Beachcombing in the Bahamas (Once Again #11)

Chapter 10

10

A nother hour passed before everyone came in for the meal. Jodi left Yvette to take a shower, but finally they all breakfasted together on delicious banana fritters, sausage, bacon, fruit, and grits. Yvette hadn’t been sure she’d like the grits, but found the dish surprisingly creamy and even a little cheesy. The girls were chipper, even Jodi, and the guys bleary-eyed as if they’d stayed out later by the fire pit. Darryl sat in morose silence, a hangover probably pounding in his head.

Adeline tinkled a bell she’d found somewhere. Yvette knew the sound would grate on her nerves for the next two weeks.

When Olive answered the summons, Adeline said, “I can’t eat any of this. I’d like some porridge. Just a little honey, nothing else.”

Not breaking her perpetual smile, Olive said, “Of course, madame. I have some on the stove.” She reappeared moments later with a bowl and a honeypot. “I think it best if you add your own honey.”

Adeline actually said, “Thank you.” Then she added after Olive was gone, “There. That’s much better,” as if she were talking to herself.

Brock pulled out his phone. “What does everyone want to do today? I can book tickets.”

Malcolm asked, “What are the choices?”

“Pretty much what we talked about on the flight. Horseback riding on the beach. The zip line, the bat caves?—”

Francine shuddered. “No bats. They get in your hair.”

Ethan jumped in. “That’s an old wives’ tale. But if we go there at sunset, we’ll probably see them all flying out.”

“Like the Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico,” Iris said, her blue eyes sparkling. “I’ve always wanted to go there.” She looked at Malcolm, as if he could make the wish come true. Being a Donnelly, he probably could.

“There’re also waterfalls you can slide down.” Then he explained exactly what that meant. “You walk up the trail to the top of the gorge and slide down each waterfall into a pool below.”

“Does it hurt?” Francine asked.

“Not if you hold your elbows in so they don’t hit the sides.” He wasn’t at all exasperated with the girl’s questions.

But she still said, “I don’t know.”

And Brock went on. “There’s also kayaking and snorkeling. We can rent a catamaran with an outfit that will take us to the good snorkeling spots.”

Practical Garth said, “If we want to do that, we should book in advance and get there early, so we have the whole day.”

“Good idea,” Brock agreed. “We can also rent ATVs, like we talked about.”

“What about something a little less strenuous?” Adeline asked. “Like shopping?” Although anything Adeline shopped for here, she would consider beneath her standards. She shopped only at exclusive stores. Adeline was a snob.

Brock answered reasonably, “You can have our driver take you anywhere you’d like. But the rest of us will wait until after we’ve tired ourselves out with some of these other activities.”

She harrumphed and dug back into her porridge.

Then Brock looked at Yvette. “What would you like to do?”

All eyes were on her as if she were the decision-maker. And why shouldn’t she be? “I’d like the horseback riding on the beach. And especially in the ocean.”

Brock smiled, and she felt it reach deep inside her, all his longing, his need, and even his humor in that smile. “Horseback riding sounds great. Does everyone agree?”

Their children nodded. Then he poked at his phone, obviously booking tickets for the horseback riding.

Adeline set her gaze on Lorna. “You’re pregnant, so don’t be a ninny, thinking you can go horseback riding.” She smiled quickly, adding, “You can stay with me. Olive can make us treats. We’ll have a marvelous time, I promise.”

Trevor spoke up, as if he saw the danger there. “I’ll stay behind with Lorna. I don’t need to go riding.”

But Adeline wagged a finger at him. “Lorna and I will be fine. You need to go. You can’t let a pregnant woman hold you back from the things you want to do.”

Beside him, Lorna said, “It’s okay, you go. I’ll be fine. But I want to hear all about it when you get back,” she added, as if she had no idea of the danger.

Trevor said softly, “Are you sure?”

She patted his hand. “Absolutely. Go have fun and take a bunch of videos for me.”

God, she was sweet. But Yvette feared Adeline wanted to undermine the two of them.

Then Lorna said, “In fact, I’ll take Adeline shopping, the way she wants to.” She smiled as she boxed Adeline into a corner if she didn’t actually want to shop. “Won’t that be fun, Mother?”

