“Why would you say such a thing?” He was really tormented by things right now. Hunter had never acted so unsure of himself before. He’d always been strong and brave. He was someone that she looked up to. She always wished that she could have taken more of Hunter’s attitude after the accident. He met life head on instead of hiding in fear like she had. Hunter had become her secret role model. She’d never said a word about that to anyone, not even Hunter. She’d looked up to him for years.
“I don’t know. I guess I don’t have anyone else in my life that I can trust and that I can count on, so I wonder if it’s me.”
Those words were not the Hunter she was used to. Not at all. She ached for him, for all the pain he’d encountered.
“And there I went, throwing out more negative. Okay, time to change the subject for now.” Hunter flashed a grin. With just a single smile, his mood changed. “Tell me, if you were to create an image of what you think love looks like, what would it be?”
What an odd question. Leave it to Hunter to ask something like that. Another example of how he understood her, even without realizing it. “I’ve never thought about it,” she lied. Why did she just lie? Of course she’d thought about it! All the time! She closed her eyes, trying to create an image immediately.
“Think about it for me, would you?” he asked softly. “I’m curious what you will come up with. And then create it so I can take it home and hang it up on my wall.”
She snapped her eyelids open to look at him again. “Why?” she asked with a nervous chuckle.
Hunter shrugged. “I want to see what someone else’s version of love is. Being so artistic, you could probably come up with something amazing. I want to have a reminder, something to look at when I go back home.”
Something in his voice pulled on her heartstrings. Hunter was a wreck. If a simple painting was what he longed for, then she would do her best to create one for him.
“Okay. I’ll think about it and come up with something for you,” she said softly.
His grin widened, reaching his eyes. “Really? Thank you, Becca. I can’t wait to see what you come up with. Hey, what do you say we go for a little walk and see what this lonely little island has to offer?” He shot to his feet and brushed off the sand from his khaki shorts. “I don’t think we could ever visit every island, no matter how many times we come here.”
“That sounds like a fun idea, and probably not.” He held his hands out to help her rise to her feet. “I’m really sorry you went through all of that. It’s unfair that your ex is using your daughter against you. Some people just have a mean streak for no rhyme or reason. But your daughter, she’s so precious. I looked at that photo and saw so much of you. I do hope you’ll tell me more about Sienna.”
Hunter lifted the cooler and moved it. He reached for the blanket to fold. “She’s the sweetest girl. So bubbly and cute. I miss her. I can already guess that getting full custody is going to be a long battle. She’s such a daddy’s girl. Her eyes light up every time I’m near and she squeals before running into my arms.”
She heard the admiration in his voice when he spoke of his baby girl. “You’re such a proud daddy. I love hearing you talk about Sienna.”
“I am proud. Who knew I could make a kid that cute?” Hunter cracked a smile and tossed the neatly folded blanket over his shoulder. “I look at her and wonder how she could really be mine. She looks like me, no doubt, but I could never have guessed I would have a mini-me baby girl. Her personality reminds me of you. She lights up the room whenever she walks into it.”
Becca’s heartbeat sped up. Reminded him of her?
“Oh, don’t look so surprised!” Hunter laughed, edging closer to her. “You have this aura about you. Bright and happy. You have the heart and soul of a strong warrior. You’re one of the bravest women I know.”
Becca hesitated for a second before following him. Hunter’s mood changed constantly. He really had a lot of personal struggle to deal with and she wondered what more could she could do for her friend. He went from a man who tried to hide his doubts to a man that had the power to steal her heart with the things he said. His words about his admiration for her and her strength touched a place in her heart. Just when she’d been thinking about how much she’d been inspired by him, he went and surprised her.
Hunter stopped and turned around. “Hey, I have an idea. I know this is going to be totally random, but I was thinking. You seem to be okay with the water, but you hate flying. What if we went parasailing? You’ll kind of be flying, and it’ll be over water. We wouldn’t even be that high up. What do you say?”
Becca laughed. “Hunter, only you can go from one thought to another without any connection that I can find. Your mind is spontaneous!”
