“So, what are you anyway? Some kind of professional ‘damsel in distress’ rescuer or something?”
“I’m a marine archaeologist,” he said. “We were working nearby. The discovery of this outpost has been a great opportunity for us.”
Saul cleared his throat loudly, reminding them of his presence. He stood with hands on hips, tapping his foot. His mouth was twisted in a sour frown.
“Saul, if you will please pack up my equipment, I’ll be with you in a moment.” She cut off his protest with a raised hand. “Thank you, Saul. I’ll join you shortly.” She met his stare with a level gaze until he turned away, muttering something under his breath. He snatched up her dive gear and stamped off through the tangled growth. “I’m sorry,” she said, turning back to Dane. “Saul is very protective of me. He means well.”
“Not your boyfriend, I hope.”
“No, he’s definitely not my boyfriend. He’s my assistant.” That was technically true, she supposed.
“Well, I need to get going,” Dane said. “By the way, did your mother ever teach you about the old Hawaiian tradition? When someone saves your life, you have to have dinner on his boat that evening.” He made a show of checking the time on his dive watch. “At exactly 18:00 hours. Give or take a few minutes, of course.”
“Is that so?” She really didn’t have time to socialize with this, or any guy. But he had saved her life. Besides, an idea was forming in the back of her mind. “Who am I to flout tradition? Six o’clock it is. I’ll need directions to this boat of yours.” What was she getting herself into? “And Dane? Dinner had better be spectacular.”
Chapter 2
Man, I cannot believe you’re kicking us out,” Matt Barnaby, Dane’s engineer and first mate for this expedition while his partner Bones was on vacation, complained as he swung his leg over the side of their boat, the Sea Foam. “And for a girl of all things.” He shook his head, turned, and hopped into the waiting motorboat. “Unbelievable.”
“Hey, it’s not that unbelievable,” Dane protested. Actually, it was. Since the death of his wife and unborn son nearly five years ago he had sworn off women. Recent experiences had changed his outlook, and he was beginning to come to grips with some of his inner demons. “I like girls.”
“I thought you liked Kaylin.” Corey Dean, the ship’s tech-head and sonar guru stumbled out of the cabin, trying to slather on sunscreen and spray himself with insect repellant at the same time. His fair skin was no match for the intense sun, but he loved the sea. “I didn’t know you were playing the field all of a sudden.”
“Kaylin’s my friend.” Kaylin Maxwell was the daughter of Dane’s former commander. The two of them had been through a harrowing adventure together, and come out of it barely alive. The experience had forged a strong bond between them, but sometimes it felt more like brother and sister than anything romantic. Perhaps it was because she was the first woman since Melissa to get close to him. “And she isn’t your problem in any case.”
“So you won’t mind if I ask her out,” Matt said, “seeing how you’re just friends and all.” He smiled a gap-toothed smile, and ran his fingers through his close-cropped receding brown hair, pretending to primp in front of a mirror.
“She’s from a Navy family. She’d sooner date a pig than an army grunt,” Dane jibed.
“See there, Corey? You’ve got a shot after all!” Matt helped Corey over the side and into the small craft.
“You know what really blows?” Corey replied, ignoring Matt’s dig. “Bones goes on vacation, and now Dane turns into the player. I thought we were going to get a temporary break from the college dorm room shenanigans.”
Uriah Bonebrake, nicknamed “Bones”, was Dane’s partner and a longtime companion. They had been best friends since their days in the Navy SEALs. The big Cherokee had a way with the ladies, and was known to kick his crewmates off the boat for an occasional evening of entertaining.
“That’s right,” Dane called back, warming to the banter. “I’m picking up the slack for Bones. Bet you I…”
“You what?” Jade sat astride a jet ski just off the starboard bow. Dane had been so busy bantering with his friends that he had not heard her approach. Her brown eyes sparkled, and her straight white teeth shone against her almond complexion. She was wearing a loose fitting white tank top over a turquoise bikini top. Her black shorts were rolled at the waistband, showing off her flat stomach and a few extra inches of her firm thighs. “Come on now, I’m dying to hear.”
“Epic fail!” Corey laughed and fired up the motorboat. “Good luck climbing out of that hole, Maddock.” He and Matt made mock salutes as they cruised away.
“Bet you,” Dane said, turning back to Jade, “that you absolutely love the dinner I’ve prepared for us.” Leaning over the rail, he offered her a hand, which she clasped firmly. He hauled her over with one tug, and she landed nimbly on the deck, her bare feet making barely a sound when they hit. Martial arts training, he supposed, or perhaps dancing. “By the way, totally unfair shutting down the engine and drifting up on me like that.”
“I’m full of surprises.” She gave him a coy grin. “If dinner’s good enough, I might let you take it for a spin around the harbor.” She surveyed the Sea Foam with an appraising eye. “Nice,” she said. “She’s obviously been worked hard, but I can tell you take good care of her.”
“Done much sailing?” he asked, intrigued by this beautiful young woman who seemed to have a great deal of depth. “I suppose if you’ve done enough diving, you have to have climbed your share of rigging.”
“Is that some sort of innuendo?” she teased. He shook his head and she laughed. “I grew up around the water in Hawaii. My uncle had a fishing boat, and I spent a lot of time out with him. My mother hated it, said it wasn’t ladylike, but I didn’t care. Even then I loved the sun, the salt spray, the dips and the swells.” Her eyes had a faraway glint as she remembered. “I don’t get out on the water as much as I used to. Mostly when I go back to visit my mother and uncle.”
“What about your father?” Dane asked. He could tell by the way she flinched that he had touched on a sore subject. “Sorry. I don’t mean to pry.”
“That’s all right,” she said. “He left before I was born. Went back to Japan. He wasn’t really part of my life.” She stared down into the blue-green water, her face now downcast. “I did all right, I suppose. What about you? What’s your story?”
“Navy brat,” Dane said. “Did my time in the service, met my friend Bones, and we went into business together when we left the SEALs.” He shrugged. “It’s a good life. Lots of sun. The occasional interesting diversion,” he gave her a meaningful look and grinned.
“I think you skipped over quite a bit in that lovely ten-second autobiography.” She narrowed her eyes and stepped close to him. “But that’s okay. I have all night to pump information from you.” Raising her head, she closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. “What’s on the grill?”
Dinner was one of Dane’s specialties: broiled sea bass with lime and herbs, steamed vegetables and fresh fruit. Jade was duly impressed, and dinner conversation was relaxed and enjoyable. An archaeologist by trade, she had graduated from the University of Utah with a specialty in Native American tribes of the southwest, and now served on the faculty of Central Utah University.
“So,” Dane said, squeezing a lime into his second Dos Equis, “what is someone with your background doing working an early Spanish dig in Argentina? Seems pretty far out of your area.” He took a long drink, savoring the strong flavor, the cool drink perfect on such a muggy evening.
“It’s not as far afield as you might think,” she said. “The Spaniards who founded this settlement were some of the same men who explored the American southwest, even up into Utah.” She put her bottle down and folded her hands in her lap, suddenly serious. “I have a business proposition for you.”