Now and Forever 5, Love's Journey (39 page)

“I give up. How is Sarah doing?”

“She’s upset. She and Bob had decided to get
a divorce before he was killed. So she feels guilty. The kids don’t
know about that. Now she wants to try her hand at writing and
thought if she could come here, a new place, be with family, just
for the summer, then maybe she could start a novel or
something.”

“She wants to write. So you’ve decided to
place her next door to Jim Caterson, the widower, who recently lost
his fiancée, who just happens to be head of the English department.
No matchmaking involved here, Callie?” Mac smiled a knowing
smile.

“I confess, that did cross my mind but only
for a moment. Sarah’s daughter is eleven. She can help me with
Kitty, like an au pair. And her son is seven, Danny can put him in
Kiwanis summer camp. What do you think, Mac?”

“I see those wheels turning in your head,
baby, and you’ve got it all figured out before anyone even gets on
the plane. Should we plan for a wedding in May?”

“Mac, don’t be silly. I don’t know Sarah and
Jim Caterson are going to hit it off.”

“No harm trying, is there?”

“None at all. Sarah needs help…so does
Jim…”

“Even if he doesn’t know it?”

“Even if he doesn’t know it. Besides, Sarah
would never run off with a ballet dancer, leaving Jim high and
dry,” Callie sniffed.

“Does Sarah look like you?”

“Oh no, she’s prettier.”

“Impossible! Maybe I better warn Jim a
beautiful widow is moving in next door?” Mac’s eyes twinkled with
merriment.

“Don’t you dare say anything. I’m sure he’ll
find out soon enough.”

“Now that you have it all figured out, do
you have a little time for me?” Mac pulled her into his arms for a
kiss.

“You’re the steam that runs my engine,” she
purred in his ear.

Mac took her by the hand.

“Time for a little matchmaking in our
bedroom, Mrs. Caldwell.”

* * * *

At The Willow Tree Inn, Peter was peeling
off pieces of his tuxedo.

“What? You’re staring at me,” he said.

“I like looking at you…watching you
undress.” Lara’s cheeks pinked.

“Nothing to be embarrassed about.” He shot
her a wicked grin.

After unfastening the back of her dress,
Peter stopped to caress her shoulders and kiss the back of her
neck. Lara stepped out of her dress and hung it up.

“I like watching you too,” Peter
whispered.

He showered, returning to the room with a
towel tucked around his waist, casting a lustful eye at Lara who
was sitting in a wing chair wearing a white peignoir. She took off
the robe and approached Peter. The gown was filmy, barely hiding
her slim body, with tiny straps holding up the delicate fabric and
two bows closing it in the front.

She floated toward him, more beautiful than
ever. Peter’s eyes traveled the length of her as he moved toward
her, his hands reaching for her waist, his blood beginning to heat
up.

“I can’t believe we’re married,” she said,
suddenly shy.

“You’re the newest Mrs. Caldwell…and the
most beautiful one.” He kissed her neck and dropped his hands to
her behind to pull her closer to him.

He pulled lightly on the bows holding her
gown together. The bows gave way easily and the gown draped open.
Peter paused to look at her, desire taking over his body, his heart
beating rapidly. He pushed the tiny straps down over her shoulders
and the gown slid to the floor. She tugged the towel from around
his waist. He picked her up and laid her down on the bed tenderly
and joined her there.

They slowly began their new life together
with their first act of love as husband and wife.

Chapter
Twenty-six

Memorial Day weekend was approaching. Callie
and Mac were looking forward to getting away to the lake house. Sam
and Pat, and Peter and Lara were in South Africa. Danny and Eliza
were visiting Eliza’s brother in Pennsylvania. But before everyone
went away, Lara and Peter bought a new house. Mac and Callie
secured the lease on the house next door to Jim Caterson for
Callie’s sister, Sarah, who was due next week with her son Scott
and her daughter Laura. Sam had moved into Pat’s house.

Construction to renovate and expand the lake
house was about to begin. Sam bought an adjacent lot and a new
house was being built there because, even with renovations, the
lake house would be too small for this growing family, the Caldwell
clan.

Mac, Callie, Jason and Kitty had only four
more days before chaos would descend on their lives when
construction began next door. Memorial Day weekend started off very
hot. The lake house had ceiling fans and a few oscillating fans.
Still, with their deck doubling as a dock the cool lake at the end
of their deck was tempting.

Mac pulled out the wildlife guides for
birds, amphibians and mammals. He liked to teach the children about
the world around them by the lake. Sam also got a kick out of
bird-watching with his grandchildren. Peter had stocked the lake
house with paper, crayons and paints, encouraging the artistic side
of his niece and nephew.

Jason was nine and Kitty was five. Next year
they’d both be in school for the full day. They were happy with
four peaceful days of being together, laughing, playing, swimming,
exploring, eating and loving at the lake house.

Saturday temperatures exceeded one hundred
degrees during the day. Adults and children were tired and cranky,
even Rocky and Blue, Eliza and Danny’s lab mix and pug, who tagged
along with them were overcome by the heat and spent most of the day
sleeping. They all spent as much time as possible in the lake, even
the dogs went wading with the children. Jason and Kitty went to bed
early. They fell asleep as soon as their heads hit the pillows. The
dogs were passed out on the cool floor of the children’s rooms.

It was too hot to make love, even starting
on the little deck. The ceiling fan didn’t seem to do much but move
around the hot air. They tossed and turned until midnight, unable
to sleep. Callie rolled over and looked at Mac.

“Let’s have ice cream.”

“Are you crazy? It’s midnight. We’ll be
wiped out tomorrow. We need sleep.”

“But I can’t sleep and neither can you.”

“True,” he admitted sitting up on the side
of the bed.

“Come on, we have chocolate chip.”