“I know. It’s a weakness sometimes,” he said seriously before flashing another one of his grins her way. “What do you say?”
She finally caught up to him. Rays of sunlight filtered through the trees. “I don’t know.” She bit her lip. The idea of being in the air, even over water, scared the hell out of her. Again, she thought back to Hunter’s words. If she pushed herself hard enough, she could conquer anything. In many ways, she’d done so already. He believed in her, so why not believe in herself?
“I won’t push, but keep the idea in mind. If you agree, I’ll set something up. One day, I’d love to take you up for a ride in my plane, so I thought of ways we could prepare you for that. I understand your fears, but I also know that you are brave.”
“I’ll give it some thought,” she said softly.
*****
For the next hour they walked around through the trees, looking for anything interesting on the little spot of land. There wasn’t much to this island at all. He’d spotted a few cabins and some bigger houses, but that was about it. Birds chirped in the trees. Other than that, there were no sounds.
“There isn’t much here. What do you say we take a break, eat a little bit and head back to the main island?” Hunter asked.
“That sounds like an idea I can go for. I’m a little hungry.”
Hunter set the cooler down and faced Becca, just in time to see her slip and start to fall. She let out a yelp. He rushed forward to catch her before she hit the ground, but he wasn’t fast enough.
“Are you okay?” He reached her and held out his hands. Becca winced as she climbed to her feet again.
“I’m so uncoordinated!” She laughed. He’d guess she was trying to hide her frustration over falling. “Dang it, that hurts. I slipped, then stumbled on a rock. My ankle is throbbing right now,” she groaned. Her lips formed a frown.
“Here, let’s find somewhere to sit and we’ll check that ankle,” Hunter said, very concerned. He tried not to be overbearing, but he worried that maybe she’d sprained it. He slid an arm around her waist to help keep some weight off the foot. She limped along, letting out tiny gasps and groans. He was glad they’d started making their way back toward the boat already. They wouldn’t have far to go if she’d actually done something to it. “There’s a boulder here that you can sit on.” Hunter nodded in the direction of a few large rocks just a couple yards ahead of them. When they reached them and Becca sat, Hunter put the cooler on the ground and tossed the blanket over it. He carefully took off Becca’s shoe and peered at her ankle. No bruising that he could see. He gently touched different areas around her foot, asking, “Does that hurt?” Most times she said no, until he found the one spot that made her gasp. Sure enough, she had a little bit of swelling there. “It doesn’t look too bad, but maybe it’s time to head back.”
Becca’s cheeks were red as she nodded. “I think so. Sorry my clumsiness cut our trip short.”
He slid her shoe back on her foot. “Don’t apologize, Becca. You can lean on me and we’ll go as slow as you need to. There isn’t much left to see on this island anyway.”
Even going slower for Becca’s sake, it didn’t take long to get back to the water. Hunter noticed immediately that something was wrong, but he c
ouldn’t get his mind to cooperate with what he saw.
Their boat was gone. It was no longer tied to the dock. What the hell? He’d tied it! And he used the anchor! How could the boat not be there?
“Hunter,” Becca said slowly. “Our boat decided to leave without us.”
“I know I secured that boat!” He let out an exasperated sigh. “I did, right?”
“I remember you doing it,” Becca affirmed, alarm filling her voice.
His heart raced. He tried mentally retracing his steps from the moment he’d pulled up to the dock. Sure, the ropes could have come loose, but he also had the anchor. That only meant one thing. Someone had to have done this on purpose. A prank maybe? He’d never seen anyone outside when they were walking around, but it didn’t mean someone hadn’t slipped by them without either of them seeing the person. Acid churned in his stomach. Something wasn’t right. When they arrived at the dock, Hunter dropped the items in his hand and rushed to the edge. Dark clouds had gathered, and lightning sliced the air in the distance. A brisk wind blew from the storm’s direction. He searched the waters for a sign of their boat. He spotted it, floating among the choppy waves about two hundred yards ahead. So, at least someone hadn’t stolen the boat. He could just swim over and bring it back. Then the only worry was getting back to the main island before the storm hit. Taking a deep breath, Hunter flung his shirt off and tossed it on top of the blanket. Then he pulled out his cell phone and wallet and handed them to Becca. “I’m going to go get the boat. I’ll be back real fast.”
