Mary Burton - The Lightkeeper's Woman

He set down the lamp on a small bedside table and flexed his fingers. His outrage remained as raw as the day of the inquest—the day she’d refused to see him.

Annoyed, he reminded himself that he’d stripped many a near-drowned sailor. And buttons and bows aside, the job remained the same.

The sooner he set about the task, the sooner it would be over.

Lifting her foot, he yanked at the laces of her boots, then tugged each off and tossed them on the floor. “Why couldn’t you stay away?”

She moaned softly at the sound of his voice but remained unconscious.

Caleb unfastened the clasp at the base of her throat and pulled off her cape, made five times heavier by the water. He was amazed she’d stayed afloat as long as she had wearing the contraption.

Most men or women couldn’t swim, but Alanna’s father had had a healthy respect for the sea and had insisted his daughter learn as soon as she could walk.

And she’d always been a fighter.

There’d been a time when he’d known her body intimately. Touching her had been as natural as breathing. Now he felt like an interloper.

Irritated, Caleb stripped off her clothes as quickly as he could manage. He then grabbed a blanket from the edge of the bed and laid it over her. He tucked the folds around the edge of her slim body and moved her to the other, drier, side of the bed.

An involuntary shiver escaped her lips as if she were finally wrestling the chill from her bone. She looked so small, so helpless.

Caleb stood back and dug a hand through his wet hair. His fingers brushed the rough skin of the scar on the right side of his face. “You shouldn’t have come.”

As he turned to leave, she rolled on her side and curled her knees up to her chest. “Caleb.”

T he instant Alanna stepped out onto Patterson Shipping’s docks Caleb Pitt had noticed her. He’d also not been happy to see her. Still, Alanna kept walking, drawn like a moth to a flame.

His ink-black pants and cable-knit turtleneck sweater had been as dark as his thick, closely cropped hair. His long, muscular legs had eaten up the space between them in seconds.

“Lady, do you have any idea how dangerous these docks are? Most sailors would eat a pretty thing like you up,” he shouted over the winds.

Undaunted, Alanna had stood her ground. “I’m looking for my father, Obadiah Patterson.” If she thought dropping the company president’s name would intimidate him, she was wrong.

His powerful body blocked the sun as he towered over her. His gaze trailed over her small frame, taking in every detail. “Then you should know how unsafe these docks are for women.”

His masculine scrutiny left her body tingling. “I stand corrected.” Unrepentant, she held out her hand. “Alanna Patterson.”

He pulled off a worn leather glove and took her hand. He squeezed her fingers gently, but she could feel the leashed power in his hand. “Caleb Pitt.”

She lifted an eyebrow. “Father’s told me a lot about you.”

“That so?”

She smiled, confident. “Father says you’re rough around the edges, trouble.”

Caleb’s vivid blue eyes sharpened. He leaned close to her. His own scent mingled with the sandalwood of his soap. “He’s right.”

She held her ground. “He also tells me a sea witch blessed you with the gift for reading the seas.”

Laughter sparked in his eyes. “I’m afraid you’ve got it wrong. ’Twas not a sea witch that gave me the talent, but the Devil.”

She feigned shock. “The Devil?”

“Aye. The talent to read the seas and predict storms in exchange for my soul.”

Alanna laughed at his outrageously dark humor. “I’ve never met a man who sold his soul. Tell me, would you like to attend a dinner party Father’s having on Friday? I’d be very interested to know how one goes about bargaining with the Dark Prince,” she’d teased.

“I’d be delighted.” His extra emphasis on the last word made her more aware that with this man she was out of her depth. He possessed an earthy masculinity that, despite her best efforts, left her breathless and blushing.

Alanna’s mind drifted in and out of consciousness and sleep. One moment she was on fire, pushing off her blankets, in the next, she froze, unable to get warm no matter how deeply she burrowed under the rough blankets.

But at all times, she was aware of Caleb’s rough hands touching her damp forehead, brushing the curls from her head or applying a moist cloth. His deep voice was soft and soothing at times and at other times there were hints of anger. If she’d had the strength, she would have reminded him she was the one that should be angry.

When Alanna finally could open her eyes, she forgot the recriminations. All she wanted was to see Caleb, to know that he wasn’t a dream. But through her fever, he remained a dark silhouette, his face shrouded by darkness. The only detail that struck her was that his hair was no longer cropped short. His thick hair, as black as ink, hung past his broad shoulders.

So many things could have been said and all she could think to say was, “You’ve changed your hair.”

He must have thought she’d still been asleep because the sound of her voice seemed to shock him. He drew back slightly. “It’s easier.”

She moistened her dry lips with the tip of her tongue and closed her eyes. She was simply too tired to connect words into sentences. “That’s nice.”

She heard the clink of porcelain against glass and the rush of water. The bed’s mattress sagged when he sat beside her.

“Drink this.” His steady hand lifted her head. He tipped a cup to her dry lips.

She touched his wrist, her hand unsteady. The bitter-tasting drink washed over her dry tongue. It trickled down the sides of her mouth and her neck. “It’s awful.”

“It’s Yaupon tea. It’ll soothe your fever.”

“If it doesn’t kill me first.”

“If I wanted you dead, I’d have let the ocean take you.”

“Of course.”

He pressed the cup to her lips. “Sip slowly,” he cautioned. “There’s plenty.”

“Great.” Alanna drank until the cup was empty, then relaxed back against the pillow.

She was vaguely aware when he dipped a cloth into a basin. She heard the water trickle as he wrung the excess water from it.

He pressed the cool rag against her hot cheeks and forehead. The cold felt good. When her skin warmed the rag, he dunked it again in the water. As he ran the cloth over her naked flesh, she realized that she wasn’t wearing anything. There was no shame, just gratitude that he was there. Methodically, he repeated the actions until her body had cooled. She slept.

Alanna wasn’t sure what time it was when she awoke again, but the room was dark except for the firelight glowing in the hearth.

She was aware of two things. Caleb was still in the room and her thick hair felt greasy and her teeth gritty. “I must look dreadful.”

His laugh was bitter, sharp. Her eyes started to focus on him. “If you’re worried about your appearance, you’ll survive.”

Panic exploded inside her at the thought of being alone. “Caleb, don’t leave me.”

She sensed his gaze on her. “You need to rest.”

“Promise me you won’t leave just yet. I don’t want to be alone.” She sounded weak and afraid and hated it, but there was no hiding it.

A long silence stretched between them. “All right, I’ll stay.”

Sighing, she relaxed into her pillow. Feeling more at ease than she had in months, she gave herself to sleep. “Thank you.”

When Alanna awoke again, awareness of him cloaked the room. She wasn’t sure if she’d been sleeping for hours or days. She was only aware that the rain still pelted the windowpanes. A breeze drifted through the open doorway leading to a long dark hallway.