Stormy Seas

By Lois Edmonds

Managing the family boat business while her father recovers from a operation is no problem for Mina – until she falls for the new client.

Dean Matthews has a deeply ingrained distrust of women and believes Mina is no different from the rest. He is hell-bent on not complicating his life with love, but his heart - and Mina - have other ideas.

As the new boat progresses, their fragile relationship disintegrates. She has until his boat is finished to change his mind.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lois Edmonds
• Release date: Oct 16, 2011
• ISBN: 9781465919830

Lois Edmonds

The author has two loves:writing and painting pet portraits. After many years in the UK as a professional charity fundraiser and marketer, Lois now lives in Brisbane Australia, where she divides her time between writing, painting, and charity work.

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Stormy Seas

Lois Edmonds

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2011 Lois Edmonds

Cover image by Neils Photography

Discover other titles by Lois Edmonds at Smashwords.com.

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

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Table of Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter One

The last rays of a splendid spring sunset shone through the dusty window, throwing long strands of orange and pink across the heaps of plans, piles of account books, and open box files strewn over the large pine desk.

Mina leaned back in the shabby leather office chair, stretched her cramped arms, sighed deeply and murmured to herself. Well, Dad, this is a right mess you have gotten into!

She was a lawyer, not an accountant, but even she could see that the business was in a sorry state. Her worry was tinged with guilt, as she realised that it had taken a long time for things to get this bad.

She had been too engrossed in her own career in the city to visit her Dad in the past few months - if she had, she would have surely have seen the signs.

Not that Joe Mitchell would have welcomed her interference.

Since the death of her mother two years ago, he had fiercely spurned all of her attempts to take a more active role in his affairs, both personal and business. She recognised that this was partly due to his pride, and partly his way of ensuring she didn't neglect the career she had worked so hard for. Still, she couldn't help thinking she should have at least kept a weather eye on him, albeit from a distance. Even the occasional call may have alerted her that things were not going all that well for him.

The phone call from Joe a last week had taken her by surprise - he never called her, especially at work. He asked if she could spare the time to visit; that he had something to talk over with her.

She had agreed without hesitation, but with a niggling sense of disquiet – he had never asked anything of her before. Her Dad hadn't sounded like his old cheerful self and there was an odd note in his voice that worried her.

Mina had immediately cleared her work commitments and asked for a week's leave. It had been granted easily - if not without some astonishment - by her boss, Russell Hughes. Russell was the head partner of Hughes and Lloyd, the small but well respected law firm in Auckland that Mina had worked for since leaving university.

She was not in the habit of taking time off and she had a reputation for her diligence and willingness to work long hours. However, contrary to most legal firms, Hughes and Lloyd didn't believe in making their younger employees work the punishing, stressful hours of most of their peers. Russell had often expressed some concern at her reluctance to take holidays, and he was unsurprised to learn that this request for leave wasn't exactly a leisure break for Mina.

As for clearing personal commitments, Mina had none to worry about.

As she wound her way through the heavy Friday afternoon traffic heading for the Auckland Harbour Bridge, she gave a wry grin as it occurred to her that there wasn't anyone in particular who would miss her while she was away. She had many good friends in her wide circle of young professional city dwellers, but no one special.

Not that the young, macho males in her group of friends hadn't tried – she just wasn't interested in forming relationships that may distract her from her all-important career. She had fought long and hard to get where she was, and she loved the intrigues and challenges of commercial law.

There had been one particular boyfriend during her second year at university, but when it came time for exams, the relationship hadn't been strong enough to survive the long hours of study. Mina gave a mental shrug as she recalled Robbie's mounting confusion and annoyance as time and time again she refused to leave her books for a night on the town. He soon found someone who preferred a good time to good results and she had been too engrossed in her dry legal books at the time to even notice she remembered with wry amusement and only a slight tinge of regret.

