Nantucket Romance 3-in-1 Bundle (11 page)

Landon took a seat on deck, as his legs seemed too unsteady to support him, then he put his arm along the rail. Melanie sat next to him, and Sam followed Tully up the few stairs to the flybridge.

Why had he thought he could go out to sea without the memories haunting him? He remembered the taste of salt in his mouth, the stinging of his eyes, and the feeling that his lungs would burst. He was ready to jump ashore, but the boat was already moving away from the dock.

He looked up at Sam standing next to Tully in her khaki shorts and white gauzy top. As much as he wanted off the craft, he needed to be sure Sam was safe. His conversation with Scott the day before rang in his head.

“Listen, if she wants to date a guy like Tully, why do you want her? Ifyou ask me, they’re cut from the same cloth. Forget about her, Landon.”

If only he could. But she was seared into his soul, and he didn’t see any way to change that.

As the boat progressed, he and Melanie talked occasionally over the rush of the wind in their ears. When they decided it was too hard to hear over the noise, Melanie settled back in the seat and turned her face toward the sun.

Landon’s fingers clenched the rail behind him. He could feel his heart pounding even over the rumble of the engine. It was going to be a long day.

He looked up at the flybridge again. Sam wore her hair down, and it whipped behind her like a golden flag.

He watched as Tully left the captain’s seat, trading spots with Sam. Tully leaned around her, letting her steer the boat. Landon could feel his insides heat, and it had nothing to do with the sun. Tully’s hand rested on her shoulder, and she turned and laughed at something he said. Tully was shorter than Landon, but his bulky calves and biceps left no doubt that he worked out.

Why hadn’t he realized how difficult this would be?

He was relieved when they neared Martha’s Vineyard and Tully slowed the motor to a stop and anchored the boat. It was then that Landon wondered how they’d get ashore. He looked down at the surface of the rippling water, feeling his muscles cramp as they had that night. He’d called Bailey’s name over the peals of thunder until he nearly drowned himself.

“All right, mates, let me show you around.” Tully interrupted the bad memory.

The three of them followed Tully through the boat. The salon was open and bright with parquet floors. A master bedroom led out of the salon, and a galley completed the cabin. It was in good condition, and Landon guessed you could buy a house on the mainland for what the boat cost. He figured Tully’s Tavern must be pretty profitable.

Tully had brought a picnic lunch for the group, and he carried the basket on deck, then prepared a raft to take them ashore.

Moments later, Landon stepped onto the bottom of the raft, a flexible rubber that gave when he put his weight on it. He reluctantly let Tully steady him by the arm and sank against the side.

What am I doing out here?
He struggled to steady his breath. Melanie settled beside him, Sam sat across from him, and Tully took the back where he could steer.

Think about something else
. He looked up at two seagulls soaring. Their high-pitched cries rose on the wind.

Across from him, Sam hid behind sunglasses, and he wished he’d brought his own. To hide his fear if nothing else. The boat took off with a jerk, and he braced his body with his feet.
It’ll be over soon.Tough it out, Reed.

He made it through the short trip by sheer will, but a sheen of perspiration coated him by the time they reached shore. Landon wasn’t sure he’d be able to get himself back on the boat. His stomach was in knots, and he fervently hoped they would spend the rest of the day on dry land.

Somehow he managed to make conversation through the lunch, and once all the supplies were packed away, the other three stripped down to their suits. Landon spread out on the beach towel he’d brought.

“Aren’t you coming in, Landon?” Melanie laid her hand on his shoulder possessively. She wore a lime green bikini that showed off her deep tan.

“No, I’m just going to hang out here.” He lay back, letting his weight fall on his elbows as Melanie strolled toward the water.

A few feet away, Sam withdrew sunscreen from her satchel.

“Here, let me get that.” Tully took the lotion from her, squeezed some into his palm, and rubbed it on Sam’s back while she held her hair up on her head.

