Beyond the Breakwater Read online

  “I know exactly what you’ll do,” Tory said with a satisfied smile, never letting up on the steady rhythm. “And…I…know…exactly…when.”

  Reese’s hips pumped once, hard, and she shouted as the orgasm crashed through her. Distantly, she heard Tory’s joyful laughter.

  “Are you sure,” Reese asked breathlessly as the last surge of pleasure rolled through her, “that this is okay?”

  “Okay?” Tory vaguely remembered that Reese had asked something similar sometime earlier. “Why wouldn’t it be?”

  “You know,” Reese said weakly, trying to gather her wits when her brain had just been turned to mush. “The baby.”

  “The baby?” Tory leaned on one elbow and stared at her lover. “What about…oh! Sex and the baby.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Sweetheart, I don’t think it would be very good for the baby if I lost my mind while pregnant.” Tory kissed her slightly befuddled lover soundly on the mouth. “Which is exactly what would happen if we stopped making love. Don’t worry; this is just what the doctor ordered.”

  “Oh, good,” Reese murmured as she wrapped her arms around Tory and closed her eyes.

  *

  Reese was awakened what seemed like five minutes later by an insistent pounding on the front door. Jed, fast asleep at the foot of their bed, snored peacefully. She rolled over and peered at the bedside clock. 5:43 a.m.

  “Holy hell,” she muttered under her breath, trying to ease out of bed without awakening Tory. It was unusual for the doctor not to awaken at the first sound of the phone or the prospect of someone being at the door. She must be beat.

  “Reese?” Tory mumbled as she stretched out her hand and found the vacant space where Reese had just been. Instantly alert, she sat up, holding the sheet against her body with one arm. “Honey, what is it?”

  “Don’t know.” Reese hurriedly pulled on a pair of jeans and searched a nearby chair for a T-shirt. As she pulled one over her head, she added, “I’ll go check. You don’t need to get up, love.”

  Turning on lights as she passed through the living room, Reese reached the front door and looked through the beveled glass window to the front porch. There was just enough light to make out the features of the two people peering back at her. She pulled the door open hastily. “Mom? Jean?”

  Kate Mahoney and her lover, Jean Purdy, swept past Reese and into the living room. Kate made a beeline for Tory, who was just coming down the stairs from the second floor wearing one of Reese’s uniform shirts and a baggy pair of sweatpants. She’d also slipped on her ankle brace and wore scuffed slippers on her feet.

  “Is everything okay?” Tory stopped on the bottom step and reached for the banister, trying to ignore a faint wave of nausea. Oh, no. This can’t be starting yet.

  “Is it true?” Kate asked excitedly.

  “Uh…” Reese muttered as she followed the procession toward her startled lover. “It’s not even six o’clock in the morning, Mom.”

  Never taking her eyes off Tory, Kate replied dismissively, “I wanted to catch you before you went to work. You two are always up this early.”

  “It’s Sunday,” Reese pointed out, although no one seemed to be listening.

  “Honey,” Jean, a compact, middle-aged woman with kindly eyes, said soothingly as she stepped up behind the tall, blue-eyed woman who bore a striking resemblance to Reese. “They just woke up. Maybe we should come back later.”

  “Well? Are we going to be grandmothers?” Kate demanded of Tory.

  Reese made a choking sound as Tory’s face broke into a wide smile.

  “News certainly does travel quickly.” Tory, feeling steadier now, walked toward Kate. “And the answer is, yes, you most definitely are.”

  Amidst the chaos of happy exclamations, Kate threw her arms around Tory, and Jean hugged Reese.

  “How did you find out so soon?” Reese grinned as she extricated Tory from her mother’s embrace. “I didn’t even know until last night.”

  “Darling, when someone gets on her knees in the middle of a restaurant in Provincetown, people notice. Especially when it’s a couple like you two, and especially when we’ve all been waiting for the happy news.”

  “I should have known,” Reese grumbled, wondering if it had been the waitress or one of the diners who had spread the word. “Once Gladys finds out, she’ll probably put out a state-wide bulletin.”

