"Damn you!" He threw one of the pulley ropes to her. "Stay away from his legs."
She dived below the water, trying to avoid Kapu's flailing hooves. She could dimly discern the white canvas webbing of the halter. Where were the steel rings?
Her lungs were bursting as she fought to hold her breath. She could see Danemount on the other side of Kapu, his hair billowing about his face like seaweed. She felt a sudden surge of confidence. Together they could do it; together they could do anything.
The salt stung her eyes as she searched desperately for the ring that-there it was!
Kapu's hoof narrowly missed her head as she dived beneath his belly and passed the rope through the ring.
Hurry. She had to hurry. Her breath was almost gone.
Once through the ring and then back. Knot. The knot had to be very secure to hold his weight.
Done!
She fought to the surface.
No Danemount. Panic iced through her.
No, there he was, surfacing about ten feet away.
"Did you-" She broke into a fit of coughing.
He nodded as he drew in great gulps of air. "You?"
She nodded.
He waved his arm to the men on the deck. "Take him up."
She moved closer to Kapu. He was going to be so frightened. "It's all right. I'm here. It will be over in a moment."
"Stay away from him," Danemount said.
"I can't. He needs me."
"He'll need you more when he's pulled on board the ship." He added grimly, "He may explode once he's out of the water. We may all need you at that point."
He was right. It was more important that Kapu sense a friendly presence when he reached the deck of the ship. She struck out for the rope ladder.
Danemount reached the ship before her and was already climbing the ladder.
She heard Kapu's terrified squeal behind her as he was lifted from the water by the pulley. She forced herself not to look back as she climbed the ladder. Soon the stallion's ordeal would be over. They would be together on the ship, and she could comfort him and make him feel safe again. Dear God, she was weary. Now that the task was done, all the strength seemed to be seeping out of her.
Danemount reached the deck, turned, and lifted her the final two rungs. He was no longer the sleek, fastidious nobleman, she thought dully. His shirt and trousers were plastered to his lean body, and his long hair hung in wet strands about his face.
"All right?" he asked tersely. When she nodded, he didn't give her another look but instead went to the rail to watch Kapu's ascent.
"How's your shoulder?" Lani was there beside her, wrapping her in a blanket.
"My shoulder?" That's right, she had rammed it against the hull. Only now was she aware of a painful throbbing. "It's not bad."
"It doesn't seem to be bleeding anymore."
"Bleeding?" she repeated, startled.
"There was blood on the water when you surfaced. That's when Danemount dived overboard. He swims very well… for an Englishman." She added grudgingly, "And he has courage. Not many men would have been willing to risk being maimed by Kapu to fasten those ropes to the halter."
Cassie scarcely heard her. Kapu was being lowered to the deck. He wasn't struggling; he appeared frozen with terror. She dropped the blanket and hurried to the rail.
"Stay back," Danemount snapped. "Look at his eyes."
She could see what he meant. Kapu's eyes were glittering with panic. She stopped before the stallion, who was still suspended a few inches above the deck. "Put him down."
"Not yet."
"I said put him down. He's afraid. He hates this."
"He'll savage you."
"He won't hurt me. Not now." She reached out and touched Kapu's muzzle with a loving hand. "Is there a stall prepared for him?"
"Yes." He jerked his head toward an open doorway several yards down the deck. "There's a ramp leading down to the cargo hold."
"Then put him down and leave us alone. I'll lead him to the hold when he's ready."
For a moment Danemount didn't move. Then he motioned for the stallion to be lowered the final few inches. "Stand back and leave the halter on him until he's calmer."
She didn't answer as she stepped forward and buried her face in Kapu's mane. The horse was trembling but stayed still beneath her touch. She began to talk to him.
She was only vaguely aware of the others moving away.
"The worst part is over," she crooned. "It will never be this bad again. Soon I'll rub you down and feed you your grass. But not yet. We'll just stay here and get used to the feel of the ship and being together. You don't have to move until much later…"
Bradford glanced over his shoulder at the woman and the horse as he walked with Jared along the deck. "I think you should know that you're never going to get that stallion away from her. She's besotted with the animal."
"Do you think I don't realize that? She almost died for him today."
"I just thought I'd mention it. I didn't want you to have any false hopes. By the way, the two of you worked quite well together to save him. Does it foster a feeling of comradeship in your breast?"
"Not a whit."
"I think it will. It's almost impossible to ignore such a bond."
"The only things I can't ignore at present are your erroneous pronouncements and these sopping-wet clothes." He glanced about him. "And where is our other guest? In her cabin?"
Bradford nodded toward the forecastle, where Lani was standing quietly looking down on Cassie and Kapu. "Watching over her charge. She's very protective. A fine quality. You should appreciate it since you apparently have it in abundance. What a splendid gesture. My heart was quite touched when you dived into the sea." He snapped his fingers. "But of course-it wasn't due to your concern for the girl herself. It was the horse and the possibility of losing a hostage."
Ignoring the mockery, Jared looked back over his shoulder. It was fully dark now and he could see Cassie only as a gleam of white and Kapu as a stiff, unmoving bulk. There was no telling how long it would take to bring the horse to a state calm enough to be moved, and Cassie would not hurry him even if it took all night.
"Shall we set sail?" Bradford asked.
The movement of the ship would only make Cassie's task of quieting the stallion harder. "Not for a while. There's no hurry. I'll tell you when."
"For God's sake, get out of that stall. Do you want him to trample you?"
Cassie raised her head from the straw to see Jared standing in the doorway of the cargo hold. The candle in his hand cast shadows on the planes of his face. Shadows… He was always half in shadow, she thought. The outer shell sleek and glittering, and beneath… darkness and mystery. She raised herself on one elbow. "He won't trample me. He's much calmer now."
"And what will he do once we set sail?" He moved forward to stand at the door of the stall. "Will he still be calm when the ship is no longer rocking like a cradle but skittering and pitching?"
"That's why I'm here." She sat up and brushed her hair back from her face. It was stiff and wiry from the salt water, and too dry. So was her skin. Everything about her felt parched and taut, and she thought longingly of the coconut oil they had packed in Lani's trunk. "I've been waiting for you to up anchor. Why haven't you done it?"
"My apologies. I foolishly thought that you might need a little time to get the horse adjusted." He hung the lantern on the post beside the stall. "I told Bradford to up anchor and set sail in a quarter hour. I hope that will be satisfactory?"
"Yes." She was too weary to bristle at his sarcasm. Besides, he had done her a great service by helping to save Kapu. "I only wondered."
He raised his brows in surprise. "No stinging retort? Are you quite well? Perhaps it was your head and not your shoulder that was damaged."
"I'm not always argumentative. You're the one who-" She stopped and then said, "You see. It's you who sting. I'm trying not to be unpleasant."
"Why on earth?"
"Kapu." She lowered her eyes and said haltingly, "Not that I couldn't have managed by myself, but you made things a good deal easier."