Lost Lady by Jude Deveraux Page B

leaning over her, watching her, touching her hair, pulling the sheet a little closer about her. But even in her sleep, she was aware of his arms around her, of his rugged body near her, of the sweetness of his warm breath on her ear. Stirring, she opened her eyes, gave him a sleepy smile, gladly accepted his soft kiss, and then smiled again as he lay his head beside hers and she felt his body relax into sleep.
    The next day was a repeat of the same hard, smelly work of helping seasick passengers. In the late afternoon, Travis told her to go to their cabin and rest or she wouldn’t be any good for anyone. His tone of voice, always ordering her around, caused her to tell him just what she thought of him.
    â€œYou could be helping instead of merely lounging about the deck,” she snapped.
    â€œLounging, am I?” Travis smiled, that half-smile, half-smirk of his that infuriated her.
    For the first time she noticed his dress of soiled, sweaty cotton shirt and loose britches reaching to his knees, tucked into soft leather boots. A wide black-leather belt circled his trim waist. Suddenly, several questions were answered for Regan, such as how Travis could afford a private room. In payment, he obviously had to work for his passage.
    â€œHow can I help?” he asked. “Although, if you expect me to wipe dirty mouths, I won’t.”
    If Travis had to work for his passage, so did she, and the idea of rest wasn’t possible. “This morning two of the upper bunks collapsed. I’ve talked to the crew, but they just laughed at me.”
    â€œThey probably laughed because they don’t know which end of a hammer is which. What else?”
    â€œWe need someone to take care of the older children. I thought maybe you could find Sarah Trumbull. I haven’t seen her for days.”
    â€œSarah’s busy,” he said succinctly, “but maybe I can help with the other problems.”
    A great burden left Regan’s small shoulders because she knew that Travis would keep his word.
    â€œKeep looking at me like that, and I’ll build separate houses for each passenger right here on deck.”
    Giggling and feeling much better, she went back to her duties.
    In a very short time, Travis appeared at the door of the women’s cabin with carpentry tools in a box. Some of the women squealed in protest because they were in various states of undress, but it didn’t take Travis long to make them feel comfortable. He laughed with the women and told them the men were all dying for them to come on deck and make the voyage less tedious. In spite of what he’d said to Regan, he held one woman’s head over a bowl and tenderly wiped her mouth. He diapered two babies and rearranged several heavy trunks so there was more walking room, all while he repaired the broken bunks, checked the others, and reinforced several more.
    When he left, most of the women were smiling, and it felt as if fresh air had just blown through the stuffy, stinking dormitory.
    â€œOh my,” sighed one woman whose baby Travis had changed. “Who was that glorious man?”
    â€œHe’s mine!” Regan said, so loudly and with such a challenge in her voice that the women laughed, making Regan blush.
    â€œYou don’t have to be embarrassed, honey. Just thank the Lord every night for being so good to you.”
    â€œMaybe she has other things on her mind at night,” someone else said loudly.
    Regan was almost grateful when one of the women began to groan and she could run away and escape the women’s teasing. But even as she held a pan for the woman, she began to feel angry. He was flirting with all the women, right in front of her! No doubt he liked having all the women drool over him, liked being the only man allowed into the single women’s cabins. Allowed! Surely Travis Stanford never did anything so common as ask permission for anything he wanted to do.
    Slamming down a pitcher of