Chapter 8

Linda had followed Ely below and was surprised to find that only the other two women were still sitting at the table in the galley. Even as rough as the boat was riding in the storm she saw that they looked quite comfortable in these surroundings.

“Hi,” Keri smiled up at the two of them. “Dad and the kids were dead tired, so we fed them, then sent them to bed. There’s still quite a bit of that wonderful stew left, Ely, even some homemade bread. You should have some?”

“Yep, I plan to pig out. Have you two met Linda?” Ely said, helping herself to a plate from the cupboard and then some stew. “I haven’t heard the whole story, but I understand she’s another damsel in distress that he rescued and from the way he acts, he’s become quite close to her since then.”

“Yeah, he’s rather special to me as well,” Linda laughed embarrassedly, then for some reason she looked directly at Keri and blushed as she explained. “He did rescue me and I was an extremely desperate situation just like you were. Needless to say I appreciated the rescue and once we were aboard the ‘Skolka, ‘ I took advantage of the closeness of the situation to say thank you. I was rather forceful, so he didn’t have much choice about anything that happened.”

“Oh, Baby, do you ever have a lot to learn about Karl. He’s always got a choice,” Keri laughed softly. “I’ve known Karl since I was a teenager, and you must be pretty damn special yourself just because you’re here along with him. He’s very particular man about the people he allows to get really close to him, especially in tough situations.”

“Yes, he’s very particular about the company he keeps,” the older women sitting at the table spoke up. “I’m Trudy by the way. I’m George’s nurse, housekeeper, and normally, his bed warmer and companion, but tonight he’s babysitting. He’s got Ely’s boy and probably my daughter in his bed for company.”

Although she looked about forty, Trudy would normally have easily been the prettiest woman in any room, but here she was overshadowed by both Ely and Keri. Blonde and buxom, she had that indefinable quality that broadcast the idea of motherhood and caregiver. Linda knew instantly that she was going to be a friend.

“Hi, I’m Linda “ Linda smiled as she offered her hand to the older woman. “As you heard, if I can borrow your term, I’ve been Karl’s bed warmer for the last few days, but if I’m going to keep the job I’d better make him a pot of coffee.”

“You sit,” Keri ordered, sliding out and pressing Linda back into the seat beside Trudy. “We all know our way around this boat and I’ve eaten. I’d like to go up and say thanks to the Captain for rescuing us myself.”

“From the way you’ve been talking, maybe I shouldn’t encourage that,” Linda managed to grin, even if she wasn’t too happy about the idea. “You might steal my bed warmer.”

“I don’t think you need to worry that much about Keri. She might borrow him for a short while, but she bats in a different league most of the time,” Trudy laughed.

“Trudy!” Keri complained. “No fair, giving away my deepest secrets to someone I’ve hardly met.”

“I wouldn’t exactly call that a secret,” Linda laughed. “At least you didn’t try to keep it a secret from me when you came aboard the boat.”

“Has Keri been forward again?” Ely chuckled as she sat down opposite Trudy and Linda.

“Either that, or she thought I had a lot more to do with your rescue than I did,” Linda grinned. “She seemed very glad to be rescued.”

“Well, I was very glad to be rescued,” Keri actually giggled and blushed slightly.

“And now you want to make the same offer to Karl that you made to me, huh?” Linda teased even more. “I knew I should have made that coffee as soon as I came below.”

Ely laughed as Keri flushed slightly, then reached a hand across the table to touch Linda’s fingers. “Oh, Sweetie, you’ll do! You’ll do just fine. Almost no one embarrasses Keri, so that was well done.”

“So do you really want to take the coffee up to Karl yourself?” Keri managed to say.

“Nah. You go play. It’ll do his ego good,” Linda grinned, trying to look more confident than she felt. “When I met him, I did say no strings, and he warned me that he was also involved with you two. So you go have fun, I’m betting that he turns you down tonight, then I’ll get more bang for my buck when he and I gfet together again.”

“Oh honey, if I tease him and he resists, he’ll be frustrated, you’ll get a BANG all right,” Keri snorted.

“Mmm, is that a promise? I’ve had one of those,” Linda laughed, then shivered her shoulders as if she was remembering her ecstasy. “They’re wonderful, aren’t they?”

