FORTY-TWO
Never in his life had Jean had so much trouble keeping still, but he did it. Every second he stared at her, lying on the opposite bunk, he just wanted to take her in his arms and swear to her that everything would be okay. That he'd take care of her.
But he was a man of his word, and he'd promised not to touch her. So he sat on his own bunk while his brain buzzed with questions, and kept his hands to himself.
What did she think he'd do to her? He'd carried her for more than half a mile. His arms ached at the effort, but he wasn't complaining. He'd felt worse. He'd done worse, dragging his own body along the same beach.
That's why he'd done it, he told himself. Because of his own bad experience, he wasn't willing to let someone else endure the same pain. Even if she had trie
