So sure of death (10 page)

There was silence for a few moments. Liam could think of nothing to say.

A raven croaked somewhere off in the treetops. Liam looked up, but couldn't see him.

“I've got a puritan streak a mile wide, Liam. No matter how much I hated the waste of what we could have given each other, of what we could have been, of what together we could have given others, there was a little voice inside that said we did the right thing. You belonged with Jenny and Charlie, and I had no business, no right to try to tempt you away from them. She faced Liam squarely. “You said the words, Liam. For better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness or in health, so long as you both shall live. Till death do you part. She shook her head. “Nobody ever thinks about what those words really mean when they say them.

“Maybe not nobody, Liam said. “But damn few.

She nodded. “Damn few, she echoed.

“And not me.

“No, she said softly.

There was a short silence as they listened to the creek chuckle beyond the trees. “Jenny's dead, Liam said.

“I know. Moses told me. I'm sorry. She turned to meet his eyes. “I mean that, Liam. From everything you told me, I think Jenny and I could have been friends. She swallowed, and added in a painful whisper, “And I know you loved her. Maybe not like . . . Well. I know you loved her. Loved them.

“Yes. He thought of little baby Charlie, all cherub cheeks and lion's roar, and grieved again.

There was another silence. “What now? Liam said at last.

She didn't look at him. “You'll notice I've never said those words. So long as you both shall live.

“I've noticed, he said, a little grimly. “And I have, and I didn't keep them.

“That's not where I was headed, Liam, she said, a little impatiently. “God, let's just set aside the blame for one minute, okay? We both made mistakes, big, fat, juicy ones, all right? She turned to look at him, eyes level and serious. The sun sidled out from behind a cloud and turned her hair into a gleaming helmet of dark gold. “You asked me to marry you, remember?

“I remember.

“You had no right to, and I had no right to listen. But you asked.

“You didn't answer.

“No. I didn't.

“Why?

“Because however much I loved you, I wasn't sure I could say those words and mean them, she said simply.

It hurt, more than he would have expected it to. It took him a moment to form a reply. “And now?

“And now? She turned away from him. “I don't know, Liam.

His heart seemed to stop beating. “Don't you love me enough?

Moments crept by. “I don't know, she said at last. “I want you, you know that.

“I know that. It's not enough.

“No.

He was angry suddenly. “Goddamn it, Wy. I've waited long enough. I want an answer.

“I'm not ready to give you one, she said levelly.

“Fine. He got to his feet and dusted off his pants. “Let me know when you are. I may or may not be around. No promises.

“Liam

“No. He cut off her words with a chopping motion, and fixed her with a piercing stare. “Just so you know, I'm not looking for one meal. I'm in the market for a lifetime supply of grub.

An involuntary laugh escaped her lips. “Liam

“No, he said, furious now, with her amusement and his own inability to put his feelings into words that would be taken seriously. “We've said all there is to say. He reached down a hand and hauled her to her feet. “Think about this, too, while you're thinking things over. He kissed her then, roughly, angrily, cupping his hands over her ass and grinding against her. She melted into him and his touch gentled without him realizing it.

That's all it took, all it had ever taken. His hands slid up and there was nothing but the taste of her mouth, nothing but the feel of her breasts against his palms, nothing but the sound of her breath coming in short, hard pants, of the little moans she gave as she strained against him. He felt the earth come up against his back with a solid thump. The material between his hand and her skin was suddenly intolerable and he ripped the front of her shirt open and shoved her bra up and took her nipple into his mouth. He wasn't gentle but she didn't want gentleness, tearing at the front of his jeans and thrusting her hand down the front of his shorts. “Oh, she said, when he filled her hand. “Liam, please. She knotted a fist in his hair and pulled his mouth from her breast. She bit his lower lip, and pulled one of his hands down between her legs, pushing up against it. “Liam, please!