“Give up Keri,” Ely snorted with laughter. “She’s got your number.”

“Number hell,” Trudy was laughing almost as hard. “She’s got everything from your zip code to your shoe size.”

“Okay, I surrender,” Keri laughed as well.

“Not surrender, Darling, make that a truce and I’ll agree,” Linda grinned. “A temporary truce, at least.”

“And how long is this truce supposed to last?” Ely laughed softly

“Oh, I don’t know? Until we decide to go at it again, I guess,” Linda answered. “I think Keri will decide that.”

“Hah, I may be adventurous, but I don’t play with dangerous weapons,” Keri laughed. “Sorry, Sweetheart, I’ve had one verbal KO, I’m not planning in getting back into that ring for a while.”

“So you’re going to trust her to take Karl his coffee, after teasing her like that?” Ely grinned and rolled her head toward Keri while watching Linda’s face.

“I guess,” Linda shrugged her shoulders. “Hell, if I were to worry, all I’d accomplish would be to give myself wrinkles and grey hair, besides Karl has told me about his living arrangements with these two.”

“Well, since these two couldn’t get him into a commitment after years of trying, I doubt if either of them can do it in a few minutes.” Trudy grinned.

“Many years of trying, I was only sixteen when I met him and I’ve been trying ever since,” Ely paused with the spoon halfway to her mouth and smiled at Linda. “I’ve had a crush on him ever since I met him, so I want to get to know you. Anyone who managed to become his bed warmer in a short time has to be pretty damn special.”

“Not all that special. He was married before and he said he’s had occasional lovers,” Linda responded with a depreciating wave of her hand. “Actually, I understand that you did okay on that score, so did Keri.”

“Hmph, his ex-wife was a conniving bitch who married him in order to get a free ride and wanted sit around the house, have kids and get fat. I met her, once,” Keri broke in, looking as if she’d just sucked a lemon. “I was only a teenager and she was in her late twenties. She I was just a kid, but even then I was woman enough to best her in an argument that damn near became a cat fight. The divorce was already settled, but she wanted Karl to give her more than the judge thought was fair, so she was trying to con him. He was well rid of her. After they broke up all he had were a few one-night stands before we met him and since he met the other women when he was drinking too much, they don’t really count. Then he came to work for our family. Ely and I have done everything we can think of trying to get a commitment out of him. Hell, Ely even had his son and she still only got to warm his bed when he was willing.”

She paused and grinned before saying anything more. “I want to get to know his bed warmer too. I want to take lessons. Anyone who can get any commitment out of him, especially in the short time you’ve had, just has to be very special.”

Linda looked at the lovely women who surrounded her at the moment and didn’t know what to do or say. She was growing upset because of the conflicting sensations running through her body, which were matched by her confused feelings. She knew she was quite deeply involved with a wonderful man, but at the same time she was lusting after a very attractive woman. At that point Linda felt she was almost losing control, so for the moment she was speechless.

Linda knew that the others were waiting for her to speak, but at that moment she didn’t know what to say. Instead she was watching the red haired, hazel eyed seductress who was planning to go tease the man she felt so strongly about.

Keri was standing with her feet apart, braced against the movement of the boat. Her hands were resting on the counter behind her, drawing her shoulders back and emphasising her breasts. Even more than that, the sweater she was wearing detailed every curve, while the sway of the boat kept her tense and emphasized her youthful strength.

The rest of the room seemed to fade away, somehow Linda could only see Keri’s figure, especially her breasts. She had what Linda thought of as perky breasts, the kind that rode high on a woman’s chest, jutting upward and forward, defying gravity, even though she wasn’t wearing any support. Linda envied those breasts, that small waist and the high, but fully rounded bottom with unbelievably trim thighs and legs. Keri’s body made her feel old and matronly. At the moment she wanted nothing more than to run her hands over every curving inch of that gorgeous shape, yet at the same time she wanted to remain involved with Karl.

“Well, I’m not giving you lessons about anything to do with Karl,” she blurted with a laugh. “You already have several years head start in the race to win his affections and I think I’m already in an unfair competition.”

“Unfair? Why would you say that?” Keri pushed away from the counter and stood more erect.

“With your figure, I don’t know if I’ll be able to stand up to the competition.”

