Sail Read Free Page B

your flying us all up here,” she said. “It means a lot to me—to all of us, sweetheart.”
    “Really, it’s the least I could do. Oh jeez, I’m going to miss you so much, Kat. I’m already missing you.”
    She kissed him softly on the mouth, then gave him a second kiss. “I’ve got some nerve, huh? We’re not even married for a year and here I go leaving for two months.”
    “It’s okay, I understand. I really do. The kids caught a really bad break in life. This is a good thing you’re doing. It’s great.”
    “That’s why I love you so much—you
do
understand. This trip is so, so important to me, Peter.”
    “And I’m proud of you for making it happen. That’s why I love
you
so much. You’re a terrific person, Katherine Dunne.” He leaned in, whispering in her ear. “And you happen to be damn sexy. Do we have time?” Peter winked at her. “The limo?”
    Katherine blushed a little, something she rarely, if ever, did.
How did I get lucky enough to find him?
she had wondered. She had never thought she could be in love again after Stuart’s death, and yet here he was, Peter Carlyle, the famous New York trial attorney.
    Truly, the newspaper idiots had him all wrong, just as they got most things wrong. They called him “Gordon Gekko with a law degree” and the “love child of Genghis Khan and the Wicked Witch of the West.” But Katherine knew it was all an act, a role he played to defend his clients.
    The Peter she had come to know and love—the man outside the courtroom—was a kind and gentle soul and almost always considerate of her needs. Of course, it didn’t hurt that he was also handsome and pretty sexy himself!
    Best of all, though, Peter clearly didn’t want anything from Katherine except her love in return. Any jerk who could read the gossip columns of those same newspapers knew that she’d been left a substantial fortune by Stuart—over $100 million—and yet it was
Peter
’s idea to sign a prenup. “I have money,” he told her. “What I don’t have is a whole lot of happiness. At least, I didn’t until I met you, Kat.”
    Like two lovesick teenagers, Katherine and Peter kissed passionately in the middle of the marina’s parking lot, blissfully oblivious of the passersby and their “Get a room!” looks, which Katherine equated with jealousy. And you know what, who wouldn’t be jealous of her and Peter?
    He suddenly stepped back as if remembering something. “Now, tell me, do I have anything to worry about with Jake?” he asked.
    “No, he’s an expert sailor,” said Katherine. “He’s first-rate all the way. Been sailing since he could walk.”
    “That’s not exactly what I meant, Kat.”
    Katherine broke into a smile, giving Peter a quick poke in the stomach. “I
know
that’s not what you meant, wise guy. And to answer your question, he was my
brother-in-law,
sweetheart.”
    “Still, I saw the way he looked at you at our wedding,” said Peter, gazing at Katherine as if she were a reluctant witness in one of his trials.
    “Don’t even try to pretend you’re jealous of Jake, or anybody else.”
    “Yeah, I guess not.” Peter shrugged. “But I’d feel a little better if he didn’t look like he walked out of some L.L. Bean catalog. Guys with permanent tans make me suspicious.”
    Katherine folded her arms. “What about you, stud? All alone in the big city for two whole months?”
    “Alone? Aren’t you forgetting about Angelica?”
    “Our somewhat overweight and uncommunicative Guatemalan housekeeper notwithstanding, maybe I’m the one who should be worried.”
    Peter grabbed Katherine in his arms again and pulled her tight against his chest. “I don’t think so, Kat. I waited half my life to find you. I think I can wait another two months to get you back. Especially since you’re out here performing a mercy mission.”
    “Pretty good answer, Counselor. You are a slick one, aren’t you?” said Katherine with a quick peek at her watch. “Now,