Sail Away

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“How the hell should I know?”

“Ten minutes? Twenty? Two hours?”

“Hell, I don’t know, but you can’t take a chance like this!”

“Why not?” she demanded, cranking hard on the wheel and checking the maps of the area again. They weren’t far from her destination, the point where Deception Lodge was sprawled on high cliffs over the ocean. If she could beach the Marnie Lee soon, she wouldn’t have to call for help and suffer the indignities of having Victor running to save her only to remind her that she wasn’t yet ready to fly on her own wings. Well, damn it, he was wrong. And so was Adam Drake. “Don’t tell me you’re worried about your neck, Mr. Drake.”

“No more than I am about yours.” Sarcasm tainted his voice.

“Then help me get this boat to shore.”

He eyed her for a minute. “And for that, I get what?”

“A bargain? Now, you want to bargain with me?” she asked incredulously. She couldn’t believe her ears. “Isn’t staying alive enough?”

His lips curved crookedly. “Give me a little more incentive. My life this past year hasn’t been that great.”

Unbelievable! While the boat rocked beneath them, he wanted to barter. Marnie didn’t have time. “Okay, okay already. So I’ll owe you one,” she said, furious until she saw the glint of satisfaction in his dark eyes.

“All right, Marnie. You steer. I’ll keep the gash from getting any worse.” He started for the door but stopped, glancing back over his shoulder, his hair falling over his eyes. “What is this, anyway—some sort of quest? What’re you trying to prove?”

When she didn’t answer, he strode out the door. Marnie wasn’t about to confide in him; he could bloody well think what he wanted. After all, he hadn’t been invited along. She owed him nothing. Not even an explanation. Besides, if anyone had an explanation coming, it was she. What the devil was he doing looking for Kent on this boat?

She struggled with the helm until her muscles began to ache. Then, as she turned east, the storm abated. Waves still washed over the deck, but the wrath of the storm was spent, the wind no longer keening over the black water. The clouds, which had so jealously covered the moon, thinned to become a gauzy filter for weak moonlight.

Squinting, Marnie saw the island, a huge black shape rising from the frothy swell of the ocean like a sea monster. They couldn’t be far from Deception Point, she thought wildly, but in the darkness she couldn’t see well enough to make out the rocky cliffs. No lights glowed in the dark, guiding her to a port, but she wasn’t about to complain.

She slowed the engines, creeping in with the waves. In too close and she’d scrape bottom; too far out and they’d have a helluva fight in the life raft to get to shore.

Below decks, Adam heard, rather than felt, the change in speed. So they were going to dock. Finally. Victor’s daughter had more guts than he would’ve given her credit for—maybe more guts than brains, considering the situation. He sealed the cut in the hull again with the sealer he’d found in a storage closet, and decided the craft wouldn’t sink as long as she was stable. The gash was above the waterline and had only leaked when the boat had listed badly. Unless the sea rolled the Marnie Lee onto her starboard side again, the boat wouldn’t settle to the bottom of the ocean. Or at least he hoped not.

So why hadn’t she let him radio for help? What kind of game was she playing? Was she the kind of rich woman who needed thrills?

She’d always seemed so down-to-earth. Beautiful but never too flashy. Elegant but not extreme. So why the sudden boat trip in the middle of a storm? And why not call the Coast Guard?

Could Marnie Montgomery be a woman running from her past?

That particular thought intrigued him. He climbed the slippery steps to the bridge. Marnie barely glanced his way. “You’d better drop anchor,” he said, checking the charts again. “Any closer and you’re asking for trouble.” His gaze slid to hers, and for an insane moment he thought he read more than anger in her stare. But that was crazy. As far as he knew, she hated him, thought he was a traitor to Daddy’s precious company. She looked away, but not before he recognized female interest for what it was.

“Okay, let’s do it.” She released the anchor, and the boat settled, rolling with the tide but no longer listing.

Adam, still wondering about her reaction, worked on the inflatable life raft and loaded it with supplies.

“Get your things,” he ordered when the raft was pumped up.

While she climbed to the lower cabin, he hurried back to the bridge and made a quick call to the Coast Guard. She’d be furious with him, but so be it, he thought, as he loaded his pockets with matches, flares and a first-aid kit he found in a cupboard beneath the radio.

Within minutes they were both in the life raft. Leaning his back into the oars, Adam rowed for shore. Marnie reached for the second set of oars, but he shook his head. The air was still cold, the wind still gusting, and he felt an unlikely sense of chivalry. “I can handle this. Relax.”

“No reason,” she said, her back stiffening as she threw her weight into the task.

Adam didn’t argue with her. If she thought she was helping, fine. He wasn’t up to another argument. Rowing backward, he watched her arms strain, the muscles of her back move fluidly. She wasn’t a wimp by any stretch of the imagination, and he grudgingly admired her gameness. The Marnie Lee, lights blazing, was stark against the dark sky. They rowed without speaking; only the sound of the waves and the occasional burst of wind disturbed the silence as they approached the beach.

Adam dropped his oars, climbed over the side and slid into the chest-deep icy water. Towing the raft inland, he said, “I radioed the Coast Guard.”

She snapped her head around. “You did what?”

“I didn’t think you’d want your father to worry, and the Guard needs to know about the Marnie Lee.”

“You had no right!” she cried, outraged.

“Probably not. And it’s not that I care a lick about your dad. I just thought, from the looks of things, you wouldn’t want him sending the cavalry after you. Hey—stop—you don’t have to—”

But Marnie slid into the frigid sea and together they pulled the raft onto the beach.

“Anyone ever call you stubborn?”

She laughed a little, even though she was shivering.

Adam sized her up and realized he’d never really known her in the few years they’d worked together. “What is it with you, anyway, Montgomery? You’ve got a helluva chip on your shoulder.”