The Serpent in the Stone - By Nicki Greenwood Page 0,15
she said. “I only saw the one yesterday.”
“There’s probably more. They tend to have favorite spots where the fishing’s good.”
That piqued her interest. “Will there be pups?”
“Not likely, this time of year.”
“I minored in zoology in college. Never studied seals,” she said.
Why was she sharing anything about herself with him? He didn’t care. She didn’t want him to know. He was leaving, and she should thank God for it. She pointed to a large cluster of rocks jutting from the surf offshore. “That’s it.”
Ian crouched low and pressed a hand to her shoulder, urging her down beside him. The touch resounded through her body. She knelt, watching him, but his gaze had fixed on the rocks while he listened.
“I hear them,” he murmured. He crept away, beckoning her with a silent wave.
They moved stealthily around the edge of the beach, until at last the seals came into view. Five of them lazed about on the rocks, barking in irritation when one tried to usurp the best spot from another. “I didn’t realize they were so big,” she said. “That one in front is huge.”
He leaned toward her to whisper, “That’s a bull. These are gray seals. The bulls can reach about five hundred pounds.” He set his knapsack down, then pulled out a camera.
She watched him take several photos, one-handed, with a long lens. He set the camera down to pull out a small leather journal. Balancing it on his knee, he made neat, quick notes. He worked with the same efficiency and self-confidence she felt when studying a new artifact. Recognizing a professional in his comfort zone, she couldn’t help smiling.
He caught her looking and frowned. “What?”
She sobered at once. “Nothing.” Being around him was beginning to unravel her. She almost wished last night had never happened.
No. She did wish last night had never happened. Did. Firmly.
Almost, she thought, looking at his mouth.
He put his journal and camera back in the knapsack. “I think I’m all set here. Thanks for showing me where they were. We can stand up now.” He rose to his feet, then shouldered the pack and began to move back the way they had come.
She stood and dusted off her pants. Her heartbeat stumbled. How much did he know? She couldn’t stand it anymore. She took a long, full breath. “Ian?”
He stopped, but didn’t turn. “Don’t. Please? Just don’t.”
The pain in those few syllables pulled at her. What is it? she wanted to ask, but she bit her lip and followed him back to the camp without another word.
When they reached her tent again, she hesitated outside. “So...tomorrow morning?”
“Yeah.”
“Do you need help getting any of your stuff together?”
“No. I have a guy coming from Unst.”
She stared at his boots for a second. “Well, why don’t we make you dinner tonight? That way, you can pack your mess kit.”
He stiffened, but his gaze remained cool and unaffected, light years from that look last night. “Sure.”
“Okay. See you then.”
He nodded and turned to leave. She watched him go with a knot in her throat, wondering why she wasn’t happier.
When he had left, she ducked into her tent. Her research waited at her camp table. She sighed and sat down, but her body yearned to get back up and rush out of the tent after him.
How could he leave now, after a kiss like that? Kisses like that didn’t exist.
She seized the first book and flung it open, thrusting her thoughts as far from him as possible. Words swam on the page, impossible to shepherd into sense. What did he know? What would he say? Who would he tell?
She managed after a while, and only due to years of practice, to shut off her internal chatter and get to work. After a morning of fruitless searching for information about the amulet, she joined the rest of the crew at the dig. The work engrossed her so fully that she barely noticed the shadows lengthening across the ground. By then, she couldn’t stand herself. “If I don’t get a real bath before dinner, I’m going to go out of my mind,” she grumbled to her sister. “A camp shower just isn’t going to cut it today.”
“I feel like I ought to soak in bleach, or I’ll never get this grime out,” agreed Faith.
Sara glanced around the site. Dustin and Thomas were still working. She moved close to her sister’s ear. “When I went exploring yesterday morning, I ran across an inlet on the western side of the island. I’m