For the first time, Yvette wondered if perhaps Lorna could call hold her own with her mother-in-law.

As recommended by the group running the horseback riding outfit, Yvette chose the leggings she’d worn on the plane, as well as a long-sleeved swim shirt, tennis shoes, hat, and oodles of sunblock. The kids, ignoring the suggested attire, dressed in cutoff jeans, tank tops, and sneakers without socks. She was happy to see the girls at least lathered up with suntan lotion.

They headed to the stables on the other side of the island, needing all three Jeeps, Brock, Trevor, and Garth driving. On the dryer side of the island, which received less rain, the terrain was scrubbier, unlike their wetter side, where the jungle seemed to take over almost from the edge of the beach.

Yvette sat in the front seat with Brock. Over the noise of the engines and the tires thumping into potholes along the road, she called out, “I’ve never been on a horse before.” And yet, she wanted this ride into the ocean.

His smile turned her heart over. It always did. “I’ll make sure you get an easy mount.”

She knew he’d take care of her. He was an accomplished rider, often using the stables at the big house. Though these days, busy with work, he hadn’t been riding much.

Upon arriving, they watched a short safety demonstration, with helmets handed out to everyone. One of the owners, also a guide, said to her in lovely accented English, “I’ve been told that you have never ridden before.” His teeth were white in his dark face as he smiled and led her to a horse. “She is not tall, and she is gentle. She will do whatever the other horses do, so you should not have to give her much direction. But if you have any problems, both Juan—” He jutted his chin at an older man with weatherbeaten skin and probably of Mayan descent. “—and I will be available to you.” He gave her a slight bow and, a hand to his chest, he said, “I am Mateo, at your service.”

He drew her horse to a mounting block and helped her climb on. Brock, already mounted, not even using a block, watched her. She felt his eyes on her as if they were his hands.

She laughed, saying, “You look good on that horse, like the hero out of an old Western.” With a smile, he twitched the reins, effortlessly turning his horse. The man knew how to handle the stallion. Maybe she should take up riding as a way of spending more time with him outside of work. And outside of her bed.

Jodi trotted over to Yvette. “You look great on a horse, Mom. I don’t know why you never wanted to ride before. I mean, we’ve got all the horses in the stables back home.”

She’d never wanted to ride because the stables weren’t hers. They were Adeline’s. But she’d never stopped the girls from learning.

With such a large family unit, no other riders joined them as the horses walked in single file out to a wide expanse of beach. Juan rode in front, while Mateo took the sweep position at the end of the line.

Not long after they’d started, Juan turned off the beach onto a sloping trail that led up to a ridge overlooking the ocean. Brock rode behind her, and she heard his gentle clicks to his horse, while hers, as Mateo had said, followed the rest without her having to do much. The trail switchbacked through the scrub, palm trees and foliage growing denser as they climbed. Their brood talked, shouted, and laughed ahead of her. God, how glad she was they were all here. Until she heard Darryl’s loud squawk, complaining about the slow pace. Okay, there was one member of the brood she could do without.

Turning in her seat, she said to Brock, “He doesn’t know how to ride either. If we were to go any faster, I’m afraid he might fall off.”

“Then I’m sure we should speed it up.”

They grinned like kids. God, she loved this family unit. She loved any activities with the kids. They’d never done much in the past as a full family. Why not? She couldn’t recall a reason. Perhaps she’d kept herself aloof. When the girls, as children, had gone up to the big house to play with the boys, she’d rarely gone along. She much preferred when Brock’s boys came down to the gatehouse. She hadn’t learned to ride with them either. The most she’d done was suffer through those holiday dinners. Maybe she should have done more.

Then she shook herself. That was in the past. She could do nothing about it. But there was now. More trips together as a family awaited them. This Christmas trip to the Bahamas had been Brock’s idea. But now she wanted more. Summer holidays at the beach, skiing in the winter, even if she wasn’t a skier. It didn’t matter. She wanted this togetherness.

It was also a way to spend time with Brock with no one thinking anything of it.