“Thank you for noticing my figure,” Keri smiled at her. “Coming from you, that’s one hell of a compliment, but you’ve got no reason to feel outdone as far as a figure goes. I’d trade you thighs and legs any day.”

“Don’t be silly,” Linda laughed. “I was just thinking that your bottom and thighs were wonderful.”

“Toothpicks!” Keri frowned. “I have to pad my thighs in order to look good in some clothes; otherwise, I look out of proportion.”

“Gilding the lily,” Linda laughed.

“You’re both lucky,” Ely said, as she leaned back, having finished her stew. “My tits are so big they droop, my thighs are enormous, and my ass is huge. I’d gladly trade either one of you.”

“Listen to who’s talking about drooping tits,” Trudy snorted with a grin. “I’m old enough that gravity has taken over. I used to have breasts; now I have dugs.”

“Oh come now,” Linda sighed. “You all look beautiful.”

“Oops, I think this coffee is ready,” Keri broke in. “What does his highness take in it lately, Linda?”

“One small sugar, no milk,” she answered automatically, forcing herself to turn toward Trudy with a question in her eyes. “How did you get involved with this family, as a nurse for George?”

In the background, Keri prepared a cup of coffee and went up to the wheelhouse with it. Linda had to force herself to remain seated instead of chasing after the sexy redhead.

It wasn’t long after the two women had gone below before Karl could smell the coffee perking and he began to grow impatient as he waited for his promised ‘cuppa’ to arrive. He was concentrating on what looked like a rock off their starboard bow when he noticed a coffee cup being slid into his cup holder by someone who remained standing behind him.

“Thanks,” he said, still intent on his steering and assuming it was Linda.

“Welcome,” he hardly heard the whisper behind his ear, then he felt arms slip around his chest and hold him in a tight hug from behind.

One hand remained on his chest, but the other slowly crept downward. He hesitated a second or two, but when the hand slipped below the belt he tensed. He was positive it wasn’t Linda now, just from the touch of that hand. He reached one hand down, grasping the wrist then lifting and pulling it to the side so it was resting on his hip.

“That’s enough now. I need to concentrate,” he said, turning his head to glance over his shoulder for an instant to see Keri grinning at him.

“I was just going to say; thank you,” she laughed softly. “I could make you quite happy and still let you steer the boat.”

“And I’d probably have run us on the rocks because that would break my concentration,” he growled, turning forward again. “Besides, what would you have done if someone had come up from below? I’m surprised at you.”

“By someone, you mean Linda don’t you?” she responded with a laugh. “To be honest, I don’t think she’d be bothered as much as you seem to think, not after having had a chance to talk to her. I like Linda a lot by the way. I think she’s wonderful, and I think she’s trying her best to make do in a difficult situation and succeeding. She’s got charm, class, and good sense. Anyway, I’ve missed you, and your lovin’ for long enough that I’d almost forgotten how you felt. You’re definitely still quite a man. So, if you change your mind...”

“Oh for Christ sake Keri, stop being a pain in the ass,” he growled.

“Pain wasn’t what I was planning to provide,” she giggled loudly. “I guarantee that you’d have enjoyed every moment.”

“You know damn well that’s not what I meant,” he argued.

“Oh I know what you meant, or at least what you said,” she heaved a deep sigh. “I just think I should thank you the proper way. I’m not about to force you though. But, I should tell you that I’ve been told I give a great hand job and a helluva blow job. Come to think of it, it was you who told me that and not all that long ago either.”

“That’s all fine and dandy, but not now for cripes sake. I don’t want to wreck us,” he snapped, still wanting to pay attention to the boat even though the pass had widened slightly and was now easier to navigate.

“Oh man. You are such a stuffed shirt sometimes. I don’t know why I love you so much,” she sighed again as she wrapped her arms back around his chest from the back to hug him tightly for a few seconds. “Let’s forget sex for a while. I’ve missed you a whole lot and I’m so glad to see you. It’s been what, almost nine weeks?”

He couldn’t help but chuckle.

“You haven’t changed much. You’re still a hell of a tease,” he snorted. “But yes, I’ve missed you too.”

“I am not a tease,” she announced flatly. “Anything I’ve ever offered you is yours for the asking.”

“Oh, but at what price,” he grinned, before returning his concentration to the job at hand.

