All That You Are (27 page)

“He was proud of you?”

“Yeah. No question. He was proud of all his kids. For a guy who immigrated here with just change in his pocket, he did real well for himself. There was a time just before his death that things got dicey on a project when he had to take on a silent partner. Shocked the hell out of us when we found out after he died, but the Grove got completed and we made money in the long run. I wish he could have known that things turned around and the partnership with Kyle Jagger was a good one.”

“My mother believes that even in death, the ones we love know what's going on with us on earth.”

“My mother believes that feeding people Italian meals is love.”

Dana gave a half smile. Their mothers were different, yet they had somehow connected via e-mails. Her mother had told her that Mark's mom was a very nice lady. For Suni to say that meant a lot. Dana knew her mother could be a little judgmental. When first meeting Mark, Suni hadn't gone out of her way to extend him a welcome. Now she had changed her opinion, which Dana was glad for…for all the good it did. Mark may have won Suni over, but he wouldn't be around to ride things out for the long run.

The morning wore on, and she and Mark reeled in rock and ling cod, halibut and red snapper. They filled the boat's receiving tank, and as noon approached, Dana realized she was starving.

“What'd you pack for lunch?” she asked, nosing around the cooler he'd brought.

“Nothing.”

He'd been so good about planning for everything, she swallowed down on the gnawing in her belly and resolved not to think about food.

Peaceful and quiet, Mark continued to fish while she'd lost the desire to reel any more in.

She gazed at the pristine rain forest, its greenery so lush and awe inspiring. Blue, like the sea, reflected in the sky. She'd have to bring Terran here. He'd love it. Cooper tended to do the camping and fishing thing with him, but there was no reason she couldn't do the outdoor stuff, too.

“You about fished out?” she questioned in what she hoped sounded casual as she sidled next to him to check his progress.

At ease in his position, reel in hand, leaning against the seat, he shook his head and her stomach growled. He seemed in no hurry to get going. She'd kill to have that other pastry in her hand.

“Well, if we don't get a move on soon, you're going to have to build a fire, clean one of those fish and cook it so I can eat. Aren't you hungry?”

“Starving.”

“So then why—”

In the distance, the whir of a plane's propeller infiltrated their tranquil little spot. Shading her eyes against the glare, Dana's gaze narrowed in on the floatplane heading in. It descended toward the bay, then touched down with a skim of its pontoons. This far away, and with a direct line toward them, she couldn't make out the side colors of the plane or its tail identification.

“What's that idiot doing landing here?” she wondered aloud.

Mark rose to his feet. “Bringing us lunch.”

It was then she recognized the aircraft as one of her own. Fish Tail Air and with Sam Hyatt piloting.

Sam taxied closer, then cut the de Havilland Beaver's single engine. Drifting toward their boat, the aftermath of his landing disturbed the placid water, causing it to lap on the boat's hull and plane's pontoons.

“You found us,” Mark said, grabbing one of the anchor ropes from the wing.

“I know the area well.” Sam had opened the cockpit door and hopped onto the plane's pontoon. “Hey, Dana.”

Surprised over Sam's unexpected landing, Dana said, “Hey, yourself.”

“I brought what you asked me to,” Sam said to Mark. It felt a little awkward to Dana to have the two men on amicable terms. Not that she minded. It was just that since Sam's brother had died with her father and Terrance, Sam had taken on a huge burden of guilt and considered himself her watchdog. He hadn't allowed any men to get close to her, at least not without feeling out their intentions. For a time, she wondered if Sam cared for her beyond a friend, but she'd asked him and he'd told her he didn't want her to hurt anymore and he was compelled to make her life easy where he could.

Mark slipped his sunglasses onto the crown of his head. “You deliver, Sam. Thanks for doing this.”

“You paid me to.”

Laughing, Mark said, “Had to cover your gas and the cost of the food.”

Sam reached inside the airplane and produced a couple bags from Burger Queen.

“You have got to be kidding me,” Dana exclaimed, her mouth watering.

Bracing his hand on the airplane's wing, Sam replied, “That's what I thought when he asked me to bring the stuff.”

“Burger Queen isn't open on Sunday,” Dana stated. The aroma of cheeseburgers and fries almost had her tearing into the bags and devouring the contents.

“I know,” Mark said, setting the food bags on the driver's seat of the boat.

Sam shrugged. “Never in all the years I've lived in Ketchikan has Burger Queen turned on the fryer on a
Sunday, but this loco boy did something to sweet-talk them into it. I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't picked up the order myself.”

With a sly wink toward Dana, Mark didn't elaborate on how he'd managed to pull it off. She was mulling over the possibilities, when his playful mood dimmed.

Not anticipating his next words, they took the edge right off her hunger. “Your twenty-four hours are over, Dana. You can head back with Sam—take the lunch.”

She didn't readily reply, eyes darting to Sam and wondering if he knew in advance he might transport her back to town if she said so.

Mark continued, “Or you can hang out here and I'll have you home by five to get your son. But I did say twenty-four hours and I want to keep my word.”

Inwardly at war with her thoughts and emotions, Dana had to get a grip on the situation. Flying to Ketchikan would take twenty minutes from takeoff to touchdown. Driving back would be under an hour. She didn't want to be in this position. Damn Mark. He had taken care of everything else; why hadn't he just decided on a detail like this? As long as she was home in time to get Terran, what harm would a few more hours be?

Glancing at Mark, she drank in his handsome features. Brown eyes, compelling mouth and strong nose. The build of his shoulders, so broad and strong. She felt Sam's eyes on her as she thought over her choices. In the end, she did what she'd wanted to do from the beginning.

