“There, there.” She patted his shoulder softly. “It’ll pass.”
He tilted his head back and squinted at her. “You’re being awfully nice to me.”
Her lips quirked. “Well, you’re kind of pathetic right now, and I’m not usually one to kick a man when he’s down.”
“So, my misery has encouraged you to let bygones be bygones?”
She snorted. “Not a chance. Call it a momentary truce.”
“I’ll take it.”
She shifted in her seat, her fingers brushing his damp hair from his temples. He held still and prayed she would never stop.
“Do you often get seasick?”
“Only if the waves are choppy. Or I ate too close to departure. Or I’m hungover.”
“So…always?”
He grimaced. “Basically.”
“The boat was very rocky,” she said. “My stomach performed a few somersaults as well. If I leapt about the deck as you did, I’m sure I would be in the same position.”
“My lunch choice didn’t help, either.”
“What did you have?”
“Corn chow—” His stomach heaved, and he squeezed his eyes shut.
A tinkle of laughter reached his ears. “Sorry. That was badly done of me.”
He gave her a mock glare. “Maybe you’re the crone, after all.”
“Maybe.” Her smile was dazzling. “We’ve still a ways to go. Why don’t you close your eyes and try to sleep? That might help with the nausea.”
He did as she suggested, sinking further into the empty seat. The combination of the occasional caress of fingers across his brow and the cozy warmth of Winnie’s hip inches away soon outweighed the discomforts of the rocking steamboat, and he dozed off.
A short time later, Mack woke to the low hum of slowing engines and the not-so-dulcet tones of the old woman ordering a crewman to fetch her baggage.
“She’s a menace,” Winnie said under her breath.
Mack cracked a smile and cautiously stretched his limbs. “Where are we?”
“I’m not sure, but almost everyone has already disembarked.” She stood and waved her hand at the old woman. “Ma’am? Excuse me, ma’am? What’s this stop?”
“Oak Harbor,” the old woman called back.
“Oh, goodness, we’re here.”
Mack lurched to his feet and groaned as his vision doubled. He grabbed the back of the seat with one hand and clamped the other over his eyes. “I’m dizzy as all hell, Bobcat.”
She gripped his forearm. “I’ve got our things, so just lean on me. I’ll get us to land.”
He followed her out of the cabin and onto the gangway. Keeping his eyes closed was the only thing preventing him from blacking out, so he concentrated on Winnie’s touch and mimicked her movements. A few steps later, his boots sank into the muddy bank, and he sighed in relief.
“There’s a shop across the way. Let’s get you some fresh water.”
With each step on land, his nausea eased, and once he’d drunk a cup of water, he was much improved. Finally able to concentrate on things other than his stomach, he glanced up to find Winnie hovering beside him.
