Delaney searched along the bulkhead by the boat docks but saw no sign of Ben. She called out to him, hoping if he was within earshot he’d answer. She was positive now Ben had overheard her and Blake arguing and gotten upset. She’d never forgive herself if something happened to him.

She looked over toward the floating dock but didn’t see him near there. She would have been upset if he had been. The floater was too unstable for a little boy without a life jacket and an adult to supervise him near the water.

“Benjamin,” she called again. “Ben, if you can hear me, please answer.”

She retraced her steps along the two stationary boat docks. They extended out into the water, one small one and a larger one with a lift and a long slip. The waves slurped against the wood.

She startled a blue heron that must have been wading nearby. He cranked out his displeasure, flying low over the cove as he scolded her. Delaney hurried back toward the low rise to the back yard, watching the huge bird as she did. Ben wasn’t down here. She’d start searching elsewhere.

The heron screeched another call, circled wide over the docks, and then landed on one of the pylons near the end of the bulkhead. Delaney started to look away when something caught her eye.

Something was on the floating dock. More than likely it was a life jacket someone forgot to put away, or maybe it was a towel. It was hard to make it out in the dark, but she knew it wasn’t a little boy.

She started back toward the yard then stopped. It was probably nothing, but she had to check, just to be sure.

Delaney walked down to the floating dock. The heron flew off in a tiff. She was about ten feet away when she realized what it was on the dock.

“Noooo,” she whispered in horror. She ran to where Ben’s blanked lay in a heap with his teddy bear. She leaned over the wooden planks searching fruitlessly around the edges of the dock.

“Oh God, oh God.” She tried to think.

“Ben,” she called, panic clutching her throat. Stay calm, she told herself.

Had he been trying to take out the little boat? Maybe he’d been here but gone back to the house. Or had he fallen in? How long had he been gone? She didn’t have time to go for Blake and Justin. Every second was precious. That was her last thought before she went in.

Delaney gasped. The frigid water sucked the air from her lungs. Her chest heaved. She tried not to think about the stinging cold. If Ben had fallen in, she had to find him before it was too late. He could have been hanging onto the dock, not able to get back up by himself. He might have only just gone under when she got there.

The water near the floating dock was only about five feet deep, but that would be over Ben’s head. She moved her foot around the pylon but felt nothing. She walked the length of the dock, sweeping her legs out as she went.

He had to be close. Maybe he’d gotten caught underneath. She ducked under the spreader boards. Please let me find him, oh God, please help me. Help me find him.

Tremors shook her body. Desperately she covered the area under the dock. She didn’t know how long she’d been in the water, maybe a couple of minutes…that would mean that if Ben had fallen in he would—

“No!” Delaney slipped back out from under the dock. She could feel her strength waning, but she had to keep going…had to find him.

She moved out a few feet, sweeping the bottom with her feet. She dove under, scouring the bottom, stretching her arms and legs as far as she could to cover as much area as possible.

She struggled up to get air. Goosebumps covered her body, but her lungs felt like they were on fire. She broke water, heaving, gulping, caught a sharp breath and dove again.

What if Ben died? Oh God, she hated herself for thinking it. She’d find him, she would!

The next time she came up she felt a little disoriented, and she was even further out, nearer the middle of the cove. How had she gotten this far from the dock? Ben wouldn’t be this far out.

Back, she had to go back, closer to shore. Her wool dress felt heavy, hampering. She’d lost her shoes at some point. She didn’t know when.

Delaney tried to swim. Her arms and legs felt like great weights working against her, every stroke sapping her energy.

She hung in the water, trying to catch her breath. When she looked around, she wasn’t sure now which way to go. Ben was going to die all because she didn’t know which way to go.

Delaney fought to stay above water. She was so tired, but she felt warm…odd that she should feel warmer. Was Ben warm? Was he waiting for her to find him? Maybe he was smiling at her from under the water.

A hard tremor shook through her. Delaney gasped. What was happening? She needed help. She had to get help to find Ben.