“You have great shoulders,” Tully said. “And nice, smooth skin.”

“Thanks.”

Give me a break.
Landon watched Tully’s tanned hands rubbing in circles across her back, then kneading the lotion into her shoulders.
All right, pal, it’s rubbed in.

When he was done, Sam smiled at him and held out her hand. “Thanks, I can do the rest.”

Landon was relieved when Tully headed toward the water, leaving him alone with Sam. She rubbed lotion on her legs while he watched in silence.

“Having a good time?” she asked.

“Peachy.”

She looked at him, her brows lowered. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

“Okay.”

What had he thought he was going to get when he agreed to tag along on her date? Would he have to watch Tully kiss her good night too? The thought made his lunch sour in his stomach.

“You should go out there with Melanie.” Sam smoothed the lotion on her arms. “She’s nice, you know.”

Yeah, he knew. If he didn’t know it before, he knew it now, with Sam shoving it down his throat every two seconds. He felt like an unwanted secondhand pair of shoes.

“Well, I’m going in.” Sam walked down the beach and waded into the water until she was knee deep, then she dived in and came up beside Tully. The current pulled them together, lifting them gently as a wave rolled ashore. Tully’s hands steadied her, then lingered on her shoulders.

Landon wanted to dive into the water and rip them apart. He didn’t even want Tully looking at Sam in her swimsuit and noticing her curves or her long, toned legs, much less touching her.

He lay back against the sand and closed his eyes. Why didn’t Sam see what was right in front of her? Tully only wanted to use her for his own selfish needs, and yet she ran after him. Why did Sam settle for so much less than she deserved?

Landon wasn’t sure how much time had passed when he felt cool droplets of water splatter his legs. Tully spread a towel beside him and plopped down, arms braced on his knees.

“Water’s fine.” He watched Sam, who floated on the water, arms relaxed out to the side. “She is one hot lady.”

Landon pulled himself upright and stopped a reply by biting the inside of his mouth.

“You know her long?” Tully asked.

“Practically all her life.”

Landon felt Tully’s eyes on him for a long minute. “Cool.”

It was nearly dark by the time Tully walked Sam up her porch steps. Miss Biddle’s car wasn’t in her drive, so Sam figured she’d taken Caden out. The sun had sucked all her energy, leaving her pleasantly lethargic. The breeze caught her damp hair, chilling her, and the night smelled of freshly cut grass and Miss Biddle’s roses.

Sam reached the door and turned to Tully. He was charming and flirtatious, and he didn’t dredge up emotions that made her feel threatened. She’d been able to forget the house and her past for most of the day. Only when she looked at Landon was she reminded of everything she was running from. And seeing him touch Melanie had discomfited her.

Tully leaned one hand against the door frame, trapping her against the door. “I had a great time today.”

Sam’s face relaxed in a smile. “Me too.” She toyed with the idea of asking him in.

He looked boyishly handsome with a strand of hair falling over his forehead. He leaned in, closing the gap between them.

Sam let her eyes fall closed, waiting. Feeling nothing but pleasantly sleepy.

“Hey there.”

Her eyes popped open. Tully pulled away. His arm fell.

Landon stood in the yard, hands tucked in his back pockets. She wondered how he’d seen Melanie home and gotten back so quickly.
What, did you just dump her at the curb?

Tully turned toward Landon, crossing his arms.

Silence covered them like an itchy blanket. Landon would have to be blind to miss the fact that he’d interrupted something.

“Did you need something?” If her tone was sharp, so be it. Landon had already tagged along on her date. Did he want to hang around and watch Tully kiss her good night too?

“I remembered I promised to look at your faucet. Thought now was as good a time as any.”

Sam’s eyes narrowed. “It can wait until tomorrow.”

“I don’t mind.” He stood as fixed as Sankaty Head Lighthouse.

Sam shifted.

Tully took a step back.

In the distance, the water lapped the shoreline, and the wind made the tree leaves flutter.

