Quinn

"No, he just looks like it. And be careful. I'll take shit about my truck, but say too many bad things about my dog, and there may be consequences."

I carried her luggage, and Quinn carried her own backpack. Walking sideways the entire way, hers and Bruce's eyes never left one-another, and she continually pushed him away with her backpack as we made our way indoors.

I turned on lights and the place brightened enough so that Quinn was able to study her surroundings. She was used to the posh settings in her mom's New York City apartment and her daddy's large, modern, Connecticut home, so this was probably like a camping trip for her.

My place was clean and what a designer might describe as "manly". I imagine that it has the feel of most log cabin homes. Oversized leather furniture. Lots of wood, huge stone fireplace, desks and tables. A wall to ceiling bookshelf with lots and lots of books, new and old. The wide plank flooring that had large vintage area rugs as coverings, was one of my favorite features. Yeah, it was "manly".

Pulling and carrying her bags, I walked the wide hall of my ranch style home and showed Quinn her room.

"This is you. It has its own bathroom and walk-in closet. Extra sheets and blankets are in here somewhere if you need them. Door locks from the inside so...make yourself at home. I'll probably be outside when you wake up tomorrow. There's lots to eat and drink, but you might have to search for stuff. If you need anything else, come looking for me. We can make a trip into town tomorrow to pick-up whatever else is missing. I don't use it lots, but I do have satellite. You're old enough that you should be able to figure it out." That was my parting shot of the night.

There wasn't any sign of disappointment anywhere on Quinn's face when I lifted her bags onto the bench seat at the end of the bed for her. Walking beside it, her hand caressed to soft custom quilt. She seemed to like the king-sized log, four poster bed that came with matching wood furnishing. The bathroom that she would be calling home had a huge stone shower and an extra-large soaking tub, so comfort wouldn't be an issue for her.

Pulling the door closed as I left, Quinn called after me.

"Uncle Rob."

"Yeah." I turned back to face her. I thought that a parting shot was headed my way, but I was wrong.

"Thank you." For the very first time since I picked her up, there was a humble tone in her words.

Thursday and Friday went by quickly. I didn't see Quinn much, and Bruce only popped into the shop a couple of times. He was keeping an eye on the house, hoping to get another look at the guest he scared the shit out of the other night.

Like I said, I didn't see a lot of my house quest, but by the eggshells, pieces of bagel, banana peels, and various other items that disappeared or that lay on the top of the garbage, I knew that she had been up and around at some point, but when was another question. Remembering what it was like when I was her age, I made up my mind not to bother her. Sooner or later, she would come out. That is, if she really wanted to.

Early Saturday morning it was business as usual for me. The sun had yet to eat the mist and light fog that clung to and lingered on the surface of the water. The surrounding air outside was cool at the moment, but I knew it would warm up nicely as morning worked its way into the noon hour. So, as per my weekend ritual, I would load up with coffee, eat some toast, and head to the dock. My hopes were that I would catch a prize fish to mount on my wall, but the idea of catching and frying up any bass, walleye or catfish always made me smile like an idiot.

When I stepped out onto the veranda, I didn't scream, but just like Bruce had scared her days earlier, Quinn returned the favor by scaring the hell out of me. Wrapped in a warm blanket, with Bruce laying on the cushion at her side, Quinn swung gently on the suspended wooden porch swing that faced the water. The same swing that her father had joked about. She had a large cup of coffee in her hands, and by the redness of her eyes, it looked like she had been crying.

"Quinn, is everything alright?" I was concerned, but I wasn't sure why.

"Not really." Her voice barely audible as she answered softly.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not really." Same low tone, so I chose to let it go until she was ready to talk.

"I'm going fishing for a few hours. It's not much to see now, but when the mist goes away, it's real scenic out there." I looked at her and waited. Nothing. "When it warms up, the water is perfect for swimming. Do you feel like coming?"

"Not..."

