The Right Bride

Chapter Nineteen


“WE HAVE TO launch the zodiac,” Cameron yelled at the captain, even as a crewmember threw the rope ladder over the side.

“We don’t have time. The water is freezing. We have to get them out quickly. Marti has practiced this. She’ll make it.”

They approached Marti and Emma. They’d never slow down fast enough. As the ship drew closer, the crew dropped the sails, slowing the ship with a lurch before they smoothed out again.

Marti swam, getting in position to grab the rope ladder and waiting as the front of the ship passed her by. She put her arm up and held tight to Emma. It wouldn’t do any good for her to grab the rope only to lose Emma. The water might drag her under the ship, maybe even both of them.

She grabbed the rope, hooking her arm through it. She cracked her head against the side of the ship and fought the force of the water pushing on her as one of her crew took Emma from her arms, flipped her over his shoulder, and carried her up the ladder.

Marti used all her strength to drag herself out of the rushing cascade of water against the ship’s hull with just her arms and finally got her feet on the last rung. Adrenaline gave her the strength to pull herself up and out of such a force. Once she had a foothold, she stepped up the ladder rather well, but fell exhaustedly over the side onto the deck at everyone’s feet.

She coughed up seawater and rolled onto her side. So cold, she didn’t feel Jack and Sam’s hands on her trying to cover her with a blanket and dry her off.

Cameron kneeled next to Emma. He pulled her life vest off and patted her down with a thick towel. She shook violently, her lips and face still blue.

Disgusted, Marti saw Shelly standing back, looking at Emma and Cameron as if she didn’t know why everyone was making a fuss.

Marti dragged herself up to her feet to a great many protests from Sam, Jack, and her crew, and grabbed Emma out from under Cameron’s hands.

“Marti, wait. Let me get her dry,” Cameron called after her.

She ran down the steps and headed for her cabin at the bow of the boat. She ran through the door and into the small bathroom. She grabbed a towel off the hanger and wrapped it around Emma’s hand and pressed it to her chest. She turned on the shower with warm water, stood in the stall, her back to the wall, and slid down to the floor with Emma in her arms. She held her tight. The warm water poured over them, heat sinking through their skin and back into their bones. She shook so violently, it took her a few minutes to notice everyone standing in the open stall door.

“Captain, take us back. Call an ambulance. I want them waiting at the dock. Emma is hurt.”

“Hurt?” Cameron asked, concern filling his voice and eyes as he bent and ran a big hand down Emma’s wet hair, checking her out with a quick scan from head to toe.

Unable to see her injury pressed against her breast, Marti explained, “Her hand is cut.”

“There’s no need for an ambulance for a cut. We’ll just put a bandage on it. I mean, really. What is the problem? She went for a little swim. Once she warms up, she’ll be fine.”

Shelly hoped she’d be fine, or Cameron was going to blame her. The little girl should have been more careful.

“Get that stupid bitch out of my sight.” Marti held and rocked Emma in her arms.

“Come on, baby. Wake up for me, Sugar Bug. Wake up, baby.” Marti kept rocking and rubbing her hands up and down Emma’s back. Her little face remained tinged blue. She didn’t wake up. The fear overwhelmed her and sent tears down her cheeks.

“Why didn’t you wait for us to lower the boat? She would have been fine. She had a life vest on. She wouldn’t sink.”

“I swear to God, I’m going to kill you. Emma is bleeding.”

“So? It’s just a little cut, a little blood. She’s fine.”

“There are sharks in the water, you idiot.”

“Sharks? You’re kidding,” Shelly said, disbelieving.

“Either get her out of here, or Emma or no Emma, I’m going to throw that bitch overboard.” She shook violently now from the cold and pure fury.

Sam recognized the effects of the adrenaline coursing through Marti. She was a mother lion protecting her cub from a predator. He had no doubt Marti would leave Emma in the warm water and attack Shelly. He grabbed Shelly by the arm and pushed her out the door and into the main living area.

“Why don’t you have another drink, sit down, and shut up? You aren’t helping matters. You were supposed to watch her, the little girl who is going to be your stepdaughter. Don’t you have any feelings at all for that innocent child?”

“Really, you’re all making a big deal out of nothing. She got a little wet. She’ll be fine. Sharks, my ass. Marti is just making a scene to get Cameron’s attention.”

Sam tried valiantly to hold onto his temper. “Shelly, this is the California coast. The Farallon Islands are famous for their great white sharks. This is their hunting ground. Marti and Emma are lucky they didn’t get attacked. Now shut up and sit, or I’ll throw you overboard myself.”

Sam’s words penetrated the depths of Cameron’s mind, sinking into his heart. Finally hitting him, he understood what Marti had done. Not only had she jumped overboard to save his daughter, but she’d jumped into shark-infested waters without thinking twice.

He pulled his shirt off over his head, moved Marti forward, sat behind her, and put his arms around both she and Emma. Like hugging an ice cube, they both shivered against him. He hoped his body heat would help warm them faster. He rubbed his hands up and down Marti’s arms. Her bottom nestled against his groin and the feel of her this close and tucked up against him sent a shaft of heat racing through his system. His chest pressed to her ice-cold back, but the feel of her skin to skin sent his mind on a journey to Dirty Town. He’d fantasized about having her this close. She shifted, pressing against his hard cock. To his surprise, she snuggled closer and he wrapped his arms around her and held her tight. He brushed the damp hair from her face and leaned his face to hers. She sighed and settled against him.

Emma’s shaking subsided and the color began to bloom back into her face, but Marti still shook violently. Her teeth chattered so badly, it was a wonder she didn’t chip a tooth. “I’m not very happy with you right now.”

Cameron put his chin on her shoulder. “I know. I’m not happy with myself either. I’m on the top of my own shit list.”

