The Chilling Tide

by T M Bashford

  THE CHILLING TIDE

  Copyright © 2020 by T.M. Bashford. All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including photocopying, recording, or by information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review or where permitted by law.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

  Print: ISBN-13: 978-0-6486780-4-5

  Digital ISBN-13: 978-0-6486780-5-2

  Cover Design: Blue Water Books

  Editor: Silvia Curry

  Library of Congress Control Number: 2020900296

  For all of you who continue to believe in true love.

  Praise for The Tide Series

  “Mesmerising. T.M. Bashford is my new favorite author. Her writing is the whole package: dynamic, well developed characters; riveting, fast moving, action packed storyline; emotionally overwhelming and heart-stopping vocabulary and language and the developing, death defying suspense makes you unable to put her book down.” Amazon Reviewer

  “I always love finding new authors, and this author is one to watch, because she has serious talent!” Amazon Reviewer

  “It’s so refreshing to read about a strong, yet realistic and complex female character.” Goodreads Reviewer

  “Drew had my heart from the beginning, but this [final] book sealed the deal.” Makala Williams, Yours Truly Book Services

  “Wow. This is definitely a 5-star read. Lots of action. Broken and unique characters.” Amazon Reviewer

  “Nothing I write in my review would ever give this book the justice it deserves.” Amazon Reviewer

  “TM Bashford shows her love of words with her intense story.” Amazon Reviewer.

  “I truly Love this story and it will forever be in my heart. Such talented writing.” Goodreads Reviewer

  “Couldn't put it down! Adrenaline and strife kept me turning the pages.” Amazon Reviewer.

  “Gripping must read!” Amazon Reviewer

  Contents

  BOOK DESCRIPTION

  1. Shae

  2. Drew

  3. Shae

  4. Drew

  5. Shae

  6. Drew

  7. Shae

  8. Drew

  9. Shae

  10. Drew

  11. Shae

  12. Drew

  13. Shae

  14. Drew

  15. Shae

  16. Drew

  17. Shae

  18. Drew

  19. Shae

  20. Drew

  21. Shae

  22. Drew

  23. Shae

  24. Brett

  25. Drew

  26. Shae

  27. Drew

  28. Shae

  29. Drew

  30. Shae

  31. Drew

  32. Shae

  33. Drew

  34. Shae

  35. Drew

  36. Shae

  37. Brett

  38. Shae

  39. Drew

  40. Shae

  41. Shae

  42. Shae

  43. Shae

  FINAL NOTE

  Praise for Becoming Sienna

  Extract From Becoming Sienna

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Also by T.M. Bashford

  About the Author

  Acknowledgments

  BOOK DESCRIPTION

  Brett doesn’t believe in love triangles . . . someone must go.

  When Drew is manipulated into believing Shae has fallen for his lifelong friend Brett, Drew decides that letting her go is the ultimate act of love.

  For Shae, his rejection only pushes her closer to Brett.

  Unhappy and living on separate continents, Shae’s decision to cross the Atlantic in a sailing contest ends in disaster. She has no choice but to accept Drew’s offer of a home and medical specialists, but she’s determined to never let him into her heart again.

  In his final, desperate attempt to have Shae for himself, Brett crosses boundaries of friendship and love, and concludes that the only way to destroy a love triangle is to decide who will live and who will die . . . Drew’s the obvious choice, but if Brett can’t have Shae, then no one can.

  Shae

  My heart slips.

  I tug my gaze from Drew toward the empty gray horizon. This time, I can’t find solace in the gentle rise and fall of Ariel or the slap of the shifting waves against her hull. Drew’s still on his knees in the cockpit, the diamond ring between his thumb and index finger. The tension in the air stretches, making it too thin to breathe.

  Marry Drew? He’s asking me to marry him after I ran from the life of being a rich man’s girlfriend. How can he think becoming a billionaire’s wife is any better?

  Glancing back at him, Drew’s eyes soak me in tenderness. But then he frowns at my hesitation, at how I blink away the treacherous tears and jerk my face up to the clouds that tumble across the cobalt sky.

  He leans onto his haunches, knees planted on the damp deck. The apple he’d dropped rolls across the cockpit as Ariel pitches and lolls. Disappointment stumbles across his features like the tumbling clouds. I steady myself on the bench seat, hunting for the right thing to say.

  “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to hurt you.” My words swirl, sour in my mouth. “I just can’t give you an answer right now.”

  His gaze slopes to my face. “Can you not forgive me? Are you still angry about Ava, even after I explained what happened?” He slips the ring into his shorts pocket, his expression bland but his eyes spinning with hurt.

  “It’s not that I don’t...” I cannot say the ‘L-word’. Not yet. “I’ve tried to hate you and that’ll never be possible.”

  He captures me to him again, squeezing me. My relieved laugh sounds strangled.

  “This isn’t how I planned to propose,” he says into my hair. “I understand we’re young, but how else can I convince you that I love you? I’m sorry I hurt you. I need you to know you’re my future... my everything.” He chuckles. “I sound as if I’m reciting song lyrics, but I mean every word.”

