The Pregnancy Plot. Carol Ericson
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thing at Moonstones that still worked.
The boat limped several more yards toward Break Island, and Nina climbed onto the seat cushions and waved her arms above her head. Did she even have a beacon on this thing?
In the distance, across the water, two boats seemed to be charging hard toward her. One had come straight from the boat docks on her side of the island and the other had rounded the bend from the town side of the island. Had they actually seen her or were they just out for a boat ride across the bay?
She flapped her arms to her sides like a giant bird and jumped—bad idea. The water in the belly of the boat sloshed and the outboard motor swung to one side, lifting the other side of the boat out of the water.
She stepped off the seat and shuffled to the leeward side of the boat. A loud crack resounded and the whooshing sound of water pushing through a small opening had her grabbing the bin where Dad had stored life jackets.
Why hadn’t she thought of that before? Gripping the edge of the lid, she paused, lifting her head to check on the progress of those two boats. The one from the docks by the B and B was still making a beeline toward her, while the other seemed to have disappeared. Maybe that one never saw her.
She grabbed an orange life jacket and slipped it over her head. She knew how to swim, but the flotation device would keep her afloat until her cavalry came to the rescue in case the cold water made her cramp up or her heavy clothes dragged her down into the murky water of the sound.
The boat rocked and she planted her feet on the deck beneath the water to steady herself, but the little fiberglass boat couldn’t take it. One side of the boat went under and the force flung her into the icy embrace of the bay.
The cold sucked the air from her lungs for a moment, paralyzing her, and then she made a grab for the side of the capsized boat. Her hands clawed against the slippery fiberglass until she found a hold.
The hum of an outboard motor got louder and louder, and she would’ve yelled out to make sure the boat was going to stop but her teeth were chattering so much she couldn’t get a sound past her lips.
She didn’t need to. The other boat’s motor cut out as it drew next to her incapacitated vessel. It floated around to her side, and a strong hand reached for her.
“Oh, my God. Are you all right, Nina?”
Tossing wet strands of hair back from her face, she looked into the dark eyes of Jase Buckley—her savior, or was he?
His grip tightened around her wrists. “Are you ready? I’m going to haul you up.”
With her teeth chattering, she nodded and braced her feet against the side of the boat.
Jase lifted her into the boat with ease, despite the eight extra pounds she’d packed on during her pregnancy. She glanced over her shoulder at her boat, now heavy with water, and shivered. She could’ve clung to the side, but she might’ve been there awhile if Jase and that other boat hadn’t been on the sound.
“What the hell happened?” Jase shrugged out of his flannel shirt, draped it over her shoulders and tucked it around her body.
“There was a hole in the bottom and it started taking on water.”
“Should we try to tow it back in?” He crouched next to a bin on the deck of the boat and tugged at the padlock securing the lid.
“I’ll call the Harbor Patrol when we get back to shore. They patrol the sound and they’ll bring it in for me.”
“If it hasn’t sunk to the bottom of the sound by then.”
She hunched her shoulders against the chill snaking through her body. “It’s insured if it does. Do you think we can get my purse off the boat? It’s hooked onto the side.”
“I’ll try.” He brought his boat abreast of hers, planted one foot on the ailing boat and snagged the purse. “Got it.”
Safely back in her neighbors’ boat, he handed the purse to her. “When was the last time you took that thing out on the water?”
“It’s been a few years. I haven’t been in it since I’ve been back. I meant to give it the once-over, but there were just so many other things to do.”
“That’s because you need some help.” He aimed the boat toward the shoreline.
Narrowing her eyes, she sniffed through what was probably a very red nose right now. What better way to get her to trust him than by staging a rescue? How long had Jase been snooping around the B and B and her boat dock before she’d discovered him in her yard?
“You look like you’re freezing.”
The wind raked its fingers through Jase’s chocolate-brown hair and infused his face with a ruddy glow. No pinched, red nose for him. He looked like an advertisement for some brisk aftershave.
“I am freezing. This water is not meant for a leisurely dip, especially with that storm from Alaska on its way.” She rubbed the back of her hand across her nose and pressed a palm against the small rise in her belly. Hopefully, the baby was still snug and cozy.
Jase’s eyes dropped to the movement and then shifted to stare at the land rushing toward them.
“Hang on. Not too much longer.”
“You borrowed this boat from the Kleinschmidts next door.”
“I figured they wouldn’t mind if I used it in the commission of a rescue.”
There it was again—pumping himself up as her savior. She crossed her arms, cupping her elbows and blowing out a long breath. She needed to relax. He was her savior. Why would Simon send someone out here to do his bidding for him and why would a man like this be interested in doing that bidding?
“You’re my savior because you got here faster than the other guy.”
“The other guy?” His brow crinkled as he nudged the rudder.
“Another boat was headed my way from the other side of the peninsula, the town side. I think he must’ve turned around when he saw you had the situation covered.”
“Really?” He downshifted and the boat chugged to a choppy crawl. “You’d think he would’ve come out anyway to make sure everything was okay.”
“Maybe he didn’t see me at all and continued across the sound.”
“Maybe.” He steered the boat back into the Kleinschmidts’ dock. “Can you reach the county patrol now?”
“Probably.” She dug into her bag and pulled out her phone.
Jase expertly maneuvered the boat into the dock and held out his hand to help her onto dry land. “You make that call while I secure the boat.”
Turning her back to him, she placed the call, and ten minutes later, just as Jase hopped onto the wooden dock, Nina spied the red county patrol boat heading toward her disabled craft.
“Do they need you to tow that back here?”
“No. They’ll secure it to my dock.”
“Good.” He squeezed her shoulders, still trembling beneath the blue flannel of his damp shirt. “Let’s get you inside and get you something hot to drink. Coffee?”
“I don’t drink coffee—anymore.”
“And I only drink it first thing in the morning. Do you have some tea or hot chocolate?”
“I have some chamomile tea, if you like.”
“It’s not for me. It’s for you.” He spun her around and marched behind her, his hands lightly on the back of her shoulders.
“You’re the one