She took the items from his outstretched hand, her full lips turned down in a worried frown. “You be careful, okay?”
“I will. Keep an eye out. Something isn’t right. I’d better hurry now, before the boat goes even further.” That water would be cold, but he didn’t care. The faster he got the boat and had Becca safely on it, the safer he’d feel. He didn’t even like the idea of leaving her on the dock alone, but he wasn’t about to have her swim all the way out there with him. On a silent count to three, Hunter jumped into the water. Even though he anticipated the cold, it still hit him with a shock through his entire body. He shouted before his head went below the surface for a moment. When he gained his composure and his body became slightly accustomed to the cold, he stretched his arms out and swam toward the boat. He wanted to turn around and look at Becca, but decided against it. His mind raced. Adrenaline pumped through his body, pushing harder and harder to swim through the chilly, dark waters. Just as he feared, those storm clouds were heading this way. Sheets of rain fell in the distance and the lightning became more frequent. If it came any closer, they just might have to hold up on the island somewhere until it passed. Damn it!
Water slapped his face, but he kept his pace to make it to the boat. He could have paid more attention at the dock to see if this was intentional or if he’d simply forgotten, but at this point all he wanted to do was get in the water and to the boat. This wasn’t the day he’d expected with Becca.
His legs were starting to tire. They weren’t pushing with as much force. Almost there. He could see the boat easily now. There weren’t any more boaters on the water now. They’d probably paid more attention to the weather than he had. The storm’s fury seemed to be intensifying at an alarmingly fast rate. Thunder rumbled almost constantly.
Finally, he reached the boat. Hunter grabbed the sides and hoisted himself up. As he stood up on the boat, droplets of water splattering on the floor, he rushed to start the engine. He had to get to Becca now. As another strong gust of wind blew, Hunter shivered.
“I made it. I made it,” he chanted quietly. Time to get this baby started and get back to the dock. He cast a wary glance at the darkening skies. No, he didn’t think they were going to make it at all. He wasn’t too happy about having to find a place to stay on the island, but he wasn’t about to drag Becca on the waters in this storm.
It reminded him too much of that night and the surprising storm they’d encountered. Everything had been fine. It had been smooth riding up until that storm.
His legs trembled heavily as he pulled the cord to start the engine. It took three tries before the boat roared to life. He gripped the wheel and focused on getting back. He spotted Becca on the dock, but was still too far away to make out her expression. Her long locks of hair flowed behind her, whipping in the wind gusts. “I’m on my way,” he muttered out loud. He chuckled. He really did talk to himself a lot. No wonder Becca got a kick out of it.
Thunder cracked in the sky, signaling a warning. Yes, he knew the storm was on it’s way. No denying that. The damn wind blowing water in his face proved that. The smell of rain filled the air. Streaks of rain fell from the sky only miles away. Not too long before it would hit them. He just needed to get this boat secured at the dock, then take Becca and find a safe place to shelter themselves from the storm.
“What’s with storms and trouble lately?” he shouted into the wind. His pulse quickened and his heart raced. Okay, he needed to chill. He felt that same strange sensation, the same one he’d had when he nearly crashed his plane a few months ago.
What a mess. He loomed closer to the dock. Becca’s face was masked into one of worry. She kept glancing at the storm, then back to Hunter.
He had to keep her safe and shelter her, just as he had the very first time. She’d been so young and fragile. Hurt. Scared out of her mind. The realization that they’d lost all of their family hadn’t hit her yet. He’d been the one to explain it all to her, and it tore him up. No twelve year old should ever have to explain to an eight year old little girl that had been a stranger to him that they were the only survivors. That had ripped his young innocence away so fast. Life hadn’t been the same since. He’d bonded with that sweet young girl in ways no one else could.