"Okay...I get it." She jumped when I barked. I didn't mean to. It slipped out by accident. "Sorry. Look, I'm not your enemy here. I..." I paused to think for a second. "I don't know what you need or if you want anything, but if you do, you'll need to ask for it. I don't read minds. I have never lived with a girl. I...I'm just...babbling." I was babbling. "Yeah, babbling. So, yeah...Anyway, I need to put some gas in the boat. If you feel like coming, you have five, maybe ten minutes. You don't have to fish. You can sunbathe or swim or read. There's..." I stopped. "If not...you can...I'll be back in a few hours." I was rambling on again, and that wasn't normally like me, so I left her on the porch, with my dog.

I put 10 gallons in to top up the tank and did my visual checklist. Poles and tackle. Ready to go. I started the Honda 150 and let it idle while I wiped the seats with one of my towels. To my left, I caught sight of movement. Quinn was coming down the grass. She was wearing sweats and a hoodie. Carrying a blanket and a Thermos in her arms, she stepped over the side like she had done it a million times and sat in the passenger seat behind the windscreen.

"Can Bruce come?" Quinn asked.

"Nope. He gets a little angry because he's not much of a swimmer."

20 minutes later I had my line in the water, and Quinn was reclining on the rear seat, reading a book that I assumed she had found at the house.

"Music or quiet time?" I asked my guest.

"Music, if it's not a problem."

Music was never a problem. I switched on the boats sound system and linked my phone. Seconds later, John Vincent III was playing the tunes from his Songs from the Valley, album. It was my favorite easy listening fishing playlist.

The early part of the day was uneventful, not much talking, just 2 people doing their own thing. I fished, she read, and the world did its thing around us.

Some fishermen get lucky, and at high noon, it was my turn. As the sun stopped directly over us, my Strike King spinner bait bounced across the water, sank about 3 feet, and I got a solid hit. My line tightened, and the rod bent. The constant whine of the reel as line was pulled free, told me that the drag had started to work, and I froze. Dead in my tracks. I froze solid. The grin on my face from hooking a fish, faded into a slack jaw, mouth open stare, and I wasn't even looking at the water.

Before I even started to reel in my line, I had noticed Quinn stand up, but like a dummy, I thought she wanted to see my fish. Not so. Setting her book on the vinyl seat, she hooked her thumbs into the waist band of her sweatpants and tugged them down. Her almost naked ass popped into view. It was perfect. Firm and round. Barely hidden beneath the peach-colored material, of what I assumed was her bathing suit. When she bent at the waist to take her feet out of the cuffs of her sweats, the thin material rode up, giving me the best view possible of her ass cheeks and the puffy lips of her pussy that was hidden away.

"Look away." I heard the voices screaming in my head. What the hell are you doing? The voices knew it was wrong for me to be checking out my own niece, but I couldn't help myself. "Please, look away." The voices begged me, but it wasn't going to happen. I watched her pale legs shake the sweats free. Again, she bent over in front of me. Picking them up off the floor, she folded them neatly and again bent to put them on her seat for safe keeping. Giving herself a tiny shake, she put the index finger of both her hands, into the back side of her bottoms and eased the thin material out of the crack of her butt. I felt like an asshole for checking out my niece, but she was truly a gorgeous young lady.

Her body turned the same time that mine did. Gritting my teeth, I looked out at the water and started to reel in my catch. My head was spinning, my body was twitching, and my manhood was acting up. Emotions that I had not felt in quite a while, were racing through my head. I turned toward the water. Facing away from my niece was probably the safest thing to do and doing so took everything in my power. My mind continually told me that I had to keep my eyes off of her.

Pulling the hook from my catch, I tossed the unlucky fish into the boat's live well. He joined a few of his other unfortunate friends. They would be a meal at a later date.

In a daze I had lost track of time, but shortly before 1:00pm, I had had my fill of fishing. The sun was still almost directly overhead, and it had heated up significantly. Looking back to Quinn, I could see that she was sweating. She still had her hoodie on which seemed strange to me. I took off my t-shirt and moved to the back of the boat.

"Do you feel like trying some waterskiing?"

"I would normally, but I probably shouldn't, considering." She looked like she was interested.

"Why not." I asked. Considering what, I thought to myself.

"It's just not a good idea." She told me.

"Okay, well I'm going swimming. You want to join me?" I tried another route to get her into the water.

"Maybe another time." She was still not biting.

"I know it's probably not like your pool at home, but it's clean water, and it's safe." I assured her.

