"I thought as much."
"And from where did you get these?"
"Several of the smaller men."
"Clean?"
"Yes."
"She keeps asking me not to forget her, but other than that, she seems a little more lucid."
"All right. I"ll keep her here until we"re ready to shove off."
Rigg began to agree and move away but stopped short.
"No, get her ready with about half an hour to spare."
Lionel didn"t question or delay him, but all the way to the clearing he wondered what the lieutenant had in mind.
"What"d Lionel get from you?" "Nothing. Did he take some of your clothes?" "A shirt and a pair of socks." "A shirt? You lucky dog."
Harlan Ellis looked up from the pot he was stirring, his gaze stern on the grinning men.
"What"s your problem, Ellis?" the younger of the two asked.
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But Cook"s only response was to turn his back on the two sailors. This had little effect. As their eyes met, they shrugged and went on their way.
Ellis turned long enough to scowl at the place they"d been standing. He wasn"t that much older than the men who"d been talking, but in his mind, he was certainly old enough to know when someone needed pity and not to be l.u.s.ted after.
"All right, gentlemen," Rigg said softly, knowing he had the attention of every man. "I know you"ve heard that we"re going to have a guest on board. I"ll be leaving in a matter of seconds to bring Miss Archer onto the boat. You"re going to meet her. After that you"re not going to do anything. You"re not going to speak to her, look at her, or even think about her."
With those words still hanging in the air, Rigg turned and made his way off the boat. He moved calmly onto sh.o.r.e, a few men in his wake, only to have Lionel coming toward him at a fast pace.
"She"s gone."
"She"s what?"
"Gone, sir," he repeated reluctantly. "I can"t find her anywhere."
Rigg stared at Lionel for a moment in disbelief. What could she have been thinking? She was so worried about being left, and now she"s disappeared! Or was it not her fault? Was she harmed or suddenly sick?
Rigg"s eyes scanned the tree line, his mind reeling with several possibilities.
"Let"s look for her," he said grimly, knowing what this delay might cost them even as he moved toward the trees. Rigg, Lionel,
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Lori Wick Cliff, and Donald were halfway there when she suddenly emerged from the thick foliage. Rigg covered the distance alone.
"Where have you been?" Rigg"s tone demanded an answer.
"I had to do something."
"What?" he asked. He was not yelling, but there was an edge to his voice.
Lorri looked up at him, trembling a little under his stern gaze.
Rigg gave her a few moments, but when she said nothing, he started in.
"I realize this has been a harrowing experience for you, Miss Archer, but in case you have forgotten, we are at war!"
"Yes, sir," Lorri whispered, not able to take her eyes from his.
"I have a PT boat full of men waiting to get underway. No area of the Pacific is safe. We could be under attack at any moment."
Lorri nodded but didn"t try to speak or explain.
When Rigg saw that he would get no explanation from her, he gave up.
"Come on," he ordered shortly, not having noticed that she was dressed in jeans and a shirt that were a bit too large but covered her well compared to the skirt and blouse. At the last minute, he saw that she carried a small tied bundle.
"Let me take that for you."
Lorri surrendered the extra clothing she"d been given and trudged across the beach behind this angry officer. She hadn"t come to the beach much. The trees, even with the bugs and reptiles, had felt safer.
Not even noticing the ship they were headed toward, Lorri climbed into the lifeboat and sat down, her heart thundering. A moment of panic filled her and she looked back at the island. She moved a little and found her wrist manacled in the lieutenant"s
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hand. Looking from her wrist to his face, she didn"t realize that he"d been watching her closely.
"We have to go to the boat now." His voice was calm again.
Lorri nodded but couldn"t control the trembling that had started. She reclaimed her wrist and folded her arms tightly over her chest. It was a hot day, almost noon, but she felt so cold inside that her teeth chattered. And again, her eyes went to the island. She wasn"t going to jump in the water and swim back, but for more reasons than she could name, she couldn"t take her eyes from that small strip of land.