  Tory slipped her arm around Reese’s waist and snuggled close to her. “I told you there would be no keeping it a secret, honey.”

  Reese kissed the top of Tory’s head while her mother and Jean beamed. “Do you two want breakfast?”

  “I’ve got an even better idea.” Kate took Jean’s hand. “You two go back to bed, and we’ll bring you breakfast.”

  Reese paled. Everyone is insane. Is this normal?

  “That’s not necessary.” Tory laughed. “But thank—”

  “Of course, it’s not necessary,” Jean said quietly. “But you’ve made us so very happy. Now that we’re here, it would make us even happier to do something for you.”

  “And then you can tell us just how you managed it.” Kate had a devilish glint in her eye.

  “Mom,” Reese said warningly.

  Kate kissed her daughter swiftly on the cheek. “Never mind, Reese. I don’t really want to know all the details.”

  “Don’t tease her before coffee, Kate, please.” With a laugh, Tory tugged Reese toward the stairs. “Come on, honey. They just made us an offer we can’t refuse. Let’s go back to bed.”

  Recognizing when she’d been outmaneuvered, Reese acquiesced good-naturedly. She climbed the stairs, an arm still around Tory’s waist to provide support should Tory need it.

  “Sorry about that,” Reese whispered when they were back in bed. She propped her back against the pillows, drew Tory down against her side, and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

  “I don’t mind.” Tory rested her cheek against Reese’s chest as she threaded one arm around her waist. “It was pretty endearing.”

  “I never realized my mother was so anxious for grandchildren.” Reese rubbed her cheek against the top of Tory’s head, breathing in the sweet, distinctive scent that always made her feel at home. “God, you feel good.”

  “Mmm, so do you.” Tory felt the first stirring of desire, and then swiftly reminded herself that her in-laws were downstairs. “I hate to say this, but it will be nice to have babysitters in the immediate area.”

  “Now there’s an advantage I hadn’t considered. Good thing they decided to stay up here year round.” Reese laughed, running her hand gently up and down Tory’s back. “I guess I can forgive them for dragging us out of bed.”

  “Honey,” Tory said contemplatively. “What are you going to tell your father?” As she expected, Reese stiffened. Tory ran her palm softly back and forth over Reese’s chest. “I’m not rushing you, sweetheart. It’s completely up to you.”

  “The general has managed to deal with the fact that I’m a lesbian by ignoring it,” Reese said quietly. “I’ve let him, because my relationship with him has always been more military than familial. I guess I’ve probably let him, too, because I haven’t wanted to be coerced into resigning my commission.”

  “I know how much the Corps means to you.” Tory took a deep breath. “Is the baby going to be a problem?”

  “No, never,” Reese said quickly, tightening her arms around her lover. “I only meant that if I force him to acknowledge our relationship, he might invoke regulations.”

  “The ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ thing?”

  “Yes.”

  “Oh, honey. I’m sorry.”

  “You have nothing to be sorry for.” Reese put two fingers beneath Tory’s chin and gently tilted her face up until their eyes met. “You’ve made me happier than I ever imagined I could be. Now, with the baby coming, life is even more wonderful. You and this child are the only things that matter to me.”

  “But the Mari—”

 
“I gave most of my life to the Marine Corps. Now, I’m just yours.”

  “Oh, sweetheart.” Tory shifted until she was lying in Reese’s arms, facing her. She brought her mouth close to Reese’s, holding her gaze. “I love you.”

  As often happened when the depth of their love, at once comforting and wild, rose up to confront them, the rest of the world receded. Reese was about to bestow a kiss when a knock sounded on the door. One of them groaned.

  “I was just getting started,” Reese whispered.

  “Mmm. So was I.” Tory kissed her quickly, then rolled away. “Look out when you get home tonight, Sheriff.”

  Laughing, Reese took her hand. “Come on in, Grandmoms.”

  *

  “So, Sheriff,” a gravelly voice said. “There’re some rumors going around town about you.”