“I'll stay,” she said, the words hardly a whisper.

Sam gave her a short nod. “Good enough. I'm out of here.”

He got back into the cockpit and Mark pushed him
back with a shove of his boot. Then the plane's engine fired into a roar and Sam was gliding over the water and took off. Only when he was a speck in the sky did Dana look at Mark.

She found him staring at her, a fond smile on his mouth. “I knew you'd stay.”

“Me, too,” she admitted, seeing no point in playing coy.

Those thoughts were far behind her.

 

T
HEY WERE PACKED
and ready to return to town, their bags laid at the house's front door for loading into the pickup. Mark made a quick check of the time on his watch. He had an hour before they had to leave, and he still had something he wanted to show Dana.

“Come on,” he called impatiently to her from the living room, waiting for her to descend from the second-story master bedroom. She'd gone upstairs to make a final check to see if she had forgotten anything. Why did women always have to do that? Men could care less if they neglected to throw a sock or their toothpaste in their bag. You could always buy more.

He repeated his call for her. “Dana, let's go.”

“What's on fire?” she questioned, stepping down and leaning over him on the landing. Her hair flowed over her shoulders, and the angle afforded him a dead-on view of her cleavage. Her breasts were small and round and, pushed together like that, distracted him.

“Me,” he replied, then brushed off the thought. “Don't stand like that. Come here.”

She finished taking the steps and met him. “Are you ready?”

“I've been ready for ten minutes.” He took her hand and pulled her through the open door.

“Where are we going?” she questioned, keeping her stride as broad as his as he walked up the drive, cut through a small path in the woods and made it to the highway.

“You'll see,” was all he told her. Glancing in both directions for traffic, he deemed it clear and took her to the other side. A smaller path connected at the road and wound upward through the hillside of ferns and lush, low-growing greenery.

Hiking single file, Mark held branches aside so Dana could be behind him and not get hit in the face. The climb wasn't too bad, a few hundred feet, before it leveled out and connected with another trail. Towering on either side, cedars rose tall and stately. Spongy ground buffered their footsteps.

The air came alive with scents that intoxicated. Mark pulled in a deep breath and let the coolness swirl inside his lungs. White flowers blanketed a tree copse where sunshine rained through the leafy canopy. He'd gotten lucky that it hadn't rained yesterday or today.

“Where are we going?” Dana asked once more.

“Don't you ever want to be surprised and enjoy the thrill of it?”

“No.”

Mark let loose with a sharp laugh of enjoyment. He got a kick out of her sometimes. “Dana baby, you sure are a different kind of woman. I guess when a man proposes to you, you'll want to know the details in advance so you aren't taken off guard.”

The comment slipped past him before he could stop it.

But he heard Dana suck in her breath as she stopped dead in her tracks and called after him, “You aren't…are you?”

He hadn't meant the comparison—it had just happened.

“Not today.” Mark turned toward her, regret a bitter taste in his mouth. “Look, I'm sorry. It was a bad example.”

“Why would you think about a proposal?”

“I have a sister. We talked about stuff like that. I guess it was in the back of my head for some reason.”

Mark reached for Dana and took her slender hand in his own, giving her a slight squeeze. “We're almost there. Come on.” With a gentle tug, he pulled her along and she kept by his side.

They hiked several hundred more feet up the maritime cliff face, winding through a thick tree stand. Then the terrain opened to reveal a sunlit clearing scattered with blue flowers.

Nudging Dana beside him, he took her to the edge and smiled.

“Some view, huh?”

And it was. The ocean stretched before them in an undulating shimmer of the sky's cloudless reflection, verdant forests jutting from various fingers of craggy land. The Alaskan coastlines weren't known for straight sandy beaches. They were diverse. Dense at some points, rocky at others. Always a collection of trees to frame the edges.

In the far distance, a white-and-blue-hulled cruise ship slowly motored its way down the channel toward Ketchikan. Even this far away, its colossal size was emphasized in the scale of things.

The view was beyond perfect, and the clarity of the day made it even better. A panorama to rival any postcard in the gift shops.

Mark put his arm around Dana, bringing her close.

Dana's gaze drank in the scenery. “How did you know about this place? I didn't, and I've lived here my whole life.”

“Jeff Grisham showed me from the air when Sam flew us to Red Creek Lodge. We passed right over it. Must have been fate the rental house turned out to be near here.”

“I don't believe in fate,” she said, her voice barely audible as her arms slid around him with a fraction of space separating the curve of her breasts from crushing into his chest. A heaviness held his heart, his throat having a hard time working to swallow. “But I do love the view very much. And it would make a nice proposal spot for some woman.”

Her mouth was inches from his, her moist breath caressing his lips. Though her body didn't touch his, he could feel the heat from her limbs. The air around her seemed magnetic, drawing him to her. He couldn't deny that he had wanted to hold her like this in the worst way ever since coming here.

“Why didn't you come upstairs last night?” she asked, her chin tilting so she could stare into his face.

A current of heat ran through his every nerve ending. His jaw tightened and it was all he could do not to burn his mouth over hers and kiss her. “Because everyone who loves you—your mother, Leo, Sam…they made it clear I shouldn't break your heart.”

“It's my heart. I know how to protect it. I'm not stupid.”

“Honey, I have never for a moment thought you were.”

Dana whispered against his cheek. “Good.”

Mark's breath jerked from his chest as she circled his neck with coaxing arms. Molding against him, she gave herself to a kiss that smoldered like the heat that joined metal. Her tongue traced the moist fullness of his mouth, then explored the recess within.