In Deep Waters (9 page)

He nodded.

"But why?" Her voice cracked. She couldn't help herself. "Did I do something wrong?"

He looked away. "Not really."

"Not really?" Her blood pressure shot upward. "What's that supposed to mean?"

He checked a cable but said nothing.

She placed her hands on her hips. "I have a right to know."

He stared at her, but she could read nothing in his dark eyes. "You do."

She didn't feel any relief. Especially when he handed her the can of lubricant. "Hold this for me."

Kayla did. She wasn't about to be told she didn't take orders well. Not like some people.

Ben thanked her and adjusted the knobs on what she thought was a hydraulic pump.

She stared at the equipment as if it were the most fascinating piece of machinery she'd ever seen. At least she wasn't staring at Ben and waiting for him to speak. Kayla wanted to hear what he had to say, but she didn't want to appear anxious. She ground the toe of her shoe into the deck.

Finally he finished with the machine and gave it a loving pat. "Good as new."

Well, she wasn't. Kayla was losing patience. "Tell me now."

He pulled a rag from his pocket and wiped his hands. "I want you to leave."

"You
want me to leave?"

He checked another gauge. "I do."

"Why?"

"Family."

She shoved the can into his hand. "You've lost me."

"Having you aboard is a distraction to my family."

"Madison is a little girl." Kayla didn't understand what was going on. "She's distracted by everything."

"She's getting attached to you."

"I'm already attached to her."

"She's highly impressionable."

"I know that."

"She doesn't understand the difference between reality and fantasy. If you tell her stories, she'll believe them."

"Isn't that wonderful?" Kayla smiled. "The world is full of all sorts of possibilities for her. I wish more people could view the world like a three-year-old."

He frowned. "I don't want her head filled with nonsense."

"Nonsense?"

"Fairy tales and dreams. Stuff like that."

"Why not?"

"I have to look out for her." Ben sounded upset. Angry. "I don't want her to get hurt."

Kayla didn't understand the reasoning behind his concern, but she knew he wanted only to protect his daughter. That appealed to her on a gut level and made Ben more attractive. The attraction went beyond his good looks and larger-than-life aura. It went deeper, to who he was as a man and a father. "I know you're concerned about Madison, but you're wrong about my hurting her.

Every time I see her, it's all I can do not to pick her up and smother her with love. She's this ray of sunshine who gives out bubble-gum flavored kisses and sticky-hand hugs."

Ben simply stared at Kayla, his features tight. She wasn't about to give up.

"You don't know me, but I would never hurt your little girl. I couldn't."

"Not on purpose."

It wasn't the answer she wanted, but she'd take it. "Thank you for that. If I promise to be more careful around Madison, may I stay?"

"It's not only Madison. My family includes the crew--"

"I get along with every member of this crew. They've gone out of their way to be nice and make me feel like one of them." Not counting Ben, Kayla realized. "And I haven't been telling them any stories. If you're looking for an excuse--"

"The guys have a bet going about who will be the one to marry you."

She swallowed. Hard.

"I've handpicked my crew. We've been together a long time. They're family. I can't have it all ruined because of--"

"Me," she said.

"A bet," he said at the same time. "A bet like this could cause real problems. The guys are competitive enough, and if this got out of hand... Do you understand?"

"Yes." And she truly did. Ben cared about his crew. He was looking out for them. She respected that. But it made her position more difficult. "Don't I have a say in
any of this? Your crew may want to marry me, but I don't want to marry any of them. No offense intended."

"None taken," Ben said. "I'm not part of the bet."

"I never thought you were." Kayla said the words a little too quickly and hoped he didn't notice. "This isn't fair."

"No, but it's a business decision." The finality of his tone sealed her fate like a judge's gavel declaring a life sentence. "I have to look out for my crew's best interest. If there was another way..."

"Would you let me stay?"

He stared at the horizon. The sun descended in the reddening sky. She remembered an old saying. Red sky at night, a sailor's delight. Tomorrow would be a nice day. It had to be better than the storm raging right now.

"Yes," he said finally.

Kayla wasn't about to celebrate. His hesitation told her this might go deeper than family and business, but she had bigger problems at the moment. Leaving the ship was unacceptable.

"So you'll leave."

Kayla noticed it wasn't a question. She had to find a way to stay. And she had very little time to do it. An idea popped into her head, but she wasn't sure if it would work or if she could pull it off. If it backfired... What choice did she have? "If you agree to use my coordinates, and we can't find a way to resolve this problem with your crew, I will leave."

Ben cracked a smile.

Unbelievable. She'd protected his feelings by keeping her true role in this expedition a secret, when he was trying to get rid of her. A knife in the back would have been subtler. Ben was a pirate in every sense of the word.

"Deal." He extended his arm. "Let's shake on it." Shaking hands with the enemy didn't appeal to her, but he gave her no choice. As his large hand engulfed hers, an electric shock pulsated up the length of her arm. His grip was firm. Not too strong. Just right. His calloused skin was rough, yet warm. The handshake lingered. Lasted longer than it should have, given the circumstances. Now wasn't the time to get friendly. Kayla jerked away.

