The Lightkeeper's Bride (18 page)

His head went under the water and she screamed. “He’s drowning!”

“Take the rudder!” Philip yelled to her when they were ten feet from Will.

She moved back to where Philip was shucking his shoes and jacket.

She steadied the rudder as he tossed the anchor overboard. The boat slowed as the weight took hold.

“Haul down the sails!” He dove overboard and with swift strokes, aimed toward Will.

Praying frantically, Katie raced to the mast and yanked down the sails. By the time she returned to the railing, Philip had reached the spot where they’d last seen his brother. He floated and glanced around. Katie saw a dark head break through the waves behind him. “There! He’s there!”

Philip turned around and grabbed him by the collar. Katie grabbed a life preserver and tossed it at the two men when she was sure Philip had seized hold of Will. Philip snatched at it with his other hand and missed. The preserver floated on past. She pulled it back to the boat and hefted it again as Philip fought to keep his brother’s head above the water. This time it landed nearer the two, and she nearly shouted with victory when she saw Philip grab hold of it and slip it over Will’s head. Philip towed his brother toward the craft.

She rushed to the stern and grabbed Will’s arm as the back of the boat slewed in the water. Panting, she helped Philip get Will into the craft then held out her hand to assist Philip, but he shook his head.

He waved off her help and grabbed the side of the boat. “Tend to Will,” he gasped. He treaded water, gasping for oxygen.

Katie turned to Will, who was lying on his stomach on the deck. She pressed her fingers to his neck. Nothing. Panicking, she slid her fingers to another spot and tried again. There. A slight pulse pumped against her fingertips. But he wasn’t breathing. She pressed on his back until seawater spewed from his mouth and nose, but she still saw no signs of his lungs filling with air.

“Please, God, let him breathe,” she whispered. She rolled him over and wiped his face with her skirt. A shadow loomed over her, and she realized Philip had managed to get aboard.

“He’s not breathing,” she said, trying to keep her voice calm. She tipped his head back and pinched his nose closed. She’d only watched a demonstration about this technique and had never tried it, but she couldn’t stand by and let Will die.

Running over the steps she remembered, she checked to make sure his airways were clear then pressed her lips to his and began the kiss of life. His lips were cold and tasted of seawater. She tried not to believe she ministered to a dead man. When he didn’t respond, she pushed on his chest and tried again. Nothing.

“Breathe, breathe,” she begged. Her eyes burned, and her throat ached with holding in her emotion. She shook him and screamed into his face. “Don’t you die, Will Jesperson!”

He had to live. She couldn’t bear it if he died. She pushed his chest then filled her lungs again and blew oxygen into his mouth. Were his lips a bit warmer? She was nearly afraid to hope. She drew in another deep breath and leaned down.

He coughed, and she rolled him onto his side. Water ran from the corner of his mouth. His eyes opened and she nearly cried with relief.

“Where’s your hat?” he asked through a strangled voice before he closed his eyes again.

Katie let out a laugh of surprise and then sank back on her heels and gave in to her tears.

N
INETEEN

W
ILL WANTED TO
feel those warm lips on his again. The ones that had called him from a deep, cold place. He shuddered as the cold sank further into his bones. He’d been sure he was dead. There was little he remembered other than an eternity of fighting the cold and the waves until he’d given up all hope of surviving. Then he’d felt warmth and passion, a call he couldn’t resist. Katie. He opened his eyes and watched the beautiful woman who had saved his life weeping beside him.

Katie must have seen his involuntary movement because she glanced at his brother.

“Where do you think we could find a blanket?” she asked, wiping her face.

When she moved to follow his brother, Will grabbed her hand. She turned back toward him with her blue eyes wide.

“You kissed me,” he said. “Somehow it made me want to come back.”

Color rushed to her cheeks but she held his gaze. “It wasn’t a kiss. I was putting air into your lungs.”

He clutched her hand more tightly. “Your mouth was warm. I was cold—so cold.” An explosion of shivers shook him. He wanted to pull her down to him and wrap his arms around her, bask in her warmth.