Gathering what little strength she had left, she rolled onto her back. She needed Blake. Blake would come. He’d save Ben.

“Blake,” she called, but it came out only as a hoarse croak.

“Blake.” She said it again, crying his name as loud as she could. It screamed in her head.

The black waters of the Bay swirled around her. “Blake,” she cried again. Or had she just thought it? She wasn’t sure. She was so tired. She had to rest. It would be okay, though, because Blake would come. He’d find Ben...her too. Everything would be fine. Everything would...

BLAKE WALKED out of the woods holding Ben close. It had taken almost fifteen of the longest minutes of his life to find the boy. It was Hunter’s whimpering that had gotten Blake’s attention and led him to Benjamin, huddled in an old deer blind.

There’d be time to talk about what happened later, after everyone got some sleep and felt more in control of their emotions. For now Ben was safe, and that was all that mattered.

Blake was anxious to get Ben home. Delaney was probably frantic by now, and Justin had looked as worried as Blake had felt. When Blake approached the house, Justin came running out of the woods on the other side.

“Jus,” Blake yelled to get his brother’s attention, “I found him.”

“Thank God.” Justin sighed with relief when they met near the porch. “Does Delaney know?”

Blake shook his head. “I haven’t seen her yet.”

“I’ll see if she’s in the house,” Justin said.

“Delaney,” Blake shouted. If she was still outside she’d hear him, and hopefully guess they’d found Benjamin.

Justin came back out a minute later. “She’s not inside. I can’t imagine she’d still be down at the docks. Maybe she started searching the woods.”

Blake called her name again. They went around to the back of the house but didn’t see her in the rear yard. She couldn’t be so far from the house that she wouldn’t have heard their calls. A thread of fear began to unravel in the pit of Blake’s stomach.

Why hadn’t she responded to their calls by now? What if she’d fallen, tripped over something in the dark and gotten hurt? She could be lying unconscious somewhere.

“I’m going to check the docks.” Blake must have sounded worried because Justin sprang into action as well.

“I’ll check the woods.” Justin sprinted toward the dark wall of trees that ran down to the water’s edge on the far side of the property.

Blake broke into a run, holding Ben close. A prickling sense warned Blake that Delaney needed him. He thought he heard her calling him, but it sounded so distant, as if he’d imagined it.

“Delaney,” Blake yelled as he approached the water. “Where are you? I found Benjamin. He’s all right, sweetheart.”

Ben joined in.  “Laney, I’m okay, Laney.”

The docks were empty. Blake scanned the area quickly, his eyes sweeping along the bulkhead. He was breathing hard, the fear which he’d only put to rest short minutes before rose anew.

Ben tugged on Blake’s shirt. “Daddy…Daddy, look!” Ben pointed toward the middle of the cove.

Blake jerked his gaze in the direction of Ben’s furiously waving finger and squinted. There was something floating in the water. At first Blake thought it was a log, but then it moved.

“Delaney!” He set Ben down. “Stay here!” Blake shouted. “Don’t move, Ben, not a muscle!” He’d have to trust his son to listen; he had no choice.

Blake was slicing through the water in seconds, strong arms propelling him toward Delaney with swift sure strokes. He reached her quickly, pulled her over his chest, and set his powerful legs into action as he back-paddled toward shore.

“Blake,” Justin called from shore. Thank God, Blake thought, he wasn’t sure he could lift her up to the dock by himself.

“Over here,” Justin shouted, “come to the bulkhead.”

Blake realized Justin was right. It was slightly farther, but with Justin’s help it would be easier to get her out of the water where the rip-rap sloped up to the bulkhead.

Blake didn’t think about the cold, thought of nothing but getting Delaney to safety. How long had she been in the water?

“Blake,” Delaney said his name, sounding so weak Blake felt as if his heart was being torn from his chest. He couldn’t lose her. He wouldn’t. Everything was going to be all right. He held on to that belief. He had to.

She started to struggle and his grip slipped.

