Table of Contents by Casey

Author:Casey [Casey]
Format: epub
Published: 2010-07-28T18:47:03.013000+00:00

Happiness settled over him. Peace. He was finished living in the

shadows as an insubstantial ghost. He’d found home and astonishingly,

home was a woman. He folded his arms across his chest and kept his gaze

on her as they rode out the increasing swells, shot beneath the bridge and

into calmer water. She laughed and turned her head again to look at him, to

share the experience with him.

Rikki took the boat straight to the dock. She’d called in the morning

and knew the processing plant would have the truck waiting when she came

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in. It looked as if she was the first boat to come back in. The others wouldn’t

be far behind her, not with the wind picking up so suddenly. They’d never

get back into the harbor if the swells increased in strength.

“We just got here,” Ralph called to her. “Mike’s the only other boat out

from Albion today. Danny went with him. The weather’s closing in on us

again.” His speculative gaze wasn’t on her but on Lev.

She nodded. “Supposed to be a good day.”

Lev looked at her face. She’d retreated, become closed off. She was all

business, hooking the nets to the pulley so Ralph could weigh and tag them

before dumping them into the totes. He watched carefully until he knew

exactly what to do, and casually took over, one hand moving Rikki gently

but firmly out of the way.

“Levi Hammond,” he said as he guided the sea urchin net over the

platform.

“Ralph Carlson.”

“Yeah, I remember. I’ll be around for a while again. Decided to come

back and claim my woman,” Lev said. “We’ve been dive partners on and off

for years. Been roughing it in Alaska, but figured if I waited too long, she’d

replace me.”

Rikki’s gaze was cool as it swept over him. “I’m still considering it.”

She played her part so perfectly he could have kissed her. He dropped

an arm around her shoulders and was content with kissing the top of her

head.

“Best damn diver up and down the coast,” he said. “Bossy too. She’s

not letting me touch anything on her boat.”

“I’m still mad at you,” she sniffed and pushed him away.

Lev laughed and climbed up onto the platform to help Ralph swing the

sea urchin nets to the totes while Rikki took her boat back to the dock to tie

up.

“Rikki doesn’t talk much,” Ralph said. “She’s been diving in this area

for about four years and has never said more than a few words to anyone.”

Lev nodded. “That’s Rikki.” He stepped a little closer to Ralph, using a

very careful “push” to test the man. “Been a while since I’ve been here.” He

planted a vague memory, nothing more than a shadow, laughing together in

a bar.

Ralph immediately filled in the blanks, providing an atmosphere and

details, dumping them into the memory to enhance it. “Long time.”

“Alaska’s wild. Great diving, but cold—and lonely.” Lev grinned at

him. “After a while all I could think about was getting back to Rikki.”

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“You’re lucky you came when you did. I was thinking I might ask her

out”

Lev smiled but his eyes went cool, then frosty. “Yeah, I wouldn’t try

that, I’m the jealous type.

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