~ Yours Till Niagara Falls ~

by

Peggy P. Parsons

They reached Niagara before ten o’clock. Jade parked his Bronco in a parking lot, and they went directly to see the falls.

“Oh my gosh,” Kia exclaimed when she saw the water plunging over the falls, the force so strong, it created a constant mist of fog, like a huge, uneven cloud. “I’ve seen it before, but it’s more awesome than I remembered.”

“It really is a sight,” Jade said nodding. “I can’t help but marvel at nature and the power of water.”

“Me neither.”

A short time later they bought tickets for a tour, where they learned that more than 500,000 gallons of water cascaded over the cliffs every second during the tourist season.

They took an elevator to the foot of the falls. A wooden walkway led right up to the crashing torrent. Dressed in yellow plastic ponchos provided by Maid of the Mist Tour Company, they huddled close behind the falls, listening to the noise that made shouting necessary to be heard.

Unable to dampen the desire that darn near knocked him to his knees every time he touched Kia, Jade struggled to remember they were in public, and he shouldn’t be entertaining the thoughts going through his head.

“This must be one of the most scenic and wonderful places in the world,” Kia shouted, a look of awe covering her lovely upturned face.

“I agree.” Jade wrapped his arms around her, his square yellow poncho stretching awkwardly as he held her close. “Does the force of the water pound through you as it does me, Kia?”

“Yes.”

“Then you should know that pounding, that force, that’s how much you affect me.”

Unable to resist the temptation to kiss her, even though he hated making a spectacle of himself in public, he kissed her long, and hard and with passion, urged on by the powerful sound and force of the falls rumbling nearby.

Laughter and clapping from other people in their tour group brought him back down to earth.

“Are you on your honeymoon?” one young girl asked, squinting at them through foggy glasses.

“Not yet,” Jade said, “I haven’t convinced her to spend the rest of her life with me.”

Where had that thought come from? When he saw Kia’s shocked expression, he wondered if he should apologize. But the saying on Kar and Rand’s headstone drummed through his head. Yours till Niagara falls. The words held more meaning now that they had seen the falls together.

Part of him wanted Kia to be his until Niagara ceased to exist. But that dangerous thought threatened his well-planned future. Did he care? Yes. But not as much as he had expected to.

After the trolley tour that included a Tour Lockport pass, they found a restaurant and ate an early dinner.

“What a busy day,” Kia said, brushing her long hair behind her shoulders.

“Tours are hard work,” Jade said.

She laughed. “Yes, whenever our family vacationed Dad always said half a day of sightseeing was all he could take. Much as he enjoyed seeing new things, eight full hours of museums and tours was too much at one time.”

“You must miss them very much.”

“I do,” she said, “but each day helps, and I’m not as lonely as I expected to be, not with you staying at the camp.”

He picked up his mug, and took a sip of coffee before he said, “I like staying there.”

“I like having you there, too.”

When he tried to pay for lunch, she objected until he said, “You’ve fed me almost every night since I’ve been up here. Today’s food is on me.”

She smiled. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.” After he paid the check, he said, “I think we should buy a couple of souvenirs to remind us of today. Is there anything in particular you’d like to look at?”

Kia didn’t hesitate. “Yes. Earrings.”

They found a small jewelry store right away. When he saw Kia studying a pair of pale green earrings, he said, “The color’s too light to be emeralds.”

“They’re peridot. My birth stone.”

“I’ll buy them and that matching ring. Wear it on your right hand as a token of our friendship.”

“Thanks.” Her heart almost skidded to a halt when he slid the ring onto her fourth finger a few minutes later.

“What kind of souvenir do you want?” she asked.

“A book on the falls and the history of Niagara.”

In short order they found a bookstore, and Kia insisted on paying for the book he picked out. “As a token of our friendship,” she said laughing at his surprise.

“I’ve never had a woman buy anything for me before.”

“Then it’s about time one did.”

“I’m glad we didn’t wait to come here,” Jade said as they headed back toward Lowville a little later. “Sometimes when people put off doing something, they never get around to it.”

“I’m glad we didn’t wait either.”

While he drove, Kia said, “Is your cell phone charged?”

“Yeah. Why? Do you want to use it?”

“No, but I’d like to see if they work in this part of the state.” She opened hers and called his, a little surprised when she heard it ring.

He pulled it from the holder on his belt, and flipped the lid open. “Hi,” he said, grinning. “Did you enjoy yourself today?”

Hearing his voice in person as well as on the phone made her laugh. “Yes. Did you?”

“Yeah. You’re a comfortable person to spend time with.”

“So are you.”

He glanced from the road to her, and her heart skipped a beat or two. It skipped another when he smiled. The warmth in his eyes was enough to keep her warm all night.

He jerked his gaze from hers, closed his phone, and stuck it back in the holder on his belt.

She shut her phone too, and slid it back inside her fanny pack.

“Don’t forget to try to call me on my cell phone if you ever need help,” he said, “and that goes for any time, any place, not just while we’re at your camp.”

“Thanks,” she said staring at his tanned arms and then at his hands. They looked so strong. So masculine. So capable. What would it be like to have them traveling over her body? Unnerved by that thought, she swallowed. It didn’t help. A big lump remained in her throat.

Every night Jade hated to leave Kia, and Sunday was no exception. Their kisses were growing more passionate, his desire turning into a desperate need.

But he vowed to control his hormones. If he and Kia made love, it would be after they were married. That was another dangerous thought, but he had no intention of sleeping with her just for sex. She was too vulnerable right now. Special too. And she wasn’t made for casual affairs. She was too serious, not like any other girl he had dated, and life had dealt her a difficult load this year.

Back in Rand’s Roost, he studied for an hour to wind down before he went to bed. As he lay in the dark, he realized how much his priorities had changed since he’d driven up to the Adirondacks. The pressure to impress his father had taken a back seat. If putting himself through law school wasn’t enough, Jade didn’t care. At the moment what mattered most was Kia, making her smile and laugh and take pleasure from life. This weekend had been two of the nicest days of his life, and he didn’t want their relationship to end or even slow down when he left.

Could he make her want the same thing he wanted now? To see each other as often as possible?

Could he convince her to work part-time with him and spend as much of their free time together as possible while--if--she returned to college? Would she have any free time if she worked and had to study too?

After he fell asleep he dreamed about Kia. She was in some kind of danger. He woke up in a sweat, something he didn’t recall ever doing before. For a few seconds he wondered if he might be getting sick. Then he cooled down, and decided it had to be the dream. He tried to analyze it, and wondered if Kia was in danger. The brakes on her parents’ and grandparents’ cars had both failed. And that bothered him a great deal. How could they find out who, if anyone, was responsible? How could he help her, protect her, without knowing? Could he leave her up here alone? Did he dare?