Bring Me the Horizon (12 page)

“What is it, Cutler?

“I don’t know how you did it, lass. You were to be a whimsical treat.” He shook his head, as if befuddled by a riddle. “Somehow you got to me. I want to know your favorite color, if you are ticklish, and if you like to dance. I want to see your face the first time you taste European chocolate, feel you around me as together we ride a horse without a saddle, teach you a new song. I want to gift you with treasures. I want to explore you, make love to you in the surf, under the stars, in the rustling grasses of a sugar cane field. Please don’t cry. I’m...I’m not good at this. I don’t know how else to say how I feel about you.”

Cry she did. How could she not? She’d never felt such happiness. If she didn’t let the tears fall, she’d burst into a blubbering mess. She wet her lips, tasting the hot, salty tears. “You won’t ever leave me?”

Cutler cupped the back of her neck. His crystal blue eyes pierced her core. “Never.”

His kiss was a strong persuasion.

She pulled away. Nose-to-nose, she asked, “What of this proposition?”

“With our share of the gold, I’d like for you to be my...”

Her heart pounded in her ears. Would he ask her? Dare she wish?

“...traveling companion.”

’Twas not what she expected, and perhaps it was too soon to expect more. Nevertheless, she was overjoyed.

“Would you allow me to take you to the exotic Gold Coast, to stroll the streets of Paris, to the pristine White Cliffs of Dover, and to show you off in London?”

Gracie threw her arms around Cutler’s neck, delirious with happiness. “Yes! Yes!”

“I love you, Gracie.”

She squeezed tighter at his confession. “I love you, too, Captain Banning.”

The ship’s bell signaled as its departure approached. Gracie nervously looked to the vessel. The fresh morning sun illuminated her pretty profile—so sweet and innocent. Cutler inwardly chuckled, remembering how not-so-innocent she was last night in his bed, the vixen.

“Don’t worry, love. You should be fine. But if you get seasick, I’ll hold you for the entire trip.” He clasped her hand and brought it to his lips. “I took the liberty of ordering plenty of ginger for you. And, oh...an extra chamber pot.”

She laughed and popped him in the arm. “Rake.”

Blazes how he loved her laugh.

“I’m looking forward to this journey.”

“You wanted adventure and I want nothing more than to give it to you, to show you the world.”

Never had Cutler imagined his shredded heart would heal. Better still, full to bursting. He’d been so jaded by another, he was blind by who Gracie was and what she could be with him, what he could share with her—a lifetime of love and adventure.

As a pirate, he expected to be crossed. However, ’twas unfathomable when those you let into your heart cut you and left you to bleed. What Gracie had taught him was not everyone had an agenda. No, not everyone could be trusted. That hadn’t changed. But he would try harder to recognize truths.

“Heigh ho, Banning!” Zane strode up the dock, his long strides, the slight tilt of his of mouth, flaunted how the man owned his confidence. “Where’s your first port of call?”

“St. Thomas.”

Zane smiled wide. “Ah, a supreme place to start your journey.”

’Twas indeed. And his friend knew why Cutler chose that destination. There was a special hillside on the island known by only a few that Cutler wanted Gracie to see. Lush and green, the secluded bluff overlooked a majestic bay. When the sunlight hit the blue water just right, the sea sparkled like vibrant champagne bubbles. The warm breeze was constant but not blustery. Striking yellow, red, and orange flowers burst from the glossy foliage. The very thought of plummeting into her on that piece of heaven made Cutler hard.

He shifted his weight to alleviate the tightening in his trousers. “None denyin’, Fox. St. Thomas in a fortnight’s time.”

Gracie looked between him, trying to hide his wolfish grin, and Zane with a quizzical expression.

Zane winked at her. “You won’t be disappointed, lass.”

“Honestly, I don’t think I could be.” The adoration in her eyes as she gazed up at Cutler just about undid him. Beautiful, tenacious, and loyal—a loyalty he should have recognized much, much sooner—made Gracie a true pirate’s lady.

