Hiding Rose (Saved By Desire 5)

“Good Lord,” Reg whispered as he blatantly stared appreciatively at her.

Rose shifted awkwardly and struggled to resist the urge to poke self-consciously at her hair as they studied her. She had never been so closely scrutinised before and it was unnerving. She didn’t know what to say and looked uncomfortably at Barnaby for help. There was a strange look in his eyes she couldn’t put a name to. Did he like the dress or hate it? It was difficult to tell. He didn’t seem inclined to want to speak.

“I will go and get changed,” Barnaby croaked before he sidled around her and hurried into the building. He slammed the door closed and rested his forehead against it for a moment while he willed his body to cool. “May the Lord have mercy on my soul,” he whispered, but doubted that if the Lord knew what was going on in his mind right now, he would show him any mercy whatsoever.

Rose watched the door close and stared blankly at it for a moment.

“Ma’am,” Ben said gently. When Rose turned toward him he made a valiant attempt to stop himself from staring at her and waved a negligent hand toward the small vessel waiting beside the dock. “Let’s get you into the boat. Barnaby can come and join us in a minute.”

He held out a cloak for Rose to step into and heaved a sigh of relief when she tugged the edges closed.

“I am afraid there is not much we can do about the rain. There is a storm approaching, you see. We need to get you to the bigger vessel, where you will be a lot safer, before the storm breaks.”

Rose nodded but didn’t think he could see her beneath the heavy hood of the cloak.

Well aware that she was injured, and quite obviously Barnaby’s precious lady, Ben held a gentlemanly elbow out for her. He carefully escorted her to the dockside. Once there though he realised that he had absolutely no idea how she as going to get down to the boat which bobbed in the water several feet below them. There were no steps, and it was impossible for Rose to jump down in the dress she wore. Stymied, he shared a blank look with Reg, who looked equally perplexed by their problem.

It was Barnaby who solved the issue. Striding toward them, he dropped into the boat and lifted his arms up.

“Sit on the side of the dock, Rose,” he murmured gently. “Once you are there, lean toward me and fall into my arms. I will catch you, I promise.”

Rose trusted him implicitly and had no doubt that he would do as he said. Dutifully sitting, within seconds she was standing in the gently rocking both beside him leaving Reg and Ben to stare at each other in astonishment.

“Now sit down,” Barnaby urged.

He had never felt such a wealth of emotion the likes of which he experienced when he came out of the building and saw her standing cloaked and waiting patiently beside his colleagues. First and foremost of which was raw and hedonistic need. He wanted her, it was that simple. What surprised him the most was that he didn’t just want to bed her – he now wanted to keep her.

“We will soon be safe,” he promised while they waited for Ben and Reg to join them. When she was seated, he picked up an oar and sat beside her.

Rose looked at him. Their eyes locked as they tried to convey their emotions without speaking. He asked if she was alright. She quietly reassured him. Neither of them spoke but then they didn’t need to.

Drawn into that steady look, Rose felt the strength of his quiet reassurance flow through her veins. It warmed her through to her very soul. In that moment, in spite of everything, she was glad she was there.

“I know,” she whispered eventually, well aware that they would be. If Barnaby said they would then they would, it was as simple as that.

Barnaby rested his oar across his lap. “Let’s tug your hood up so it covers your hair. It will keep you a little warmer and protect that beautiful head of yours. It is cooler now we are at sea so keep wrapped up.”

For my sanity, please keep yourself covered up he thought but didn’t actually say it aloud. The hood didn’t really need any adjustment. He wanted to touch her and stole the opportunity to smile at her; a soft, secretive kind of smile that made her smile back.

The tender moment was broken when Ben and Reg dropped into the boat behind them. Once the ropes were released, the boat was pushed away from the dock and the men began to row. The speed in which the craft glided effortlessly through the water would have been stupefying if Rose had been able to banish the fear of the alarming bobbing of the vessel in the waves. Once or twice the sea leapt over the side of the craft splashing everyone on board, but nobody seemed to notice.

“We have company,” Ben informed them quietly after several moments of silence.

Barnaby looked over his shoulder at the boat load of men heading their way. To his disgust another group of men were in the process of clambering aboard a second vessel further around the harbour. He studied each man’s face but couldn’t see Chadwick.

“Damn it,” he muttered in disgust.

“What is it?” Rose asked. She tried to look behind them but her head began to pound and made her feel sick again.

Or maybe it’s the rocking of the boat, she thought starkly suddenly dreading the journey ahead.

“Chadwick isn’t there,” Barnaby muttered.

“We are going to get ambushed if we don’t get a move on,” Reg snapped as he eyed both boats now closing the gap between them.

It was with trepidation that Rose studied the roughness of the sea as they glided through the harbour wall. It felt like she was abandoning safety when the boat began to dip alarmingly in the swell. White frothy waves appeared against the side of the boat and slammed into the small craft, soaking them all through to the skin within seconds. Rose looked down at the pool of water growing steadily at their feet and wondered if she should do something to get rid of it.

“Are we going to be alright?” Rose asked nervously. There was nothing she could do about the waves heading toward her so she chose not to look. Instead she focused on Barnaby, and the solitary structure of the lighthouse standing sentry like behind him.