Read Online Sail Away by Lisa Jackson - Free Book Online Page A

released the anchor, and the boat settled, rolling with the tide but no longer listing.
    Adam, still wondering about her reaction, worked on the inflatable life raft and loaded it with supplies.
    “Get your things,” he ordered when the raft was pumped up.
    While she climbed to the lower cabin, he hurried back to the bridge and made a quick call to the Coast Guard. She’d be furious with him, but so be it, he thought, as he loaded his pockets with matches, flares and a first-aid kit he found in a cupboard beneath the radio.
    Within minutes they were both in the life raft. Leaning his back into the oars, Adam rowed for shore. Marnie reached for the second set of oars, but he shook his head. The air was still cold, the wind still gusting, and he felt an unlikely sense of chivalry. “I can handle this. Relax.”
    “No reason,” she said, her back stiffening as she threw her weight into the task.
    Adam didn’t argue with her. If she thought she was helping, fine. He wasn’t up to another argument. Rowing backward, he watched her arms strain, the muscles of her back move fluidly. She wasn’t a wimp by any stretch of the imagination, and he grudgingly admired her gameness. The Marnie Lee, lights blazing, was stark against the dark sky. They rowed without speaking; only the sound of the waves and the occasional burst of wind disturbed the silence as they approached the beach.
    Adam dropped his oars, climbed over the side and slid into the chest-deep icy water. Towing the raft inland, he said, “I radioed the Coast Guard.”
    She snapped her head around. “You did what? ”
    “I didn’t think you’d want your father to worry, and the Guard needs to know about the Marnie Lee. ”
    “You had no right!” she cried, outraged.
    “Probably not. And it’s not that I care a lick about your dad. I just thought, from the looks of things, you wouldn’t want him sending the cavalry after you. Hey—stop—you don’t have to—”
    But Marnie slid into the frigid sea and together they pulled the raft onto the beach.
    “Anyone ever call you stubborn?”
    She laughed a little, even though she was shivering.
    Adam sized her up and realized he’d never really known her in the few years they’d worked together. “What is it with you, anyway, Montgomery? You’ve got a helluva chip on your shoulder.”
    “Isn’t that a little like the pot calling the kettle black?” she threw back, her teeth chattering, as the two of them dragged the raft high onto the sand, away from the tide.
    “Yeah, but I didn’t grow up in the lap of luxury.”
    “Well, I did!” she replied, tossing her wet hair out of her eyes and reaching for her bags. “And that’s the problem. Look, I’m not going to argue with you anymore. There’s a lodge where I’m going to camp out for the night, and if you want to come along, fine. If not, I don’t really care. It’s about a two-or three-hour hike into town. That way—” She pointed the beam of her flashlight south. “Your choice.” With that she grabbed the bags and started, with the aid of a flashlight, north along the beach.
    Adam didn’t ask any more questions. He didn’t really give a damn. He was only interested in Marnie to further his cause. Period. Whether Miss Montgomery knew it or not, she was going to help him find out what happened to the missing half million dollars.

Chapter Four
    S wearing under his breath, Victor Montgomery slammed down the phone in his suite. Damn Marnie and her stupid independence! His hands were shaking so badly, he stuffed them into his pockets. What was wrong with that girl? Downstairs in the lobby, two hundred of the most important people in the Northwest were milling through the hotel, sipping his champagne, toasting Montgomery Inns while Marnie could have lost her fool life! If she were here now, he’d wring her neck! Instead, he had to act as if nothing were wrong. As if his wayward daughter hadn’t walked out of his life. As if he weren’t worried