Free The Golden Rules of Love: Western Romance by Tammy Andresen Page A

time, she let her hand drift to the opening of his shirt. She lightly stroked the skin that was exposed by the opening of his shirt. The feel of his coarse hair sent shivers racing down her back.
    “I was sixteen.” His eyebrows drew together.
    “I’m sorry, Mack.”
    “Collin. I like it when you call me Collin.” He gave her a small smile.
    “Collin, is it dangerous to sail?” She curled her fingers into his shirt.
    “No more dangerous than crossing the country in a wagon. Probably less so.”
    “Being attacked by Indians.” She wrinkled her nose. He dropped a light kiss on it.
    “That’s right. Though the ocean has dangers of its own. But I think it would be an easier trip home. Most people travel here by water and not by land.”
    The group tied up their horses and climbed into a dingy that was tied to the dock. “Mack” was painted on the side. Mack turned to Tom. “You named the dingy after me?”
    “You’re our fearless leader.” Tom grinned as he spoke.
    They started rowing. Annie caught a glimpse of an island up ahead, but tucked in between it and the mainland must have been a hundred ships. The first one they passed was full of people.
    A harassed-looking man was dumping a bucket of food scraps over the side. “If you’re comin’ to eat, there’s no room.”
    “Just passing by,” Mack called back.
    The man stopped and assessed them. His eyes lingered on Annie and Mary Beth. “Either of you ladies need any work, you let me know. I could use some more hands.”
    “How much will you pay?” Mary Beth shouted before Annie could say anything.
    “Five dollars a day, each. That’s a fair price.”
    Annie and Mary Beth looked at each other. While the money wasn’t enough to pay for a return trip home, they would be able to buy their own food and contribute to the supplies needed for the journey.
    The man seemed to take their hesitation as a sign they would say no, because he added, “Free meal a day too.”
    “We’ll start tomorrow,” Annie called back. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Mack frown but he said nothing.
    As Tom and Rake continued rowing the skiff, Annie glanced at Mack. The sun glinted off his chocolate brown curls, his face set in determined lines. He was staring straight ahead, at a boat closest to the island.
    Annie looked out at it. It was larger than many of the ships, with three masts rising from its deck. It looked magnificent. She caught her breath and craned her neck up to get a better look.
    Mack chuckled behind her. “I know. Ships do that to me too.”
    She couldn’t help it; she turned back to him and grinned. “Are you going to buy it?”
    Mack shrugged, “Tom has been watching it for the last week. No one has stepped foot on its deck. More than half of these boats are just abandoned. If no one comes for it, I’m going to sail it away.”
    Annie nodded. That only made sense here in San Francisco. They would be doing a public service. To clear an abandoned boat out of the harbor meant much needed supplies could come in. “I understand.”
    “We’ll empty the wagons, sell everything we don’t need. Then we’ll use the money we make to purchase all the food for the trip home. It’ll take us a few more weeks.”
    Annie sucked in her breath. “We won’t be able to earn our passage back and I…”
    “You’ll cook and clean on the boat to earn your keep.”
    Annie bit her lip. “What do I do when I get back East?”
    “That’s for you to decide.”
    Annie shrugged as she nibbled on her lip. If she were honest some part of her wanted him to say stay with me. But he didn’t. At this point she normally got angry and pushed him away. Her pride got in the way of sound decisions. She refused to make that mistake again.
    Their skiff pulled up to the side of the boat. A rope ladder hung down almost to the water. Tom grabbed the rope and began scaling the side of the boat to the deck. Rake tied the skiff off to the side of the ship, then followed and