“What do you suggest?”
“I will have Mrs. Summers dress Maxey in drier clothes, then you can take her to my room and finish caring for her there.”
“Are you certain?”
“Yes. I’ll inform my cabin boy to make it ready as soon as possible.” He left the room and closed the door.
The doctor stayed to help clean up, then he took the buckets and left. Mrs. Summers had Nash leave the room again so she could dress Maxey. Within a few minutes, she opened the door for him. He lifted Maxey against his chest. Her body hung weakly in his arms, and he treated her as if he held a precious crystal that could break at any moment.
He thanked Mrs. Summers for her assistance, and then she left. After draping several blankets around Maxey, Nash carried her to the captain’s quarters. The cabin boy had the room ready and the bed turned down. Gently, Nash laid her down and covered her with clean, dry sheets and blankets.
The captain came up behind him and placed his hand on Nash’s shoulder. “I think you should get some sleep yourself.”
“No, I cannot rest. Not yet.”
“She is going to be fine. She will sleep peacefully, so I suggest you do the same.”
Nash smiled. “I thank you.”
The captain nodded, left the room, and closed the door.
Exhaustion consumed Nash, and his limbs felt like great weights. But he mustered the strength to change his own clothes before climbing in beside Maxey. He took her in his arms and held her tight.
Sleep beckoned. After kissing her forehead, he closed his eyes. Unbidden tears drizzled down his face. He turned his face into the pillow and sobbed out his relief, thanking the Almighty for sparing Maxey’s life once again.
*
“Maxey, you arelooking healthier and seem so much stronger today,” Katherine Summers commented as she helped Maxey dress. “I hardly helped you with your bath this time.”
Maxey chuckled as she crawled into bed. She wished she felt as strong as she led people to believe. Strange how being ill with a high temperature had taken so much out of her.
“I may look healthier, but I’m not making as much progress as I would like. I’m still very tired.”
“Your strength will soon return.”
“It’s been two days since my fever broke. Shouldn’t my strength have returned by now?” She sighed dejectedly.
“But the point is, you are getting better by the day.”
“Katherine, I want to thank you for helping me. I don’t know what I would have done without you.”
Mrs. Summers smiled. “All I have done is to help you with womanly things. Nash should be the person you thank. He has done everything else.”
Maxey glanced down at her hands folded on her lap. “So I’ve been told by almost everyone who has come to see me.” She met her new friend’s stare. “But for some reason, I don’t believe it. I’m not saying everybody is lying, but Nash doesn’t seem like the kind of man who would do something so selfless unless there was an ulterior motive.”
Katherine laughed, moved to the bed, and patted Maxey’s leg. “I know he is not your uncle. I also know he has changed, because the man I saw taking care of you worried less about himself and concentrated on you. Isn’t his love for you obvious?”
The comment brought a burst of laughter from Maxey. “Love? That’s an emotion he will never feel for me.”
“You are wrong. I can see it in his eyes when he looks at you. He loves you, but refuses to admit it to himself.”
“No, he doesn’t love me, and even if he did, he cherishes his freedom more.”
Katherine shrugged. “Perhaps he has changed his mind since he thought he lost you.”
“I seriously doubt it.”
A light knock interrupted their conversation. Both women looked up as Nash stepped into the room. When Maxey beheld his magnificence, she couldn’t halt the sigh escaping her throat. In his casual shirt and trousers, he radiated masculinity. His long sideburns and trimmed goatee made him look more sensual, which caused her heart to skip in double time.
