Chapter 24

After lunch, Kate went home and put her handbag on the dining table.

Now what? It's too late to do something interesting like go for a walk in another city.

She looked at her garden and smiled.

Yeah, why not? Lying on a deckchair in the sun with a book. How long has it been since I did that?

She took her book, a cold drink, sunglasses, a hat and went out.

After an hour, she put her book aside.

Hmm, I'm not the person who lays on a deckchair doing nothing. It bores me already. I need movement. I've barely moved since… Almost two weeks. This must change. Right, I started running again, but it's not enough.

Maybe we could go hill-walking like last time. Yeah, that would be nice because last time I was still under the influence of alcohol didn't notice anything of the nature around me. Dylan will surely do that walk again.

She stood up and went inside, took her laptop and opened the e-mail software. She started to write.

Hey Darling,

I'm looking forward to see you again. Doing nothing here is so boring!

Do you want to go hill-walking above Cairns again? I think I will love it! Last time was….you know.

Kisses.

Kate

Satisfied, she pressed the send button and closed the laptop.

A little later she heard the beep of an incoming message on her smartphone. She opened it and saw it was Dylan.

Hi honey,

How are you?

Great idea! In a few days we'll be back in port and we will go hill-walking if the weather is good.

Bye.

Dylan

Kate smiled.

Yes! But, first I have something to do. He loves hiking and I don't quite have the equipment for it. I have to buy hiking boots first. Right! So, first job tomorrow morning!

The next afternoon, she unpacked her purchases and placed them on the dining table like trophies. A tank top, a green safari shirt, three-quarters pants and hiking boots. She nodded satisfied.

Yeah, this will do. I don't need a hat because I've a cap. I have a backpack, water, first aid kit, knife, pen and paper, matches, raincoat, uhm, what else? Something to nibble? Yeah, definitely! Oh, and a towel! Very important!

The next day, she was looking forward to him. When the doorbell rang, she had never been so quick to open the door.

"Hi!", she said as she opened the door and saw a smiling Dylan.

"Good morning honey! How are you feeling?", he greeted her and kissed her.

"Great! I can't wait to start again next Monday!", she replied with sparkling eyes.

"Wow, great outfit!", he said looking at her in her new outfit and loose shirt open.

"Thanks!"

He walked towards the door, "Let's go. It's getting hotter every minute".

They drove to the start of the hiking trail at the foot of the hill. He parked the car and opened the trunk to take their gear.

Kate raised an eyebrow at the huge backpack he pulled out. "Darling, did I misunderstand ? I thought we were going hill-walking like we did last time, but you have equipment with you to go walkabout!"

"No worries! But what do you have with you?", he said pointing to her small backpack.

"Oh, the necessary things like uh, a knife, water, first a…", she started to sum up, but he cut her off.

"No need to tell me that. I know you well enough to know you have everything you need following the books, Princess Perfect", he grinned.

"Dutchy! I…", she began irritated, but he cut her off with a kiss.

"What were you going to say with…I?", he asked.

"I…uh…I…uh…love you….yes that was it", Kate quickly said somewhat embarrassed.

He smiled at her, "Come, let's go".

During the climb she wondered what he could carry in his huge backpack and asked him the question, but she didn't get a sensible answer. Meanwhile she admired the beautiful nature around them and wondered why she hadn't noticed it the first time.

Four hours later, they reached the top. Kate took a deep breath and straightened her back.

"Here we are", he said.

Kate looked around and nodded, "Yeah, here we are and it's beautiful here!".

"Let's break for lunch", Dylan said, putting down his backpack.

"Oh, yes of course. What did you bring?", she asked, putting down her own backpack.

"Well, sit down and enjoy the landscape. I'll prepare lunch", he said.

"No, let's do it together", Kate said.

"Uh-uh. You sit down and admire Cairns. I'll take care of it. Surprise", he said, twirling his finger.

She crossed her arms, tilted her head a little and gave him her CO look.

He smiled, "Haha, your CO look doesn't work with me. Admire the view and you'll enjoy your lunch even more" and he put his hands on her shoulders and gently turned her around.

She raised the hands and sat down, wondering what might be the surprise. A lunch at the top of the hill? Sausages, biscuits, water and an apple?

"Now lunch's ready!", he announced a few minutes later.

Kate stood up, turned around and was taken aback, "Oh my God!"

Dylan had spread out a tablecloth with plates and cutlery, wine glasses, bread, sausage, different kinds of cheese, olives and dates.

"Lunch is served, ma'am", he said solemnly.

"I…I..don't know…what to say", she stammered.

