Free A Brother's Honor by Jo Ann Ferguson

“How many others?”
    â€œFrom the ship?”
    â€œYes!”
    In the gray of what he was beginning to realize was a rainy dawn, he saw her glance away. Toward the sea, he guessed when she murmured, “As far as I can tell, you and I and Dandy are the only ones who survived the explosion on the Republic. ”
    Dominic collapsed back against the ground. Just the two of them and the cat? Incroyable! Was she jesting with him? No—her face was serious in the dim light. “No one else?”
    â€œNot that I have seen. Your enemies outnumber you, Dominic.”
    â€œThey always have.”
    â€œYou like long odds?”
    â€œAlways.”
    Arranging her wrapper around her, she said, “Then you have your wish, Dominic. As far as I can tell, we and the cat are the lone survivors of the Republic . No one who might rescue us knows where we are. You have several bad burns, a useless right arm, and possibly a broken ankle. If those odds are not long enough for you, I am sure I can think of other reasons why our situation is appalling.”
    â€œThose are quite enough for now.” He reached up and put his finger against her cheek to turn her gaze back toward him. “Are you hurt, Abigail?”
    â€œOther than a few scratches and bruises, no.” A smile tipped her lips. “I survived in much better condition than you.”
    He raised his right arm and wiggled his fingers. A tingling warned that sensation was returning to them. The pain was muted along his shoulder. Mayhap he had not broken his arm. With a grimace, he pushed himself up to sit.
    His head spun, and he cradled it in his hands. When a cool cloth was held to his brow, he drew his fingers away to see Abigail leaning toward him. What he had thought was a shadow was a bruise across her left cheek.
    â€œIt seems I owe you my life,” he whispered.
    â€œYou do.” She let him keep the cloth in place as she tended to the fabric wrapped around his aching skull. “If I had left you out on the strand, you would have come to your senses in time to face the hangman.”
    â€œIf they had not taken care of me right here.”
    â€œDon’t be so barbaric!”
    He caught her wrist when she was about to turn away. “Abigail, this is not your aunt’s house in New Bedford. You are in the middle of a war.”
    â€œI know.”
    â€œDo you?” He ignored the pulse of pain ricocheting through his head as he drew her toward him. “If you truly had, you would have killed me out there by the water.”
    â€œI considered it.”
    Dominic laughed softly. “Good.”
    â€œYou would not have thought so if I had rammed that rock into you.”
    â€œAs bad as my head aches now, I’m not sure what difference it would have made.” Before she could retort, he added, “You cannot be so fainthearted. You are among your enemies here. Among our enemies.”
    â€œI know.” She eased her hand out of his grip. “That is one of the reasons I did not kill you. You know more about England than I do.”
    â€œAnd what were the other reasons?”
    â€œYou know them.”
    â€œDo I?” Again he tilted her face back toward him. “Could it be that you were unable to bring yourself to slay me because you were thinking of how you react when I hold you in my arms?”
    â€œYou saved my life. I could not take yours.”
    â€œAnd that is the only reason?”
    â€œOf course.”
    He laughed again when her fiery blush belied her answer. Running his crooked finger along her cheek, he said, “Then I shall say again that I am grateful.” He frowned as he pushed a branch away from his head. “What is this place?”
    â€œThe closest shelter I could find when I pulled you off the beach. These trees must have fallen in a recent storm.”
    â€œWe cannot stay here. We could be seen by anyone on the beach.”
    She nodded. “I know. There is