“Why didn’t you say so?” He got up.

“I’ll race you,” Callie said, getting a head
start.

They raced downstairs as quietly as they
could. Mac lit candles on the deck.

“Isn’t it too hot for flames?” Callie asked,
sitting down with a container of ice cream and two spoons.

“Don’t you want me to be romantic?”

Callie scraped up a spoonful of the sweet,
cold confection and put it in Mac’s mouth. He accepted it
gratefully, moving closer to her. She had on a lightweight pink
cotton robe, he wore only boxers. Mac pulled the sash and her robe
opened, revealing her body awash in candlelight.

“I’m improving the view. Hope you don’t
mind.” His gaze rested on her breasts.

She smiled at him, her eyes dropping to his
chest. Mac got up to get glasses of water to wash down the ice
cream. When he returned, Callie scooped some ice cream and smeared
it on her lower lip, fixing her eyes on Mac’s. He leaned over and
licked it off. Then she spooned the last of the ice cream on his
lower lip and licked it off. Mac picked her up and set her down on
his lap, pushing her robe off. He wound his arms around her,
kissing her passionately. She responded, moaning slightly. His
hands moved around to her breasts. Suddenly he broke away from her
with a quizzical look on his face.

“Is there something you want to tell me?” he
asked her.

Callie blushed.

“You are always rushing this.”

“When are we due?”

“Yes, I’m pregnant. I found out only
yesterday and we haven’t had a minute alone. With any luck the baby
will be here before any huge snowfalls in January.”

“Oh, Callie,” he said, the candlelight
reflecting off the love glowing in his eyes. “I’m so happy,
baby.”

“Me too,” she sighed, “now where were
we?”

Mac put his hand on her belly and looked
into her eyes. Passion darkened her eyes as she moved her hands up
his chest.

“Take off those boxers, mister,” she
whispered, nipping his earlobe.

Mac slid his boxers off. The heat was still
oppressive. They were both sweating and while passion was growing,
the heat was doing its best to burn it out of them.

“Let’s make love in the lake,” Mac whispered
to Callie.

She turned and looked at him.

“Are you crazy? Someone might see us?”

“Every normal person has passed out because
of the heat.”

“You mean in the lake?”

“Yes, or on the little dock out there,” Mac
said pointing to the floating mini-dock anchored about one hundred
feet from their deck.

“It’s hard wood,” Callie said, making a
face.

“So we’ll bring towels. Where’s your sense
of adventure, woman?” he said, picking her up and walking to the
end of the dock.

“Oh, no, Mac. You wouldn’t!”

“It’s so hot, babe. I only want to cool you
off,” he said tossing her into the water.

Callie got enough of a grip on his arm to
pull him off balance so he fell into the water with her. She came
up sputtering and laughing. Mac swam under water and came up behind
her. He was treading with one hand while he wrapped his other arm
around her waist.

“You are the most beautiful woman on earth,”
he said in her ear, as his hand traveled up from her waist to cup
her breast.

“You like them big like this, don’t
you?”

“I like ’em any way I can get ’em.” He
ducked under water to swim around in front of her and kiss her
breasts.

“But yours are particularly
spectacular.”

Callie swam out to the little dock and held
on to the ladder. Mac followed her. It felt wonderful to be wet and
naked at the same time. The swirling of the water around their
totally free bodies energized and refreshed them.

“So where are the towels?”

He swam back to their dock and dragged two
towels through the water and shoved them up on the little dock.
Callie ducked under the water and came up to get her hair off her
face. Mac climbed up on the dock and spread out the two towels, one
on top of the other. They made a softer, wetter bed.

“Your bed awaits you,” he said, making a
sweeping gesture toward the towels.

Callie laughed and climbed up the ladder.
She sat on the towels and looked at the full moon. Mac sat down
next to her.

Their lives had been so stressful and they
would have only a brief respite before Callie would be delivering
their third child, sure to create chaos, excitement, love and an
overflowing schedule of responsibilities. With all the family they
now had, including Sarah and her children, Callie and Mac would
have very full lives this fall. For a moment, Callie felt
overwhelmed thinking about what she’d be dealing with.

“Mac, things are going to get pretty crazy
for a while.” Callie wrapped her small fingers around his
thumb.

“Probably. Nothing you can’t handle.”

She smiled up at him, noticing how the
moonlight highlighted the planes of his handsome face.

Right now, this minute, they had each other
and their love. Callie stretched out on the towels, getting
comfortable. Mac looked lovingly at her body painted with the glow
of the moon. He rested his hand gently on her belly, where the new
baby was growing. Then he kissed her there.

“My favorite place to make love to you is
anywhere I can see your beautiful body in the moonlight,” Mac
said.

“That’s the most romantic thing you’ve ever
said to me, Mac.”

“Is it? Shame on me. I have many more
romantic thoughts about you, Callie.”

“Maybe someday you’ll share them with me.”
She took his face in her hands and kissed him.

“You make me happy,” he muttered, between
kisses.

“My darling…” slipped out of Callie’s mouth
when she wrapped her arms around his neck. He sat up.

“You’ve never called me that before.”

Callie blushed.

“It’s mushy. I don’t want to embarrass
you.”

“That doesn’t embarrass me at all.”

“Can I call you that?”

“I’d like it…a lot.”

“Okay, my darling, now kiss me.”

He did as she requested. Callie rolled over
on her side. Mac crept closer. His hands caressed her body slowly.
No need to rush, they had all night. Callie moaned as his lips
followed his hands, stoking the fire she had inside for him.

Callie closed her eyes and sighed, giving
herself up to Mac’s expert touch. Her hands traveled down his body,
she touched him again and felt her pulse race. Mac got up on his
knees, and she parted her legs, welcoming him. His breath was
ragged as he slid into her soft wetness.