She found her spirits lifting as she settled into the long drive on State Highway One, passing through small coastal towns with their marinas and quaint shops, and then winding up into the steep bush-covered Brynderwin hills. Tantalising glimpses of the sparkling waters through tall pohutukawa trees unleashed an overpowering urge, long suppressed, to get out on to the open sea with its briny wind and white crested waves.

How she missed the water!

She had spent her childhood messing about in small boats, totally at home on the sea. It was the one real regret she had for working in the city that she had no time or opportunity to indulge in the passion she shared with her father - sailing. Auckland may be called the ‘City of Sails', but her pressured work regime meant that although she was surrounded by water, the sea may as well be a million miles away for all of the opportunities to enjoy it.

The vista of Opua opened up below her, with its busy port, marina and wharf bristling with the masts of a myriad of small crafts, charter boats and a few larger schooners and yachts. Known as the gateway to the Bay of Islands, Opua was a haven for all things nautical: engine repair shops, sail manufacturers, chandlers, and boat yards, the largest being Mitchell Marine. It was an important port of call for all boats visiting the sub-tropical Northland of New Zealand, where essential repairs could be carried out, or boats re-provisioned.

It was a world Mina had known all her life, and it captured her heart anew every time she came over the crest of the hill and wound down into the busy little township.

She turned her sporty Mazda into the drive of a tidy cream-painted colonial cottage on a bluff overlooking the mouth of the Kawakawa River. Instead of going inside, she walked around the side and on to the verandah that ran the full width of the front of the house where she knew she would find her Dad. Joe always spent his evenings here, enjoying the last of the sunshine and watching the comings and goings of boats entering and leaving the harbour below.

He was dozing, and didn't hear her immediately. Mina felt a jolt of dismay as she noted how tired he looked.

He looked older, and frailer, than she remembered and it gave her a shock.

Hi, Dad! She hid her concern behind a cheery smile, as he opened his eyes and leant forward to meet her loving embrace.

Hello, my chick! It's great to see you. Thanks for coming. Joe greeted her with his usual endearment, not for a moment thinking it was an inappropriate nickname for a 25-year-old.

He still thought of her as the youngster with a mass of unruly chestnut curls and grubby nose who had gotten under his feet in the boatyard and asked a dozen questions a minute. They had been such happy times, he thought longingly, with his dear wife May by his side watching their daughter grow from a wilful child into a delightful young woman. May had been a loving, supportive mate who kept his life and his business on an even keel – no pun intended. He still missed her every second of every day.

The unruly tomboy was nowhere to be seen these days. He noted the smooth, gleaming shoulder length hair with an obviously expensive cut, the tailored trousers and fine knit cashmere sweater. Mina was quite the city sophisticate these days, following her own path in a demanding career she loved and had worked so hard for.

He thought with dismay, how can I ask this of her?

Mina broke into his reverie with an attempt to lighten his clearly downbeat mood.

Don't thank me, Dad; it is great to see you! I should thank you for tearing me away from all those dreary court cases. Now, tell me what this is all about? She settled herself beside him on the bench and cuddled into his arm with familiar ease.

She couldn't disguise the catch in her voice as she added, Is everything okay?

Joe gave a weary sigh. Well, no – not exactly… He took her hand in his. You know I've needed that hip operation for a while? Well, the doc says it can't wait any longer; I have to get it seen to. It's… become something of a nuisance, you see, I can't get around much at all these days, actually -

Mina interrupted him with a groan. Oh, Dad, why didn't you call me sooner! You know I would've come –

I know, I know, dear, I just didn't want to bother you…

It's no bother! Mina remonstrated firmly. Nothing is more important than getting you well again, you silly goose! She gripped his hand and she could feel the tears pricking her eyes. She felt a sharp stab of guilt and she was angry with herself. It wasn't his fault – she should have kept a closer eye on him.

So, what happens now? She asked.

Joe looked at her warily. Here goes, he thought. Doc can get me in for the op next week. That is, if I can sort out the business in time.