"Well, that's good, because I have something to tell you", he said, moving closer to her. He took her hands and looked at her, "Kate McGregor, we've known each other for a long time. At first it was difficult. I kept you at distance because I lost my boarding officer. We were friends and it was hard to lose him. I didn't want to get closer to you just in case, you know. But we worked things out and we became friends, even good friends. I couldn't help it, but I fell in love with you. I knew it was a dream because there was Mike and Jim then Mike again. I went through officer training, but I couldn't get you out of my mind, I was still in love with you. When they send me to the Hammersley as navigator our paths crossed again and you know the rest". He paused and she was still watching him. He could see that she was fighting against her emotions. Dylan let go of her hand and pulled a small velvet box out of his pocket. He opened the box and showed her a ring set with a diamond, "Kate McGregor, will you marry me?"

Kate looked at the ring and blinked to release the tears that are running down her cheeks. She looked at him and replied softly because she was afraid her voice would break, "Yes Darling, I will, of course!"

He took the ring and slipped it to her finger, "Here you go", he said smiling at her.

Kate took him tenderly by the neck, pulled him towards her and they kissed passionately.

She looked at her finger and wiped away her tears, "Darling, it's beautiful! Thank you!".

"I think we have to celebrate this, don't we?", he grinned and pulled out a bottle of champagne from of the cool box.

"Oh no! Don't tell me you even brought a bottle here!", she said covering her face.

"Yes I did!", he said. "Look at that!"

He twisted the cork, placed his thumbs under it and gave it a final push , the cork flew and made a big arc as it flew down the slope. He filled two glasses and they toasted, "To us!"

Kate replied, "to us!" and they took a sip.

"Jeez, I was really thirsty!", he said looking at the empty glass, "Hmm, you too, I see".

"Yeah! I was and I would like another one", Kate said beamingly, holding out her glass.

He refilled the glasses and they sat down.

Kate sighed and looked at him with a radiant smile, "Darling, this is the most amazing moment of my life. Getting proposed and a luxury lunch on the top of a hill overlooking Cairns".

"It's the same for me, honey. Something to nibble?"

"Yes please, I'm starving", Kate said.

He served her bread, cheese and sausage, "Enjoy".

Kate took a few bites, "By the way, how was the ship and the crew?"

"Oh, splendid. A routine patrol. Nothing happened. Boring in fact", he said between bites.

Kate smiled. You have to blame Max for that buddy.

"And how was Nikki as a CO?"

"Well, as usual. It's not the first time we were acting CO and XO, you know. It's like she's been doing this for years"

End of Flashback

"Oh mum, how romantic! ", Maddie said.

Kate wiped her eyes, "Yes, it was. I still have tears in my eyes when I think or talk about it".

"I didn't know Dad was so romantic", Maddie said.

Kate grinned, "Yes, he is, but when he is told he immediately denies".

"Hmm, and what did you do next?", she asked, eagerly awaiting a romantic sequel.

"We enjoyed the lunch, the landscape and each other's company. In the afternoon, we went back down and discussed a lot of things at my place. What to do with the fraternisation rules? When are we getting married and where? Where were we going to live? He had a Navy flat and I was renting one. So, a lot of questions. Very quickly, we decided to buy a house. It would be a cottage because I loved having a garden. This is the house you know", Kate told.

"Oh mum, it's really amazing!".

"Yeah, certainly. Come, let's clear the table so we can watch TV. I read they play the movie 'Bridge of Spies' with Tom Hanks, if you are interested, of course", Kate said.

"That's fine, as long as the blood doesn't flow out of the TV", Maddie said as she collected the plates.

After doing the dishes, they sat down on the couch with a jar of coffee and a box of chocolates.

At the end of the evening, they each went to their bedroom.

Kate undressed and reluctantly put on a pyjama.

Normally I sleep naked, but with Maddie back home, it could be embarrassing. Normally nothing happens, but knowing me, I will always draw the winning ticket!

She lay down, switched off the light and stared at the faint glow of the street lights reflecting off the ceiling. The events of the day were unfolding before her eyes.

It was a nice day. We enjoyed it. All those old stories! What a start!

Dylan's proposal at the top of the hill. From that moment on, I knew nothing could go wrong anymore.

She smiled.

I told Maddie that we went back down to discuss how we were going to organise our lives. Well, we did, but not immediately, because…..

Flashback

Kate looked at Dylan, her head slightly tilted and by doing that, he knew she was up to something. "I know that look, McGregor. Come on, spill the beans", he challenged her.

"And how did Nikki react towards Pete?", she asked.

Dylan laughed, "I knew it! Oh yes, I knew you were burning with curiosity about it".

She crossed her arm, "Well, now, you've spilled the beans. When you say A, you can also say B".

"They acted professionally, but when it got dark, they would often stand on the quarter deck and then they would disappear. I don't know more", he grinned.

Kate shook her head, "Nikki, I knew it. She'll never change".