I didn't wait for an answer. I dove over the side of the boat and into Table Rock Lake. I hoped that my splash wet her a bit. Surfacing 30 feet from the boat, I called out. "Come on. The waters perfect."

"How would I get out?" Her mind appeared to be changing.

"Right there. It's really easy, and it's not slippery, so you'll be safe." I pointed to the steps that led to the small platform beside the motor.

"I don't...maybe another...will the boat float away?" She was getting more interested.

"It's anchored. Come on Quinn, you're sweating to death in that hoodie. If you don't plan on swimming, at least take that thing off so you don't get heat stroke."

By just looking at her, you could tell that she wanted to come in the water, but she was reluctant to the idea, so I climbed out to show her how easy it was and jumped over the side again.

I could see her standing at the back of the boat. Her fingers gripping the bottom of her hoodie while she moved and swayed with the slight rocking of the vessel. Slowly she began to pull it up, but then she let it drop back down. It almost looked like she was trembling. She looked out at me, but I pretended to be looking elsewhere. Finally, she gathered enough courage. Turning her back to me, she lifted the cotton sweatshirt over her head and put it on the back of my boats driver's seat.

When she turned to face the water, I knew exactly why she didn't want to remove her top.

Quinn had what most guys would call a perfect ass. I got an up-close look at it earlier. Now, as hard as I was trying not to, I was looking at her boobs. A very nice set indeed. Firm and sitting high up on her chest. Possibly as big as a "C" cup. Adorned with big, hard nipples that poked out from under the same peach colored material as her bottoms. Her cleavage was glistening with sweat from being contained under the hot top she had just removed and the beating sun.

With her great ass and perfect tits, it was only fitting that she had a toned body. It was pale, but it was toned from what I could only imagine was lots if time spent in a gym. My niece was a very well put together woman, but what surprised me the most about her, and the thing that I now couldn't take my eyes off of, was her belly. Yes, her belly.

The sun hit the pale skin of the small orb perfectly, casting an odd shadow onto the water where I was floating, and from that vantage point, it looked to me like Quinn was probably, about 4 months pregnant.

Nervously and gingerly, she lowered herself into the water, shivering slightly, as the cool water surrounded her, slowly but surely, her body submerged into the water and soon enough, Quinn was floating in the freedom of the lake.

I wondered if Daniel knew that his only child, his daughter, was pregnant. He had to have. Why else would he have called me and sent her down here to hide her away? Was he ashamed? Did his new girlfriend disapprove? Whatever the reason, I now somewhat understood her somber state of mind.

"Oh my god Uncle Rob, this feels so good. It's like I'm on a cloud." Her pale arms and legs spread to give her a star like appearance on top of the dark water. "It's so...refreshing and liberating."

"Yeah, it always feels so good. That's why I love the lake." I told her. Although her belly wasn't exposed, my eyes were still glued to her.

It was good to see her enjoying the refreshing powers of the lake, so I didn't rush her. She seemed to open up and accept and enjoy the cool and rejuvenating feeling that comes from the water, so I let her float. I would have let her go all day, but after floating and swimming, she eventually she told me that she had had enough. Getting into the boat first, I reached down to help her out.

Her foot landed on the carpeted floor of the boat, and she stumbled a bit. The warm wetness of her skin touched my chest as my hand tried to stop her from falling. It touched her hip and moved up until my thumb and fingers were resting on the side of her tummy. Quickly, I released my hold and turned my back so that she could dry off. It was the perfect time to ask if she was hungry.

"Starving." She replied.

"Okay. You want to eat on the lake? There are lots of cool restaurants with really good views, or do you want to go home?"

"When you say home, do you mean your place, or New York, my home?" I could feel the pain in her voice. A trembling as her words escaped her.

"My place. Which in case you forgot, is currently, our place." And, I wanted her to feel like it was.

"I would like to sit by the lake if you're not too embarrassed to be seen with me Uncle Rob."

"What? Why the hell would I be embarrassed?" I still had my back to her, as I put the poles and tackle away.

"I saw the surprise in your face. Was it because he didn't tell you why I'm here? He didn't tell you, did he? He didn't let you know why he wanted to hide me away. My dad didn't even bother to tell his own brother and give up the little secret he has, did he? He didn't tell you just in case you backed out and wouldn't let me come down here. No, he thought it would be better to surprise you."

