Summer Secrets - Barbara Freethy [129]
"The only people that knew were on the Betsy Marie. And I'm not even sure they knew Jeremy was with us. They might have thought he'd bailed at the last port. When the Betsy Marie went down, everyone but K.C. went down with it."
"And K.C. didn't remember." It all made sense now in a terrible way. Kate's boyfriend had died off their boat, and no one had said a word. The girls had circled the wagons around their father. Loyal to the end, they'd protected him.
"I'm sorry," Duncan said, the alcohol slurring his words. "If we don't make it, I'm sorry. Tell the girls I loved them."
"No good-bye speeches. We're both going to make it. Tell me what to do, Duncan."
Duncan's eyes began to drift shut. His hand let go of the tiller, and the boat went into a spin. The boom came flying across. Tyler tried to get out of the way, but it caught him on his back and sent him sprawling onto the floor of the boat. Dazed, his only real thought was that he was going to drown, and he didn't even like to sail.
*
Kate and her sisters stood in the weather-protected cockpit next to Sean, watching as he steered the motorboat through the rough swells. They could see a search plane off to the right, its lights blazing across the water. There were Mayday calls on the radio, but none from her father's boat. She told herself it would be all right. Just because his radio was out didn't mean they were in severe trouble. She had to keep the faith. She couldn't let the fear overtake her, but it was there in every breath she took. This was too much like the last time. Maybe not the size of the storm, but certainly the stakes.
"Where to?" Sean asked briskly.
"Captain's Cove. He loved that spot. He might have tried to get a break from the wind over there," she said.
"No, he'd sail straight into the wind," Caroline countered. "The way he did before. Remember? He wouldn't listen to us. He was convinced that the only way out was straight ahead."
Sean looked from one to the other, then over at Ashley, who was huddled in the small space with them, her face white, her eyes huge, her grip on a nearby rail as tight as she could get it. "You okay, Ash?" he asked her.
"No." She shook her head.
"It's going to be fine. I won't let anything happen to you."
Kate felt her breath catch in her throat. Sean looked so much like Jeremy right now, confident, strong, sure of himself. He had no idea . .
"Captain's Cove or straight ahead?" Jeremy asked Kate.
"Straight ahead. Caroline always understood the way Dad thought better than I did."
"Jeremy didn't want Dad to sail into the wind," Ashley murmured. "He thought we should go east, don't you remember? But Dad said we'd lose even more time, and it was just a summer storm. It wouldn't get that bad."
Kate stiffened. If she was closer, she would have given Ashley a good swift kick, but she couldn't reach her.
"What are you talking about, Ash?" Sean asked.
"She's confused," Caroline said quickly. "Look at her, she's terrified."
"They were arguing so loudly," Ashley continued as if neither Sean nor Caroline had spoken. She looked at Kate. "I'm sorry."
"Was Jeremy talking to your dad over the radio? I thought there wasn't any contact during the storm," Sean said, also turning his gaze to Kate.
She didn't know what to say, how to answer. Ashley was at the breaking point. The current storm was bringing it all back into her head. Anyone could see that.
"Jeremy was on our boat," Ashley burst out. "I'm sorry, Kate. I can't keep it in anymore. I'm so tired of lying."
"What did you just say?" Sean demanded, looking from Ashley to Kate. "Jeremy was on the Betsy Marie. He went down with that boat. That's the truth."
Kate took in a deep breath, knowing it was over. If she didn't tell him, Ashley would. "I brought Jeremy on board the Moon Dancer just before that leg of the race. I wanted him to sail with us, Sean." Her stomach twisted into a knot as she thought back to those awful