The Husband Hunt - Kat's Season (The Bachelor Series) by Kiki Abbott, Kim Hornsby Read Free Book Online Page A

coffee and sticky sweet pastries for the three hour drive to the summit of Haleakala before the sun rose. They’d all had a half a night’s sleep and looked bleary-eyed. Ben hugged her and said she could sleep against his shoulder, if she liked. The offer was filled with too much excitement for her to imagine falling asleep beside Ben. He smelled good for someone who’d been woken and ushered out the door quickly. Everyone stayed awake, talking on the twisty drive up the side of Maui’s volcano to the National Park at the top. Blake joked that Sam must be a night owl with a restaurant that served dinner and drinks and might skip the bicycling, and Sam agreed that the last time he’d been up this early, he was still getting home from work.
    At the top, they sorted out their respective bikes and put on the yellow coats supplied by the biking business. It was cold at the summit as the sky lightened and promised a warm day. The day was clear and “it will be a fantastic sunrise,” the guide said. Shivering in their coats and hats at 13,000 feet above the sea, they watched a big orange ball peek over the edge of the world and slowly reveal its whole self.
    “A mazing,” Ben said, hugging her to him. Ben was a hugger, she was learning. Very affectionate. She relished his warmth, and the feel of his body against hers. She could hear Tony’s conversation with the guide off to the side. He was concerned he get a fast bike.
    When they took off down the road, Kat’s bike brakes got a good workout as she coasted along. She’d purposely chosen to ride near the back, so as not to hold anyone up on her leisurely adventure. Sam hung back with her and one of the female producers who’d wanted to experience biking down a volcano. And behind the procession, was the van to block traffic from behind and warn any sunrise drivers on their way down, that there was a long line of bicyclists on the narrow road. The air was cool and refreshing and Kat whooped and yelled several times out of sheer joy. Everyone seemed to be hell bent on getting to Kula as fast as possible, except Kat, Sam, and Mary the producer, who vowed they were enjoying the surrounding countryside.
    Eventually even Sam went on ahead to catch up to the leader and Tony , who appeared to be in a race. When they arrived in Kula, breakfast was served on a beautifully laden table in a stand of eucalyptus trees on a farm. Cows grazed in the background and behind that, the island of Maui was laid out below. Kat thought it was one of the prettiest things she’d ever seen.
                 “I keep thinking I need to pull out my camera,” Ben said to her as he poured a frosty mug of orange juice, “And then I remember that we’re not allowed any camera’s or phones.”
                 “We’ll see it all on TV in three months.” She took the mug when he offered it.
                 “Not all of it. The things I want to remember won’t be what they show on TV.” He clinked mugs and went off to the buffet.
                 Sam sat down by her, quietly apologizing for leaving her at the back of the line.
                 “That’s fine. I wasn’t in a hurry.” Kat didn’t care. The bike ride had been a wonderful experience, solitary and peaceful.
                 The group ate and joked about getting back on the bikes, but they were done with their ride. The rest of road down to sea level was too busy for a line of meandering bikes. “Now, we are going to a wildlife sanctuary where they rescue and rehabilitate injured animals.” Kat had chosen this place, wanting to draw attention to a good cause on Maui.
                 Everyone piled in the van, thankful to be off the small bike seats, and drove along the volcano’s side, through Makawao, eventually coming to a locked gate. ‘The Ohana Sanctuary for Maui’s Wildlife’ the sign read.
                 Once inside the gates and out of the van, the