Like a motion picture, images of that ordeal flashed in his mind.
“No, I can’t go there right now. Focus, focus,” he scolded himself. He was losing concentration fast. The boat veered to the left. Too close to the large rocky cliffs. Shit! He pulled the boat the other way and barely missed them. He let out a ragged breath. Another strong gust of wind sent a wave crashing against the boat, pushing it the other way once again. “Damn it!” He had to get control now!
Focus, mind. Stay on task.
He shouldn’t have to fight with his inner demons to think straight. What was happening to him? These things kept occurring, ever since he’d lost control that night. No wonder he’d been warned to take a break. Something inside had snapped.
He fought against the storm. The boat tipped and swayed. Hunter attempted to keep his feet planted firmly against the wood, but with the moderately falling rain, it was too slippery. He shouted and gripped the side, but the boat tipped even further. The waves seemed to swallow him as he fell from the boat into the water.
Chapter Four
Terror seized Becca when the boat tipped over. She watched in horror as Hunter slipped and fell overboard, plummeting down to the water. She left everything on the dock and dove in, swimming as fast as she could through the waves and rain to get to him. This storm came on way too fast! He’d come so close to the rocks a few times that she thought he’d crash, but then he managed to get on track. The look of fear on his face mirrored exactly how she felt just before he went down.
“Hunter? HUNTER!” she screamed, searching the nearby waters around the boat for him. Where had he gone? Why hadn’t he surfaced? “Hunter, where are you?” Please be okay, please be okay.
She spotted a flash of white behind the boat. Was that him? Why wouldn’t he respond? Something was wrong. Becca swam behind the tilting boat. She knew it wouldn’t fall over on her, but each time the wind pushed at it, she flinched. Did it get stuck on something? There were a lot of rocks over here and the water wasn’t that deep. Oh God, hopefully Hunter wasn’t injured from hitting a jagged rock. Tears streamed down her cheeks. She forced herself to keep going, even though she was scared out of her mind. She needed to find Hunter and pull him to shore.
Intense lightning bolts struck nearby and often. They were sitting ducks in this water with the storm!
She found Hunter, his arm draped around a large rock. She sighed in relief that she’d found him. How bad was he hurt? She wrapped her arms around him from behind, crying on his shoulder. She felt his chest rise and fall. But he still hadn’t moved. “Hunter! Come on, snap out of it. We’ve got to get out of this water!” She was practically screaming. She could barely hear herself over the wind, thunder, and rain. “Come on. I’m not sure I can pull you to shore without any help.” She tilted his head up. Blood dripped from a open wound on the side of his face by his ear. She had to try. She couldn’t just sit here and wait for Hunter to come back out of it, not with the impending storm. They needed to be on land. The boat was right there, but no way could she get Hunter over the side.
You have the heart and soul of a strong warrior.
She remembered his words from earlier and used that as her mantra to do whatever it took to get them back to shore. “You saved me, Hunter. I’m not going to let anything happen to you. I’m going to be that warrior and fight.” She sucked in a deep breath, just as a wave slapped her face. She choked on the salty water and spit it out. Cringing, she stared at Hunter for a moment, trying to figure out how to move him and have him rest on her so she could swim safely. This wouldn’t be easy. As another long, jagged bolt of lightning spliced through the sky, traveling to the earth, Becca made her choice. Adrenaline took over and she slid in front of Hunter, took his arms and draped them around her. No, this wasn’t going to work! His arms slid down. “At least you put your life vest back on,” she said softly, as if he could hear her.
Wait. She could find a life preserve ring on the boat. She had spotted it earlier. Becca quickly moved away from Hunter as she lowered his body slowly back down on the rock. She had to hurry, before he fell back into the water. She found the ring right away and tugged on it as hard as she could. One swift yank and it came free, almost knocking her backwards underwater.
Passionate Kisses 2 Boxed Set: Love in Bloom Page 82