  Reese pushed out the seated bench press bar, counted off another rep under her breath, and glanced at the iron-gray-haired woman beside her. The owner of the gym, a sturdy fiftyish woman whose tanned and finely lined skin spoke of a lifetime of sun and wind, grinned at her. “Oh, yeah?”

  “Yep.” Marge Price handed Reese a towel. “I’ve had it from several reliable sources that you’ve gone and gotten our very own Dr. King with child.”

  It was Reese’s turn to grin. “Well, that would be a loose interpretation of the facts.”

  As Reese rose from the bench and stretched, Marge looked her over with an appreciative expression. “So it’s true, huh?”

  “Yes,” Reese said with just a touch of wonder. “It’s true.”

  “Well, I’ll be damned.” Marge clapped Reese on the shoulder and smiled broadly. “It seems like yesterday I was trying to figure out whether you were gay or not, and now you’re starting a family.”

  “It’ll be three years in just a few months,” Reese pointed out as she picked up a pair of twenty-five-pound dumbbells. She began her biceps curls. “But sometimes it feels like only a few days.”

  “I’m really tickled for you both. In fact, everyone is. You know, in a town this small, something like this is quite an event.”

  “Great.” Reese tried to hide her discomfort. Somehow, the idea of the entire town being privy to something so personal made her uneasy. She had barely gotten used to the idea herself.

  “What?” Marge tilted her head and squinted at Reese.

  “Nothing.”

  “Bullshit. What’s bothering you, Sheriff?”

  “It’s just that this is personal.” Reese racked the dumbbells, picked up a curl bar, and began doing upright rows. “Our having the baby, I mean.”

  Marge laughed. “It might be personal, but it sure isn’t going to be private. Everyone knows Victoria King. At sometime or other, Tory has taken care of almost everyone in this town. She’s a special person.”

  “I know,” Reese said proudly.

  “And so are you.”

  “Yeah, well…”

  “Don’t pretend you don’t know how important you are to folks around here.” Marge handed her a plastic bottle of water. “You make this place a safe place to live, and that means a lot.”

  Reese blushed. “I’m just—”

  “Yeah, yeah. I know. You’re just doing your job.” Marge shook her head. “Jesus. Still the Boy Scout.”

  “Well, maybe,” Reese said with a small shake of her head. “But I don’t exactly feel prepared for what’s happening.”

  They were alone in the gym, and Marge settled on a flat weight bench across from Reese, who was now doing forearm curls. “You mean the baby?”

  “Yes.”

  “Well, Tory’s a doctor. She should pretty much know how to take care of things.”

  Reese shook her head as she set the weights aside. She ran the towel briskly over her wet hair and then crumpled it in her fists, resting her elbows on her spread knees. Meeting Marge’s eyes, she said quietly, “I mean about taking care of Tory.”

  “While she’s pregnant, you mean?”

  “Right.” Reese nodded solemnly. “I don’t know anything about this. Remember, until a little while ago, I was a marine.”

  “Tory will tell you everything you need to know.”

  “No,” Reese said with a small smile. “Tory will tell me whatever she thinks won’t worry me.”

  “Cripes.” Marge blew out an exasperated breath. “I’ve never known two people who spent as much time worrying about each other.”

  “Isn’t that part of loving someone?” Reese looked confused.

  It was said so innocently that Marge merely shook her head. “Yes, I suppose it is. So what are you worried about?”

  “She’s going to be almost six months pregnant when the season starts in May.” Reese spoke softly and stared at the towel she was twisting between her fists. “You know how hard she works during the summer. I’m afraid…” She had to stop to clear her throat. “She can’t work eighteen-hour days much longer.”

  “Have you talked to her about it?”

  “Some. She’s talking about hiring another doc to help out over the summer, but she keeps finding reasons not to interview anyone.”

  “I’m not surprised. She’s a perfectionist.” Marge brushed a strong hand through her short hair. “Listen. The most important thing for you to do is be there for her, no matter what she needs. I have two sisters, and believe me, I love them. On the other hand, being around them when they were pregnant wasn’t always fun.”

  “I know things will be different,” Reese said mildly. “I just wish I knew how.”

