Katy Carter Keeps a Secret (36 page)
Read Katy Carter Keeps a Secret Online
Authors: Ruth Saberton
Tags: #Teacher, #Polperro, #Richard Madeley, #romance, #New York, #Fisherman, #Daily Mail, #Bridget Jones, #WAG, #JFK, #Erotica, #Pinchy, #Holidays, #Cornish, #Rock Star, #50 Shades, #TV, #Cape Cod, #Lobster, #America, #Romantic, #Film Star, #United States, #Ghost Writer, #Marriage, #USA, #Looe, #Ruth Saberton, #Footballer's Wife, #Cornwall, #Love, #Katy Carter
“Lucinda thinks he is,” I say defensively. Poor Alexi gets a lot of stick. (Literally, in the scene with the runner beans – but maybe it’s best not to think about that at the minute?)
“Can we forget about Alexi and Lucinda for a moment?” asks Ollie. “It’s us I’m interested in right now. Katy, do you remember that day on the quay?”
“Of course I remember,” I whisper. “I thought
you’d
forgotten.”
“Never,” Ollie says vehemently. “Travelling and houses and bills all got in the way and time’s zoomed by because I have so much fun with you. But I’ve never forgotten. Never! I love you just as much now as I did then. Actually no! That’s wrong. I love you even more and I’ve never forgotten what I said; I’ve just been waiting for the time to be right. A time when I can offer you everything. My heart, my life and the few worldly goods I do have.”
“You never had to offer me anything, Ollie,” I say quietly. “It was enough just to be with you.”
He nods ruefully. “I let too much get in the way, didn’t I?”
“I think we both have,” I reply.
Ollie takes a deep breath. “Well, not anymore. Katy Carter, gifted writer of
interesting
fiction, friend to lobsters and the greatest love of my life, will you marry me?”
If this is a dream, then I am going to be
so
cheesed off. I guess I could stick my hand in the lobster tank and ask Pinchy to give me a nip, but do you know what? I have a feeling that I’m totally and utterly wide awake. More awake than I’ve ever been in my entire life, because there are no more secrets and no more worries – just the future lying wide open before us.
“Yes!” I tell him. “Of course I will!”
“Phew!” says Ollie and he leaps up, pulls me into his arms and kisses me so deeply I can hardly breathe. “And this time I promise I’m not dragging my heels for five years. What do you say to nipping down to the Caribbean and having a beach wedding? And maybe a big party when we get back to Tregowan? I don’t want to waste another second!”
I rise onto my tiptoes and kiss him. White sand, sunshine, blue water and marrying the man I love under dancing palms are all very well, but actually all that matters to me is that it’s Ollie I’ll make my vows to. In fact, I could make them right now by a lobster tank and with Pinchy as our only witness and it would be more than enough for me.
“When do we go?” I say and Ollie smiles.
“As soon as possible,” he promises.
And it’s a wonderful thing but all the misunderstandings and fears of the past months slip away just as easily as Ollie is slipping the diamond onto my engagement finger. And when he kisses me, in this room full of bubbling tanks and under the watchful eye of a wise old friend, I know beyond all doubt that Ollie’s ring will stay on my hand for the rest of my life.
Isara Lovett herself couldn’t have written a better ending.
THE END
Epilogue
Eighteen months later
Golly, but it’s hot in the Caribbean! I mean, really, really hot. Not Cornwall hot (which means we all get burned red raw for about an hour a year when the sun finally decides to put his hat on), but more like somebody’s turned the oven on, shoved you in, shut the door and left you to cook. Granted sunburn isn’t the greatest look when you’re ginger, but I’m not going to make a habit of falling asleep by the pool. Or the sea. Or in the garden. Those incidents were just because we’ve not been here long and I’m still getting used to it all.
I’m not complaining though! No, far from it! When Ollie said he was applying for a teaching job in the Virgin Islands I was packing the factor fifty and humming
Yellow Bird, Up High in Banana Tree
before he’d even downloaded the application form. Getting married here last summer was amazing and the thought of a couple of years in the sunshine, him teaching and me writing, was even better. We both wanted to travel a bit more and have some new adventures, so why not?
And here we are! How incredible is that? St Jude’s is just a bad memory, Ollie’s loving his new job and, thanks to Cecily Greville’s treasure, I’m finally free to write my definitive romantic novel without any distractions from cabbages and clothes pegs. And talking of such things, Nicky now’s Isara Lovett and doing a far better job of it than I ever did – and funding his education too. The last I heard,
Bathroom of Bondage
was racing up the charts while Nicky was embarking on his studies at Oxford, thanks to his great A-level grades, and having a marvellous time whipping up left-wing sentiments. I’m not sure what Ann and Geoff make of it all but I have a feeling the luxury cruise Nicky treated them to went a long way towards soothing any misgivings, as did the bottle of cognac we gave Geoff.
