Claudia glanced over her shoulder and smiled in Alexis’s direction.

Alexis straightened. Claudia Spencer was gorgeous. Ordinarily, the sight of a beautiful woman didn’t give her a little charge, but this one did. Her hair and eyes were the color of a starless sky, deep black and endless; her elegant features and pale skin as flawless as polished ivory; her sensuous mouth wide and full, and at the moment, lifting in a deliberate smile. Alexis cleared her throat. “Ma’am.”

The stunning brunette laughed. “Hardly. Commander, is it?”

“Yes, ma’am, Alexis Martin.”

“Very nice to meet you, Commander.” Claudia’s voice was throaty and warm, as rich as dark honey. She held Alexis’s gaze for another few seconds and then turned back to her computer screen.

Alexis dragged her attention back to Austin. “How’s the rig riding out the weather?”

“So far so good. As you can see,” Austin indicated Claudia’s screens, “we’re keeping an eye on what’s coming, but as I’m sure you know, these semisubmersibles have incredible stability, even in big storms.”

“I know, but we don’t want a replay of what happened with the Petrobras.”

Austin winced. Petrobras 36 was the world’s biggest semisubmersible rig until it exploded and sank in bad weather off the coast of Brazil. “Believe me, neither do we.”

“I noticed you’ve got a convoy out there. Transport?”

“Potentially. We’re keeping our nonessentials off the rig,” Austin said, carefully keeping to the truth. She wasn’t about to lie to anyone, but particularly not to a Coast Guard officer whose duty it was to protect all of them.

“Good idea,” Alexis said. “How’s your storage level on the rig?”

“We’ve offloaded most of our fuel already,” Austin said, again sticking to the facts.

“You have everything at the ready to evacuate the rig if there are problems?”

“We have protocols in place. Ray Tatum will contact the company to make the call if the situation changes.” Austin indicated Claudia with a tilt of her head. “Dr. Spencer’s keeping a close eye on the storm as well as evaluating the stability of the rig. We won’t take any chances.”

“I doubted you would.” Alexis glanced toward Claudia Spencer again. The brunette didn’t turn around, and Alexis hid her disappointment. Everything sounded in order, and she had no reason to stay. She pulled her gloves from her pocket and slapped them against her thigh. “Good enough. I’ll let you get back to it, then.”

“I’ll walk you out,” Austin said.

Claudia turned and caught Alexis’s eyes. “Safe seas, Commander.”

Alexis nodded. “And to you, Doctor.”

Alexis walked with Austin to the far side of the deck and swung her leg over the side of the railing into the cage. “Make sure you institute those protocols with plenty of time. This one is going to be tough to call.” The wind whipped her hair, the sting bringing tears to the corners of her eyes. “No matter how good your meteorologist might be.”

“You’ve got my word on that, Commander.”

Alexis nodded and disappeared as the cage rapidly descended to the dock below.

Austin gripped the rail and watched the cutter glide away in a rapid curve, headed toward the convoy riding easily on the horizon at the moment. The last thing she wanted was to put anyone in danger, and if they didn’t make the right call at the right time, it wasn’t just their crew they’d put at risk. Claudia wanted ten hours to make a firm prediction. They had six left, and every one hung over her head like the sword of Damocles.

❖

Gem set out when the sun finally broke through the clouds for a few precious moments. The weather report suggested they might have scattered clouds with a bit of sun for the rest of the afternoon, and she intended to make the most of it. She wanted to get her cameras situated and temporary blinds set up where she could view and record the various migrants en route through the sanctuary. With her backpack full of equipment and a water bottle tucked into the pocket of her cargo pants, she followed the main trail away from her cabin into the marsh for a quarter of a mile, using her GPS to map her route and mark observation locations. Then she left the trail and headed into the undeveloped areas where tourists had no access, taking care not to disturb the native vegetation that provided not only cover, but food for the birds. The type and plentifulness of the reeds, grasses, and other ground cover constituted two of the prime determinants of which birds nested in which part of the sanctuary. She stopped at intervals and set her infrared-capable video cameras to cover areas she anticipated would be prime nesting spots and attached extended battery packs. Some of the birds would only rest for a day or less, others might remain for several. She would make a twice-daily circuit, downloading the camera readouts and changing batteries.

She didn’t have to make the trip every day, let alone twice a day. She could just as easily monitor the cameras from her cabin’s computer, but she preferred to do it manually. A camera could only see where its lens was pointed, but her human senses could follow the trill of birdsong, catch the flicker of wings on the air, spy a flash of color in a way a still camera never could. And besides that, she was a field researcher. She didn’t want to sit in a warm room in front of a computer monitor. She wanted her boots on the ground, no matter how muddy, and the wind in her hair, and the beauty around her warming her spirit.

In a couple of hours she’d completed her preliminary route, which she’d modify as the flocks arrived, and was only a twenty-minute fast walk from the center. Hopefully some of the other team members had arrived. She could use a little company to divert her attention. Activity seemed to be the only panacea to thoughts of Austin. Some of those thoughts were immensely enjoyable, but beneath the pleasant memories was a tide of sadness threatening to rise. She needed to call Kim too, and she’d been putting it off. Funny, now that she thought of it, that Kim hadn’t called her or even requested when they’d parted that Gem call her when she arrived. She hadn’t thought to wonder what Kim’s schedule was either. How long had they been in that stagnant place, both of them going through the motions because it was easier than admitting they had only the barest of connections any longer? They were friends, but she was closer to Emily, who she only saw in person a couple of times a year. Her night with Austin aside, it was time for her and Kim to move on, and the weeks of separation while she was in the field would be a natural time to make the break. She sighed. So she’d call—as soon as she got back to the cabin.

The visitors’ center’s main area was empty except for a twentysomething brown-haired boy in a pressed plaid shirt and jeans, who looked up eagerly when she walked in.