“Totally free,” she whispered. “For you, it couldn’t be any other way. No strings, no demands. You paid the full price on any loving I could possibly give you long ago.”

“Ah, you might not make demands, but...” he said slowly, letting his words trail off.

“Oh you big dumb ass. I was just trying to let you know how much I love you and return some of that love you’ve lavished on me and my whole family,” she declared. “Just look at you right now. You’re not just risking your life for us, but Linda’s as well. Now on top of that, you’re smuggling us across the border, you’re risking your freedom and your precious boat just to help us. You couldn’t show your love for me and my family any more than you already are. It isn’t possible. All I was trying to do was say thanks.”

“Just verbally saying thank you works wonders,” Karl said shortly. “I’m quite glad to help.”

“Oh shit, I know that,” she moved away from him to stand in one corner of the wheelhouse, staring out the window into the darkness. She was quiet for several seconds, then she began to talk quietly. “I remember the first day I saw you. I was with Ely. You were living on this old boat even then, but the ‘Skolka’ didn’t look much like she does now. She still looked a lot like an old fish boat and some parts of her even stank of fish, especially below in the bilge. You’d just come to Gull Island to see if you could install an electric generator for Dad.”

“Unh huh,” Karl nodded. “That’s right. That was just after George had hired me to see if it was possible build a hydroelectric plant in the upper gorge and run a feed to his cabin.”

“That was the old cabin. Now it’s supposed to be Dad’s chicken house, only no one lives at home long enough to keep chickens, so no one uses it for anything.”

“I think you might keep some now,” Karl smiled. “That is if you want to.”

“Chickens you mean? Yeah, we might have to keep them at that,” Keri sighed softly. “The problem is where will we get them?”

“Oh, I imagine we can probably find a few for you. I left a couple of dozen on the island and I left them a self-feeder full of food, so if they survived the earthquake, we’ll still have eggs. Actually the older hens will probably have chicks by now since no one will have been there to stop them from setting on the eggs.”

“Yeah, but you’ve got more than just chickens. You’ve got goats, and pigs, even a garden and an orchard.”

“Those pigs aren’t mine. You won them in a bar, remember? We’d have been better off if I’d thrown them overboard on the way home, or given them back to the bar owner the way I wanted to,” he snorted.

“Aw come on, they were so cute and cuddly,” Keri giggled. “Besides, I gave them to you.”

“But, if you remember I refused to accept them,” Karl sighed. “I knew even then that they’d be trouble, but I didn’t think that pigs grew to be so damn tough, stubborn and unruly.”

“Well, I did try to pen them. Who would have thought they were so bloody strong and determined that they’d tear down a fence?”

“Well, they’re a real pain in the ass now. Now since we’ve all been away for a while I wonder if there’ll be anything left, or if they’ll have eaten the whole damn island.”

“Oh come on, we chased them all down into the swamp and penned them there with cliffs on one side and water on the other. They can’t get out of that.”

“Huh, they’ve probably gotten up the gorge and eaten the generator house by now. You have to admit they’ve been more trouble than they were ever worth.”

“I suppose,” she yawned. “Right now though I don’t feel like arguing. Since I’ve been working like mad for almost twelve hours, I’m pretty tired. I think I’ll sit down for a while.”

“Unh huh, same old Keri, start to lose an argument and you want to go to sleep,” he laughed.

“In a moment...” she whispered, then fell silent.

When she didn’t say anything more for several minutes, he turned to look at her. Exhaustion had caught up to her and she was dozing in the chair. He took the risk of locking the steering, then moved over and shifted the chair to face the desk in the corner so if she slumped she wouldn’t fall, then he quickly moved back to the wheel.

Both Ely and Trudy noticed Linda’s reaction toward Keri, but only Trudy noticed Linda’s tension when Keri went up to the wheelhouse with Karl’s coffee. She carried on with their conversation as if nothing had happened, trying to diffuse Linda’s worries.

