Already His (The Caversham Chronicles - Book Two) (53 page)
Read Already His (The Caversham Chronicles - Book Two) Online
Authors: Sandy Raven
He knew a race such as this wasn’t won on the number of sails or masts. A skilled captain was essential, but what some sailors tended to overlook was the one thing Ian considered most important. The hull and keel. And these had been retrofitted specifically to his design. If he was right, and he won, then his entire fleet of schooners would be designed the same.
As he set a course to the next coordinate, Ian pondered the things he could do with that winning purse. During his musings, one of the crew shouted something to him from the bow. Looking out at the flying jib, and seeing nothing awry, he motioned for the man to speak up.
“There’s a lad stowed away in the sail locker!”
Ian handed the wheel over to his second, and strode the ninety odd feet to the hatch in the bow.
“Did I hear you correctly? You said there was a stow-away?”
“Right, Cap’n, sir. He’s a hollerin’ up a storm down there.”
“Are you sure you heard correctly?” Ian asked as he held onto the brass railing. Just then he heard it too, a voice, bellowing from below.
“Get him out of there and lock him up. We’ll turn him in when we return. He gets minimal ration, too. I’m not feeding some little whelp a full three squares if he’s broken the law and stowed away.”
“Aye-aye cap’n,” the man said as Ian turned back to his post at the wheel.
A few minutes later, the crewman shoved a scrawny kid in front of him. His oil cloth slicker, two sizes too big was buttoned to the chin, and the knitted cap covered his head. “Cap’n, sir, he says he’s your brother.”
“I don’t have a brother,” Ian said without needing to look down at the scamp. “Lock him up in the lazarette. I’ll deal with him later.”
“Where’s Lucky?” the definitely female voice squeaked with fear.
Just then Ian looked down into the deepest amber brown eyes he’d seen only once before. He didn’t need to see the color of her hair, or the slender feminine form that plagued his dreams the night before to know who it was. “Holy Mother of God,” he swore, unable to take his gaze from hers. “What have you done?”
“Obviously stowed onto the wrong boat,” she replied with her determined little chin lifted, and shading her eyes from the sun.
A
BOUT THE
A
UTHOR
Sandy Raven has a husband who spoils her rotten, and kids that are just a hair’s breadth away from perfect. She’s addicted to House Hunter’s International and has
never
missed an episode, though she acknowledges that she could never live in most of those countries because the houses are just too small. She is also addicted to Starbucks’ Chai Latte, and never passes up an opportunity to have one.
Sandy grew up on the Texas Gulf Coast with sand between her toes and perpetually frizzy hair. Which is why she now lives in the middle-of-nowhere Virginia, in a place with minimal to moderate humidity (for perfect, non-frizzy curls,) rolling hills and farmed forests. The only downside to that is the temperamental satellite internet and the closest Starbucks being a thirty minute drive away.
Home is a renovated old farm house she shares with her hero husband, in the foothills of Blue Ridge Mountains, where she’s owned by more cats, dogs and horses than she cares to admit to. She’s a long-time member of RWA, and is a member of VRW and the Beau Monde. Second to writing is her love for her horses. She practices natural horsemanship, and loves to ride her barefoot Tennessee Walkers on the trails and in the woods around her home.
You can visit her at
Website:
On Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/SandyRavenAuthor
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