He held her to his chest tighter and squeezed the two of them to him. Jack didn’t give him any privacy, standing and watching them. Sam came back in too. He didn’t care. His whole world was sitting in his arms.

“Don’t ever scare me like that again.”

Cameron’s warmth sank into her. The water helped, but nothing compared to the warmth of a person’s body heat. Cameron this close created another kind of heat. His hard shaft pressed against her bottom.

“You’re warm,” she said to the side of his face. His big hand moved up her arm, over her shoulder, and up her neck to cover the side of her head and hold her close.

“You’re like an ice cube.” He held her tighter to his chest. The shaking subsided.

Emma stirred and mumbled something. She glanced down and Emma’s eyes fluttered. She didn’t open them but lay against Marti’s chest and burrowed in closer.

Marti leaned back against Cameron and caught the smell of Shelly’s perfume on him.

She remembered him walking out of the cabin after leaving her in bed and leaned away. She tried to stand up with Emma, but he stopped her.

“What’s wrong?”

She turned her head to him. “You smell like her,” she accused.

He held her tight. “I know it looked bad, but I didn’t sleep with her. I’m sorry I’m hurting you. I’m hurting too,” he said and leaned his head to hers.

“It’s not the same when she has everything I want. You’ll all be a family, and I’ll still be alone. I won’t have Emma, and I won’t have you.”

She didn’t let him hold her down this time. She stood and turned to get out of the stall and saw the blood all over her chest. “Jack, quick, grab a washcloth behind you.”

He did and rushed to her. He pulled the blood-soaked towel away from Emma’s hand and pressed the clean, dry cloth over the hideous cut.

Cameron felt the blood drain from his face. He stood, took Emma from Marti, and set her on the floor outside the bathroom, where he kept an eye on Marti.

Jack used the washcloth to apply pressure to Emma’s hand and stopped the bleeding. The cut was deep, and Emma had lost a lot of blood. Now the bleeding stopped, it looked better.

Emma started to wake up. He took off her wet dress and bathing suit. Cameron grabbed a dry towel and used it to dry her off and warm her.

“There’s a T-shirt in the top drawer. Grab one for her. Get her warm.” Marti stood under the hot water, trying to get warm herself. She could barely move her arms. In the end, Sam grabbed another washcloth and used it to wash the blood off her chest. Quite intimate, since all she wore was a bikini top.

Cameron wanted to skin Sam alive for touching Marti, even if it was only to help her.

His daughter needed his help. She was the only thing keeping him from going to Marti. She looked ready to pass out. He had no idea how she was still awake. Her legs still shook. Dark circles under her eyes marred her translucent skin.

Sam grabbed a towel and turned off the water. He helped Marti up and over the ledge and onto the floor. She stood swaying while he dried her with care. He walked her into the bedroom and waited while she took out another T-shirt and pair of sweatpants.

She stood with her back to Sam and the others and took off her bikini top, pulling the T-shirt on over her head. She tried to undo her wet shorts, but couldn’t get her numb fingers to work. Worse, the material was plastered to her skin.

She glanced over her shoulder and found Sam ready to catch her if she fell. “It’s your lucky day. I can’t get these off. My hands are shaking and numb. The button won’t go through the swollen material easily.”

Giving her a cocky grin, he moved closer and drawled, “No problem, darlin’. Come here.”

When he stood close, she whispered, “I don’t have anything on under these shorts.”

“It is my lucky day,” he teased back. He put his body between her and Jack and Cameron. Unable to see anything, they were busy with Emma anyway. He undid the button and zipper. Before he pulled them off, he caught her eye and tried to make her smile by saying, “Promise not to tell my wife? I have a gun, and she just might use it on me.”

Just what she needed to ease the tension and let out her held breath. She thought it funny he joked just this morning, wondering if Elizabeth would mind him having an affair with her. And here he was undressing her.

“I won’t tell her, I promise. She won’t let me eat in her restaurant again. That would be a tragedy in my book.”

“Mine too.”

He pulled her shorts off and helped her step into the sweatpants. He tied them off at the waist without another word. Quick and easy.

Cameron’s eyes bore into his back the whole time, but he didn’t so much as turn around to acknowledge him. Let him sweat and be angry. He’d brought Shelly into his daughter’s life and look what happened. The woman couldn’t be trusted with a child. Cameron would be better off taking the baby away from her than letting her raise it, or Emma.

“What happened?” Sam watched Marti carefully. Exhausted, she slumped and sat on the edge of the bed. He tried to dry her thick hair with a towel. She looked angry as a wet cat.

“You were there. Shelly left her alone. She gave her one of the big poles and”—she smiled slightly—“Emma caught a fish. It pulled her right over the rail. The line cut her hand because her reflex was to hold on rather than let go. When I got to her in the water, she was bleeding and I thought every shark in the area was going to come hunting. I tried to hold her out of the water. Near impossible without a life vest of my own.”

Marti trembled and the fear washed through her again. “If I’d have missed the rope, I don’t know what would have happened. She couldn’t stay in the water, and I was running out of energy.”

She stood, the fear in her replaced with cold fury, and headed for the door. “I’m going to kill her.”

Jack grabbed her around the waist and hauled her back up against him. “Calm down, Marti. Let’s take care of Emma first. You can do whatever you want to Shelly. Once the adrenaline wears off, you’ll have your head screwed on straight again, and you’ll decide to kill Cameron instead. I’ll hold him down for you.” Jack smiled and glared at Cameron. This whole mess might have ended in death—either Emma’s, or Marti’s, or both.

“He’s second on my list.”

“That’s my girl,” Jack said and gave her a squeeze. She was all right in his book.

He let her go. She literally fell to her knees beside Emma. She pulled the little girl into her arms and held her tight. He didn’t think they’d get Emma away from Marti any time soon.