The Christmas Catch by Mary Shotwell

Author:Mary Shotwell
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2018-02-15T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

The dinner was not her fault. She hadn’t known Chris and Pamela invited Jack. There was no way for her to have known, and therefore she’d needed to stomach it and put a smile on her face. Admittedly there were times when she had smiled without mindful convincing. If she were truly honest with herself, there were parts that were downright...enjoyable. Jack had softened enough that she touched him at the table without a second thought, the fabric of his shirt sending fire through her fingers.

But as soon as she had let her guard down, Jack went for the strike. She was determined not to let it happen again.

Yet here she was, stepping foot onto Able Annie, a sleek wooden recreational boat with a deck. Except for the lower cabin space, it was exposed to open air. The decision had been completely in her control. She could’ve said no. Should’ve said no. Instead she was smiling, accepting Jack’s helping hand.

“Thank you,” she said. “I don’t have much experience on boats.”

“Do you get sick?”

“I don’t really know.” She grabbed on to the nearest piece of metal to catch herself.

“It’s actually better on a smaller boat like this than on Forrester.”

“Is that your fishing vessel? Forrester?”

“Yeah. Much larger and clunkier. If a boat can be clunky. Able Annie is Chris’s personal boat.”

“He’s okay letting you borrow it? He seemed a little annoyed.”

“Forrester is mine, and technically I don’t have to include Chris on my crew. But he’s my brother. Don’t get me wrong—he’s a competent sailor. It’s just an unspoken deal. He gets first opportunity on my crew. I get to borrow Able Annie.”

“As long as I’m not implicated in this,” she said.

“Nah. And just in case you have a tendency to get sick, it’s a good thing I snagged the rest of that wine. Helps with sea sickness.” He pulled the recorked bottle out of his vest.

“I don’t know what’s more alarming. That you’re suggesting we boat and drink, or that you were able to hide that in your vest without me seeing it this whole time.”

“I have been known to perform magic every now and then.”

She smiled at his pleasant grin.

“Let’s get going. I’ll get the front here.” He walked to the bow and untied the rope. “Can you get the back, and I’ll get us clear of the slip?”

“Sure,” she said with more certainty than she felt. The boat rocked side to side, and Jack started the motor. A billow of smoke hit her face.

“Sorry! She looks great on the outside but could use an engine upgrade.”

“It’s okay,” she said. Not like she valued her lungs. The comments Jack had made about her hunting reverberated in her mind like the motor vibrated on the water. Like she wasn’t capable, or she was too much of a girly girl to hack it outside. She loosened the rope off the cleat, letting the anger exit in mutters under her breath.

“All clear,” she said.

He hit the throttle slightly, the boat puttering away from the dock.

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