She put her hand on his forehead. “Your brother is looking for a blanket in the hold. We’ll head for shore and the doctor shortly.”

His eyes strayed to the strands of gleaming brown hair that the wind had released from its pins. He’d never seen a more beautiful sight. “You don’t have your hat,” he said.

Though she smiled, the anxiety still stayed in her blue eyes. “So you said. I rushed out with Philip to try to find you and quite forgot it.”

A lady never went out without her hat. He could see a smattering of freckles across her nose and a pink tinge already on her forehead.

Miss Katie Russell was no typical lady, only concerned with propriety and decorum. He’d never known a woman to put herself out in such a way for another. He struggled to sit up then bit back a groan. His chest burned when he tried to pull in a deeper breath. His head throbbed and his skin felt as though it had been stripped away.

She placed a warm hand on his chest. “Lie still. I don’t want you to further harm yourself.”

He put his cold hand atop hers. “What is the saying . . . when someone saves your life, it belongs to them?”

She flushed a deeper pink. “Anyone would have done the same.”

When she tried to withdraw her hand, he kept it pressed to the place over his heart. “I don’t think so. You’re a remarkable woman, Miss Russell.”

“It’s Katie,” she said. “You can call me Katie.”

He nodded. “With something like this between us, I think first names are in order. In fact, I thought I heard you call me by name when I was in the water.”

Sparks of awareness pulsed between them. Will told himself it was because she’d given him the kiss of life, but he suspected it was more than that.

His brother returned with a wool blanket in his hand. He tucked it around Will. It smelled musty but the warmth it offered was all Will cared about. “Thanks,” he said. Shudders wracked him again.

Philip crouched beside him. “What happened?”

When her gaze sharpened with interest, Will struggled to sit up again, and this time, with Philip’s help, he made it. He leaned against the side of the boat and Katie helped him wrap the blanket all around him.

“I was about to bust open the lock on the chest when a rope fell to the ledge. Our pirate friends.”

“What makes you say it was them?” Philip asked.

“Before they knew I was in the cave, I saw one open the chest. Where else would ship equipment come from? I saw a logbook, compass, other instruments. I’d wager it’s from the missing ship.”

“Why hide that stuff? They could send it to the bottom of the sea with the ship.”

Will rubbed his aching head. “It was one of several chests. I guess they took them all in case there were valuables. They’d want to know what they had in their possession before they ransom it back to the shipping company.”

“Was it the men you saw on the hillside?” Katie asked. “The ones you questioned me about?”

He nodded. “And they are planning something else.”

Philip winched up the anchor. “Why do you think they have something planned?”

“I heard them say something about a ship bound with money coming in two days.”

“Did they name the ship?” Katie asked.

Will shook his head.

“Bet we can figure it out,” Philip said.

She glanced at his brother. “What a thrilling life you must lead as a detective! I think I should like to help you find the pirates.”

“The Pinkertons’ reputation lately has made all detectives appear that they’re accepting bribes and hobnobbing with criminals,” Will said. “You’d lose your precious respectability.”

She turned away and studied her hands. “What makes you think I care a fig about respectability?”

“You’re quite eager to take on any and every responsibility that looks your way. That usually denotes a strong streak of respectability.”

“I could say the same about you.”

“That’s true,” Philip put in. “Case in point: taking charge of the little girl when she’s not even mine.”

“What is the truth about Jennie’s heritage?” she asked. “We really must sort that out. Quite soon.”

“See, there you go again. You can’t help but take charge.” Will moved his head and winced.

“Can we save this conversation until he’s doing better?” Philip asked.

Will glanced at his brother. “I’ll be all right.”

Her sunburned skin turned even pinker as she glanced back and forth between the brothers. “We can’t let this situation continue.

That poor child deserves better. We need to get her settled.”

“I thought once we found her mother we’d ferret out the truth,”

Philip said. “Finding her mother’s killer is the goal now. That may be the only way we figure out Eliza’s involvement in all of this and who fathered Jennie. But I can’t do it alone.” Philip shot a quick glance Will’s way.

Will sighed and lifted a hand up to his head. It was aching. “I’ll do what I can, but remember, I have another job as well. I must perform the duties I’m being paid for.”