So, everyone’s happy. Even Sasha has got used to the heat and loves running on the beach and splashing through the waves while Ollie surfs. My days as an erotic novelist are over and it’s back to writing romances. Hooray! And there’s no time like the present either. I have my laptop, a shady spot in the garden, a romantic hero all of my very own and a big cocktail. I’m all set for literary success.
Right.
Love in Paradise
here we go!
Chapter One.
Hmm, typing in the heat is surprisingly tiring. My fingers keep slipping on the keys. Still, I’m sure I’ll get the hang of it in time – and I probably won’t stroke iguanas again, because they bite rather hard. My hand’s a bit sore to be honest, which isn’t good for typing. As pets go I don’t think they’re really going to work out quite as well as lobsters.
Talking of strange pets, I hope Pinchy’s enjoying life in New York. The scientists there have promised me he’s going to be safe and pampered, and that he has a home for life. It’s a nice end to a story that began with him almost being dinner, and it’s the least he deserves for seeing off my horrible ex and clearing the way for me and Ollie to get together. Maybe they’ll even find him a lady lobster friend he won’t want to eat. Wouldn’t that be nice?
Anyway,
Chapter One
.
Oh look! There’s Ollie waving at me from the patio. He looks gorgeous, all tanned and muscled from all his surfing and paddle-boarding. Life out here really suits him and he’s his old carefree self again. I’m not sure how he manages all those sports in this heat but maybe I’m just built differently and feel the climate more acutely? Yes, I’m sure that’s it. I’m designed to sit by the pool, not tear about.
Chapter One.
Maybe I need to listen to some music to get me in the mood? I’ve got Frankie’s new country album downloaded and, since he’s huge in the USA now, I really ought to see what all the fuss is about. I know he sings a lot about jeans and beer and his working-class life, which just goes to show that anyone can write fiction if they try hard enough. Besides, like Ollie says, poodles, Louis Vuitton and Botox are probably a bit tricky to rhyme.
Right. Let’s try again.
Cha—
Oh! Ollie’s peeling off his rash vest and rivulets of water are running down his pecs. Goodness, I’m feeling even hotter than I was before, even though I’m in the shade. Perhaps it’s heatstroke? It’s not good to overdo it here. Actually, I think I’ll leave starting this book for a bit and concentrate on real life instead. That’s bound to inspire me.
I know my new husband certainly does!
Husband! Can you believe it? I have a husband! And it’s just like when we were best friends, but even better. There are no secrets at all between us now. Well, only the handbag I
might
have bought last week and the stray cats I
accidentally
let into the house, but those things don’t really count do they? Of course not.
As I pick up my laptop and head across the spiky grass to our apartment, Ollie beckons me over.
“I think it’s time for a siesta,” he says, with that slow sexy smile which makes my heart melt like a pina colada in the heat. Putting the laptop down, I follow him into the cool inside.
Do you know what? Something tells me
Love in Paradise
is going to write itself…
I hope you enjoyed reading KATY CARTER KEEPS A SECRET. If you did, you might also enjoy my other books below.
Runaway Summer: Polwenna Bay 1
A Time for Living: Polwenna Bay 2
Treasure of the Heart: Polwenna Bay 4
Magic in the Mist: Polwenna Bay novella
Escape for the Summer
Katy Carter Wants a Hero
Ellie Andrews Has Second Thoughts
Amber Scott is Starting Over
Writing as Jessica Fox
The One That Got Away
Eastern Promise
Hard to Get
Unlucky in Love
Always the Bride
Writing as Holly Cavendish
Looking for Fireworks
Writing as Georgie Carter
The Perfect Christmas
Ruth Saberton is the bestselling author of
Katy Carter Wants a Hero
and
Escape for the Summer
. She also writes upmarket commercial fiction under the pen names Jessica Fox, Georgie Carter and Holly Cavendish.
Born in London, Ruth now lives in beautiful Cornwall. She has travelled to many places and recently returned from living in the Caribbean but nothing compares to the rugged beauty of the Cornish coast. Ruth loves to chat with readers so please do add her as a Facebook friend and follow her on Twitter.
Twitter:
@ruthsaberton
Facebook:
Ruth Saberton
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