Moving her body to match her horse’s gait as they climbed, she was comfortable. Twenty minutes later, they crested the ridge, Juan pulling his mount to a stop and signaling them into a single line to face the ocean. Brock reined in beside her.

From their vantage, whitecaps rolled across the aqua ocean, and the sun glared off the white sand. It was hotter here, a little muggy, but she’d never seen anything so stunning. “It’s the most beautiful view,” she said, exhaling in awe.

“Yes. This view is gorgeous.” And when she turned to Brock, he was watching her rather than the ocean.

She wanted to reach over and nudge him, but that would seem too familiar to the rest. Laughing, she said, “Look at the water.”

She snapped pictures of the blue ocean, the clouds drifting across the sky, the kids on their horses. And Brock.

Then Mateo swung down off his horse. “If you will allow me to handle your phone, I will take some good pictures of all of you.”

“Thank you.” She handed him the phone, and he stepped close to the edge. They all shouted and waved and laughed, and she knew the photos would be amazing.

Then Juan whirled his hand in the air as if he were about to throw a lasso around them. “And now we head back to the beach for a swim.”

He led them down another switchback trail on the opposite side of the ridge, until finally they burst from the trees onto the other end of the same wide expanse of beach.

“Cut loose,” Juan called, leading them all into a mad gallop along the beach.

Brock stayed behind with her. “You can do it. Just hold on with your thighs.”

Mateo, flanking her other side, said, “I will watch out for you. Have no fear.”

And she told Brock, “Go on. I know you want to.”

Leaning over, he brushed his fingertips over her cheek. Then he took off, while Mateo clucked at her horse, saying softly, “Hold on. We can do this.” And her horse broke into a gallop to match the others. She clung to the saddle horn with one hand, and just as Brock had told her, gripped the horse with her thighs. For a moment, it was terrifying. Then she felt as if she were flying along the beach.

The wind blowing through her hair was exhilarating, even as it snatched her hat off her head, the chinstrap tethering it to her. She laughed like a child. Or like a fifty-three-year-old woman who’d suddenly cut loose.

At the other end of the beach, the kids turned the horses around, and Jodi sidled close to her, their calves brushing. “Wasn’t that fun, Mom? We’ve got to do it when we get home. I’ll teach you to ride. You’ll love it.”

Yvette smiled. “Yes. I would love it.”

They did two more mad gallops along the beach, finally ending back by the stables.

She with breathless, giddy. Laughing. And her joy made her want to throw herself at Brock.

Of course she didn’t. And maybe she’d regret that later.

Juan mimicked throwing his lasso again and led them into the stables. “It is time for our ocean swim,” he said. “We must take off our saddles and ride the horses bareback in the water.” He waved a hand at the ocean. “The waves are not too big today. Perfect for swimming.”

They stripped the saddles from their horses, then undressed down to their bathing suits. With everyone prepared, Yvette, feeling slightly unstable on the horse’s bare back with only the reins to hold on to, followed the others into the water.

The warm aquamarine ocean lapped at her bare feet, then her calves, and finally, her hips. Beneath her, the horse began to swim. Holding its head high above the gentle roll of the waves, the horse seemed to paddle through the water, Yvette dipping down with its movements.

And suddenly it was glorious. She felt as if she were floating on air. With the shifting height of the sand and the water not as deep, the horse sometimes walked, but even that was amazing.

She didn’t know how to make her horse do anything in the water, but Jodi did, somehow leading her mount over to Yvette.

“This is so cool, Mom. It’s too cold to do it in San Francisco Bay, but this is awesome.” Her daughter’s eyes shone, and her smile was the most beatific Yvette had ever seen.

Over Jodi’s shoulder, she caught Brock’s eye, and felt the warmth of his smile envelope her. And she thought to herself, best day ever , as the horses alternately pranced and swam through the waves.

Then Darryl, in a booming voice that grated on Yvette, called out, “Look at me. I can stand on the horse’s back.” Somehow, he’d made his way into a standing position on the bareback horse, as if he were riding a surfboard.

Mateo called, “Watch out for that wave!”

But it was too late, and the wave hit Darryl at knee height, throwing him forward.

Jodi shook her head. “He’s such a show-off. And he blew it anyway.”