Katie glanced from Philip to Will and back again. “Surely you two don’t still suspect my father.”

Will opened his mouth to mention the pocket watch at home on his dresser then closed it again. No sense stirring up a painful subject.

The truth would come out sooner or later.

“His suicide attempt indicates guilt,” Philip said, jerking on the tack so hard the boat veered toward the shore. He righted course.

Will smothered a sigh. While he didn’t believe Philip had anything to do with Miss Bulmer’s death, he hated to think what Katie’s father’s potential guilt might do to her.

She turned to him. “I’m going to help you get to the bottom of this. My father had nothing to do with Eliza’s murder, and I’m going to prove it!”

“You’re not an investigator.”

“Neither are you.” Her eyes glowed. “And I know everyone in town. And nearly everything that has gone on in this community for years.”

Katie’s face felt tight and dry. She stared at the apparition in the mirror. A red-faced horror stared back at her. If her mother could see her now, she’d be
tsking
and shaking her head as she exclaimed about the fact that Katie had gone out without a hat or parasol. Whatever had she been thinking yesterday? Bart was coming to take her to lunch at his home this morning. She could only imagine what his parents would think when they saw her.

She touched her red, roughened cheeks. There was no way to hide the damage. She finished her hair, but no adjusting of her hat covered the sunburn on her face. Sighing, she removed her glasses and tucked them away, then closed the bedroom door behind her and proceeded down the steps. Bart would be here any moment. She should have telephoned him this morning and canceled the plans. When she reached the foyer, Will was exiting the parlor with Jennie in his arms. He was still pale and his head was bandaged.

The baby smiled and reached for her. Her small teeth gleamed in her smile. Katie took the baby then had to rescue a feather the child grabbed from her hat. “Has she eaten lunch?”

“I fed her.” His gaze probed under her hat at her sunburn. “Does it hurt?”

“A little.” She nuzzled the baby’s soft cheek. “How are you feeling?”

“I’ll live.” He paused and studied her face as she adjusted her hat to shade it better. “You could wear your glasses. They would hide part of your face.” His voice was full of amusement.

“I think not,” she said.

“You look quite fetching in them. Rather intelligent. I like intelligence in a woman.”

Her hot face flamed still hotter. Was he mocking her? She couldn’t tell if he was serious or not. She heard steps on the front porch then saw Bart’s familiar bowler through the door window. “I must go.”

She handed the baby to him and turned toward the door, but not so fast that she missed the frown that gathered in his forehead. There was a skip in her pulse. He couldn’t be jealous, could he? A smile lit her face when she opened the door. The delight faded when she saw Bart’s eyes widen at his first glimpse of her.

“Is that a sunburn?” he asked.

She opened the door and stepped out onto the porch to escape Will’s amusement. “It is, indeed. I got a little too much sun yesterday.”

He couldn’t seem to look away from her face. “You lost your chapeau?”

She turned her face away and took his arm. “I went boating yesterday.”

“Ah, the wind blew it off.” He picked up her gloved hand and patted it. “Most unfortunate.”

Some perverse impulse made her tell him the truth. “Not really. I quite forgot to take it.”

He stumbled on the grass. “It is of no matter. You look lovely.”

His gallant words made her wince. A woman never forgot her hat.

It just wasn’t done. He was bound to wonder what could have caused her to behave in such an unseemly way. And now to show up to his house with a sunburn. She blinked her eyes as they blurred. It was most uncharacteristic of her. Her mother would be appalled too.

She said nothing more as Bart helped her into the carriage then climbed in after her. The coachman urged the matched horses away from the sea toward town. She stayed on her side of the seat. If she’d been at home instead of the lighthouse, she might have dared to purchase a bit of powder to cover the evidence on her cheeks.

“Mother is delighted you’re coming,” Bart said. He reached over to take her hand again.

She checked the impulse to pull away, but she smiled at him and left her fingers clasped in his. With Florence demanding money, it was even more imperative that Katie marry. It was growing more difficult to fight her attraction to Will, but now she had Florence to contend with. She could not allow things to spin out of control.