PARADISE COVE (PARADISE SERIES Book 1) by Patrice Wilton Read Free Book Online Page A

frightened, feminine plea. Her exhausted calls for help tore at his heart. A boy lifted his damp head, hanging on with one hand while waving the other. " Socorro ! Signor, save us! "
    "Hold on. I'll get you."
    He let the boat drift in their direction. Flashing his light he saw three pale faces bobbing out of the water.
    The man gave him a relieved smile that held no humor. " Mi esposa. Esta embarazada ," the man said. Tears flowed down his cheeks. "Help!"
    Sean spoke enough Spanish to know that the man said his wife was pregnant. And he knew the situation was urgent. He didn't have time to call the Coast Guard.
    The man had one arm hooked around his wife, the other hugging his son to the driftwood. How much longer would they have lasted out here? "I'm here now. First the boy. Can he reach my boat?"
    Seeing assistance, the boy excitedly let go of the wood he'd been clinging to and flapped his arms in the water, but he started to go down. His father reached out and pulled him by the shoulder back to the safety of the driftwood.
    Sean quickly moved to the other side of the boat where the life preserver was kept, grabbed it and some life vests, ran back and tossed them in the man’s direction.
    "Catch that," he shouted, watching as his aim landed just out of reach. His heart pounded against his chest. "Let go of the wood and grab it! Hurry!" Please, please don't let it float away. He could not let these people drown. He would not.
    The father lunged for the preserver, but as he did, he lost the grip on his wife, and Sean watched in terror as her head ducked under. The boy was screaming, the father was trying desperately to hold his wife’s face up out of the water by her hair.
    Panic threatened, but he coolly kept his head. He was a swimmer, a strong one. If he didn't  get them on board quickly, they'd all be dead.
    He perched on the edge of the boat, then dived in, swimming toward the driftwood. He searched for the woman in the dark, swirling water. Seconds passed. He came up once, looked around then dived under again. Feeling something solid, human, he held on. Kicking furiously now, he pulled the woman toward him, grabbed hold of her waist until their heads popped out of the water.
    She was sputtering and sobbing, and fighting him with what little strength she had. He kept a hand around her, but with her swollen belly she was not easy to grip.
    After a terrified second or two, she gave up the struggle and allowed him to turn her over. By floating her on her back, he was able to recover the preserver and slip it over her head.
    The boy and the father swam toward him, pushing their driftwood ahead like a paddleboard, but he feared they might pull them both under. He yelled at them to head for the boat, pointing to the ladder on the side.
    Once they reached the side of his boat, he joined them. With the mother bobbing safely beside him, he helped the boy shimmy up, and then the father. When the two of them were safely on board Sean removed the preserver from the wife, and they helped pull her up, as he pushed from below.
    With a final heave, the poor woman was dragged over the side of the boat, and Sean quickly followed.
    The woman looked to be in bad shape. "Downstairs." He pointed the hatch out to the son. "Blankets and towels."
    His father translated, and the boy nodded, his big eyes wide with fright. He quickly turned and left.
    The man sat down on the deck, cradling his wife's head. "My fault. I should never have made you come. It wasn't safe."
    Sean knelt in a puddle of water at the woman’s side. He put his hands over her extended stomach as she moaned in pain. After the ordeal she'd been through, he wouldn't be surprised if she was in labor.
    The boy returned and dumped several blankets and towels at his feet. He folded one under the woman's head, and another over her body to keep her warm. He handed a blanket to both the father and the son. "Put these on. Keep warm. We'll get you to a hospital. Don't worry."
    He made