Her face was flushed, her eyes wild, and every instinct he had screamed yes. It would be fast and furious, hot and supremely satisfying, it would fulfill every dream he'd had in the last three months, hell, in the last three years. The heat came off her in waves, scorching him. She shoved him down and straddled his body, and it was his turn, eyes closed. “Wy . . . He felt her hands tugging at his jeans and heard something halfway between a growl and a groan rip out of his throat.

“Shut up. Just shut up and let me Jesus, Liam. Her hand closed around him and she leaned down.

He felt her breath on his skin and nearly came right then. “Wait, he said. “Wy, wait.

“What? She sounded dazed.

He took her upper arms in his hands and sat up, sliding out from under her.

“Liam?

He climbed to his feet, turning his back to fasten his fly. It wasn't easy, and it didn't help that his blurred vision couldn't seem to find the zipper tab, and when it did, that his fingers couldn't seem to hold on to it.

Behind him he heard the rustle of clothing, and knew she was putting herself back together, too. He took a couple of deep, steadying breaths. When his vision cleared the first thing he saw was his cap lying on the ground where she had thrown it after pulling it off. He swept it up and turned to face her.

The pulse was beating in her throat, hard enough to cause her collar to flutter. She was trembling, and she wouldn't look at him, fussing instead with one of the buttons on her shirt.

It would have been so easy to have taken each other then and there, on the rocks of the riverbank. He remembered in detail the clasp of her warm, wet flesh, the sound of the hitch in her breath, the salt taste of her tears, the smell of her sweat and that elusive, sweet-tart fragrance that was all her own. The way she arched up when she came, the surprise and pleasure in her voice when she cried out. And he remembered what it was like to kiss and touch and talk his way through a night with her, to come into her, to come inside her.

But one night was not what he wanted. One quick rutting on the deserted bank of a river was not what he wanted. Before, he had settled. Now, he wanted more, more than a hasty coupling in the front seat of her truck, or on the side of a deserted airstrip.

She finally finished with her shirt, but she still wouldn't look at him. She turned and took a step toward the plane. He caught her arm and pulled her to a halt.

She didn't try to pull away. He could feel the faint tremor in her body. “Why? she said, her voice husky. “Why, Liam?

Liam took a deep breath and expelled it. He pulled off his cap again and ran his hand through his hair, trying to choose the right words. “Because this isn't all I want, he said at last. “I want it, mind. He tried to smile. “Pretty hard to hide that. His smile faded. “But it isn't all I want.

Her voice was almost inaudible when she spoke. “What if it's all I want?

He set his teeth and took his time resettling his cap on his head. “I'm a domesticated man, Wy. Okayhe held up one hand maybe I wasn't always. I had my share of fun. But I liked being married. I liked waking up in the same bed every morning. I liked coming home to the same house every night. He hesitated. “I loved being a father.

He met her eyes straight on. “I want it all, Wy. All or nothing. Marriage, kids, starting with Tim, so long as we both shall live. For better or for worse. For richer or for poorer. Till death do us part. I know what the words mean now, Wy. Take it or leave it.

And then, with as much dignity as a man with an erection straining at the front of his jeans can muster, he turned and limped to the plane.

When they rolled to a halt in Newenham, he said, “You said Prince went out to the dig in your Cub?

She nodded.

“You can't get a Cessna in there, can you?

She shook her head.

“Can you scare up another Cub?

She nodded again.

“Okay, I have to make a few phone calls. I'll meet you back here in about an hour?

She nodded.

Fine. “Okay, see you then.

He walked away, cursing himself for ten different kinds of fool.

“Oh come on, Moses was shouting over the noise of the smoky bar, crowded with fishermen getting an early start on the evening. “There was nothing noble or tragic in that kid's death. This country has the potential to kill me six different ways before I get up every morning, but at least I know what I'm up against.

He drained his bottle and smacked it down on the counter and fixed the poor unfortunate who had incited his wrath that afternoon with a beady and, Liam noticed for the first time, very ravenlike eye. “This kid gets some half-assed idea, probably from Thoreau, who hasn't gotten half the kicking around he deserved, to wander out into the woods and live off the land. He has no survival skills, no woodcraft and he starves to death.

