She looked at him as if he’d grown horns and a tail. “What a perfectly horrid thing to say.”
“What? That they’re a problem? It’s true. They are a problem. But they’re your problem. You’re the woman.”
“Sex does not define responsibility.”
“No. But sex is a helluva lot more fun than playing nursemaid.”
She rolled her eyes at him. “This is serious. It’s only fair that we both be responsible for them until we can get help.”
“There is no help. The island’s deserted.”
She looked around. “Are you certain?”
“Yeah, except for the jungle, and you can’t take three kids into that.” He started to turn, then played an ace. “Some of these islands have never seen a white man or woman. Just other natives.” He paused for effect. “And cannibals.”
“That’s absurd.”
“You think so? Well, sweetheart, I don’t intend to be anyone’s Sunday pot roast.”
“You’re not joking.” She frowned, then shivered slightly and looked over the landscape with a wary eye. “What are we going to do?”
“I’ll run things, andyou takecare of those kids.” He turned and took a step, then stopped again. “And after what just happened with that baby, I’d say you need some practice.”
Smitty spun around and opened her mouth, but before she could say anything Theodore and Lydia came running back.
“You found her!” Theodore skidded to a stop in front of Smitty and stuck his face up toward Annabelle while he petted her small arm.
But Lydia stopped at the perimeter of the clearing, about ten feet away. The look on her face made Hank take pause. He watched her standing there. Outside the scope of the rest of them.
Lydia looked at him, then quickly averted her eyes. She started moving again, walking past him with stiff forced steps. She stopped in front of the group. After a second, she said, “I’ll take my sister.”
Smitty handed her the baby.
Hank exhaled, shaking his head. He knew trouble when he saw it. He started to walk away, but Smitty touched his arm.
“We need to talk.”
“About what?”
She glanced back over her shoulder at the children, then looked him straight in the eye and said quietly, “About caring for the children.”
He held his hands up in front of him and shook his head. “No.” He backed up a couple of steps, then turned and walked away.
“Hank!” She scurried to catch up with him, kicking up sand behind her.
He ignored her. He had bottles to dig up and a shelter to build.
“Hank!” She tapped him on the shoulder, but he kept walking. She kept right up with him. “I don’t know anything about children,” she said in a harsh whisper.
“Try paying attention.”
“What?” She grew roots. And he wouldn’t say she had shrieked, but the noise she made was close to it. He stopped and turned to face her one last time.
She stood scant inches from him, her hands planted on her hips. Her expression reminded him of the prison mule.
“For Christ’s sake, woman! How hard can it be to watch a little kid?”
* * *