I felt horrible for the way I was acting. Here was a young girl that needed help, my help, and everyone that she depended on, even me, was shunning her. Turning, I tried to explain.

"Do you think that it would make a difference to me? Quinn, regardless of what your parents told you about me, you'd be welcome down here no matter what the reason was. You're my family. My blood. I'm not a snob like..." Stopping to save myself was becoming a habit.

"Like what? Like them? Like, my parents?" She sounded hurt.

"Yeah Quinn, like your parents. Both your parents think that I'm a bum because I don't have some high-paying white-collar job. They have no idea what it's like to feel free. You remember how you felt while you were in the water? That's how I feel every single day of my life."

There was a silence as I sat and started the boat. I waited for Quinn to fold her towel so that she could sit on it. When she was seated, I noticed that she had chosen to remain uncovered, sitting in only her bathing suit.

"I'm not a slut." She said as if to defend her own honor. I was shocked that she felt the need to tell me this.

"Did I say that you were? I would never think that." I tried to ease the uncomfortable moment.

"You didn't have to say it. I can see it in your face. You can't even look at me."

Easing back on the throttle so that boat just idled, I turned my head so that I was once again facing her.

"That's where you're wrong. I can easily look at you. And I did look at you. I looked and from out of nowhere, you've grown and become a beautiful woman. So, yeah, I looked and saw that you are absolutely beautiful, but I don't want to get caught looking again and have you thinking that I'm some kind of pervert. So, in case you really wanted to know, that's the problem I'm currently facing."

She smiled sheepishly at me. Quinn knew that she was a beautiful woman, and now she knew that I also thought so.

Her head turned to look in the opposite direction, so I resumed our voyage.

With the wind blowing our hair dry as we glided across the lake, we remained silent until we docked the boat and walked the pier toward the lakeside eatery. Quinn held my elbow until we picked a seat under an oversized Budweiser umbrella, we sipped sweet tea and from out of nowhere, we started talking more than we ever had before. It was a casual setting, so Quinn had remained in just her bathing suit. The only change was she was wearing a baseball cap to keep the sun out of her face. It was a good day for both of us. One that changed the way we started to interact around each other.

Every day for the next few weeks or so, things changed bit by bit, and every day we opened up more and more. We became closer as far as not feeling the need to keep hiding away from one another. I spent less time in the shop, and she spent less time hidden away in her bedroom.

We had casual conversations and there was casual touching when we swam, or while we were in the boat, but nothing out of the ordinary.

Like a couple of friends, Quinn would spend time in my shop, helping me with paperwork, and I would suggest novels for her to read and she would pick movies for us to watch. It would appear that we had become friends, I suppose.

After spending time getting to know her, it turned out that Quinn wasn't exactly the spoiled little bitch I thought that she was, or that she might have been. I also became aware that not only is she beautiful she is smart, and she has a good, if not somewhat wicked, sense of humor. I found that out on the way to her first OBGYN appointment.

It was warm enough to turn on the car's A/C, but Quinn still had all the windows down. She was letting the warm air blow through and whip the long golden strands of her curls like long kite tails waving in the air.

"Can you explain something to me?" She asked, reading the appointment printout as we drove toward the clinic where we had booked her for her checkup.

"I suppose that I can try." I told her.

"Alright then, tell me why I'm going to someplace called Cox Health? Doesn't it sound a bit odd to be going to a place called Cox Health, to have my vagina looked at. I mean really, that's gotta seem a bit odd to you, doesn't it?"

She was smiling and trying to stifle a laugh. I didn't even notice the name of the clinic when we booked her appointment. An appointment that she didn't want, but as time passed, it seemed she needed, because it appeared that she would be staying, and her baby might be born with some "hillbilly" roots.

"It's Cox Health Women's Center. It's a women's only clinic." I tried to assure her, but now that she had pointed out the name to me, the irony was not lost on either of us.

"Yeah, I get that part, but does that mean you'd go to see Dr. Kuntz, with a K and a Z, if you were having trouble with your dick?" Now she was full on laughing at her own jokes because she was trying to embarrass me, but I quickly turned the tables on her.