Kitty: Bride of Hawaii (American Mail-Order Bride 50) Read Online Free PDF Page B

“It’s not safe. Go below!”
    “Where is Mr. Castle?”
    He turned from his duties. “What?” He strained toward her as her words were carried away in the wind.
    She took another step toward him, away from the safety of the stairs. “Where is Mr. Castle?”
    He pointed up to the wheel before wrangling a loose rope. “Now go below!”
    But she ignored the sailor.
    Warren’s shirt was ripped open to the waist, and his muscles bulged as he gripped the wheel. The wind whipped his hair savagely, beating against him as surely as the wheel fought his hold.
    She couldn’t look away.
    Pirates from previous decades, romanticized over the years, came to mind. He’d rival any of them.
    He yanked the spindled wheel, turning it as the winds swirled around them. Why on earth was he steering the ship? Where was the captain?
    She couldn’t look away. She didn’t even blink. No matter how much her eyes strained, she held him in her sights.
    Was he tied down at all? She couldn’t see a rope.
    Fear raced through her. One wave and he’d be lost.
    Her heart scrambled. He couldn’t let go of the wheel long enough to secure himself. Surely there was someone else who should take over that duty? But she knew that wasn’t true. Every man had a job to do and fought to accomplish it.
    If Warren was at the helm, it was because the captain could no longer manage the task. She only hoped the red-haired man was alive.
    There was only one person left who could see to Warren’s safety. Only one person who didn’t already have a duty.
    Her.
    She edged her way toward the wheel, clinging to the railing and praying she could make it to Warren before anything happened. She just had to get to him, and he’d be fine. They’d be fine.
    The boat tilted, and she gripped the rail with all her strength. Her legs lifted off the floor before crashing back on the deck.
    A man screamed as he went overboard, but his rope held tight.
    She glanced up, judging the distance between herself and Warren. She’d have to cross ten feet without something to hold onto if she was going to make it to the railing that led up to him.
    Ten feet where she could be lost.
    “Kitty! No!”
    Her eyes jerked to Warren as he fought the wheel.
    “Go back!” His eyes pleaded into hers, but she couldn’t do as he asked. If he went over…
    She pushed away from the rail, leaping toward the opposite side of the steps.
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    A ll blood drained from Warren’s face when he spotted Kitty on deck, but she was too far away for him to get to her.
    Where was her rope? Good heavens. She wasn’t secured. If one wave hit her…
    Get back in your room!
    She clung to the railing, and every time the sea tossed them, he prayed. He prayed she would live. His strength was zapped, but no matter what he did, he wouldn’t let go of the wheel. Everyone depended on him. Their lives depended on him.
    She headed toward him, and as much as he willed her back to her room, part of him knew he could keep her safe on deck. But there was no way he could get her to him without endangering her life. Surely she saw that.
    At the end of the railing, her gaze slid from the handrail on the other side of the staircase to him.
    “Don’t even think about it!” His body jerked against the wheel, holding the ship steady.
    She didn’t hear him. Or she’d ignored him.
    Breath whooshed from his lungs as blazing fear scorched him. She leaped across the distance, so short when the weather was calm, but perilous when the sea raged. She’d only let go for a few seconds, but those seconds, where she was completely vulnerable, robbed him of breath.
    “What the devil do you think you’re doing?” he yelled once she made it up top.
    She stared at the rope tied around his body, holding him to the wheel. “I thought you weren’t secure. I came to help.” Uncertainty flooded her eyes.
    He didn’t waste another moment arguing with her. “Get between me and the wheel. Wedge yourself under the rope, facing me.” It