“So this is the bucket you bought for your travels,” Zane said, admiring Cutler’s new ship at the dock.

“Aye. The
Wandering Star
is a sturdy ship. She’ll serve us well for our voyage.”

“I’m terribly sorry again, Captain Fox, about
Triumph
,” Gracie said, wringing her hands. “And your men.”

The silly lass had apologized a half dozen times, though the fault was not her own. Confound it, Cutler wished he’d never blamed her. He would spend an eternity with his own guilt for wrongly incriminating her.

“Dear Gracie,” Zane said. “Please think of it no more.” He took her hands and held them tight. “Now that Banning is trading the pirate life for wayfaring with his lovely woman, and I’ve inherited
Rissa
from him, I will be the scourge of the sea. And as such, she will bring the brethren untold fortunes. In fact, thank you for seeking out Banning, for
Rissa
is a great prize.”

“Ah, brother, but for me, Graciela DuBois is the real prize.” Cutler grabbed his woman up by the waist and spun around.

“That she is, mate,” Zane agreed. “That she is.”

Gracie squealed in delight and giggled until he silenced her with a fervent, needy kiss.

“That’s a shot over the bow to take my leave,” Zane said. “I’m to meet with the blacksmith, anyway. And I’ve need to get Jason new clothing.”

“You’ve become fond of the boy,” Cutler said.

Zane scratched his whiskered chin, a quirk to his grin. “The little mackie has grown on me.” He stuck out his arm. “Until we meet again. Fair winds, brother.”

Cutler grasped Zane’s forearm and shook. “And to you, brother.”

Zane strode away and for a moment, Cutler was mournful. He’d miss the hunting, scheming, scavenging and carousing of great friends.

But the moment didn’t last. Not while he had so much life to look forward to with Gracie.

“St. Thomas?” Gracie said.

“I have a friend there I want you to meet. A priest.” Ah, such irony.

Her eyebrow pinched. “I don’t understand.”

“You see, there is a majestic bluff that would be the perfect place to make love to you for the first time as my wife.”

“Oh, Cutler!” She threw herself into his arms. “I love you.” Gracie popped up on her tiptoes and kissed him.

Her delicious lips drove him to deepen the kiss into an unacceptable display for public. He didn’t care. But, blazes, he’d better stop lest he lose control and take her there on the docks. He broke free and tucked her head under his chin, breathing in the fresh, clean scent of her hair.

“Cutler?”

“Yes, turtle?”

“Let’s go get that horizon.”

EPILOGUE

Zane stepped from the steamy heat of the blacksmith’s shop into the bright afternoon. The fresh coastal breeze cooled his skin as if he dove into a chilly lagoon. He swiped the sweat from his brow and plopped his tricorn hat onto his head. In his hand he held his newest acquisition—a golden band. He commissioned the smithy to melt down a portion of his share of the nugget and cast it into a ring. The gold glinted smooth and brilliant in the sunlight. ’Twas a fine symbol of his place in the Caribbean—a notorious man feared and respected by all.

Zane intended to affix the gilded band to his
Rissa’s
figurehead. The maiden pointing toward the horizon, would wear it on her wrist and his flagship would slice through the brine as the new formidable sovereign of the sea.

Curse be damned, adventure on the
Rissa
awaits.

About the Author

Jennifer Bray-Weber has always wished for real life to mimic fantastical tales of adventure, especially those of the high seas. Holding two degrees, one in Music and Video Business, the other in Liberal Arts, she continued her higher education, that is, until a professor challenged her to further express her creative talents and write a novel. Never one to back down from a dare, her passion led to writing stories of pirates, with her debut novel
Upon A Moonlit Sea
among the 2009 Golden Heart historical finalists.

Though she hopes to one day live out her life as an island goddess somewhere in the Caribbean, Jennifer currently lives in her native state of Texas with her husband and two daughters.

For more information on Jennifer and her upcoming releases, please visit her website at
www.jbrayweber.com
.