Sort out how? A quizzical frown played across Mina's brow.

I…need someone to keep things ticking over at the yard- just for a few weeks, until I get back on my feet.

Mina could feel a rising panic as it dawned on her that she was the ‘someone' he meant. Her first instinct was - No!

She simply couldn't do it; she had her career to think of, too many cases coming up, clients that needed her…

He was watching her closely. She tried to keep her face impassive as her head warred with her heart. He needed her too, and she knew what it cost him to ask this of her. He has rejected her help so many times in the past, the fact that he was asking her now meant so much to her – and it showed how desperate he was.

Besides, he had always been there for her. She would work it out somehow.

Dad, anything I can do, I will do gladly. I can take a few weeks leave of absence; I have lots of holiday owing anyway. Russell is always at me to take some time off. You take as long as you need to get yourself well, you hear me?

She smiled reassuringly, and watched the worry and tiredness fall away from Joe's face. That made her decision all worthwhile.

They spent the weekend making plans and Mina familiarised herself with the ongoing projects and future orders. Although there seemed to be plenty of work in the pipeline, Mina had her first inkling that things weren't as rosy as Joe first made out. He was vague about the state of the financial affairs, and he avoided her questions about ordering materials for the new boat due to be started next week. She didn't press him; he was already clearly becoming anxious about the operation and she didn't want to upset him any further. She would sort it out herself.

Monday morning, Mina rang Russell and explained the situation.

…I know it is an inconvenience, Russell - but I need to take a leave of absence of about six weeks. She stated with some trepidation. She knew the small firm would have difficulty handling her workload and it occurred to her that the two colleagues in her department would need to put in extraordinarily long hours to cover her clients as well as their own.

None of this was evident in Russell's reply. Mina, you take as long as you need, my girl. Your family is the most important consideration for you right now. Don't worry; we will handle your clients easily between us. I will just have to reduce my golf to one afternoon a week!

He chuckled, and Mina blessed him for putting her at ease – she knew very well he was the hardest working of them all.

So, it was on Tuesday evening after the four-hour return journey to settle Joe into Whangarei Hospital, that she found herself going over the books in the messy boatyard office.

They were in an even worse state than she had first feared.

Bills hadn't been paid, cheques not banked, records not kept up to date. She realised that the financial side of the business had probably been slipping ever since her Mother had died two years before. May had always managed the books for the boat yard. Mina shook her head in exasperation. Damn his stubbornness and pride – struggling on, rejecting help from all quarters. I guess it was his way of coping with losing Mum, she admitted to herself, and I just wasn't here enough to see the way things were.

At least the three craftsmen who worked for Mitchell Marine had been paid - Mina couldn't imagine where the yard would be if any of them left. Mitchell Marine had an excellent reputation for producing superb boats of the highest quality and the success of the business was due to their craftsmanship under Joe's firm management.

John was the same age as her father and they had learnt the boat building trade as young apprentices for the same master craftsman. All John wanted in life was to build boats – he was very happy to work for his more ambitious friend when Joe decided he wanted to start his own business 30 years ago.

Chris had worked in boatbuilding firms all over the world, but settled in the sunny and beautiful north of New Zealand for the relaxed way of life. He brought to the business his wide experience in building every type of craft, and Joe always felt he was lucky to have him at Mitchell Marine.

Steve had started with Joe as a young apprentice straight from school at seventeen. Mina had been fourteen at the time and she had her first schoolgirl crush on the good-looking tow-haired lad working for her father. Joe never knew that the reason she first became so interested in boats was because it gave her more opportunity to be around his young apprentice!

As she matured she had quickly outgrown her adolescent feelings for Steve, but he fell in love with the beautiful, coltish young woman during the summer she spent building Wilhelmina with Joe, when she was eighteen.

It was her first experience of the power she could wield over the opposite sex – and with the thoughtlessness of the young, she toyed with him all