Read Online Survival Instinct by Rachelle McCalla - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Rachelle McCalla
Ads: Link
and patted it with another, grateful she was alive, grateful to have delivered her so far. Emotions swirled within him like the steaming water that filled the tub, rising upward in a wordless prayer of thanks.
The old woman unzipped Abby’s jacket and pulled her arms free while Burt returned with the space heater. She shooed both men out of the room. “You two get. This guy looks like he could use a bath, too.” She pointed at Scott and closed the door on them.
Scott followed the old man up the stairs to anotherbathroom, but didn’t let him so much as turn on the water before explaining, “My family was marooned on Devil’s Island. Could you please get in touch with the Coast Guard and have them send a boat over there to pick up my mother and stepdad?”
“Well, I’ll see what I can do,” the man said, his weathered face looking concerned, “but there’s a pretty rough squall blowing up out there. Might take them a while to get out there.”
“Then please, hurry, make the call. I can run my own bath. We need to get help over there as soon as possible.” Scott didn’t bother to try to mask his fear. He wouldn’t leave his mother out there, not with a storm blowing up. “My mother’s life may be in danger.”
Abby floated in the blissfully warm water and dipped her head back until only her face broke the surface. The warmth seeped into her bones, slowly easing the dull cold ache from her marrow. Her fingers and toes tingled with delightful prickles that were almost painful, but Abby didn’t care. She could finally feel her feet again. She was alive.
“Praise the Lord,” she said aloud, then gulped in a mouthful of warm, sweet water, letting it run over and between her teeth, which had finally stopped chattering.
The knock at the door startled her.
“It’s just me,” called the woman who’d introduced herself as Elda. She opened the door and set a pile of clothes on the commode. “These might be a little big, but they’re dry. Should work.”
“Thank you,” Abby called out as the door snapped shut. She leaned her head back into the water again. “God blessElda,” she said, as the water sloshed over her teeth. She spit out a mouthful. “God bless Burt, and God bless Scott.”
Abby smiled. Scott had saved her life. Her smile broadened. Scott had kissed her.
She felt guilty as she remembered having doubted his intentions. She felt guiltier still when she considered how far he must have carried her through the woods to safety. And his poor mother was still out there, waiting to be rescued. His poor mother and Mitch.
As her mind thawed from its cold stupor, Abby remembered. Someone had gone to a lot of trouble to keep them from ever leaving Devil’s Island. Someone who had something to gain from their deaths.
Abby sat up and pulled the drain from the tub. She could have basked in the warmth of the water a lot longer, but she had work to do. Mitch and Marilyn were still alone on Devil’s Island. Abby had no business relaxing until they were both safe.
After quickly drying off and pulling on the generously sized gray sweats Elda had provided, Abby opened the bathroom door to let the steam out of the room, then wiped down the mirror before throwing a dry towel over her shoulders and starting in combing through her long brown hair. Usually it wasn’t too much trouble to comb through it, but she didn’t have any conditioner or detangling spray, and the wind had whipped it into knots long before she’d started her bath. She sighed and got to work.
She was three-quarters of the way finished when Scott came down the hall and paused in the open doorway. He wore a navy blue sweat suit that hung too wide around his middle and too short at the wrists and ankles, though she noticed he still managed to look pretty good in it. Herheart began to beat faster, and she felt shy as she remembered his kiss. Then she caught sight of his head without his ball cap, and smiled.
“What?” he asked,
The old woman unzipped Abby’s jacket and pulled her arms free while Burt returned with the space heater. She shooed both men out of the room. “You two get. This guy looks like he could use a bath, too.” She pointed at Scott and closed the door on them.
Scott followed the old man up the stairs to anotherbathroom, but didn’t let him so much as turn on the water before explaining, “My family was marooned on Devil’s Island. Could you please get in touch with the Coast Guard and have them send a boat over there to pick up my mother and stepdad?”
“Well, I’ll see what I can do,” the man said, his weathered face looking concerned, “but there’s a pretty rough squall blowing up out there. Might take them a while to get out there.”
“Then please, hurry, make the call. I can run my own bath. We need to get help over there as soon as possible.” Scott didn’t bother to try to mask his fear. He wouldn’t leave his mother out there, not with a storm blowing up. “My mother’s life may be in danger.”
Abby floated in the blissfully warm water and dipped her head back until only her face broke the surface. The warmth seeped into her bones, slowly easing the dull cold ache from her marrow. Her fingers and toes tingled with delightful prickles that were almost painful, but Abby didn’t care. She could finally feel her feet again. She was alive.
“Praise the Lord,” she said aloud, then gulped in a mouthful of warm, sweet water, letting it run over and between her teeth, which had finally stopped chattering.
The knock at the door startled her.
“It’s just me,” called the woman who’d introduced herself as Elda. She opened the door and set a pile of clothes on the commode. “These might be a little big, but they’re dry. Should work.”
“Thank you,” Abby called out as the door snapped shut. She leaned her head back into the water again. “God blessElda,” she said, as the water sloshed over her teeth. She spit out a mouthful. “God bless Burt, and God bless Scott.”
Abby smiled. Scott had saved her life. Her smile broadened. Scott had kissed her.
She felt guilty as she remembered having doubted his intentions. She felt guiltier still when she considered how far he must have carried her through the woods to safety. And his poor mother was still out there, waiting to be rescued. His poor mother and Mitch.
As her mind thawed from its cold stupor, Abby remembered. Someone had gone to a lot of trouble to keep them from ever leaving Devil’s Island. Someone who had something to gain from their deaths.
Abby sat up and pulled the drain from the tub. She could have basked in the warmth of the water a lot longer, but she had work to do. Mitch and Marilyn were still alone on Devil’s Island. Abby had no business relaxing until they were both safe.
After quickly drying off and pulling on the generously sized gray sweats Elda had provided, Abby opened the bathroom door to let the steam out of the room, then wiped down the mirror before throwing a dry towel over her shoulders and starting in combing through her long brown hair. Usually it wasn’t too much trouble to comb through it, but she didn’t have any conditioner or detangling spray, and the wind had whipped it into knots long before she’d started her bath. She sighed and got to work.
She was three-quarters of the way finished when Scott came down the hall and paused in the open doorway. He wore a navy blue sweat suit that hung too wide around his middle and too short at the wrists and ankles, though she noticed he still managed to look pretty good in it. Herheart began to beat faster, and she felt shy as she remembered his kiss. Then she caught sight of his head without his ball cap, and smiled.
“What?” he asked,
Similar Books
