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Megan felt like she was going crazy. What was taking them so long?
She could swear close to an hour had passed since the time Carter and Emmanuel had gone up on deck, saying they were going to get rid of the boat. Throwing a boat overboard shouldn’t take that long, so where the heck were they?
She was so sick of sitting there, listening to the wheezing and grunts of the man who lay trussed up behind the barrels on the other side of the hold. She just wanted Carter back. She would not breathe easy until he was by her side.
And then a thought made her heart jerk. She tightened her arms around her legs.
The thought that had struck her, the thought she now mulled in her mind, was so contrary to the Megan Hailey she knew, that she bit her lip, so surprised was she at the turn in the tide of her emotions.
The thought that had her biting her lip was that she loved Carter Kincaid, and would do anything and everything in her power to be with him, even if it meant living the rest of her life cut off from the civilization she knew.
Carter had put himself in danger so many times...for her...and there was nothing that would keep her from doing the same for him. He’d proved himself time and again. Now it was her turn.
She was accepting this mental call to action when she heard a sound that made her turn and peer out from behind her barrel. When she saw Emmanuel and then Carter coming down the steps, she sagged in relief.
“Megan?” Carter was coming toward her.
Megan’s reaction was to jump out from behind the barrel and launch herself at the man who’d made her lose her mind. That was the only way she could explain it. She’d gone and lost her mind, falling as she had for the man who’d demonstrated what love really was. His spirit of sacrifice, his readiness to put himself in danger to protect her - if that wasn’t love, she didn’t know what was.
Carter caught her in his arms. “Hey, hold up. You’re going to knock me over.” He was laughing as he caught her close, pressing her into him till she could feel the beating of his heart.
Megan squeezed him tight against her. “I missed you.” The words flew out of her mouth, surprising even herself.
Carter’s laugh mellowed into a gentle rumble. “You actually missed me? You actually noticed I’d left? Wonders never cease.”
She slapped him on the arm. “Will you stop teasing?” She was happy to distract him with the slap. The fact was, she was feeling silly just then, totally embarrassed at the way she’d thrown herself at Carter. What must he think?
But then Emmanuel, their ever-present guide, brought her back to earth, reminding her that what Carter was thinking of her was the least of her problems. “The crew will be searching for our cook,” he said. “I must give them a story that will satisfy their minds why he is not here.”
It seemed that Carter was on the same page. He put out a hand to pull Emmanuel down to crouch on the ground beside him.
Megan got down on the ground beside them. “What’s the plan?” she asked.
For a moment Carter was silent, his gaze distant. It was clear he was pondering their plan of action. He glanced over at Emmanuel. “When do you expect them back?” he asked.
“They should be returning by daybreak,” Emmanuel told him. His lips twisted in an expression of disdain. “After they have their fill of the womenfolk of Port Royal, it will be time to go.”
Carter nodded, his gaze thoughtful. “Daybreak. We don’t have much time. Maybe just a couple of hours.”
Emmanuel shook his head. “One hour. No more than that. The sun rises early in this part of the world.”
Carter’s brows fell. “One hour. That will mean a good five hours with them on board.” He drew in a breath then let it out on a puff of air. “We’ve got to come up with a darned good story, something that will satisfy them enough that they won’t feel the need to search the ship.”
Her mind racing, Megan put her fist to her mouth as she tried to gather her thoughts. “What if...” she began, then paused as she pondered the pros and cons, “...what if Emmanuel gives them the story that the cook sneaked away after they left...to go find himself a woman?”
Carter tilted his head, seeming to give that some thought. “Not a bad idea,” he began.
But Emmanuel shook his head. “Not a good idea,” he said, going against both Carter and Megan. “Cook is not of that ilk. Not for some three decades.”
“What do you mean?” Megan did not have time to entertain coyness. Whatever Emmanuel had to say, he’d better spill it right away.
“It is known among the crew that although cook is a man in body and girth, he is not one in truth.”
“Meaning?”
“He was captured. He was not much older than I. The enemy crew of the other pirate ship, they were evil. Wicked. Sinful.” Emmanuel sucked in his breath, his face turning gray. “They almost killed cook when they took his man root.” He shook his head. “It had been better they had taken his life.”
“My God.” Carter did not hold back his expression of horror.
Megan could not blame him. What she heard shook her to the core.
Emmanuel continued. “It was always cook’s lament. He has no man root to use with women. He-”
“Please.” Megan put up a hand. “Please don’t say anymore.” It was too distressing to even contemplate what the poor man must have gone through. “Can we...can we talk about something else, please? What other story can we come up with?”
For a moment there was silence as they each racked their brains. Finally, Carter spoke. “What if you say cook fell ill and took the boat into town to find a healer?”
Emmanuel’s face brightened. “A reasonable story. It is one the captain would accept.” He nodded. “It is often that cook is ailing.”
Megan lifted an eyebrow. “What boat?” she asked. “Aren’t all the boats supposed to already be on shore? You said the lovesick one and his father took the last one.”
At her words, Emmanuel’s face fell. “You are right,” he said. “It did not strike my mind.”
He looked so crestfallen that Megan reached out to take his hand. “It’s okay, Emmanuel. We’ll think of something else.”