“I should be going anyway,” Tully said. He shot Landon a look, then leaned forward and pecked her lips.

She barely felt the kiss under Landon’s paternal watch.

After Tully got in his Mustang and drove away, she turned and opened the door, ignoring Landon.

“Wait.” He was on the porch before she could shut him out.

“What now, Landon? Do you want to come in and make sure I don’t hurt myself flossing?”

“That’s not fair.”

“You intruded on a private moment.”

“I was worried about you.”

“You’re jealous.”

The words hung in the silence. She wished she could take them back. Especially when she met his eyes and they softened, drawing her to him like a riptide.

“I can’t believe you kissed him,” he whispered.

Her insides stirred, warming her. She hadn’t meant to hurt Landon, but she could see that she had. She’d hurt him all day long. She regretted it now.

His fingers cupped her chin, and he drew his thumb across her lips as if to rub away any trace of Tully. The gentle sweep of his thumb affected her more than Tully’s kiss. Her legs felt weightless, as if a gentle breeze could blow her over. She knew if he leaned down and brushed his lips across hers, she would let him. And she also knew Landon’s kiss would be unlike Tully’s. This one would turn her world upside down.

Instead of kissing her, Landon stepped back. He said good night, then turned and walked away as her heart splattered on the board porch. It wasn’t until the next morning that she remembered he’d come to fix the faucet.

Thirteen

T
he next night, Sam and Caden ate supper alone. Landon had left after helping paint the living room’s wicker furniture in the backyard while Sam sorted through drawers and closets.

“Why can’t we eat at Landon’s? It’s more fun over there.”

Sam spooned a heap of macaroni and cheese onto her plate. “There’s no more to do over there than there is here.”

“He has games.”

“We have games at home, and you never play.”

“I can’t play them alone.” Caden stabbed the hot dog with her fork and dipped it in mustard.

“Caden, you know I have a lot of work to do. It’s not easy being a single parent.” She hated justifying herself to her child. How could her daughter understand all her responsibilities?

“You should get married. Then I’d have a dad, and you wouldn’t be gone all the time.”

Sam breathed a laugh. “It’s not that simple.”

“Bridget’s mom just got remarried, and now she has a new brother.”

Sam stabbed a piece of macaroni and aimed her fork at her daughter. Why did Caden think she had all the answers at the ripe old age of eleven? “Hey. It’s not like I’m not trying. I have dated, you know.”

Caden harrumphed. “Yeah. Jeremy.”

“There was nothing wrong with Jeremy.” Other than the way he called constantly and showed up at their door every day, invited or not. It occurred to Sam that Landon did the same thing, yet it didn’t leave her feeling smothered.

“He only talked to me when you were in the room.”

Sam had noticed that, but she wasn’t going to admit it.

“I went on a date yesterday, remember?”

“Amber said he owns a bar and has dated everyone except her mom. Sounds like a real winner.”

Sam clamped her mouth shut. Why did it seem like Caden got along with everyone but her?

“Why can’t you date someone nice like Landon?”

Sam wasn’t sure why it surprised her that Caden had thought of it. “He’s just a friend. Besides, I’ll find my own dates, thank you.”

They finished eating in silence, then she sent Caden to take a bath and decided to tackle the few remaining boxes in the attic. The sooner they finished, the sooner they could leave this place. Somehow, the thought left Sam disquieted.

She was surrounded by a pile of junk when Caden came in from her bath, smelling like a fresh and clean baby. Her daughter settled on the floor somewhere behind Sam. She wondered how long their silence would last.

The box in front of her held items unfit for a secondhand store. Sam shoved it to the door, then opened a bag of Christmas lights and decorations. They smelled musty. When was the last time anyone had put up a tree in this house?

“Mom, look!”

She hadn’t heard so much excitement in Caden’s voice in months. Caden was looking at a picture. Sam scooted beside her to see.