Page 68 of Serenity Harbor

Bowie’s eyebrows rose. “That sounded great. Can you say it again?”

Milo complied, looking pleased with himself.

“Good work.”

“He’s been trying hard,” she said. “Milo is a little excited for the boat ride, if you can’t tell.”

“That’s the important thing.” Bowie smiled and held his hand up in a fist. After a moment, Milo tucked in his fingers and bumped his brother’s much larger hand, and Katrina felt like they’d both fist-bumped her heart.

Oh, she was in trouble.

How was she going to make it through the next few days without completely falling hard for both of the Callahan brothers? She had no idea. She only knew she had to try.

* * *

“ICAN’TBELIEVEyou’ve been here for two months and I still haven’t taken you out on the Delphine,” Ben said, shaking his head. “She’s a beauty, isn’t she?”

“Stunning,” Bowie agreed. “I’ll admit, I didn’t quite catch the vision a few years ago when you started looking for a Killy, but I’m starting to understand now. This is a piece of art.”

“My family knew how to build boats, that’s for sure.”

Ben rubbed a hand over the glossy wooden surface in front of him, and Bowie couldn’t help thinking how different his friend looked out here. He was relaxed and lighthearted andhappy, worlds away from the focused, serious, borderline obsessive-compulsive guy he was until a few years ago.

Back then, Bowie never would have guessed Ben might seem completely comfortable behind the controls of a sleek, elegant wooden boat on a lovely Idaho summer evening.

As the boat glided smoothly over the wake from another boat, Bowie shifted his gaze to the back of the boat, where Katrina and McKenzie sat on either side of Milo like lovely bookends, one blonde and one dark-haired.

Bowie had no doubt who deserved credit for the changes in Ben over the last few years. McKenzie seemed to have helped Ben learn to slow down and enjoy his life more.

“It’s a great legacy,” Bowie said now. “You must be proud.”

Ben looked amused. “I don’t know about a legacy, great or otherwise. The Kilpatricks knew how to build boats. Let’s leave it at that.”

From hints Ben had dropped over the years—not to mention the fact that he’d once sold Aidan all his family holdings in Haven Point for a song—Bowie knew his friend’s memories of this place hadn’t always been pleasant. It was rather remarkable that he could seem to be so at peace here now.

“I appreciate you finding the time for this. I know you’re as busy as I am when you’re in town.”

Ben still supervised the varied Caine Tech operations across the Pacific Northwest and California and traveled a great deal. Like Aidan, he now used Haven Point as home base and flew in and out with regularity.

“If you want the truth, I’m grateful to Milo for giving me an excuse to get her out. It’s been too long.”

They both glanced again toward the back of the boat, where Milo had his face lifted to the wind and his eyes closed, as if memorizing every sensation. Funny, but he seemed as at peace as Ben did out here.

“He loves it,” Ben commented.

Bowie felt a funny ache in his chest as he looked at this little boy he still felt like he barely knew finding such joy in a simple moment.

“Yeah. He does,” Bowie said.

“If you decide you want one, let me know. I’ve got connections now in the wooden boat restoration world.”

“I’ll think about it,” he answered.

That seemed like a huge commitment, way more than he was prepared to take on right now. He was still trying to figure out what to do with Milo. On the other hand, this could be a good way for the two of them to connect, especially after Katrina left.

“Seems like a no-brainer to me, especially since you’ve got a private dock there in Serenity Harbor that most boat owners would kill to own.”

What would he do with a boat if he ended up not living here in Haven Point for much longer? Or if the autism specialist arrived and decided Milo might benefit more from a boarding school somewhere?

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