Two could play at this game. The rules had changed. No more playing nice. It was her turn, and the gloves were coming off.

Kayla didn't have time to be going to the bow right now. Her fate and that of the expedition rested in her hands. But Madison had wanted her to come, and Kayla didn't have the heart to say no.

"We have to hurry." Holding onto Baby Fifi, Madison climbed the steps on her tiptoes. "It's almost dinnertime."

"Why are you whispering?"

"Shh." Madison placed her finger at her lips. "We have to be really quiet or we'll scare the mermaid away."

Memories of waiting for a mermaid to appear came back to Kayla. She'd begged her father to let her go into the ocean and find one, but he wouldn't let her go near the water. She remembered her promise to Ben about being more careful around Madison, but bis concern seemed more of a ruse to get her to leave. Dreams and fantasies were as normal as breathing for a young child. Still, she wouldn't encourage her, for Ben's sake. Kayla smiled. "Is there a mermaid nearby?"

Madison nodded. "I saw it before you came on the ship."

Kayla walked on her tiptoes, too. "Where?"

"In the water." Madison kneeled by the railing and motioned for Kayla to join her. "We have to be quiet so he doesn't know we're here. That's how Baby Fifi and me saw him before."

"Him?"

Madison nodded. "It was a daddy with a tail."

"A man like your daddy?"

She nodded. "He had dark hair like my daddy's and it was wet."

"What did he look like?" Kayla asked.

"He had pretty blue eyes. My daddy says I have pretty eyes, too, but mine are brown." Madison tilted her chin. "I know all my colors."

"Good for you."

"The mermaid was really tanned. He must've forgot to put on his sunscreen."

Kayla smiled at Madison's disapproving tone. "Did he say anything to you?"

"No, but he waved." Madison waved, even though no merman was there to wave back. "I saw his tail when he went under the water. It was gold and shiny like my daddy's earring."

She spoke as if it were the most normal thing in the world to have a merman wave to her. Kayla wanted to give Madison a great big hug. Kayla also wanted to have a talk with Ben about the importance of imagination. Madison's imagination needed to be fostered, not smothered. "Do you know what you saw?"

"Daddy said it had to have been a big fish. Maybe a whale. But whales are really big. He wasn't that big."

Figures Ben would say something like that.
Kayla
sighed. "I suppose a merman might qualify as a big fish."

"A merman." Madison's eyes lit up. "My daddy said mermaids--mermans--aren't real. They exist in our
im-anations."

"Mermaids exist in our imaginations and in our dreams."

"Have you ever seen one?" Madison asked.

"No, but my father told me stories about them." Kayla smiled at the cherished memories. "Would you like to hear one?"

"Yes."

She placed her arm around Madison's small shoulders. "A long time ago in a sea far, far away, a magical island called Atlantis existed."

Kayla told the same story her father used to tell her. She couldn't believe how much she remembered, and when she reached the end, Madison snuggled against her. "Can I hear it again?"

Kayla remembered how she'd felt when she was younger. She'd always wanted to hear the story again. And again. And again. "How about at bedtime?"

"Okay." Madison hugged Baby Fifi. "I like that story."

"Me, too." The Atlantis tale about mermaids had been her favorite and had gotten more complex as she got older. But Kayla had simplified the tale for Madison. The way her father had done for her when she was a little girl.

Daddy.

Kayla carried his memory in her heart, but she missed him and his stories so much. Some children had a favorite stuffed animal or blanket they carried with them and slept with; she'd had her father's stories. Those were
her "loveys." He'd told her tales right until he set out on that fateful expedition and didn't return home.

"Do you know more stories?" Madison asked.

Kayla nodded. "My father told me lots of stories. I'd be happy to share them with you if we ask your daddy first."

"Okay." Madison stared at the water. "I wanted you to see the mermaid man, but I don't think we're going to see him now."

Kayla gave her a squeeze. "Don't worry, sweetie, we'll have plenty of chances to see him."

She was going to make sure of it.

Dinnertime rolled around. So far, no blood had been spilled over the fight for Kayla's affection, though the shooting-dagger glances being exchanged between Zach, Stevie and Fitz, who had snagged seats at Kayla's table, and the rest of the crew weren't making Ben feel that relieved. The three other men at his table stared longingly at the trio sitting with Kayla across the room.

She rose from her chair and tapped a spoon against her water glass. The clinking sound wasn't necessary. Her standing had silenced the room. "I want to make an announcement."

She was going to say goodbye. Ben sat back in his chair to enjoy the moment.

"Before dinner, I went to the control room and spoke with Gray and Vance. So they've heard what I'm about to say."

Each of his men focused their full attention on Kayla. Fitz grinned like a child. Zach almost drooled. Stevie rushed in from the kitchen and nearly took out the cart for the dirty dishes. Monk leaned over the table as if
narrowing the distance between him and Kayla. Wolf held Madison on his lap and smiled like a fool.