Stranded Read Online Free Page B

application.”
    â€œIn desperation; I needed hands. Believe me when I tell you I regret it now. Whatever Abby saw in you, I didn’t agree with her then and I disagree even more now. If I see you up here or on the cargo deck again, I’ll throw you overboard. I wager I’ll have half a dozen men fighting each other to help me do it, too. Now get out of here and let me find the way.”
    â€œAye, sir,” Noah saluted.
    Brewster held up a middle finger in response.
    Noah backed out of the compartment, choosing to take the nearest door and descend the exterior ladder. He’d once tried to imagine what it would take for his father-in-law to grow to at least tolerate him, if not outright like him. He’d catalogued all the possibilities: treating Abby with love and faithfulness, getting a good, stable job and providing while she went back for her master’s degree, fathering William’s only grandchild. None of it had been enough. That he was Noah Cabot and had married Abigail Lynne Brewster was too high a hurdle to overcome. And now they were at loggerheads. No matter what he did, it wasn’t good enough. He’d tried to find common ground and even think of the man as family, but Noah didn’t crave his approval any longer. It was too late for them both.
    The frigid air was strangely humid, and the fog felt like a bed of needles prickling his exposed face and hands. He hurried as much as he could while still being careful not to slip on the ice clinging to the ladder risers and handrail. The bow of the Arctic Promise was caked in it and she was still riding low in the water. The good news was they hadn’t capsized, somehow, and more ice didn’t seem to be accumulating. For the time being, she was seaworthy and the crew was safe. But if they sailed into another storm like they experienced last night, it would be short work for the vessel to grow top heavy and turn over.
    On C-Deck he hesitated, giving the starboard fast rescue craft—the FRC—a quick once-over. Serge, the bosun, was also the coxswain and responsible for maintaining the lifeboat. Noah wasn’t sure what he was looking for, but he didn’t want to run into another problem like he had the night before with the zip tie on the fire extinguisher.
    He leaned over the rail to inspect the ropes tied to the vessel in the “securing arrangement” before lifting the cover to look underneath at the craft itself. He didn’t know exactly what measures would need to be taken to lower and launch the small craft, but to his eye, it looked good. He breathed a small sigh of relief, even if the feeling he got from his inspection was more confusion than satisfaction. Nothing looked like it would hinder the crew’s ability to board and launch the craft. He made a mental note to make it to the port side to have a look at the other FRC as well. There were only sixteen men aboard, and each rescue boat held twenty. Almost all systems on the ship had at least one redundant backup. But if an escape vessel failed, they’d be pulling freezing men out of the ocean. Better if the first one they tried worked as expected.
    He turned to head inside and found himself blocked by a crewman. Theo something. Theo Mesires. He was a typical deckhand. Strong and solidly built, the kind of guy who liked working with his hands and liked complaining about work twice as much. “Whatcha doin’, Noah? Finding more fires to set?”
    â€œWhat? Just making sure—”
    â€œWhy don’t you keep your nose out of shit you shouldn’t be messing with?”
    Noah shoved past the deckhand, bouncing off his shoulder as he did. “If I kept my nose out of things, you might be swimming tomorrow.” He pulled open the door he hadn’t heard the man exit and practically ran inside to get away from the chill of both the atmosphere and his coworker. His reputation had preceded him. No matter what, he promised