“Hi,” he said in a high soft tenor, “welcome to the Rock Hill Island sanctuary. Can I help you?”

“Hi.” Gem held out her hand. “I’m Gem Martin. I’m part of the research team.”

Disappointment flickered across his features and then he smiled again. “Oh, hi. I’m Paul.”

The name used to give Gem a start, even recently, but today she had no reaction at all. Paul was long gone and would not steal a moment of her time, now or ever. “I don’t imagine you’re getting much in the way of visitors today.”

“No. It’s deadly quiet.” He brightened again. “But tomorrow’s Friday, so the weekend ought to be busy. If the storm doesn’t keep everyone away.”

“You know birdwatchers. They’ll be here.”

“I hope so. This is one of the biggest weeks of the year for us. The donations really help.”

“Well, stay warm and dry, Paul,” Gem said and went on down the hall to the canteen. To her disappointment, the small dining area was empty. Emily and Joe must still be out in the field somewhere, and the other team members either hadn’t arrived or were getting settled into their cabins. She checked the coffeepot, found it nearly full, sniffed, and decided it was fresh enough to drink. She poured a cup and turned at the sound of footsteps behind her. Maybe Emily or Joe—

She caught her breath, and her heart actually raced in her chest.

“The guy out front said I should come back,” Austin said from the doorway. “I hope it’s okay.”

Chapter Fifteen

Gem couldn’t quite believe Austin was real. She’d been thinking about her so much since leaving her in what felt like another world, and yet here she was, somehow right in the middle of hers. She set her coffee cup down. “Stay right there for a minute.”

Austin raised a brow but stood still and silent, a glint in her eyes that dared Gem to do her worst. Gem closed the distance and lightly kissed her on the mouth. “Yup. Warm and breathing.”

Austin laughed; a rush of pleasure and something else, something light and bright and beautiful that after a few seconds she recognized as happiness, rushed through her. “I guess I should ask, is there some particular reason you thought I might not be alive?”

“Honestly, I wasn’t sure I’d see you again, and this is the last place I would’ve imagined you to turn up. So I just wanted to make sure you were actually flesh and blood.”

At the rate her heart was pounding, Austin wasn’t certain she was actually going to remain that way much longer. “Oh, I’m very much alive. But feel free to check anytime you find it necessary.”

“I can see that you’re quite well and functioning normally.” Gem gestured to the coffeepot. “I was about to have some coffee, which I could probably do without, but if you’re interested—”

“None for me,” Austin said. “I’m pretty much running on rocket fuel at this point.”

“Mmm, me too,” Gem said. Too much caffeine must be the source of her sudden case of the trembles. The swirling tides in her midsection couldn’t have anything to do with Austin. Just to prove her point, she leaned a hip against the counter and indulged herself with a long look. Austin wore plain dark pants, an equally plain, serviceable blue work shirt under a light black jacket, and work boots. Just as she thought—Austin looked amazing. She was every bit as good as the memories Gem had been conjuring all morning. Better in person, even. Her dark eyes glittered with attention and energy. Her hair was windblown, carelessly framing her bold face, giving her a piratical air. She was every inch sexy. Gem feigned a calm she didn’t feel. “Now that we’ve established your vital status, what are you doing here?”

“I wanted to get out of the motel,” Austin said, again true but not altogether so, “considering the sun is shining and I’m not sure how long that’s going to last, and…I wanted to see you again. I’ve been thinking about how I was going to manage that since the minute you walked out this morning.”

And thank you, Eloise, for giving me the excuse to be here.

Gem’s breath left her in a rush, along with most of her reasoning faculties. Austin had a way of sweeping her off her metaphorical feet—she was always a little off balance around her. She hadn’t been the object of true interest, real passion, for a decade. Maybe longer than that. By the time she and Paul had married, they were more friends than lovers, having been dating exclusively since they were fifteen. Her attraction to Christie had been obsession, in retrospect, and completely one-sided. She had long ago come to terms with the hard knowledge that Christie’s attraction to her had been nothing more than Christie’s desire for a conduit to Paul. Austin’s interest was unmistakable, and being on the receiving end of that attraction left her light-headed and excited. “I’m glad you’re here.”

“I know I’m probably interrupting your work,” Austin said. “It’s the first day and all, so I just took a chance. Listen, I don’t mean to keep you, but maybe—”

“No,” Gem said quickly, before Austin had a chance to disappear or she did awaken and find this a dream, “this is actually a great time. The full team isn’t here yet, and I’ve just finished most of what I needed to do today, at least in terms of fieldwork. I can finish up what I need to do online anytime tonight.”

“Okay, then how about the nickel tour?”

Gem laughed. “You really want to take a look at a basic research facility?”

“I’d like to see your digs,” Austin said, “and since I’ve never been to the sanctuary, and it isn’t raining, I wouldn’t mind a walk around.”

“Done. This place won’t take but ten minutes to see and then we can get outside.”

“You sure you don’t mind?”

“Not at all.” Gem more than didn’t mind. She looked forward to showing Austin the sanctuary, something she’d never shared with Kim or anyone close to her other than Alex, who stopped by from time to time when Gem was in residence. But the wonders of a coastal marshland were as familiar to Alex as a city street was to most other people. She still appreciated the wonder of it, but there was little Gem could show her that she didn’t already know about. Gem lightly took Austin’s arm and pointed down the hall. “We’ve commandeered a few rooms down this wing where we run some of the basic analyses on samples that might deteriorate in shipping. Our botanist, Joe Edelman, routinely does water samples, bacterial cultures and counts, that kind of thing, looking at the composition of the freshwater pools, algae counts, and quite a few other things that if you were absolutely dying to know, I’m sure Joe could spend hours explaining to you.”