”Guess that answered that,” Dar chuckled low in her throat, and succumbed to the insistent tug, feeling a warmth of connection between them that was pulling her closer, and closer, until she could swear...

That they were simply two halves of a whole.

Of course you are. Her mind whispered at her, as she let go and allowed the passion to take her, hearing a faint, knowing chuckle somewhere deep in the back of her mind.


Chapter

Nineteen

“YOU’RE BEING QUIET.” Kerry commented, glancing over at Dar as they mounted the steps to the lodge. Her hands were tucked firmly in her pockets against the chill air, and her breath escaped as puffy clouds of vapor.

Dar also had her hands hidden, and she sniffled a little against the cold. ”I’m not, generally speaking, a noisy person,” she responded mildly. ”I was just thinking, that’s all.” She reached out and pulled the heavy door open, then inclined her head for Kerry to precede her.

”You always do that,” Kerry commented. ”Open doors.”

”Well, you need to, Kerry or you crash into them and get a lot of splinters in your face,” Dar responded drolly. ”How’s your shoulder doing?”

”It’s a little stiff, but okay,” Kerry replied. ”Actually. ” She blushed a little, and moved closer. ”My butt hurts more.”

The blue eyes twinkled a little. ”You probably bruised your tailbone.” She patted the spot gently. ”I’ll have to get you a pillow for the office for a week or so.”

They went into the dining room, already half full with guests at the scattering of tables. A table near the window was made available and they settled into it, gazing out at the view of the last rays of sunset over the lake. The room was fairly dim, wall sconces made to look like candelabra and torches were the motif, and they spread a warm, reddish glow around rather than a harsh brilliance. A fireplace in the rear crackled merrily, and leant to the rustic atmosphere.

”It smells great in here, ” Kerry commented, as their server arrived, bearing a basket of warm, fresh biscuits and a bowl of sweet butter. ”Is it the wood they’re using in the fire?”

Dar glanced over at it, as she snagged a yeast biscuit and broke it open. ”Um, that might be hickory, so yeah.” A tiny hint of a smile appeared. ”You know, this winter stuff isn’t all bad.” She tugged on her collar. ”Except that this wool’s driving me nuts.”

Kerry laughed. ”Well, you look really nice in that sweater, even if it’s tickling your chin.” The turtleneck, a rich, solid electric blue brought out the color of her eyes like nobody’s business, and framed her angular face wonderfully.

Dar looked pleased at the compliment. ”You look very nice, 254

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yourself,” she returned it, eyeing Kerry’s layered flannel and sweatshirt combination. Kerry’s face had a gentle tinge of color from the wind they’d ridden through, and her pale hair was pulled back into a ponytail, with a few wisps escaping around her pink ears.

Which grew a touch pinker at the words, something Dar found eminently adorable. ”I’m glad our flight’s not until eight tomorrow night—gives us the whole day,” she remarked. ”You’re going to teach me to sail in the morning, right?”

”Teach you? Dar you’ve been on the ocean all your life. What do you mean teach you?” Kerry protested, smiling a thank you at the server as he put a cup of frothy local ale in front of her, and a similar one in front of Dar.

”Mmm. ” Dar took a sip, and raised her brows. ”Not bad, um, I can drive about anything on the water that uses petroleum products, and I even got to sit at the controls of something that uses...” She paused, and waggled her head. ”A more esoteric form of fuel, shall we say, but I’ve never sailed.”

”Really?” Kerry thought about that. ”Esoteric? I don’t—” She remembered what branch of the service Dar’s father had been in. ”Oh, oh, I get it, right.” Pause. ”They didn’t let you drive a submarine, did they?”

Dar held up a finger to her lips. ”Sshhhh. I didn’t even have a driver’s license at the time.”

Kerry covered her eyes. ”Oh, I suddenly feel so, sooo, safe,” she sighed.

”I didn’t hit anything,” Dar objected mildly. ”And I’m a safe driver, you know that.”

Their conversation was interrupted by the entrance of a large family, who took a table not far from them. The father was an older man, gray haired and stocky, dressed in a flannel shirt and corduroys.

He directed the three assorted children to sit down while his wife pulled the waiter aside. The children were all slimly built and meticulously dressed, and the mother had, incongruously, a mink stole around her shoulders.