  I let myself sink against him, savoring being held after two months of missing him so badly that some days I thought I would break into pieces. A sensation of calm washes through me, like when you come home after a very long, difficult journey. But that’s not a reason to marry someone. I lay my head on his shoulder, then speak into his neck.

  “I need some time with the idea. It’s too much now. To be honest, I only came to find you out of guilt—it was my fault you and my brother were in danger. For weeks, I thought you were with Ava.”

  Drew pulls away. “Would you have come if Finn wasn’t with me?”

  The question takes me off-guard, but of course, I would’ve. “Yes.”

  “You hesitated.”

  “I hadn’t thought about it before.”

  “But now you know the truth. I was never with Ava.”

  I scramble to find words to fill the silence. “I never thought marriage would be for me—not ever. I’m only twenty-four. I haven’t even finished college. Or got a real job. We’re two boats lost out here in a cyclone belt—with a kidnapper. Karma is de-masted and taking on water, and we’re ninety miles from Samoa and safety. It’s such a tenuous situation. We’re not out of danger yet. And… and I imagined my future sailing around the world on Sassy Jam—I want to set a world record—and now you’re here again. It’s a lot...”

  My next words are lodged in my throat; I can’t say the final truth—that I’m not someone who can fit into his new life of red-carpet movie premieres an
d business lunches. And I hate the media attention that comes with being a Vega because I’ve always needed an invisibility cloak. He doesn’t seem to realize that, which makes me wonder how well he knows me.

  “As long as you feel something for me, it’s enough.” His tone is warm, his breath soft in my ear. “We’re in a crazy situation at the moment, but whether it’s next month or next year, I’m ready to marry you whenever you’re ready. I just want you to know.”

  When he turns to kiss my forehead, I lower my gaze and stoop to pick up the green apple that’s rolling across the floor. It has one bite taken from it. “Hungry, were you?”

  Drew takes the apple, thrusts it into a pocket. “It kept me going. Don’t laugh, but the smell of it made me feel closer to you. Remember the apple shampoo you used on Sassy Jam? I’ve turned into a lovesick, apple-smelling fool.”

  He rubs his thumbs over the blisters on my hands from the rope work then strokes my cheek. I make myself remember to breathe while longing to run my fingers through his milky tea-colored hair. The betrayal and jealousy which had overwhelmed me when I watched Ava with him is siphoned away by the love I sense in his touch—it soaks through my skin and into my veins like ink through water.

  His face moves closer and I zero in on his mouth, which turns soft and serious. Hot, needy desire waterfalls through me. Our breaths hitch and my rabbiting heart throbs against my chest. But if we kiss or become intimate, he’ll think we have a future. It’ll give him the wrong signal. Instead, I drop back onto the bench seat and tap the place beside me. I glance away from his frown, pondering Karma bobbing quietly next to us, and then make conversation by talking about the last few weeks.

  Finn, Sienna, and the other girl had thoughtfully gone below deck on Karma. Drew and I eventually jump across from Ariel and descend the companionway stairs into the cockpit to join them. The stench of wet wood is strong.

  Finn is seated at a spacious dining table with his arm around Sienna. He cheers the loudest when he sees us and comes over to hug me.

  “You two got things sorted, sis?” he asks. Under his dark fringe, his eyes dart between me and Drew.

  Drew looks at his feet.

  Suddenly embarrassed, I inspect the cabin and pray that Drew doesn’t say anything about proposing to me. “This is quite a boat,” I say. Karma’s modern wooden cabin is huge. The kitchen is the same size as Sassy Jam’s entire below deck. “Seems undamaged in here—not so good up top. What’s the situation, apart from losing your mast?”

  “No electrics, therefore, no equipment or lights. The bilge pump doesn’t work and we’re taking on water.” Finn crosses his arms and clutches each shoulder before continuing, “Lost the buckets at sea when we were using them as drogues, no almanacs for the sextant, the dinghy is gone, running out of food and water. Other than that, we’re pretty perfect.”

  “The rescue authorities have your location from the EPIRB you set off, but they held off coming out because of a cyclone threat,” I say.

  “And that’s when you decided to mount your own rescue mission?” Drew says, his face crawling with both disapproval and admiration.

  I shrug. “Couldn’t drag you across the Pacific again and not come and help when you needed me, could I?” He pulls me to him again.

  “What are we going to do?” Sienna asks. Her usually tranquil expression is pinched with worry, though she still resembles a delicate fairy from a children’s storybook with her dark pixie haircut and waiflike body.

  “We can always eat Eddie if we get really hungry,” the girl I met in Auckland jokes. Everyone laughs. “Remember me? Colbie? We met in New Zealand?” She extends a hand but then changes her mind and engulfs me in an enthusiastic hug. “Glad we finally found you—or did you find us? Drew’s been a nightmare to live with. Mooning around, staring at the stars, and sniffing apples instead of eating them. Hopefully, he’ll ease up now.” She darts a cheeky grin at him, her wide smile bright against her tanned skin.