The horse swam away from him, and Darryl couldn’t catch it as another wave rolled over him. Mateo guided his mount through the water to the riderless horse and grabbed the bridle.

Garth was shaking his head as he joined her and Jodi. “Your sister’s boyfriend is a dick.”

It was true. Although, perhaps, in this instance, Yvette thought Darryl was just having a good time. And he was laughing, not even seeming to mind that he was the butt of everyone’s joke as he scrambled back on the horse with Mateo’s help.

They hit a sandbar, and Garth said to Jodi, “Race you.”

And they were off, their smiles beautiful against the crystalline water, their horses half galloping, half swimming. They turned then, heading back just as Brock reined in beside Trevor, who watched the family having a fantastic time.

Yvette saw how much she’d been missing. She and Brock didn’t have a normal relationship. They couldn’t go for hikes or bike rides. He couldn’t take her out to dinner or to a movie. They couldn’t even lay on the sofa and binge a TV show. Even now, they limited the time they spent together in case anyone noticed. They worked side by side during the day, pretending they were nothing more than coworkers, and made love only in the night. Otherwise, their lives were completely separate.

It seemed so sad. All because of Adeline.

For the first time, Yvette could admit she wanted more. She loved his arms around her in the dark. But she wanted all the rest of it too.

But with Adeline, she’d never have it.

Trevor’s horse swam beside Brock as he snapped the pictures he’d promised Lorna. He even made Brock lean in for a selfie, which was a pain in the butt when the horses didn’t stay still.

And he knew there were pictures of him and Yvette on the phone’s camera roll. He so badly wanted to ask his brother to send them to him so he could remember this day, remember her face lit with joy.

As if reading his thoughts, Trevor said, “Yvette looks so happy right now.”

Brock could only say, “She loves having her daughters with her.” Then he hastily added, “I’m glad I could do this for everyone.”

They were silent a moment as Yvette’s horse trotted over a sandbar, then began swimming again, and Trevor said, “She never looks terribly happy unless we’re all working hard on a project. She doesn’t have a life outside of work now the girls are at school. She should be dating. She’s still a beautiful, vibrant woman, and Pierce has been gone five years.”

Brock would die if she ever dated another man. But all he could say to his brother was, “I guess she’s making her own choice.”

And yet it struck him that he was holding her back from something she deserved. He needed time to show her he was the only one for her, so much more time. But how could he eke out that extra bit? They could stay later in the city, have dinner out. He could get a flat where they’d meet, where no one would see them together. Except his mother would probably notice that when he was gone for a night, Yvette was gone too.

But he had to figure out something. He couldn’t convince her to come out in the open, yet he could never let her be with another man. It was past that for them. He loved her. And he’d never let her go.

It tore him up to think about it, and he changed the subject abruptly. “You know, Lorna could have come with us. We haven’t done anything risky.”

Still gazing at the family dashing through the water, Trevor shook his head. “She doesn’t want to do anything that might harm the baby.” He looked at Brock, his gaze deep. “If she lost the baby…” He shrugged without finishing, but tense lines rode his features for a moment.

“I know,” Brock agreed. “But leaving her with Adeline.” A shudder welled up in him. “Your mother is being way too hard on her about her weight.”

Trevor laughed, almost a snort. “ My mother? Isn’t she yours too?”

Brock chuckled. “Not when she’s bullying your wife.”

Trevor closed his eyes, tipped his face to the sun, and sighed. “Lorna’s okay. She loves the house. She’s so happy about the baby. And Adeline can’t say anything to destroy that.”

Neither of them called her Mother. They hadn’t for years. Brock couldn’t remember exactly when that happened, except that it was long before Pierce died. “It reminds me of the way Adeline treated Yvette.”

His brother didn’t look at him. “Lorna isn’t Yvette.”

Brock wondered what that meant. That Lorna wasn’t married to the favorite son for whom no woman would ever be good enough? Or that Yvette had let Adeline’s bullying get to her too much?

Then Trevor turned to him. “You don’t have to worry. Lorna is good. I promise.”

He let it go then. He’d said his piece. If he added any more, it was tantamount to saying his brother wasn’t taking care of his wife.