Dar regarded her wryly. ”Sorry I took off like that. You okay?”

Kerry pursed her lips and regarded the moaning man on the floor.

”Um, yeah, I guess.” She waved the rest of their group forward. ”You all right?”

Dar leaned back against the wall as their group arrived, giving her wary, respectful looks. ”Yeah, I’m fine, actually,” she remarked. ”I just want some ice cream.” She walked to the bench outside the door and sat down on it, stretching her legs out before her and exhaling.

Skippy came back, eyeing Dar nervously. ”He’s on his way.”

”Good,” Dar said, her eyes closed. ”Do you have first aid stuff here?” She turned her head. ”A sinkhole opened up underneath us.

Those four got tangled in poison ivy.” She nodded towards Steven, Eleanor, Charles and José, who glared at her.

”Uh.” Skippy glanced between them. ”Maybe I’d better call the paramedics.”

Eleanor gave her an evil look. ”Will they keep us here?”

”I...I don’t know, um, probably,” the guide responded weakly.

”Just put us on the damn bus,” the Marketing VP snarled. ”My lawyer will do the rest of the talking.”

”Mine too,” José chimed in.

”I am a lawyer,” Steven added. “And boy, I hope you guys have insurance,” he snapped at her. ”This was disgraceful, not to mention dangerous.”

”Yeah.” José grunted.

”Hold it.” Kerry stood up and walked between them, seeing that 96

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Skippy was about to burst into tears. ”Stop yelling at her. It’s not her fault.” She gave the guide a quietly sympathetic look. ”She’s just doing her job.”

Skippy gave her a tremulous smile. ”Thanks.”

Kerry grinned warmly back.

”Shut up, you whore,” Steven spat disgustedly.

Kerry turned to look at him, aware of the sudden motion on the peripherals of her vision. ”Excuse me?”

”You’re Dar’s whore. We all know it, so just shut up, and go lick her or some—” He never even saw the fist that hit his face, sending a sharp crack across the porch. Steven’s body slid down onto the ground, bonelessly.

Kerry shook her hand out. ”Ouch.” She winced. ”That hurt like heck.” Everyone was looking at her in shock including Dar, who had stood and started to walk over. ”And for the record. I’m not anyone’s whore.”

An awkward silence fell. Finally, Skippy cleared her throat. ”Um, would anyone like some cookies?” she offered with desperate cheerfulness. ”We’ve got three kinds, and some juice, while we wait for the bus. I mean, I’ve asked the camp manager to get your things from the cabin, and I, you know, we’ve never had anything like this happen before, and we’re really sorry. Really, really sorry. Can I get you all some juice?”

Long pause. ”Cookies?” her voice cracked a little.

Mariana, mercifully, came to her rescue. ”That would be great, and if you have Calamine lotion. I’m sure it wasn’t your fault. Let’s see if we can find some Band-Aids, too.” She ushered Skippy inside the hall as Kerry walked back over and sat down next to Dar, somewhat self-consciously. Her hand hurt like hell and she cradled it in her other one, staring down at the swelling knuckles as though they belonged to someone else.

Jesus. She’d hit someone. Worse, she’d hit the assistant vice president of marketing for the company she worked for. All over a couple of words. Ashamed, she glanced up at Dar.

Warm, proud blue eyes gazed back at her, over lips that held a definite, gentle smile.

”I shouldn’t have done that,” Kerry whispered.

”No, but it’s all right,” Dar told her, deliberately reaching over and taking her hand, examining the bruises carefully. ”That’s going to hurt for a few days.”

”Mm.” Kerry absorbed the warmth of her lover’s fingers around hers. ”Looks like yours did that night,” she murmured, glancing around at the rest of the group, who were studiously looking elsewhere. ”This is really messed up.”

”Don't worry about it,”

Dar told her. ”We’ll get through this, trust me.”


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Liquid green eyes gazed up at her. ”I do.”

Dar nodded a little reassuringly, then sat back and exhaled, willing that driver to hurry.


Chapter

Eight

IT WAS DARK by the time they headed back after two stops on the road to pick up medical supplies and another stop at Dairy Queen, which gave up not only Dar’s ice cream, but burgers and all the trimmings to the exhausted group. Even Skippy left her perky manner at the camp and joined in, munching her burger in silence, and trying to avoid the baleful stares from the three riders suffering most.

Steven had remained quiet after he’d woken up, nursing his grievances in moody silence and scratching ceaselessly. Most of his exposed skin, like Eleanor’s, and José’s, was a patchy red and they each took possession of a large bottle of lotion, applying it so thickly they began to resemble creatures from science fiction.

