Kara Lennox - Reluctant Partners

“Oh, Cooper.”

“Is that ‘Oh, Cooper, yes’? Or ‘Oh, Cooper, get lost’?”

“Oh, Cooper.” She couldn’t seem to say anything else. She’d never seen this coming. “I mean, yes. I love you, too. Yes.” She threw her arms around him with so much enthusiasm it knocked him over into the sand. He laughed, and then he was kissing her and she felt like her entire world had just flip-flopped and she’d landed in the place where all her dreams were coming true-even the ones she’d never admitted she had.

“DAD, I SEE THE BIG DIPPER!” a seven-year-old boy shouted. He stood near the railing with his glow-in-the-dark star chart, trying to identify constellations while Cooper helped his older sister to view the planet Mars.

With all the celebrating, Cooper and Allie had nearly forgotten they had their first stargazer cruise scheduled for that night. But they’d scrambled to get the new telescope mounted and prepare cookies and brownies-and the promised champagne.

Their first stargazer passengers were a family of four from Houston. Allie remembered talking to them at the trade show. They’d been looking for a new and different getaway weekend.

The kids were clearly enchanted with the night sky. The weather had cooperated, providing them with a crystal-clear, cloudless sky. The parents lounged on side-by-side deck chairs, holding hands and sipping their bubbly from plastic flutes.

Navigating the calm waters at night was no problem, and unlike with the fishing cruises, Allie could find a nice spot and throw out the anchor, allowing her to join in the fun.

“Cooper, is that Cassiopeia’s chair?” she asked, pointing to five bright stars that formed an M-shape on the southern horizon. She knew it was, but since he was their resident expert, she let him play the part.

“Yeah, it sure is,” he answered.

“Where? I want to see!” The boy rushed to Allie’s side and peered up where she pointed.

“Me, too,” said the girl. Brother and sister got into a good-natured argument about whether it actually looked like a chair or not, and who was Cassiopeia, anyway?

Cooper and Allie drew back into the shadows, and he kissed her softly. The ring winked at her, even in the dim light. She knew it wasn’t that smart to wear it while she was working, but she couldn’t bear to take it off, not today.

Reece and Max had seemed genuinely pleased when they heard news of the engagement, both swearing they’d seen it coming. Allie insisted they retain a percentage of ownership in the fishing business, but they’d seemed unconcerned about that.

Sara had been over the moon, and she and Miss Greer had fixed a special dinner that night.

“Where should we get married?” Allie asked Cooper, leaning against him in the moonlight.

“Hmm. You’re the captain of a boat. Maybe you could marry us right here.”

She laughed. “I don’t think I could officiate at my own wedding. Besides, I’m not the captain. We’re co-captains. The sign says so.”

She’d been surprised and thrilled when she’d arrived at dock a few hours ago to see that Cooper had hired someone to repaint the sign over the Dragonfly ’s slip. The sign had listed both “Captain Allie Bateman” and “Captain Cooper Remington,” side by side, with both of their phone numbers.

“You were pretty sure this was going to work out,” she commented.

He shrugged. “Not really. But I was hopeful.”

“In that case, I pronounce us husband and wife,” she said.

“Does that mean tonight’s our wedding night?”

“As far as I’m concerned, every night’s our wedding night. For the rest of our lives.”

Texas native Kara Lennox has earned her living at various times as an art director, typesetter, textbook editor and reporter. She’s worked in a boutique, a health club and an ad agency. She’s been an antiques dealer and even a blackjack dealer. But no work has made her happier than writing romance novels. She has written more than fifty books.

When not writing, Kara indulges in an ever-changing array of hobbies. Her latest passions are bird-watching and long-distance bicycling. She loves to hear from readers; you can visit her Web page at www.karalennox.com.