Page 27 of Priceless (Return to Culloden Moor #7)
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
“ C atch her!” Banner shouted and lunged to put his body between Laira and the railing.
Jacob felt her body sag and pulled her tight to him. Who knew what might have happened otherwise. It made him sick to think about it. The poor woman was already terrified. Waking to find herself swimming with a pair of killer whales might have stopped her heart!
The two orcas lingered just long enough to show off their catch. Laira’s thresher shark had been divided between them, and the long and curved gray tail wrapped around the second whale’s face in a gory smile as the pair moved on.
Jess pressed her hand to the woman’s neck for a few seconds, then nodded and gave him a wink. “Just fainted. She’ll be fine. Let’s get her on the couch. Banner, do ye mind goin’ in?”
“O’course not. I’ll pull in the lines so Mason can get us on our way.”
Banner was sympathetic to anyone fainting, since he did so himself now and again when he caught sight of blood. When he’d pulled in the Haddock, Jacob had known to handle the fish himself, just in case. Then he’d thrown the thing back in the water after weighing it.
It was a wonder the Highlander agreed to fish at all, but if Jacob’s experience with Laira had taught him anything it was this: a man would do anything necessary to prove himself to the right woman. So maybe Banner was still proving himself.
Maybe, with the right woman, the drive to do so never truly ended.
They got Laira sorted out on the cushions and Jess propped one under her feet. She watched over the lass until she was satisfied, then she waved for Jacob to follow her to the back of the boat, leaving Banner to keep watch.
Jacob hated to leave Laira’s side. She might wake any moment. But the look on Jess’s face got his feet moving.
“What is it?” He was honestly afraid to know.
“She’s fine. Ye can relax. I nearly fainted myself the first time I saw an ocean wolf up close.”
He took a deep breath, but it did little good.
“Listen,” she said. “I ken what ye’ve done.”
“What I’ve done?” No one could know his great sin—unless Laira had figured it out and had told her.
“Aye, Jocko, I ken.”
He wanted to grab her, to put his hand over her mouth, but he wouldn’t. Instead, he moved close so he could shout over the noise of the wake, but not too loudly. Thankfully, the rush of air kept their voices downwind.
“Haud yer wheesht, woman! She’ll hear ye.” His breakfast threatened to come up again. “Does she know?”
Jess shook her head, and he could have wept for the relief of it.
“Then how could ye?—”
“She told me about the Scotsman who helped her plan her trip. An online friend. And it didn’t take much to realize who he is.” She clicked her tongue. “Recommendin’ yer own place for lunch?”
He shook his head slowly. “It’s worse than that. She doesnae think Jocko is a man. She thinks he’s an AI program. If she believed he was real, she would have figured me out, just as ye have. She’s not a stupid woman.”
Then he told her how their relationship got started, that he wondered if Fate had played a hand, as it had with Banner and her.
Jess got teary, but she shook her head. “Ye’ll have to tell her.”
“Aye, I ken it. I’ve tried. But the moment must be right…or I’ll lose her.”
Jess chewed on her lip, then nodded. “I won’t say a thing. As long as ye promise?—”
“I will. I will. But now is clearly not the time.”
“True. By the way, I must rule out a sit in the hot tub, after this. She’ll need to rest. Let’s take her to the house.”
He was horrified. “With Ellie?”
She rolled her eyes. “ Our house, ye numpty. Bring her to our house.”