Summer Secrets - Barbara Freethy [132]
"There they are!" Ashley shouted, drawing her attention back to the water. "Look, there's Dad's boat."
Sean seemed to hesitate. For a split second Kate wondered if he would turn back, leave her father to save himself.
"Sean?" Kate questioned.
"I don't leave anyone in the water," he said abruptly, turning in the direction of Duncan's boat.
When they drew closer, Kate could see Tyler, waving and shouting something, but the wind took away his words. Not that it mattered. Kate could see they were in trouble. The boat was sitting precariously low in the water and going lower by the second. Each swell seemed to push it even farther down.
Sean steered them as close as he could, but the waves pushed them apart.
"I need someone to take the wheel," Sean said urgently.
"I'll do it," Caroline offered.
Sean hurried out onto the deck, and Kate followed quickly behind him.
"We'll throw them a line and try to tow them closer to us," Sean yelled to her.
The rain seemed to pick up as their efforts intensified, creating a thick curtain between the two boats. Kate barely felt the water or the wind. She was too focused on Tyler and her father. She didn't understand why Duncan was just sitting there doing nothing. Why wasn't he helping? Why wasn't he trying to grab the line?
The first few attempts fell short. Finally the line made it into Tyler's hands. Kate let out a gasp of relief as Tyler tried to tie the line to the boat. But he couldn't do it. The boat was sinking, she realized in horror. Her father and Tyler were going underwater. And her father didn't have on a life jacket. Why not? Had her father gone completely crazy? Unless he only had the one, and he'd given it to Tyler.
As she watched, Tyler began to shrug out of his life jacket, clearly intending to put it on her father. She clapped a hand to her mouth, realizing that he would be completely vulnerable if the boat went down. "The life preserver," Kate shouted to Sean.
Sean was already tossing a life preserver to Tyler. Tyler caught it and tried to get it over Duncan's head.
What was wrong with her father? He seemed completely out of it. Was he drunk? The horrifying thought made her sick to her stomach. Was that why they hadn't come back? Had her father taken Tyler along on some drunken joyride? Damn him!
"Dad must be hurt," Ashley said as she came on deck. "Or sick."
"Or drunk," Kate said bitterly.
"What are we going to do?" Ashley asked as they watched Tyler try to wrestle their father into the life preserver.
"I'm going in," Kate said decisively. "I'll swim over there and help Tyler."
"You can't," Ashley said. "Not again."
The last thing Kate wanted to do was jump into that black, swirling water, but she couldn't stand by and do nothing, not when another man she loved was in danger of drowning.
"I have to," she said.
"I'll go." Sean put his hand on Kate's shoulder. "You went after my brother. I'll go after your father."
"No, Sean!" Ashley screamed, rushing to the side as Sean went into the water. "No, don't go," she cried, sobbing as they waited for Sean to come up.
"He'll be okay," Kate said, putting her arm around her sister and holding her close. She was relieved to see Sean's head pop out of the water and the beginning of a strong freestyle. But it seemed to take forever for Sean to reach the boat. He was swimming in a life jacket, his movements hampered by the bulky vest, and he had his arm hooked around another life preserver. Despite the fact that he was a good swimmer, the waves kept pushing him back toward their boat.
"This is just like before," Ashley said. "I was watching you struggle in the water. Dad was trying to save you, and I didn't think I would ever see you again."
"But you did." Kate pulled Ashley into a tight hug as they both started crying. "And Sean is just as stubborn as