Kerry was too busy getting her eyeballs around her lover’s sunset lit body to hear. ”Uh, what?” She blinked, then tugged the covers up as Dar slipped into her shirt, buttoning it up and managing to be decent by about two inches. ”Uh, Dar, don’t bend over to pick anything up, okay?”

Pale blue eyes glanced over one tanned shoulder at her, and one of them winked. ”Okay.”

”Unless you’re facing away from me, of course,” Kerry added impishly, just as Dar opened the door.

That got her an over the shoulder look, complete with an elegantly raised eyebrow.

”Hi.” Kerry smiled at the short, tow haired, frazzled looking room service waiter. ”You can just put that down next to the fifty pounds of chocolate we’re going to have for dessert, thanks.”

Muddy brown eyes went to her, then to the table, then back to her.


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The scraggly moustache drooped as he chewed it nervously. ”Uhm, ma’am, ah don’t think I can put this tray down.”

”Here.” Dar slipped up behind him and lifted the basket out of the way, coming perilously close to breaking several county ordinances.

”G’wan, put it down,” she drawled, low in her throat.

He would have been all right if he hadn’t tried to pull up his trousers and put down his tray at the same time. Dar managed to save the pizza, by hastily dropping the basket and making a grab, but the ice tea evaded her, and it smacked the hapless waiter in the chest, sending ice cubes flying across the room. The waiter juggled the carafe, sending himself off balance until Dar braced a muscular thigh up against the chair and pinned him in place with her knee.

”You all right?” the executive demanded, setting the pizza trays down.

The man’s eyes dropped slowly down her to where the long, sinewy length of her leg was braced against him, then they rolled peacefully back up into his head as he dropped like a rock.

Stunned silence fell for an instant. ”What in the hell?” Dar complained.

Kerry pulled the covers up over her head and burst into laughter.

IT WAS JUST getting dark when they pulled up a long, sloping road to the quiet retreat Dar had chosen. It was off the main streets, and up into the mountains away from city lights. Dar pulled the car up to the low roofed main building, and turned the engine off. ”Well, we made it.”

Kerry was peering out the window, studying the peaceful scene with interest. Scattered up and down the hilly ground, tucked into alcoves and shrouded with trees were small cabins, neatly cedared paths leading the way towards each one. ”Yep, we sure did, though I was wondering there for a minute, after we had to revive your liveried friend at the hotel.”

”Hey, it’s not my fault he couldn’t take the sight of a little skin,”

Dar objected, mildly.

”A little?” Kerry giggled. ”Your leg was longer than his body, Dar.

I’m glad we tipped him all right, though.” She returned her attention to the outside. ”Mm.”

In the distance, she could see larger buildings and the lodge they were parked in front of, where yellow light poured from the windows and painted gilded stripes across the lightly frosted ground. ”Wow, this is nice,” she finally said, giving her companion a smile. ”C’mon.” She opened the car door, starting a little as the cold, pine laden air hit her in the face. ”Brr.”

Dar smiled and popped the trunk, then exited the driver’s side and closed the door, walking around to the back to get their bags. A warmly Hurricane Watch

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jacketed valet appeared, and she tossed the keys to him, then shouldered the two bags and evaded Kerry’s attempt to retrieve hers.

”Ah, ah, I got it.” She waved Kerry on and chuckled as the blonde woman swept the door open, and bowed her inside. ”Why thank you, ma’am.”

They entered the lodge, which was a long building that dog legged to the right past the reception desk. Sounds from the other side of the building indicated some kind of restaurant, and Kerry could see a dimly lit bar just ahead, half filled with shadowy forms. They walked up to the desk, and Dar quietly gave her name to the clerk.

”Ah yes, Ms. Roberts. My goodness, we haven’t seen you here in a long time.” The clerk smiled and looked up, pushing a pair of half glasses up onto her nose. ”I swear, you haven’t changed a bit.”

Dar smiled politely at the compliment. ”Thanks, Millie. Hard to believe you remembered me.”

A salt and pepper eyebrow lifted at her. ”You’re pretty memorable, I’ll have you know. We reserved the far cabin for you, since you said you wanted some quiet space.” She glanced up at Kerry. ”And you’ve brought a guest this time, how wonderful. Welcome. Ms. Stuart, is it?”

”Kerry.” She extended a hand across the counter. ”Nice to meet you. This place looks fantastic.”