He tilted his head to one side. “Okay. It is good. Yes?”
She smiled. “Yes. It is good. It’s even better than good. It will be all right.”
“All right,” he repeated. “It means all is well.”
Megan nodded, wishing she could say that for sure but wanting, more than anything, to reassure him.
She patted his arm. “Now we just need to come up with a good story-.”
A shout from above cut her comment short.
Emmanuel’s eyes grew huge. “That is the captain,” he said with a gasp. “It is soon but they are back.”
At his words Megan felt faint. The crew was back and they hadn’t even come up with a plan.
“What are we going to do now?” she squeaked. “What’s the story?”
Emmanuel hopped to his feet. “I do not know but if I am to keep you safe, I must go.”
He was running toward the steps before she could even get a word out.
“Emmanuel. Wait!”
It was a breathless squeak but it was no use. As agile as an antelope he took the steps two at a time.
Heart fluttering in fright, Megan turned her wide-eyed gaze on Carter.
All he could do was stare back. What the heck were they going to do now?
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Carter could feel his heart quake but he could not afford to show it. Megan was depending on him. He had to keep his cool.
Quickly, he clasped a hand on her arm and pulled her back behind the barrels.
She began to speak, like she was about to object. but he clamped a hand over her mouth. “Quiet,” he whispered. “We can’t let them know we’re here.”
Eyes flashing fire, she clawed at his hand and pulled it away from her mouth. “Don’t you think I know that?” she demanded in a fierce whisper. “I wanted to remind you about the cook. What do we do with him? He’s been making all kinds of noises.”
Carter winced. He’d cut Megan off but she was right. Even as he crouched behind the barrel he could hear the man’s heavy breathing and soft grunts.
He groaned. That would be a hard one. He wanted to quiet the man but, short of cutting off his air, how was he going to do that?
He glanced around, his gaze falling on the heavy canvas, the same covering that Megan had used for her secret hiding spot. Swiftly, he gathered it up and, dusty though it was, he spread it out on top of the supine man, effectively silencing the sounds of his sleeping.
That done, he scooted back to crouch down behind the barrels with Megan.
“We’ve got no covering,” she whispered. “What if they look back here?”
“Then God help us.” It was all he could think to say. Then, not wanting her to dwell too much on the negatives, he placed a hand on her back and pressed her down. “At least we’ve got the barrels. Stay down,” he urged, “and stay quiet.”
His move was not a moment too soon. Carter just had time to cover Megan with his own body when they heard the pounding of heavy boots on the steps above. Soon the hold was filled with the voices of the sailors, the loudest of which was the captain himself.
“Where be they?” he bellowed. “Do they dare defy my orders?”
“Make them walk the plank,” one of the crewmen offered. “I be the one to prick them with the sword for ye. It be me who will make them do that.”
“Aye, Cap’n,” another chimed in. “It be the plank for all three.”
“By your leave, Cap’n, I will speak.”
Carter’s heart stilled at the sound of Emmanuel’s voice.
“What have you to say, lad?” The captain’s aggressive tone turned to one of interest.
“I know where they be,” Emmanuel said.
A murmur of interest rose from the men.
“Speak, lad.” It was an order from the captain.
“I heard their talk,” Emmanuel said. “It is not mutiny or betrayal. It is a woman.”
That got him a laugh from the group. “A wench?” One of the men said.
Emmanuel spoke again, his voice earnest. “A special wench. A witch.”
“A witch, you say?”
“Aye, cap’n. A witch who can heal his man root.”
That got Emmanuel a burst of raucous laughter. “His man root,” one of the men said, his voice shaking from the strength of his mirth. “The man has no man root to heal.”
“She...” Emmanuel’s voice rose as he tried to make his point above the melee. “She will make him a new one. She be a very powerful witch.”
For the second time, the place erupted in laughter. “She will grow him a new man root,” one of them struggled to say between guffaws. “That be the best reason for him to go.”
“Enough.” The captain’s command brought the group to order. “We will find these mutinous rascals who have disobeyed my command. Man root or no man root, they will be punished.” With a growl, he turned and pounded back up the steps and up to the deck, his men in tow.
Their boots pounding on the steps, the din was so loud that it disturbed the man they’d covered with canvas, making him stir. The last pirate exited the hold just in time to miss the movement of the man and the groan he made.
“Jeez.” The soft sound escaped Megan’s lips. “Thank goodness they left when they did.”
“Sounds like they’re heading for the town. We couldn’t have asked for anything better than that.”
“And it was all because of what Emmanuel told them.”
Carter grinned. “That’s my boy.”
Megan nodded. “That was brave of him, but...” there was a catch in her voice “...by doing that, did he put himself in danger?”
At the thought, Carter’s grin disappeared. “I hope not.”
“Me, too.” Megan’s voice trailed off, her face solemn. “I wish there were something I could do...” She shook her head. “All I can do is hope for the best.” She looked at Carter, her eyes shiny with fear and unshed tears. “Hope and pray.”
Silent, Carter could only nod his agreement. What else could they do but hope for the best?
He glanced down at his watch. “Another five hours to go.”
Megan groaned. “With all this suspense, this will probably the most stressful five hours of my life.”