Mark had reclaimed his Harley and headed back ahead of them, taking Mary Lou with him on the back of the bike. Duks and Mariana were both snoozing, having finished their dinner.

Dar was sprawled in a seat near the back, biting off pieces of chocolate and licking melting drops of vanilla ice cream with an absorbed expression on her face. Kerry was in the seat across from her, nursing a large hot fudge sundae with extra cherries.

”You know something, Dar?” She looked up, sucking on a stem.

”Mm?” Blue eyes looked up over the half eaten chocolate bonnet.

”Ice cream does make you feel better,” Kerry admitted. ”Why is that?”

Dar nibbled a bit more chocolate. ”I have no idea.” She chewed contentedly. ”And I don’t much care. I just know whenever I’ve felt really lousy an ice cream cone always makes me feel better.”

”Mm.” Kerry worked around a mouthful of hot fudge. ”Probably because it’s so bad for you.”

”Probably,” Dar agreed, mildly.

They munched in silence for a moment. ”What’s going to happen Monday?” Kerry finally asked, quietly.

”Don’t worry about it,” Her lover replied.

”He’s going to make a lot of trouble.” Kerry indicated the front rows of the bus. ”They all are.”

”I know. Don’t worry about it,” Dar repeated. ”Let me handle things.” She caught an errant drip of ice cream with an agile tongue.

”What’s the worst that can happen? They fire me?”


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Kerry absorbed that. ”Dar, I...I’d rather just resign, than see you go through all that,” she uttered, very softly.

”I don’t want you to do that,” Dar objected instantly. ”Just let me work things out, Kerry. You said you trusted me.”

”W...well yeah, I do. I just...” Kerry sighed. ”I don’t want to see you get hurt.”

A faint smile edged Dar’s lips. ”I’ll be fine. Let’s just forget about it until Monday, all right?”

Kerry exhaled. ”All right,” she agreed reluctantly. “I’ll just be glad to get back home.”

“HEY COL.” KERRY watched the traffic carefully as she steered the Lexus down the Rickenbacker causeway. ”We’re back.”

”Good grief, girl. What happened?” Colleen burbled from the phone’s receiver. ”You weren’t due back until tomorrow afternoon.”

”I know.” Kerry glanced at Dar, who was leaning against the door with half closed eyes. ”We had a little trouble.” Dar had wanted to drive, but Kerry had insisted and now she was very glad. The trip home had been uneventful, with most of them snoozing through the drive and dispersing rapidly as they got to the parking lot of the office.

”Oh boy,” the redhead clucked. ”Well, things are fine here. Your puppy’s been an angel, and I’ve just been lounging around watching football on this lovely television,” she told her. ”Did you guys get to eat?””Well, not really,” Kerry responded. ”Hang out. We’ll get something when we get there, or at least I will,” she added. ”Dar’s not really feeling well.”

”I’m fine,” Dar mumbled. ”I just have a headache.”

”Oh? Okay, I’ll turn on the lights in her room, then.” Colleen’s voice faded a bit as she walked. ”And turn the comforter down. You want me to put up some coffee or something?”

”That sounds great,” Kerry agreed. ”We’re about to get on the ferry. See you in fifteen minutes.” She hung up the phone and tucked it away, then steered the car onto the boat and parked it, reaching over and covering Dar’s hand with her own. ”Almost home.”

”Kerry, I’m fine.” Blue eyes turned her way. ”Honestly.”

”Dar, look, we both know you hate people making a fuss over you, but you’re limping and I know you’re hurting. Would you please save the ‘I’m so tough I could chew circuit boards’ attitude for everyone else?” Kerry scolded her. ”It’s okay not to feel well, for Christ’s sake.”

Dar slumped against the seat, poking her lower lip out a little.

”That’s a very adorable pout, but it doesn’t fool me.” Kerry felt a grin tugging at her lips anyway. ”I think it’d be a good idea for you to change, and lie down. Is that too much to ask?”

Dar sighed. ”No. No, you’re right.” She rubbed her temples. ”I 100

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need some aspirin, and an ice pack for this damn knee, and...” She scowled a little “More ice cream.”

Kerry started up the Lexus as the ferry docked and drove up the ramp, turning at the first turn and heading towards the condo. ”I think we have some mocha chip in the freezer,” she commented wryly.

”Though you might want to think about at least having a grilled cheese sandwich or something with that.”

”Ugh.” Dar winced. ”No. I...my stomach’s just not in the mood for that. I just want some ice cream.”