“Yes. I’m George’s nurse and housekeeper,” Trudy grinned widely. “At first I was a part time nurse for George, coming over on the weekly supply flight on a helicopter, but eventually he offered me a full time job. Karl was living on the island already, but Keri had gone off to college by then. Ely was at home, but having a hard time with her pregnancy and George was in bad health, so they needed a nurse and someone to help out around the house. Being a nurse, I could help both George and Ely and since I wasn’t scared of using a broom, I took both jobs, working as nurse and as housekeeper. What I didn’t realize was how persuasive George could be. By the second week I lived there I was warming his bed as well. Three months later, I woke up one morning feeling sick to my stomach and quickly realized I was pregnant. Mary-Beth was born almost exactly seven months after David.”

“Mary-Beth and David have grown up like brother and sister, but occasionally he teases her by calling her Aunty Mary-Beth,” Ely smiled. “We’ve been out to the island so many times that they both call Karl their uncle/daddy, so I guess you’ll be their aunt like Keri is.”

“I’d like that,” Linda smiled. “I love kids though, so I’ll probably spoil them.”

“No worse than George and Karl do, it isn’t possible,” Trudy laughed. “Which reminds me, I’d better go check on George and the kids. Hopefully, they should be asleep by now.”

She slipped past as Linda made room for her, then Linda turned her attention to Ely.

“The way you polished off the stew, you must have been really hungry, would you like a fresh coffee? There should be lots.”

“Thanks, I’d love one,” Ely smiled. “I haven’t had coffee in four days and that was made from grounds that were on their second or third rerun.”

“You guys had it rough then. What do you like in your coffee?” Linda asked as she poured two cups.

“Just black,” Ely smiled again as she took the cup. “We certainly didn’t have any fun. How did you and Karl come through so well?”

“Oh, Karl was on the boat through the whole thing, so he missed the worst of it,” Linda sat back down. “I was on my boat when the earthquake happened, but I got caught in the tsunami and tossed halfway up a hill. I was knocked out when the boat got washed ashore, but it was busted in half, then the half I was in got jammed between two trees. Luckily it was the forward half, so I had my bedding, clothing and a little food. I found some other salvageable stuff strewn around, but I was all alone in the wreckage for several days. When Karl found me, I was on the verge of going nuts from sheer panic. I was short of food and had to depend on rainwater that I caught in some old tarps in order to have anything to drink. The whole area I was in was a vast field of wreckage and dead things. I think I’d be dead by now if he hadn’t come along.”

“Oh, I thought you were together through the whole thing.”

“Oh no, I only met him a few days ago. He claims I was singing when he found me, but I doubt it. As I told you, I had hardly any water and not much in the way of food, certainly nothing to sing about. The stench around me was terrible and I was so lonely that I was almost going nuts. When I first saw him, I wanted a hug so badly that I was overly enthusiastic and I almost knocked him off his feet,” she blushed. “Then out of sheer gratitude, I tried to seduce him right then and there. He calmed me down and took me back to his boat. Once we were there, he fed me and cared for me. Later that night I did manage to seduce him out of sheer gratitude and we’ve been together since, but to be honest we don’t really have much of a relationship at all.”

“Well, if I’d been in the same fix and had the chance, I’d probably have done exactly the same thing,” Ely reached across the table and took Linda’s hand as she laughed softly. “We didn’t have it quite as rough as you did. We were living in a house and it was high on a hill, so it wasn’t hit by the tsunami, but we had it rough in other ways. Instead we got hit hard by one of the big earthquakes.”

Ely’s mood had changed and she frowned, sighing deeply. Linda squeezed her hand gently in sympathy.

“That house was the first one I ever remember living in. It was a four-bedroom house built high on a hill and it used to sit in the shade of a couple of huge old Fir trees,” she said, with a hint of tears in her eyes. “When the earthquake came, the house was shaken up, but even worse the big trees crashed down and crushed it. Those trees were so big that they did an awful lot of damage. The only room that was still in fairly good shape was Dad’s bedroom at the end of the hallway and it only had three walls, but at least it still had a roof. Luckily Dad, Trudy, and all Dad’s radios were in that room, so they were together when the quake hit. The kids and I were down on the boat in the boathouse, getting the ChrisCraft ready for the summer and since the boathouse was really well built, we were okay. We were shaken up, but not hurt, and while one end wall of the boathouse came down and a falling timber poked a hole in the boat’s hull, we were more frightened than anything else. Keri had been in the car on the way home. She was in a car accident, but she got out of that with hardly a scratch. However, she had to walk twelve miles through earthquake wreckage to get home, so by the time she got there, it was almost dark. By that time the kids and I had found Dad and Trudy and were starting to get some semblance of an understanding about what we were up against.”