Millie laughed. ”Well, we like to think so. We’ve been here for over fifty years.” She folded a packet together, then handed Dar a pair of keys. ”Here you go. Do you remember the way, or do you want me to have Charles take you over?”

Dar paused, then exhaled. ”I remember the way, thanks Millie.”

She looked over towards the back of the room. ”What’s the special tonight?”

The gray haired woman laughed. ”Just your luck. It’s roast beef.”

Dar chuckled. ”Just my luck,” she repeated, then gently bumped Kerry. ”C’mon, let’s go change, then I’ll show you around. They’ve got a nice fireplace just inside.”

”Lead on,” Kerry remarked cheerfully, as she followed, her eyes watching everything with interest. This, she considered, was going to be great. Dar knew the place, and it held some good memories, Kerry decided, just from the childlike grin that kept trying to break through on her companion’s face.

They'd have time to relax, and just talk, something that had been rare since... Jesus. Kerry thought about it. They hadn’t really had time away without any distractions since that trip to Disney World. Even at home, there was always work, and the calls in the middle of the night, and complications.

But not here. They’d left their laptops locked in the trunk, and after a bit of convincing on her part, both pagers as well. ”Colleen has the number up here in an emergency,” she’d argued. And so does Mark, but they both know not to use it unless the world is coming to an end.”


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Dar had thought a moment, then shrugged, and relinquished the electronic device. ”Okay.”

Now, Kerry tugged up her collar as she followed Dar out the front door and down a path which sloped a little downward, her sneakers crunching softly on the cedar chips that lined it. ”Mm.” The air was sweet and rich with the scent of cold and pine, and the wood she was walking on. ”This is great.”

In the semi darkness, the sudden glitter of Dar’s eyes was startling.

”Glad you like it,” she drawled. ”I used to spend semester breaks up here. It’s not an expensive place, but it’s family run. Millie’s husband is ex navy.”

Kerry nodded, looking around. ”It looks like it’s well cared for,”

she commented. ”They seem to know you pretty well.” She glanced up, seeing the quiet smile on Dar’s face. ”When was the last time you were here?”

The smile vanished. ”Christmas, a few years back,” came the quiet answer. ”I’d just broken up with Elana. I guess I needed some time out.”Kerry tucked a hand around her arm as the walked along. ”Well, I hope you’ll have better memories from this visit,” She commented mildly. ”We had a place out off the lake we used to go to in the summers, it was a little like this.” She took a breath, aware of Dar’s intense concentration on her words. ”It was supposed to be a family vacation, but it was usually a circus. I mean, people coming and going, deals, the press, you know.”

”Mm,” Dar agreed, leading her down a fork in the path.

”Sailing was my favorite thing to do, but as we got older, my mother made sure there really wasn’t much time for that. She had parties and whatever, kept us going from summer estate to summer estate, talking to people I didn’t have much in common with, even then.” She sighed. ”And dressing up, that was always a trial. Me and Angie paraded in front of her and usually my aunt, to make sure we looked all right.”

”Doesn’t sound like much fun, ” Dar remarked, as they came up to a small, tree shrouded cabin with a wooden porch. ”Closest I ever came to that was my mother making sure the rips in my jeans weren’t going to get me arrested in some of the more rural counties down there.” She put a hand on Kerry’s back as they mounted the three low stairs, the wood echoing lightly under their steps. ”I always liked this one.” She turned and nodded. ”Nice view.”

Kerry also turned, and gasped a little, faced with a beautiful moonlit lake, reflecting a canopy of brilliant stars. ”Oh my god, yes.”

She let out a delighted laugh. ”It’s wonderful, Dar.” She turned and poked her companion. ”Very romantic. Is this where you always bring special friends?”

Dar gazed at her, a little sadly. ”No, you’re the first.” She turned Hurricane Watch

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and continued across the porch, opening the door and gesturing her inside. ”I always used this as a very private retreat. I never considered bringing anyone else here before.”

”Mm.” Kerry ducked inside without further comment, flipping the light switch found just inside the door. ”Oh.” She blinked in surprise.

”This is really nice.” The cabin was mostly one large room, with a neatly made bed against the far wall under a window, covered in a thick comforter in shades of crimson and navy. There were Indian patterned throw rugs on the floor, and one, a thick sheepskin, resided in front of the small fireplace. A garment press stood against the wall, and a doorway led to a luxurious bathroom, complete with a sunken hot tub surrounded by warmly weathered wood. ”Oh, I think I like this.”