And small it was! The farther the raft went from sh.o.r.e, the more she realized how tiny it was. It had become her world. She knew every inch of it. It had never felt small to her until this very moment.
"All right, Miss Archer," Rigg was saying. "Do you think you can manage this ladder?"
They were at the boat! Lorri was so startled that for a moment she only stared at it. If she had thought the island tiny, she knew not what to think of this PT boat. It was one of the smallest crafts in the war, and she couldn"t help but wonder where everyone lived and slept.
"Can you manage it?" The question was asked again, and Lorri mentally shook herself.
"Yes," she whispered, hoping it was true. She did not wish to be carried on board.
She was given no time to think or look around. She climbed the ladder, only glad she was able to accomplish it, and then found her upper arm in the lieutenant"s grasp as she was led to an open s.p.a.ce on the deck. The men were lined up.
"Miss Archer," he began. "The men are lined up to meet you. They will step forward and introduce themselves."
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Lorri looked at each man as he stepped out of formation, stated his name and rank, and then moved back into line. Lorri had met a few of them already, and even though she concentrated on each one, she knew she would never remember all the names she"d just heard.
"Thank you, gentlemen." Rigg"s voice was at its most commanding. "Now I"ll remind you again. For however many days Miss Archer is with us, you will keep your distance. Some of you will have business with her; most of you will not. Any man caught fraternizing with our guest will answer to me. Dismissed to get underway."
The men fell instantly out of formation to scatter in all directions, and Lionel was suddenly there.
"I"ll show you below, Miss Lorri."
"Thank you." She almost smiled at his familiar face, but feeling as though she"d just been swept from one surreal world to the next, Lorri only followed him down the narrow steps to the pa.s.sage below.
"This is the galley," Lionel said from the incredibly tight s.p.a.ce of the pa.s.sageway, the throb of the engines all around them, as he forced himself not to look at Lorri"s vulnerable face. "You"ll take your meals in here in the officer"s mess." Lionel indicated the table. "Ellis will tell you when."
Lorri looked up at the cook, who nodded at her, his expression open.
"Right this way is your cabin. Lieutenant Riggs will be in here with you, but you"ll have privacy behind this sheet. Ensign Westland may need to stop in now and again to retrieve something, but they"ll both give you as much privacy as you need."
"Thank you." Lorri uttered the first words that had come from her mouth since boarding the vessel.
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4i Rigg chose that moment to see how the tour was going, and as he did, put Lorri"s small bundle of clothes on his bed in his cabin. His bed was not built into the wall but was actually in the room, next to a small desk. He then moved into the pa.s.sageway where he listened to Lionel.
"And right here is the officer"s head."
Lionel opened the door, and Lorri looked in to see a toilet, sink, and an area to hang wet things.
Rigg had come upon them and just stood listening as Lionel finished explaining. He"d no more stopped speaking than two enlisted men chose the moment to come through the pa.s.sage. The men backed up to give them room, as did Lorri, but it wasn"t remotely the same. Rigg watched the men"s chests as they pa.s.sed Lorri"s front and was strongly reminded that this boat was not meant to be shared by men and women.
"Miss Archer." Rigg got her attention. "Whenever you can step out of the pa.s.sageway for the men to pa.s.s, that"s going to be best. Do you know what I"m talking about?"
Lorri nodded. The men hadn"t touched her, but small as she was, it had still been a tight squeeze.
"Yes, sir."
"Did you want to rest now?" Rigg offered, wanting her out of the way as much as possible.
"Thank you."
"I"ve got lunch ready for Miss Archer."
The three in the pa.s.sage turned to find Ellis addressing them. Rigg turned back to Lorri.
"It looks like you can rest or eat, Miss Archer. Your call."
Lorri looked into Rigg"s face. Some corner of her brain registered the fact that she shouldn"t be on this vessel. It was nothing