“Hang on, Delaney,” Blake soothed. “I’ve got you.” He lifted her higher on his chest. She flailed her arms as if trying to break away.

“Delaney, stop fighting me. We need to get to shore.”

“No,” she croaked, “Ben needs me.”

“Stop it. Ben’s waiting for us. He’s fine. Sweetheart, he’s fine. Now stop struggling.”

The fight went out of her again. He imagined she just didn’t have enough strength left to wrestle with him. Worse case she was in the water fifteen minutes. Too long, he thought. But she was young and healthy; that was in her favor. She was slender though; that wasn’t.

Blake felt his foot hit bottom. He took a few more strokes then stood, lifting Delaney against his chest. He stumbled, and the thick silt acted like a vacuum sucking his feet into the muck with each step.

Justin scrambled over the rip-rap and grabbed Blake’s elbow, helping steady him as Blake climbed out of the water. Once ashore, Blake cradled Delaney close, keeping her as horizontal as possible. Justin grabbed up Benjamin, assuring the worried little boy that Delaney would be okay.

Blake walked as fast as he could toward the house without breaking into a run. He needed to act quickly, but too much jarring was dangerous to a hypothermic person.

The closest hospital was forty minutes away, too far for his comfort. He’d been trained to handle numerous medical emergencies as an EMT. He’d saved many lives over the years, including some with hypothermia, but it had never been someone who owned a piece of his heart.

Justin ran to the back door in front of Blake and held it open. Blake turned sideways through the opening and kept on going.

“Heat up some soup. And see if we have any apple juice. Heat that, too, but not too hot,” Blake told Justin as he carried Delaney through the kitchen.

“Daddy,” Ben said. Blake didn’t have time to soothe his son right now. He knew the boy was upset, but Delaney needed immediate attention.

“Stay with Uncle Justin, Ben,” Blake said over his shoulder. “Don’t worry,” he added trying to offer what little comfort he could. “I’ll take good care of Delaney.”

Once he got upstairs Blake carried Delaney to his room and laid her on the bed. She was shivering. Another good sign, it meant her body was still able to try to warm itself.

He pulled her sodden dress over her head. With gentle swiftness he removed the rest of her wet clothing. The wet items would only draw more heat from her body. He pulled one side of the quilt over her then ran into the bathroom and grabbed a thick towel and the hairdryer from the linen closet.

Next, he took a pair of the flannel pajamas he rarely wore out of his bottom drawer. When he returned to the bed, he threw back the quilt and toweled her off. He re-covered her and dried her hair as best he could. Once done, he dressed her in the pajamas then lifted her long enough to pull back the sheets and put her in the bed.

Blake shivered. He had to get out of his own wet clothes before he became a victim of the cold water as well. If he didn’t keep up his own strength, he wouldn’t be much good to Delaney.

He started stripping, leaving the clothes laying on the floor. He looked up as Justin and Ben walked into the room.

“I’ve got the soup and warmed apple juice.” Justin carried them over to the bed stand. “What else can I do?”

“See if you can find the heating pad. It should be in the linen closet in the hall bathroom.” Blake grabbed up the towel he’d used on Delaney and dried himself off. He took a pair of sweats out of the dresser and pulled them on.

“There’s also one of those neck warmers that you put in the microwave in there. Heat that up as well.” Blake got some socks out of the top drawer then sat on the bed and drew them over his feet.

Justin went to retrieve what Blake needed. Ben stood at the foot of the bed and stared at Delaney. Blake knew Ben didn’t know what was happening. The poor kid looked like he would burst into tears.

Blake needed to give his full attention to Delaney, but he didn’t want his son worrying. He got down on his haunches and took hold of Ben’s arms.

“Ben, it’s very late, way past your bedtime. When Uncle Justin comes back, he’ll take you to bed. I know you’re scared about Delaney, but if you go to sleep and let me take care of her tonight, when you wake up, she’ll be better.”

Ben twisted his hands together, his little fingers working nervously as he looked up at Blake.