  “Well, you won’t know until it happens. Just remember that Tory loves you and will be counting on you to be steady. You have to make sure her world doesn’t tilt.”

  “That’s a tall order,” Reese said softly.

  “And you’re just the one to fill it.”

  Chapter Four

  February, Barnstable, MA

  It was after nine p.m. on Friday night, and the parking lot that separated the administrative buildings from the training facility at the sheriff’s department main headquarters was almost empty. Reese parked her Blazer around the side of the gymnasium, where light filtered into the night through several windows set high up in the wall. Most of the building was dark. She reached over the seat into the back of her SUV and grabbed her gym bag, then exited the vehicle and walked to the building’s side entrance. She slid her ID card through the lock sensor, and when it snicked open, she shouldered her way through. Immediately inside, a long corridor ran the length of the building, and she walked down the deserted hallway to the last door on the right.

  There was only one person in a room the size of a basketball court.

  “Hi, Bri.” Reese hadn’t heard from the younger woman in three weeks. Nelson hadn’t heard from her at all. Finally, Reese had called her, and they’d agreed to get together.

  Bri turned away from the hanging bag that she had been lightly punching to loosen up her arms. None of her relief at seeing Reese showed in her face. “Hey.”

  “How are things going?” Reese asked as she stripped off her windbreaker. She pulled her black canvas drawstring pants from her bag and tossed them on the bottom step of a short set of bleachers, then sat down to unlace her work boots. She removed them along with her socks, then stood and stepped out of her jeans in one fluid motion.

  Bri looked away. Even though she’d seen Reese without clothes in the gym before, she wasn’t entirely comfortable with the faint stir of arousal the sight of the well-built body produced. It was probably normal, but she didn’t really have any way of knowing. There’d only ever been Caroline in her life. Carre. Jesus, I miss you.

  “I miss you, Bri.” Caroline’s voice was small and sad.

  Bri’s heart ached from hearing the hurt and knowing she had put it there. “I know, babe. Me, too.” Her own voice was thick in her throat. She slid down the wall beneath the pay phone in a corner of the building that housed the classrooms, her stomach in knots. She’d had to call, even though she only had five minutes between cl
asses. She was just so lonely. “How’s school?”

  “Okay. The same—you know.”

  “Your painting going okay?” Bri wondered when it had gotten so hard to talk to the woman who had been her lover and best friend for four years.

  “Uh-huh.”

  “Have you heard anything about the scholarship?”

  “Not yet.” Caroline’s voice trailed off, then came back strong. “So, are you working hard?”

  “Yeah. I’m taking some classes with the night-school group. That way I can meet my minimum hours requirement faster.”

  “Can you come home this weekend?” The hopeful note in Caroline’s voice was obvious.

  Home.

  “I can’t, babe,” Bri said softly. “I signed up for weapons training on Saturday mornings.”

  “Oh.”

  “I’m sorr—”

  “No,” Caroline said hastily. “That’s okay. I knew you’d be busy.”

  “You’ll be here Memorial Day, right?”

  “That just seems so far away.”

  Oh, fuck, don’t cry. Bri swallowed the lump in her throat. “Do you need money…for the bus? I sent the rent check already.”

  “No…I…Bri…” She was crying. “I have to go.”

  “I love you, babe,” Bri whispered, one hand fisted in her hair, her head down almost on her knees. “Please, don’t cr—”

  “Hey! Parker! You coming to class or not?” a rough male voice demanded.

  “Yes, sir.” Bri jumped to her feet. “I gotta go, babe. Carre?”

  But the line was already dead.

  “Bri?”

  “Sorry. What?” Bri blushed.

  “The academy. Everything okay?” Reese tied her pants, shrugged into her gi jacket, and wrapped the gold embroidered black belt around her waist with practiced efficiency.

  “Yeah, sure. Fine.”

  “Good.”

  Reese walked to the edge of the mat and bowed toward the spot where the kamiza, or ceremonial altar, would be if this were a true dojo. After she stepped onto the mat and knelt, as did Bri, they bowed to one another. Then, as they had done five or six days a week for the year and a half before Bri had left for college, they trained.