Chapter Forty
If you want something more than anything,
be prepared to stake everything.
—Georgina Bayard’s advice
What the hell are you doing in there?”
Amy looked up from the open mackerel tank at Calum MacLachlan’s angry face. “What am I doing? I do believe I’m getting seasick again.” She raised a hand to her clammy forehead and swayed a little.
He swore.
She blinked up at him, then winced. “Would you please stop weaving back and forth? You’re making me dizzy and I’m already quite lightheaded enough.”
“I’m not weaving. I’m standing perfectly still, lass.” He bent down and scooped her up out of the tank so fast it felt as if she’d left her stomach behind.
“Ohmygod! Don’t move!” She gulped down deep breaths of cool sea air.
He must have been deaf because he ignored her and walked over to the side of the boat. He propped her up and kept her pinned against the rail, his strong arms on either side of her.
“Take deep breaths, lass. If you need to, go ahead and empty your stomach.”
There was nothing in her stomach to empty. “I haven’t eaten,” she groaned.
He grumbled something that included the wordstupidand picked her up again.
“You know, Calum, I think I’m getting sicker from you flinging me up into your arms than I am from the motion of the sea.”
“You’re lucky I’m not flinging you into the sea.”
“You wouldn’t do that.”
“Don’t test me.” He took her below to the small cabin in the bow of the boat and set her on the edge of a bunk that was built into the wall. He opened a cabinet and pulled out a few things, evidently found what he was looking for, and came back to her. He knelt down in front of her with a cracker tin under one arm.
“Here, lass. Try to eat these.”
She moaned and sagged back flat against the bed, a hand slapped to her forehead. “My stomach is somewhere around my throat right now and you want me to eat.”
“You’ll feel better if you eat a few crackers. Here. Come on, now. Just try one.”
She raised her head and stared at the white crackers in his outstretched hand. She took one and held it up, turning it one way, then the other.
“Are you going to eat it or memorize it?”
“I haven’t decided.”
“Take small bites and chew it well. The salt will help your stomach.”
She did as he told her. The first time she swallowed she thought it was going to come right back up. It didn’t. So she took another bite, then another. Before long her stomach was not as queasy.
“Now I want to hear why you stowed on board.”
“I didn’t want to leave.”
“But Eachann shouldn’t have taken you, lass. I thought you’d need to get home, where you had your people around you.”
“I have no people I want around me.” She looked up at him. “Except you.”