Dar snorted as she took a sip of her ale, then glanced over and saw the pensive look on Kerry’s face. She reached over and covered Kerry’s hand with her own, chafing the fingers of it lightly. ”Hey.”

Green eyes flicked her way, then held.

”Memories?” Dar guessed.

”Something like that,” Kerry acknowledged softly. ”When we were younger, we used to go to a Christian retreat up in the north lake area.

It was a little like this, except that the focus was bible teaching, and family building.” She let out a faint, bitter laugh. ”Family building, what a joke. It was just one big excuse to get us all together in one place so we could be preached at for a week, and told our faults.”

Dar winced. ”Not all families are like that,” she told Kerry, giving Hurricane Watch

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the nervously moving fingers a squeeze.

Kerry dropped her gaze to their hands. ”I know.” She looked up.

”But I see kids like that,” she jerked her head towards the family. ”And I always wonder.”

Dar studied the children quietly, noting the almost furtive glances as they looked around. The eldest girl was probably about sixteen, and the youngest about ten, she reckoned. As she pondered, the oldest happened to look her way, and their eyes met briefly. The girl immediately dropped her eyes, and a blush made itself evident on her face.A dark brow lifted, as Dar wondered what had garnered that reaction, then she realized she and Kerry were still holding hands. Ah.

She drummed the fingers of her free hand on the table. Well well. ”So.”

She casually pulled Kerry’s knuckles over and brushed them with her lips, then released them. ” What were we talking about, sailing, wasn’t it?” ”Um...” Kerry looked a little flustered. ”Dar, you know, we are in North Carolina.”

Dar blinked at her. ”I know that.”

Green eyes flicked around the room, then back to her face. ”Don’t they still lynch adulterers here?”

The dark brows knit for a long moment. ”Wha— oh.” Dar sat back, nonplused. ”I...” She looked around in a startled manner. ”B...”

Kerry hid a smile behind one hand. ”Dar, Dar, relax I didn’t mean...” She covered her eyes, and felt her skin warm. ”I just, I sort of had you pegged, I thought, as someone who didn’t do PDA's.” She peeked at her lover hesitantly. The angular face was very still, as Dar processed her words, then an indescribable look took it over. ”Dar?”

”I...” Dar released a breath. ”I didn’t think I did either.” She folded her hands and studied them. ”I’m sorry. I didn’t realize it was bothering you,” her voice was steady, and casual.

But Kerry had learned something about her companion over the months. Sometimes she said what she thought the person she was talking to wanted to hear, rather than what she was feeling in her heart, and it usually showed in subtle shifts in her body language.

Like when her neck muscles relaxed, and it dropped her shoulders a little. It wasn’t quite slumping, but Kerry could see it nonetheless.

”No, it doesn’t bother me,” she hesitated, choosing her words carefully.

”I love when you touch me. You have no idea how special that makes me feel.” She watched the dark head lift, and wary blue eyes peeked out at her. ”I guess I’m just not used to being conspicuous.”

”Conspicuous?” Dar repeated.

”Yeah, I um. ” Kerry twiddled her thumbs. ”I made it a practice to attract as little attention to myself as possible. It was sort of a survival reflex.”

”Oh,” Dar murmured. ”I never thought of that.” She played with 256

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her roll. ”I never really cared if I attracted attention or not.”

Kerry rested her chin in her hand, and gazed at her magnetically attractive companion. ”No, I bet you didn’t,” she remarked wryly. ”But it’s going to take me a little while to get over that.”

Dar bit her lip, looking for all the world like a scolded child being denied dessert. ”Sorry. I... I wasn’t doing it on purpose, I just...” Damn it, I should have realized. What in the hell is wrong with me? ”I’ll try to keep my hands to myself from now on.”

Kerry felt a definite pang hit her in the chest, just hearing that self-disgust in Dar’s otherwise even tone.

It was a quiet dinner, and Kerry noticed neither of them ate much.

She zipped up her jacket and followed Dar as she made her way out the front of the lodge, towards where the hayride was forming up, a soft round of laughter coming from the people who were waiting. A large wagon really full with hay was standing there, with two large work horses hitched to it, their placid, gentle eyes regarding the crowd with little or no interest.

The family had decided to go, and so did six or seven other couples, two of them with children. Kerry bounced on her feet a little in the chill, as she watched them all mill around, waiting for the lodge worker to allow them to climb up onto the wagon.