“Careful, Austin. You don’t want the world to hear that a playboy extraordinaire has been domesticated,” Kinsey said before leaning over and kissing him on the cheek. He turned quickly and hauled her into his arms to kiss her properly. When they came up for air, Sage was blushing yet again.
“Sorry. The kids were sick all last week, and I was lucky to get out of my pajamas. This is a real treat, and some much-needed kid-free time was warranted,” Kinsey said with a grin that said she wasn’t sorry at all.
“I look forward to those days,” Spence said, shocking them all into silence as they turned and looked at him. “Hey, I’m not as bad as Austin was before you, Kinsey. I want kids.”
Sage’s heart grew a bit bigger for this man she was sharing the day with.
Austin pointed. “Over there is where Uncle Joseph lives.”
Through the fog, Sage could just make out a couple of large towers. “Is that a castle?” she asked when they got closer.
“Pretty much,” Kinsey said with a laugh. “And while it looks intimidating, I’ve never felt as at home as in that house. Except at home, of course.”
“Impressive,” was all Sage could say.
“We’ll stop in and say hi a little later,” Spence told her.
They pointed out several huge homes, making Sage’s mouth hang open. She wasn’t a novice to wealth, but this area was a whole other world. “Are there any normal-sized places out here?”
“Nope. I don’t think so,” Kinsey said with a giggle.
When the boat turned south and they began moving toward the Nisqually Indian Reservation, the fog cleared, and Sage could finally take in all the marine life. The air smelled sweeter, and the birds seemed to sing more melodically. It didn’t take the four humans too long to start heading toward the shore off a private island.
“This is a good place to throw in,” Austin said as he maneuvered the boat and dropped anchor.
“As much fish as you have all been bringing home, we’re going to be eating it all year round,” Kinsey said with a chuckle.
“Do you always do your own fishing?” Sage found it odd that a bunch of billionaires wouldn’t just buy it from the store.
“No. But it’s fun to take the boat out and do it ourselves on occasion,” Kinsey replied. “Usually, it’s just the guys who go, and personally, I think it’s because they want a safe haven to drink and grumble about their wives.”
“We would never grumble about you,” Austin said gallantly.
“Sure, darling, sure,” she said, giving him a quick kiss before getting out of the way so he could haul up his catch when his line tugged.
It wasn’t long before they were pulling in the lines. Some of the catches were good, and some had to be thrown back. When they had several large fish in the cooler, Spence turned with a satisfied look as he patted Austin on the back.
“Dad will love this,” Austin said, picking up his cell phone. Amazingly enough, it had reception and was answered quickly.
Sage sat back as he talked to his father, and from what she heard, they were going to have an early dinner before she and Spence flew back to Montana.
“It’s all set. We’re going to Joseph’s dock to have a get-together,” Austin announced, and he turned the controls over to Spence. “Let’s open this up for a nice ride before we end our trip.”
“Sounds good to me,” Sage said. She found herself laughing as Spence picked up speed and the wind whipped through her hair. Yes, it was cold, but she didn’t care. Spence, always the Boy Scout, had made sure a warm outfit was waiting for her at the hotel, so the only part of her that wouldn’t be able to feel anything after their boat ride was her cheeks.
Spence slowed as he pulled up to the dock at the Anderson mansion, and now that the fog had dissipated, she could see the place well.
“I’ve never seen anything like it,” Sage said.
They stepped onto a beautiful dock that was big enough to hold three or four large yachts.
“And you never will,” Kinsey said. “It’s a thing of beauty. Now come meet the family.” She took Sage’s arm and pulled her ahead of the men, who were busy securing the boat.
“Shouldn’t we wait for the guys?” Sage didn’t want to admit how nervous she was.
“They know the way.” Kinsey wasn’t going to let her go, so Sage had no choice but to follow along toward the mansion.
The men joined them before they stepped inside the marble entryway. The wide staircases to the left and right made her feel like a child—she wanted to run up them just so she could slide down the gleaming banisters.
“It’s about time you came to visit, Spence,” Joseph boomed as soon as he entered the room with his lovely wife, Katherine. He slapped Spence hard enough on the back to knock him over. She was surprised he was still on his feet.
“I was just here a couple months ago! And you were in Montana not long ago,” Spence said with a laugh.
“Well, it sure feels like forever since you’ve brought a beautiful lady to grace these halls. I’ll forgive you for being away so long.”
“Katherine, I’d like you to meet Sage. She’s a first-year resident at our hospital and already outshining all the staff, including me,” Spence said as he wrapped an arm around Sage, making her instantly blush. “Katherine Anderson, Sage Banks.”
For Sage, it felt like school all over again, when she was the one person in the class who knew all the answers on the first day. She hated when all eyes were directed at her.