She paused for a minute, rolled her eyes and sighed, then carried on.

“We had only the one room that we could manage to make relatively weather-tight for the night, using a couple of tarps to keep out the worst of the rain. there was a small generator out in a shed, but in order to get anything to work on it, we had to jury rig electric cords because the house wiring was screwed. Trudy managed get water from the old well in the yard and since we had a drum of gasoline we could run the generator which would power the pump. Dad found a bedside light that worked and Mary-Beth dug up a hotplate that worked part of the time, but we had to be careful how we plugged in the cord. We had hardly any food, the freezer was buried under rubble in the basement and the fridge was smashed. Thank goodness we found some potatoes and some canned goods that night, then David found some coffee and some dried milk, so we had something to eat and drink. That doesn’t sound like much, but it sure made us happy at the time,” Ely smiled.

“Oh, I can understand,” Linda grinned back. “My first meal, after I got myself half way sorted out, was a can of pork and beans, washed down with rainwater caught in an old tarp. It was one of the most satisfying meals I’ve ever had.”

“I’ll bet. That’s what it felt like for us that night. We felt lucky that all of us were alive and unhurt, having something to eat was a bonus,” Ely laughed, then sobered. “Of course, I’m not sure when you got clobbered, but after we’d eaten, it was getting dark and we were getting sleepy. Keri managed to dig her way down to what was left of the linen cupboard and passed everything she found in there to me. We huddled together and slept under blankets in one huge pile, all of us lying on the wreckage of Dad and Trudy’s bed for the first night, but we still almost froze. The next day, we moved Dad’s foam mattress and the blankets to the boat house and onto the boat. At least with all of us inside a smaller space at night we could get fairly warm, so even though it was crowded, we were more comfortable on the boat than we’d been in the house.”

“I understand. I don’t think I was ever warm at night when I was trying to live in the wreckage of my boat,” Linda nodded. “I think the only reason I slept at all was out of exhaustion. During the day I spent almost all of my time trying to find things to eat, just to keep me alive.”

“Oh, I agree,” Ely snorted. “For the first few days everything was a mess, but eventually we organized things to be more comfortable. First we made the boathouse fairly weatherproof with old boards and tarps and whatever else came to hand. Then once we had that old hot plate set up on one end of the workbench, that became our kitchen. Keri and I even rigged up the portable john from the boat behind a tarp in one corner, so it had ventilation to the outside.”

“I just used a handy tree limb and a bucket,” Linda giggled, making Ely grin.

“Well, part of our problem was Dad. He’s pretty crippled up and was being a pain in the butt without any way to keep busy, so we moved a couple of his radios down to the boat. That kept him occupied trying to listen to the radio so he could keep us posted about what was going on around us. Actually when Dad heard over the radio about how much damage the tidal waves had done, he almost talked us into moving back to the house to be safer. But, the rest of us decided to gamble on being more comfortable at night, so we stayed in the boathouse and slept on the boat. Of course once Keri and I had rigged an electric line from the generator to the boathouse so we could use power tools on the boat, Dad changed his mind again. Soon we were running the generator almost all the time because Dad insisted on each of us taking our turn to listen to the radio twenty-four hours a day. Even if we were cut off, he wanted to know what was happening around the world. So between taking turns manning the radio, trying to rescue stuff from the wreckage, doing work on the boat and trying to scrounge enough to eat and drink, we were constantly busy. We spent as much time working on the boat as possible though because we planned to leave for the mainland or a larger island once we had calmer weather.

“Of course, once we heard from you and Karl, we’ve been so busy getting ready to move out that time flew. We did have a scare though. After Dad got off the radio to you last night, he caught part of a message that sounded like one of our neighbours. The old twit was reporting us to the local branch of the army reserve for working on our boat and jumped to the conclusion that we were going to break the travel restrictions. Dad assumed the report was about us anyway, so we got really worried because we’d heard the announcements about not travelling. That damn radio report was the reason he had Karl switch to the citizen band earlier tonight. The neighbour doesn’t have one of those and they’re not strong enough to carry to any of the nearer army reserve bases either.”