Marooned with a Millionaire Read Free Page B

in thin cotton. If she hadn’t lost her canvas slides during the swim, then she could give Ahab a swift kick in his great-looking butt for good measure.
    As she left the bathroom in search of the salty seadog, she tried to tell herself that she understood his frustration, his snippy attitude. He’d been minding his own business, bothering no one, until she’d dropped in unannounced. But did he really have to be so nasty? She couldn’t help that he’d been the only thing in sight when she’d made her emergencylanding. And a nice landing it was, even if he didn’t appreciate it. After all, she could’ve landed on his precious deck and swamped the entire boat, then where would he be? Quite possibly on the bottom of the ocean, and so would she.
    She searched the living area but didn’t find him anywhere. When she started for the closed door at the rear of the boat, the sound of footsteps above drew her up the steps. By Bess, he was going to talk to her even if she had to sit on him. Now that might be fun.
    Naughty, naughty girl, Lizzie, she silently scolded as she strode to her destination with wavering purpose, a little nervous over the prospect of facing his wrath. But that would not deter her. When she surfaced on the deck, she noticed the sun had all but set, providing just enough light where she could see him striding to the back of the boat, something silver clutched in his hand.
    A gun? What was he doing with a gun?
    Lord, no!
    Driven by a need to prevent his demise, Lizzie ran toward him, hoping she wasn’t too late. When she reached the platform, she screamed, “Don’t do it!” to his back.
    â€œSorry, but I have to,” he muttered, and without turning around, he aimed the gun and unloaded bullets into the water several times.
    Lizzie stood stunned, wondering what in the heck he had killed. Some unsuspecting fish? Dinner? Gosh, she was hungry. No time to consider that now.
    He fisted his free hand at his side and clutched thegun in his other. “I’ll be a son of a…. Damn it straight to…” He blew out an angry breath.
    It was perhaps the most skilled censorship she’d ever witnessed from a man. A nice thing, Lizzie decided. She didn’t want Baby Hank exposed to too much foul language.
    After walking to Jack’s side, she saw nothing but a carousel of bubbles floating on the water’s surface. “What did you murder?”
    â€œYour basket. The thing wouldn’t go away.”
    She braced her hands on her hips and stared at him with ire. “Was it really bothering anything? I mean, that poor defenseless gondola has witnessed marriage engagements, golden anniversary celebrations, played host to Boy Scouts. Now you’ve sent it to dark, watery depths to become fish food.”
    â€œThe fish won’t touch it.”
    â€œThen explain to me what harm it was doing, hanging on to your boat?”
    He crouched with the gun gripped in his hand between his parted knees and his eyes focused on the sea. “Probably no real harm.”
    â€œSee there—”
    â€œUntil I shot it.”
    Now she was really confused. “I don’t understand.”
    He rose and tucked the gun into the back waistband of his jeans. “I heard something scrape. I think I just sheared off the damn prop.”
    Served him right. “It wasn’t working anyway. And don’t you have a spare?”
    Wrong thing to say, Lizzie realized when hissteely gaze snapped to hers. Had it not been for the baby, she might have dived overboard and tried to make it to shore on her own.
    â€œThis isn’t Oz,” he said in a low, tempered voice. “No magic here. This is serious business, Dorothy.”
    Dorothy? Wasn’t he just the funny man tonight. Two could play that pet-name game. “And it called for killing the gondola, Ahab ?”
    â€œI did what I had to do.”
    Lizzie knew what she wanted to do—sock