  “Actually, I think Eddie’s more of a nightmare to live with,” Drew says.

  “Where is he?” I ask, eyeing the area.

  “Locked in his cabin,” Sienna says. Everyone stares at the door with a large hole in it. “Don’t worry, he’s not only tied up, but the boys secured him on the bed, which will stop him from rolling off and kicking in the door.”

  I glance nervously at Drew. He stares out of a porthole.

  “My life feels like a movie,” Sienna murmurs. “I’m starting to long for the quiet of my parents’ home in Cape Cod.”

  “Can your boat tow us to Samoa, Shae?” Colbie asks as she munches noisily on a celery stick and twirls her blonde ponytail.

  Finn grunts, skeptical. “I’m guessing you’ve got no communications on Ariel?” I shake my head. “Don’t know about towing—read how to do it but never done it.” Finn plunks next to Sienna at the table.

  I join them, followed by Drew and Colbie. Drew lays a warm palm on my leg. I relish the sensation of hot ripples of desire diving through my belly.

  He still gets to me… in a big way.

  Finn drums his fingers on the table. “I doubt we’ve got a line long enough for towing—or strong enough. It would need to be three hundred feet and double braided nylon at the very least. I doubt Ariel’s motor is powerful enough to pull us given the ocean’s not exactly calm. It’d be like spinning car tires for hours on end.”

  “Do we wait for the rescue authorities instead?” Sienna asks. “What if a storm comes in? What if they take weeks to find us? Can we all sail to Samoa in your boat, Shae?”

  Colbie nearly chokes on her celery. “What about Eddie? Don’t suppose there’s a lock-up cabin in Shae’s boat.”

  “No lock-up anything,” I confirm.

  “You’ve got buckets though. We can bail out the water from below more effectively.” Finn’s boat builder brain is whirring. “I can fix the portholes and plug any leaks. What about flares and food?”

  “Yes, to buckets and flares. No to food.”

  “I’ve got it.” Finn jumps up, forgetting he’s sitting at a fixed dining table and he whacks his thighs. “Please tell me you have spare fuses. We’re missing the engine fuse.”

  “Yeah, I do.”

  Everyone whoops and Sienna jumps up and down.

  “Then Karma can motor back, with Ariel as our safety boat,” Finn says. “We have plenty of fuel. If all else fails, we can jump onto Ariel. With or without Eddie. If it’s life or death?” He stares at Colbie.

  She carries on munching and shrugs, her button nose wrinkling. “Whatever.”

  The sky is low and the color of dirty sea salt. Drew and I head for Karma’s cabin roof. He sits with his back to the mast and beckons me to come sit in the circle of his body.

  “The sea’s a bit rough to sit like that,” I choke out because I don’t want to mislead him. “I’m meant to be solo sailing around the world soon.” I say the words to cover my rejection while I settle a foot away from him. I’m desperate to kiss him, to let myself love him, but I know I could never last in his world.

  He turns a hurt expression toward Colbie, who’s helming Karma, and then Finn, who has taken over on Ariel. We’re sailing fifty meters apart. Sienna is tidying the kitchen and chopping vegetables to go with the tinned tuna we have for dinner.

  “I’m sorry about your dad,” I say in an effort to change the subject. “Do you want to talk about it?”

  His chest surges. “It was a riding accident. His horse refused a hedge. They say some pieces of shiny stones spooked the horse just before he jumped.”

  “Were you with your dad?” He nods. “And then I go and make it worse by running off.”

  “As my dad would say—let’s look forward rather than backward. You’re here now. We finally have each other with nothing in the way.”

  I stiffen.

  “What?” he asks. “What’s wrong?”

  “I hate thinking about the future. It’s always… blank.”

  Drew shifts his position
to see my face better. “Can I fill in the blank for you?” He maneuvers me so our crossed legs touch at the kneecaps, our fingers linked. Drew’s glance bobs away and returns, either embarrassed or nervous. “I hope you’re on the same page as me. I understand you don’t want to get married yet, but I’m in a position to… support you. Wait, that sounds wrong. I mean... give us a future. You could finish your degree in Sydney, sail boats, whatever your heart desires. Or would you prefer to live in California?” His eyes are peppered with questions—and worry.

  That’s just the problem—we’re not on the same page. Clearly, I love Drew, but nothing has changed from when I first took Ariel and sailed from Townsville to Sydney to say goodbye to him. I can’t live the life of a billionaire’s wife. Money has never been important to me. Only sailing is—it’s my invisibility cloak and has been almost all my life. My gaze slips out to sea and memories of how Drew and I argued about me doing the Sydney to Hobart race reinforce my feeling that this can’t work. But it’s so good to be with Drew for this short time, and I don’t want to bring the fight up and spoil this moment.

  “What aren’t you telling me?” He always busts me. “Come on, Shae, trust me.”