Nothing But Time by Angeline Fortin

Author:Angeline Fortin [Fortin, Angeline]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi, pdf
Publisher: My Personal Bubble LLC
Published: 2012-01-30T11:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-Six

“Ahh, bad luck that,” Nathan moaned.

“What’s wrong?”

“Uncle Brandon says that being in the Berkshire lane gives an advantage to that team with the curve in that last quarter mile. See there, at the bend? The team closest to the far shore can cut the corner a bit gaining distance,” he pointed.

“That’s not fair!” Kate protested.

“Uncle Brandon said that the Berkshire side team most always wins.” Nathan stuffed more of his meat pie in his mouth muffling the words. “He said not to worry about it, when he raced here for Oxford, he won more than his share in the same fashion.”

“Still, that just not right!”

A murmuring grew around them and Nathan slung a leg over the rail again to lean out over the edge prompting Kate to grab his arm before he fell in. “Here they come! Here they come!”

Anchoring them both as best she could, Kate locked her eyes on the center lane as she watched the racers approach. The distant figures came steadily closer allowing Kate to make out Brand’s blond head and broad shoulders as he labored behind his partner. The men’s backs strained and their shoulders rotated as the dipped the oars in unison and pulled mightily only to slide forward and do it again. Though Kate longed to see his face, she couldn’t help but appreciate the play of muscles under his shirt. Indeed, Kate might have been sighing in rapture at the sweaty, masculine picture he presented if that shirt was not, well, almost pink.

“Why is your uncle wearing a pink shirt?” Kate asked beneath her breath. While it might be socially acceptable in her time for a man to wear that shade without having his inclinations questioned, it certainly wasn’t a color she’d seen on any man since her arrival here.

“It isn’t pink,” Nathan replied. “It’s light cherry. It’s the official color of the club. You can see it on the end of their oars as well. See.”

“Looks pretty darn pink to me,” she returned watching the oars move in and out of the water. Pink.

Voices grew around them and, diverted by the commotion, Kate joined in cheering for Brand as the boats speedily approached. The Leander Club boat was neck and neck with the team from the London Rowing Club with the Twickenham team falling a handful of lengths behind them. It had become a race between the two forerunners. Shouts grew in volume as first one boat then the other lunged into the lead and soon they were all screaming at the top of their lungs as the boats crossed the finish line but, looking down, Kate could see that Brand’s boat crossed just behind the one from the London Rowing Club to come in second in the race.

“Oh, drat!” Nathan muttered as the shouts died down leaving only the polite, social applause from the Stewards’ Enclosure.

“He did great, Nathan,” Kate said, tousling his hair. “Don’t sound so down.”

“But he lost, Kate,” the boy pouted, hanging limply over the rail once more.

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