“Is you still mad at Laney?”

“No.” Blake swallowed hard. “I’m not mad. Did you run away because you heard me and Delaney arguing?”

Ben nodded, confirming Delaney’s suspicion.

“I’m sorry, Ben. I was upset. I didn’t mean to frighten you.”

“How comes you want Laney to go away?”

“I don’t.” He never wanted her to go. As soon as she was well again, he’d tell her. They were going to have a long talk and when it was over, Delaney wouldn’t be going anywhere, ever.

“But you said—”

Placing his finger on Ben’s lips, Blake hushed the boy. “I know, but I didn’t mean it. Sometimes when we get mad, we say things we don’t mean. But that doesn’t mean we don’t still love the people we get mad with.  Delaney isn’t going away. She’s going to stay here with you and me, for always.” Blake made the commitment to his son.

Justin returned a few minutes later and took Ben off to bed. Blake lifted Delaney’s head and coaxed her to take a few spoons of the soup. Next he tried to get her to take sips of the juice. The sugar would give her energy and a quick heat burst.

“Delaney,” Blake leaned forward in the chair he’d placed next to the bed and whispered close to her ear. “Can you try to drink some of this?” He brought the cup close to her mouth again. She looked so weak. Since pulling her out of the water, she’d been falling in and out of sleep, mumbling about saving Benjamin.

Delaney turned her head and opened her eyes. She looked confused for a minute then her eyes widened.

“Ben!” She tried to push back the covers. “Have to get Ben.”

Blake laid a hand on her chest and gently held her down.

“He’s fine, sweetheart,” Blake assured her. “Ben’s fine. I found him in the woods.”

“No.” She shook her head. “In the water, fell—have to—”

“Delaney, listen to me,” Blake said firmly. “Ben didn’t fall in the water. He’s safe. I promise you he’s fine. Right now he’s in his room sleeping.”

Blake kept up his vigil long into the night. For some reason Delaney thought Ben had fallen into the water, and she’d gone in to find him. She’d risked her life to save his son. He’d never have forgiven himself if he hadn’t found her in time.

She started to shake again. He had put the heating pad over her chest and wrapped the warmer around her neck. He’d also put one of his ski hats on her head to prevent more heat loss. There was one other thing he could do to warm her.

He glanced at the bedside clock. It was almost three. He got up and turned out the light. He walked to the side of the bed, pulled back the covers, and slid in beside her. Instinctively, she moved close. Blake wrapped his arm around her, breathing moist warmth against the side of her neck.

“Hold me.” Delaney sighed, and he wondered if she was aware of what she said.

“All night long,” Blake told her, and then covered her body with his.

The shivers started to subside. By morning she should be out of danger. Of course, it would take a couple of days to regain all her strength. Until he felt one hundred per cent certain she had, he wasn’t letting her set a foot out of bed.

He could feel her starting to get back some warmth. He thought about the night they made love. He’d never forget the feel of her skin, the way she smelled, the sensual way she’d come to him, given herself to him.

God he loved her. What a fool he’d been to fight it so long. He wondered how she’d react when he told her he wanted to marry her.

He did too. They’d be a family…him, Delaney, and Ben. After so many years of thinking it might never happen, he’d found a woman who made him feel all the tender emotions he thought were lost forever.

Delaney turned her face toward him. Blake couldn’t help himself. He kissed her, no more than a soft brush of lips against lips. When she was better, after she agreed to be his wife, he planned on moving her into his room.

He’d make love to her every night. If he started taking vitamins again, he might make love to her every morning too. He smiled against her neck. Yeah, he was going to take extra special care of her so she’d get well real quick.

“I love you, Blake.”

Blake’s heart skipped a beat. He opened his eyes. Hers were closed.

“What did you say, sweetheart?” He held his breath. Delaney mewled, burrowing against him as if seeking more of his heat, but said nothing. She was asleep.

