“No wonder this captured my ex-husband’s imagination. Were there many people hired from the States to work on it?”
“Several thousand. Many more thousands from the U.S. and other countries will be staffing it.”
Her gaze switched to the maze of buildings, train tracks and giant cranes. As she scanned the busy scenes going on around her, she noticed one of the floating docks where she saw several oil tankers with the words Herrick emblazoned.
Terri sat forward. “My ex-husband was a glazier. How did he come to be hired by Mr. Herrick?”
She intercepted a private glance between Ben and Carlos before the latter said, “He wasn’t hired by him.”
“Then how come the Herrick Corporation called to tell me Richard was in the hospital?”
At this juncture they’d arrived at a pier. Carlos pulled to a stop, then turned around to look at her with a thoroughly puzzled expression.
“You really didn’t know all this is Ben’s brainchild?”
CHAPTER FIVE
“NO,” TERRI murmured. Yet she couldn’t honestly say she was surprised. From the first moment she’d looked into the stranger’s eyes, she’d felt there was something magnetic about him. Something that set him apart from other men.
Now she understood Captain Ortiz’s words.
Mr. Herrick is a very important man. If the press had found out he was missing, it would have caused a great uproar.
“To be honest, Carlos, my ex-husband and I never communicated after our divorce. I had no idea he’d made the decision to work outside the U.S. The call from Houston came as a total surprise.”
“As did the call I received from the hospital,” Carlos remarked in a subdued tone.
Terri could well imagine the other man’s shock. “After Mr. Herrick’s horrifying ordeal, he ought to be resting. Where is his condo from here?”
“I live on the Atlantis. Shall we go?” Ben whispered hoarsely before climbing out of the car.
While Terri digested that amazing revelation, she rushed to gather up some of the grocery bags. Carlos took care of her suitcase and the other sacks.
Dozens of dock workers hailed Ben. While he chatted with those who’d gathered around, no doubt because of the sling he was wearing, another man rushed forward to assist Terri with the groceries. The whole time she felt Ben’s unwavering gaze as she was helped into a tender, one of dozens of boats that were used to ferry workers out to the huge ship.
In a moment he followed, refusing help from anyone. When he moved in her direction with that swift male agility she could only admire, her heart began pounding in outrageous fashion. In a few seconds he’d sat down on the banquette-type seat opposite her.
Carlos got in last with his load. After he’d placed everything on the floor, he handed out the life preservers. While Terri fastened hers, he helped Ben with his. Then he donned one himself and walked to the rear of the boat where a seaman revved the motor. He reversed at a wake-less speed to clear the other boats. Soon they were zooming away from the pier.
Terri had always adored the ocean, that unmistakable smell of salt in the air you could never get enough of. Today the water reflected a deep blue, causing the mammoth ship to stand out like bright white chalk on a new blackboard.
Through holes in the drifting clouds, the late-morning sun beat down on them. But there was a refreshing breeze which filmed their hot skin with a fine mist of sea spray.
Ben’s black-brown hair curled at the tips, partially hiding the dressing at his hairline from view. The one under his chin was hardly noticeable. He looked disgustingly healthy for someone who’d had such a recent brush with death.
When he’d said he could use her help for a few days, she’d never dreamed it meant living on the water. The closer they drew to their destination, the more she marveled at such a massive feat of engineering.
“It’s so fabulous, I’m speechless,” she said when her eyes finally met his.
A smile hovered around his sensuous lips. The man’s arresting looks made it difficult to concentrate on anything else. She smothered a groan.
By the time they reached a center landing which led inside one of the ship’s lower decks on the portside, Terri realized they had to be in very deep water. There wouldn’t be that many natural harbors in the world that could handle anything this colossal.
She shuddered to think Richard had lost his life somewhere out here. Was it even possible to find him at these depths? Terri didn’t honestly hold out any hope of his body being recovered.
In an unexpected move, Ben put a hand on her arm. “Don’t think about it right now. I’ll explain everything later when we’re alone.”
He always seemed to be on her wavelength. She nodded without looking at him. When he relinquished his hold, Carlos was standing by to gather their preservers and help her out of the tender into the ship. Several Hispanic stewards helped with the groceries and her suitcase.