The Invitation (Matchmaker Trilogy) by Barbara Delinsky Read Free Book Online Page B

see to the sails.”
    Noah would have offered his assistance if it hadn’t been for two things. First, Samson would have refused: he took pride in his sailing skill and preferred, whenever possible, to do things himself. Second, Noah wanted to stay by Shaye. He knew that he annoyed her, and he intended to take advantage of that fact. It was some solace, albeit perverse, to have her aboard.
    “The Golden Echo was modeled after an early eighteenth century Colonial sloop,” he began, broadening his gaze to include Victoria in the tale. “She was built in the 1920s by a man named Horgan, a sailor and a patriot, who saw in her lines a classic beauty that was being lost in the sleeker, more modern craft. Horgan wanted to enjoy her, but he also wanted to make a statement.”
    “He did that,” Shaye retorted, then asked on impulse, “Where did he sail her?”
    “Up and down the East Coast at first.”
    “For pleasure?”
    Noah’s eyes bore into her. “Some people do it that way.”
    Victoria, who’d been watching the two as she leaned back against the rail, asked gently, “Did he parade her?”
    “I’m sure he did,” Noah answered, softening faintly with the shift of his gaze, “though I doubt there was as much general interest in a vessel like this then as there is today. From what Samson learned, Horgan made several Atlantic crossings before he finally berthed the Golden Echo in Bermuda. When his own family lost interest and he grew too ill to sail her alone, he began renting her out. She was sold as part of his estate in the mid-sixties.”
    “That leaves twenty years unaccounted for,” Shaye prompted.
    “I’m getting there.” But he took his time, leisurely looking amidship to check on his uncle’s progress. By the time he resumed, Shaye was glaring out to sea. “The new owners, a couple by the name of Payne, expanded on the charter business. For a time, they worked summers out of Boston, where the Golden Echo was in demand for private parties and small charity functions. Eventually they decided that the season was too limited, so they moved south.”
    “Why aren’t they with us now?” Shaye asked without turning her head.
    “Because there isn’t room. Besides, they have a number of other boats to manage. The business is headquartered in Jamaica.”
    “Why are we in Colombia?”
    “Because that’s where the last charter ended. It’s a little like Hertz—”
    “Noah!” came Samson’s buoyant shout. “Set us free!”
    With a steadying hand on the bowsprit, Noah folded himself over the prow, reaching low to release the heavy steel clip that had held the powerboat’s line to the Golden Echo.
    The powerboat instantly surged ahead, then swung into a broad U-turn. Its driver, a Colombian with swarthy skin and a mile-wide white grin, saluted as he passed. A grinning Victoria waved back, moving aft to maintain the contact.
    Shaye was unaware of her departure. She hadn’t even seen the Colombian. Rather, her eyes were glued to the spot where Noah had released the clip. The large, rusty ring spoke for itself, but what evoked an odd blend of astonishment and amusement was the fact that it protruded from the navel of a scantily clad lady. That the lady was time-worn and peeling served only to accentuate her partial nudity.
    “That’s the figurehead,” Noah informed her, crossing his arms over his chest.
    “I know what it is,” she answered, instantly losing grasp of whatever amusement she’d felt. “I just hadn’t seen her earlier.”
    “Does her state of undress embarrass you?”
    “I’ve seen breasts before.”
    Insolent eyes scanned the front of her T-shirt. “I should hope so.”
    Shaye kept her arms at her sides when they desperately wanted to cover her chest. She was far from the prude that Noah had apparently decided she was, but while she’d learned to control her desires, there was something about the way he was looking at her that set off little sparks inside. She felt nearly as