Hallie closed the bookand placed it on the night table. She turned down the wick and snuggled farther under the fluffy covers of her lonely bed. Closing her eyes, she willed herself to sleep. Her effort failed. She pushed up and stared down at the pillow, frowning. It smelled like Kit, so she flung it across the room and plopped her head onto the other pillow.
For three long, torturous nights, she’d slept alone. She hadn’t seen Kit for two days—no one had—and some perverse part of her wondered if he was all right.
Don’t do that,she mentally scolded.Don’t think about him, don’t worry about him, and don’t you dare love him!
She glanced across the dark room, her eyes adjusting to the darkness enough for her to make out the door. She eyed the glass knob. The first night when she’d locked herself in the room, Kit had tried to talk to her but she wouldn’t respond. She couldn’t give him the chance to wear her resistance down with either his lies or his hot touch. So tonight the doorknob hadn’t twisted. Tonight, Kit hadn’t knocked and demanded she let him in. Tonight, she got what she wanted. She was completely miserable.
It was quiet, except for the wind that rattled around the upper story. The gusts made the tree branches scrape along the house’s wooden siding. It was a terrible racket. Hallie covered her ears with her pillow and burrowed farther into bed. Sleep finally came, in small spurts, and she drifted in and out of the drowsy state.
A short while later something banged against the wall so hard the windows shook, and Hallie sat up, trying to adjust her sleepy eyes. She stared at her open window just as a hand closed over her mouth, cutting off her scream. She fought hard, but the intruder pinned her to the bed, stuffing a cloth into her mouth, tying another around her eyes and binding her hands behind her back. He covered her with a bed coverlet, and then Hallie was thrown roughly over his shoulder.
She could feel the cold air through the blanket as her abductor hauled her out the window and down to the ground below. It was freezing cold, and Hallie shivered, both from fear and the icy air. She was thrown into a carriage, and it took off with a sharp jolt that sent her rolling onto the damp carriage floor. She squirmed and wiggled, trying to get free of the blanket, but with her hands tied, she couldn’t do it.
The carriage stopped and the door creaked open. Hallie screamed through her gag, hoping the muffled noises would alert someone nearby. It did no good. Her abductor lugged her up a rope ladder, and as she struggled, she banged her head repeatedly against something hard and woodlike. She smelled the salty scent of the sea and realized he was taking her on board a ship. She could hear his gasping breath, so she struggled more. Maybe she could use her weight to her favor. His shoes dragged across what sounded like a wooden deck, and then a hatch slammed open. He lugged her down another stairway, and she heard a door open, just before he set her on her feet.
She kicked her foot back at random, trying to connect with whoever had kidnapped her, but she missed. The blanket was jerked from her, and someone untied the blindfold. Hallie blinked her eyes to adjust them to the lamp light.
It was her father’s cabin, and Kit sat on a large bunk, casually sipping some wine.
“Happy birthday, Hallie.” He toasted her and then took a drink.
“Should I untie her?” a familiar voice asked.
She spun around to see that her abductor was Lee Prescott, then looked back and forth from Kit to Lee.
“Go ahead and untie her, but maybe we should leave the gag in,” Kit suggested.
“She’syourwife,” Lee said, struggling to cut the rope from her wrists. “I just wish she was lighter.”
Hallie ground her heel on the toe of his boot.
“Ouch!” Lee cut the bonds loose. “That does it! I’ve been kicked and elbowed, all because you can’t get along with your own wife. I’m leaving. This was your stupid idea, you explain it.” Lee sheathed his knife and slammed the cabin door, leaving Kit and Hallie alone.
“Want some wine?” Kit held up a bottle and a glass.
Hallie jerked out her gag. “I—”
“Tell me, sweet,” Kit interrupted, “does this room look familiar?”
He ambled toward her with a glass of wine in his hand. “Here.” He handed it to her. “You haven’t answered me, Hallie. Isn’t this your father’s cabin?”
She gulped the wine. By the tone of his voice, she could tell she was going to need it.
“What, no comments? Please notice that it’s all in one piece. You can see that, can’t you?”
Hallie nodded, guzzling the rest of the wine.
“Ah, I see you’ve finished your wine. Good. Come with me.” He grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the room and up onto the deck.
“Look!” he ordered, and she did.
The ship was intact and spotless. The only difference was that a tall, narrow building now sat on the fore deck, between the mainmast and the foremast. Looming some three stories high, the plank building had a flat roof and narrow windows. Hanging from the booms and gallows were oil lanterns that spilled their light all over the ship. Hallie turned, and it was then that she saw the city, completely surrounding them. TheSea Havenwasn’t moored in the bay. It was sitting on land, right in the middle of San Francisco.
She gaped at Kit, and he pointed to a sign leaning against a row of barrels. It read:The Haven Hotel.
She could feel Kit watching her. “This is San Francisco’s newest hotel. It’s been leased—in your name, incidentally—to a gentleman who had it hauled on shore and converted. The official opening is in a few days, but for tonight I planned for us to celebrate your birthday on board.” He turned and looked her right in the eye, speaking quietly. “Do you still think I’m a lying bastard?”
“Oh God, Kit, I’m sorry!” Hallie threw herself into his arms and cried. “I mean it. I’m so sorry.”