It must be true. Even if she didn’t know what she said, it must be true. The signs were all there. He’d just been too angry or stupid or stubborn to see them.

He breathed in her scent. “I love you,” he whispered close to her ear. “I love you, and I’ll make up for the hurt, sweetheart. Just stay with me and let me love you.”

DELANEY WAS going to have a full recovery. According to Justin, she had Blake to thank for that. She remembered finding Ben’s blanket and teddy bear on the dock and going into the water after him. The fear, the cold, the hopelessness, she remembered those things as well, but most of last night was a blur.

There were other things, snips and snatches. Someone had held her with strong arms that came and went but were never more than a breath away. There were whispered words, words that didn’t make sense, and the ones that could only have been part of a dream.

Delaney pulled the comforter up around her shoulders and nestled into the pillows that Blake had propped on the couch. He’d finally relented and let her come downstairs tonight to watch a movie on the VCR. Her objections to being carried went unheeded. He had lifted her up like a weightless child, conveyed her to the living room, and ordered her to stay put or else.

Ben returned from the kitchen where he and Blake had scuttled off to several minutes ago for a snack.

“Daddy made hot chocolate,” Ben announced. “He gots some for you too, Laney, but you’re not s’mosed to get up, ‘cause Daddy said if you did you was in trouble.”

“Oh he did.” Delaney smiled at Ben’s serious expression. “You might have to listen to your daddy because he’s your boss.” She ruffled his hair. “But he’s not my boss.” It wouldn’t be right to encourage disobedience from Ben, but that didn’t extend to her.

“In fact, if I wanted to do cartwheels, I’d get up and do them. I might have to march into the kitchen and get that chocolate myself just to prove a point.”

“Try it, sugar, and I’ll carry you back upstairs and tie you to the bed.”

Delaney leaned her head back to see Blake standing in the kitchen doorway holding a tray with four cups. Hot chocolate was being served with a warning frown, except the frown seemed to be hiding a hint of amusement.

“He’s brutal.” Justin threw her a teasing look. “I’d do what he says if I were you, Delaney.”

It was her turn to frown. Blake had been acting strange all day. He brought her breakfast and lunch, then sat by the bed—his bed—talking to her while she ate.

When she woke he’d been there, in a chair by the bed, drinking a cup of coffee and watching over her. Ben and Justin visited off and on during the day, but Blake hadn’t left her side for more than a few minutes.

Justin had told her Blake called his crews to tell them he’d be working at home the next couple of days if they needed to reach him, just so he could look after her. She didn’t think she’d ever understand the man. One minute he acted like he couldn’t bear the sight of her, and the next he tended her as if she were something precious.

Blake gave Justin one of the cups, set the tray on the coffee table, then, to Delaney’s disconcertion, settled on the couch near her hip.

“Cocoa?” he asked, holding out one of the cups. The warmth radiating from his eyes and the solicitous smile aimed in her direction fueled her confusion.

“Thanks.” She reached for the drink, wondering if hallucinations were a side effect of hypothermia. If so, that would explain Blake’s altered behavior. It was all in her head.

“You comfortable?” he asked and slid a hand up Delaney’s arm. The slow brushing touch was so sensual she might have described it as a caress.

She nodded, trying to separate what she knew as truth from the arousing sensation of those fingers and the hypnotic effect of his words. It was not the words themselves but the way he’d said them. It was almost as if they, too, had been meant to stroke, to ignite, to match the devastating softness of his hand as it whispered back down her arm.

Killing her, that’s what this new, gentler Blake was doing. His behavior reminded Delaney of how he’d been before finding out about Ben. Yes, she thought, this was the man she’d fallen in love with.

Delaney took a sip of cocoa then looked away. Blake asked her this morning why she thought Ben had fallen into the cove. She had explained about finding his things on the dock. When she’d finished telling him what she remembered, he hadn’t said anything for the longest time, just looked at her.

She still didn’t know what she’d seen in those golden depths: fear, concern, guilt? Even now, when her head felt much clearer, trying to decipher Blake’s emotions was difficult.