“Still

“He was on a road, for crissake! Moses bellowed. “He even had a goddamn abandoned trailer for shelter! All he had to do was step outside and turn right and he could have hitched a ride to the nearest burger!

Bill brought him another Rainier and he snatched it from her hand and took a long, steady swallow that drained half the bottle. “Frankly, he said, after a long, loud burp, “I'm grateful he died before he could lower the I.Q. level of the gene pool by procreating. I'm just sorry he left a diary so that yo-yo could write a book about him and inflict it on the reading public. Moses drained the other half of the bottle with another long swallow that everyone hoped would cool his choler. It didn't. “Make a hero out of him, you want to. In my book, he was just a dumb kid who literally didn't know enough to come in out of the cold.

He surveyed the bar in search of someone to disagree. Prudently, no one did so. Not only an elder, not only a shaman, not only a government-certified, Grade-A Alaskan Old Fart, Moses was a man it was unwise to cross when he got himself on the outside of a few beers. From the level of belligerence Liam could read in his attitude, it was evident that Moses had started drinking early this morning.

The shaman turned and caught sight of Liam. “Our man in Newenham! You didn't do form this morning.

Liam looked and felt guilty. “I'll do it tonight, Sifu.

“No, you won't, you'll be visiting with your dad.

Liam froze in midstride. “Excuse me?

“Your dad, he's here, he wants to see you, Moses said. He surveyed Liam with eyes as shrewd as they were bloodshot. “You can run away to Newenham, but you're still in the world, boy. Didn't you know?

Liam looked at Bill, who had her arms crossed on the bar. “Say it isn't so.

Bill nodded.

Liam realized he still had one foot in the air, and put it down. “My father is in town?

“What, celibacy starting to affect your hearing now? Moses roared. Heads swiveled in their direction from all around the bar, and Bill couldn't hide a grin.

“Let me get this straight, Liam said with determined deliberation. “My father, Air Force Colonel Charles B. Campbell, is in Newenham?

A loud snort was all he got from Moses. “Afraid so, Liam, Bill said, trying for sympathetic and missing by a mile. The jukebox shifted CDs and Jimmy Buffett started singing about flying the shuttle somewhere over China, which was where Liam wished he was right now. It was a measure of his dismay that he could contemplate a trip on board anything with wings as an escape.

He pulled at a collar grown suddenly too tight. “Did he say where he was staying?

“He said he'd be out at the base, Bill said. “BOQ.

“Thank you for passing on the message, Liam said, taking refuge in professional dignity. Establishing his air of authority, that's what he was doing. “I need to talk to you for a minute, Bill. It's business. Can we go into your office?

Bill's gaze sharpened. “Sure.

He followed her through the kitchen, where a thickset Yupik woman in stained whites slapped thick patties of beef on a smoking grill and hounded a thin young man who looked enough like her to be her son to simultaneously take out the garbage, slice more onions, open more buns and wash more dishes. “Hey, Dottie, Bill said. “Keep 'em coming, we got a hungry crowd out there.

“And while you're at it, get some more hamburger out of the freezer! Dottie said.

Bill's office was a cramped room next to the back door, with a desk, two chairs and a filing cabinet. The phone was ringing as they walked in. Bill pulled the jack out of the wall and the ringing stopped. She sat in the chair behind the desk and waved Liam into the other. “What's up?

Liam told her about his morning, from the time Jimmy Barnes had given him the message until his landing half an hour ago at Newenham airport. He told her everything, with the exception of the impromptu stop on the deserted airstrip, because there were some things even the Newenham magistrate in all her judicial authority didn't need to know.

Bill listened, leaning back in her chair, hands clasped behind her head, a remote look on her face, breasts doing nice things to the front of her T-shirt. The woman was sixty if she was a day, and proof positive if anybody needed it that sex appeal did not end with menopause. When he was done, she said, “David and Molly Malone, and David's brother, Jonathan, and their kids, and their deckhands. She met his eyes. “Must have been tough to take.