Well, you can’t have it,” Jake said. “I’m not going back to any city, and I’m not going back to work. And you’re not going to find enough work here to keep you happy.” He looked over at her for a moment and then he smiled without humor. “They lied to you, kid. You can’t have it all.”

“At least I’m trying to get it,” she said. “I’m not rolling over and playing dead.”

“Kate,” Jake began, but she overrode him.

“You know, all that drivel about you wanting the simple life out here, that’s garbage. You don’t want the simple life, because you don’t want anything. You don’t want anything because you’re afraid to want anything. All you know is the safe stuff, the stuff you don’t want.”

“Hey,” Jake said. “You’re not exactly doing all that great with your own life, sweetie.”

“At least I’m trying,” Kate shot back. “At least I’m still in the game. No wonder you defended Will last night. He was doing a gold-medal performance in your favorite sport-running away.” She stood and dusted off the seat of her pants while she glared down at him. “I’m so mad at you, I could kill you. And at the same time, I love you so much, I can’t stand it” She shook her head at him, so angry that she could hardly speak. “You could come to work in the city if you wanted to. You could in a minute. And you’d love it. You know you would. You did once. You did last night. I saw you working on those plans. I saw how interested you were. Everybody saw it. We could have it all, damn it. You make me so mad…” Kate gritted her teeth to keep the scream that was rising in the back of her throat.

“Why don’t we wait until you’ve calmed down…” Jake began reasonably, and Kate did scream.

“What the hell?” Jake surged to his feet and reached for her, and she stepped back, glaring at him with red-eyed intensity.

“Don’t you ever patronize me,” she snapped. “Don’t you ever imply that we’re arguing because I’m out of control.”

“Well, hell, you’re acting like a banshee,” Jake said. “What am I supposed to do?”

“You’re supposed to answer me,” Kate yelled.

“You’re supposed to tell me how you feel, get mad at me, do anything but sit there looking like some good ol‘ boy Buddha with all the answers.”

“Buddha?” Jake said. “I know you think I’m godlike, but Buddha?”

“It won’t work.” Kate took another step back. “I’m not going to play any more word games with you. That’s part of our problem. We were so good at being cute together, we never bothered to be real.” Kate shook her head. “I love playing around with you, Jake, but I want real life, too.”

“Kate, does everything have to be a damned soap opera? Can’t we just be us together?” Jake gestured helplessly.

“No,” Kate said. “We don’t even know what ‘us’ is. You don’t even know who you are. Or what you want to be when you grow up.” She glared at him as her anger started to well up again. “And it’s time to decide, Jake, because you’re up.”

“You know-” Jake said, glaring back at her, so mad he had to start his sentence over again. “You know who you’re starting to remind me of?”

“Let me guess,” Kate snapped back. “Tiffany. Valerie. Every woman you’ve ever known who didn’t roll over and say, ‘Gee, Jake, it’s wonderful that you’re wasting an incredible mind and a great education by staring into the lake.’ Every woman who ever looked at you and made it obvious that she thought you were turning into a vegetable. You know why you hate all of us so much, Jake?”

“Because you’re pushy, scheming, manipulative, power-mad bitches?”

“No,” Kate said evenly. “Because you know we’re right” She turned on her heel and strode back to the cabin.

“The hell I do,” Jake yelled after her when he’d recovered from his surprise, but she was already gone.

Jake took most of his anger out on some brush he’d been putting off clearing from the south end of the resort. The digging and hacking wore out his body, but his mind went plodding on, reliving the morning in glorious Technicolor. Kate was wrong, he knew. Absolutely wrong. But he hated righting with her; hated not knowing if, when he saw her again, she’d smile at him like always, just because he was there. Finally he gave up and walked to her cabin, but when he got there, he saw Kate closing the trunk of her car. She was dressed in the same silk suit he’d first seen her in, her hair neatly rolled in a chignon.

“Kate?”

She started, and then turned around and smiled at him, a little too brightly. “I’m going to go ahead and take off now.” She shrugged a little. “There’s really no reason to stay, and I can beat the Sunday traffic.”

Jake felt his chest tighten and took a step forward. “Kate, listen, I…”

“No.” Kate bit her lip and then said, “I was… I didn’t really have any… It wasn’t my place… Those things I said this afternoon…” She frowned, trying to find the right words. “I’m sorry. You have a right to do what you want with your life, and you were obviously perfectly happy before I showed up and will be again as soon as I’m gone, so…” She smiled and shrugged. “I’m going.”

“Oh,” Jake said. “So, this is what you want?”

“No,” Kate said. “But this is what I’ve got.” She took a deep breath. “Maybe you’re right. It’s too soon and too fast and maybe this is just physical and…” She stopped and swallowed again. “And it really hurts too much to stay here anymore,” she finished. “It’s going to be easier on both of us if I just go.”

Jake stood there helplessly, trying to think of the right thing to say, but there wasn’t any right thing. And finally, Kate kissed him on the cheek. Then she got into the car and drove away while he stood in the road and watched.

It’s better this way, he thought, and wasn’t convinced. “It’s better this way,” he said aloud, firmly, and turned back toward his own cabin.

He still wasn’t convinced.