Considering the way she felt about him, it would be too easy to misinterpret whatever was driving his turnaround as caring. Knowing Blake, it was probably guilt. She didn’t consider that a solid foundation on which to build a relationship.

Unfortunately, Delaney feared love, trust, respect, even friendship were things Blake would never be able to give her.

“Can I have a cookie?” Ben asked his father.

“Sure,” Blake told him. “Can you reach the cookie tin on the sideboard?”

“Yep,” Ben assured him. “I teached myself to get on the drawers.”

“Never mind.” Blake chuckled and stood up. He looked down at Delaney with a crooked grin. “I’m not too old I don’t remember a couple of tumbles from those drawers.”

As he walked past, his fingers grazed across her cheek, leaving a trail that felt too warm, and much, much too nice. There was danger here, cannons loaded with pain aimed at the core of her heart.

Blake felt responsible for what had happened to her. She didn’t want his remorse, didn’t want self-reproach to be the lead line that brought him to heel. What happened had been no more his fault than hers. Delaney loved him too much to allow her involvement in his life to bring him any more pain.

Two hours later when she was ready to go to bed, Blake insisted on carrying her back upstairs.

“I’m feeling much better, Blake. You really don’t need to carry me,” Delaney objected.

“I’m not going to let you undo all my tender care by exerting yourself before you’re strong enough.” Blake slipped one arm under her knees, the other around her back, and then lifted her against his chest.

When they got upstairs, he passed by her room and headed for his own. What was he doing? Certainly he didn’t think he had to watch over her again tonight. This morning he said she had gotten through the worst.

“Blake, where are you taking me?”

“To bed. You said you were ready.”

Delaney bit her lip. Falling asleep beside him, breathing him in, giving free reign to the impossible possibilities again, she couldn’t, not now that she’d made the inevitable decision.

She sighed.  “I am, but my room’s that way.” She hitched her head back. “Remember?”

Blake stopped just outside his door. She knew when he ran his tongue along the inside of his cheek the way he did now that he was thinking of what to say. Whatever argument he gave, she had to be firm. Leaving tomorrow would be hard enough.

He met her eyes. “Look, sweetheart, there’s a conversation you and I need to have. I wanted to wait until you’d gotten all your strength back, but since you said you’re feeling better, I figured tonight might be a good time to get this over with.”

Delaney felt fingers clutch her heart and squeeze. She’d known, oh yes, she’d known, nothing had really changed, and now he wanted to remind her of that. To hear it spoken, though, seemed too cruel a fate to endure again. No, she’d leave quietly, just as she planned, no stabbing, no twisting the knives.

She held all emotion from her voice. “Blake, I don’t think I’m up for any discussions tonight.” She watched the frown reach his eyes but pushed on. “I’m really tired. I might have overestimated my stamina.”

A look of concern changed his expression. Delaney hated using the excuse, but ending up in another argument would prove more hurtful to both of them than playing off his guilt tonight.

“I’m sure all I need is a good night’s sleep,” she said, not wanting to make him worry more than necessary.

Blake leaned his head back and blew out a breath as if acquiescence came hard. He gave her another penetrating amber perusal. Like flame warmed brandy his gaze sent heat flowing through her veins. Her yearning heart saw things that couldn’t be there. It was just a trick of the light. She knew better.

She blinked and looked away before the illusion made her believe in things that didn’t exist. Blake turned around and carried her to her room.

“You win tonight,” he said as he laid her on the bed. “But tomorrow we talk. It’s time to revisit our agreement.” Blake walked to the door and turned around. “And I can tell you right now, sweetheart, when we do, I’m not planning on taking no for an answer.”

Delaney closed her eyes at the soft click of the door. He wouldn’t have to worry about her saying “no” when he told her their agreement was off, and he wanted her to leave. If everything went as planned, she’d be gone before he got up.

“Goodbye, Blake,” she whispered as she turned her head into her pillow and let the tears silently have their way.