"What do you think about what happened?", he asked innocently, but his smile said the opposite.

Kate waved her hand, "Don't play dumb. They probably found a place to catch up".

Dylan chuckled and took the bottle, "Do you want some more?"

"Yeah, why not? It's just a beautiful moment", Kate replied passing him her glass to refill it.

She took a sip, "Darling?"

"Yes?"

"Can we go to that beautiful lake with the waterfall? It's just a garden of Eden".

"Absolutely! A swim in the lake will do us good. I'm already going to pack up our stuff", he said and emptied his glass.

The gathered the plates, napkins and other things then they set off. Quickly, they disappeared in the vegetation and a little further Dylan stopped . He pushed the vegetation out of the way and left the path. Kate remembered the steep slope going down and she was again surprised to see the peaceful place with the lake, the waterfall and the patch of grass in the sun.

"Here we are again", he said, putting down his backpack.

Kate also put down her backpack and looked around, "Yeah, it's still beautiful".

She took off her safari shirt and started untying her boots. She took off her tank top and lowered her trousers while he was looking for his swimming trunk in his backpack.

"I didn't take a bikini….", Kate announced.

Dylan looked up, just as she was slipping out of her underwear. "Wow…", he mumbled and hurried to do the same.

"Catch me if you can, sailor!", she said as she ran towards the water.

"Wait a minute!", he laughed and ran after her.

They swam to the middle of the lake where they kissed.

"It might be more convenient to get out of the water", he whispered in her ear between kisses.

"Uh-hu", she murmured and they swam back. They walked over to the grassy part and she said, "Sit down, darling". He sat down and she sat astride his lap.

"I think it also happened in the garden of Eden, right?", she whispered worshipping his body as he did the same to hers.

"But, don't worry, I'm not going to give you an apple"

"You don't need to convince me ", he said with a smile, toppling her over her back and they enjoyed a romantic afternoon.

Later, going down the slope to reach the car, "Dylan?", Kate asked.

"Yes?", he replied, looking over his shoulder.

"Have you any plans for tonight?", she asked.

"Tell me", he replied smiling.

"Do you want to spend the night at my place? And this time in my bed, not in the guest room".

"Yeah, sounds great! But, before we have to go to my house to pick up some things", he said.

"Do you like coq au vin? Poultry with wine sauce?", she asked.

"You should know, Katie: never ask for such things", he grinned.

End of Flashback

With a smile on her lips Kate fell asleep happy.

The next morning, Maddie gently shook her shoulder, "Mum?"

"Uh? Hmmm. What? Navcom?", Kate mumbled.

Maddie chuckled, "No Mum, it's not always Navcom. I just want to ask you if you fancy to run?"

"Uhhhhm, what day is it today?", Kate mumbled.

"Sunday, mum".

"Not today dear, what time is it?"

"Half past seven".

Kate moaned, "It's in the middle of the night! I'll turn to the other side and enjoy it for a few more minutes then I'll go make us breakfast, okay?"

"Yeah, fine. I'll be back in an hour. See you later", Maddie said as she left the bedroom.

Half an hour later, Kate stood up and had a shower. She put on a dress and went down to the kitchen to cook a full breakfast of eggs, bacon, sausages, beans in tomato sauce and mushrooms, knowing it was Maddie and Dylan's favourite breakfast. She liked it too, but she preferred sugar and blueberry pancakes.

Thirty minutes later Maddie came home. "Wow, that was intense! I think I can eat an ox now", she said, wiping her forehead.

"Your wish dear. I'm making your favourite breakfast", Kate said.

"Well, I thought I smelled something like that before. Give me a moment!", she said as she rushed upstairs to the bathroom.

Ten minutes later, she was back dressed in a T-shirt and shorts. "I'm back!", she announced joyously.

"It's good, because it's ready. Give me your plate", Kate said.

"Mum, you told that after you came back from the hill-hiking, you discussed a lot of things. Did Dad go home or…?", Maddie asked.

"He overnighted at my place. It was pretty late so", Kate said deadpan.

"Aha!", Maddie said with a radiant smile.

"What aha?".

"Well, you two were engaged, you two spent the night together. I guess he didn't sleep on the couch, did he?", she asked.

"No. He slept in my bed. Only sleep huh! It was already dark and the next day I had to go to Navcom to tell Aunt Max that I was fit for duty again", Kate said.

"Oh… Okay", Maddie replied disappointed. She had hoped for a romantic story, but in vain.

Kate put a piece of bacon in her mouth.

I told part of the truth. It was late and he slept in my bed. It's true. But what happened before, I keep it to myself, dear! I had confirmation of something I had already suspected for some time, I had a special effect on him when I wore a denim dress and he had discovered my tender spot: my neck.

To be continued