Drew bore not even a glimmer of recognition for the papa he’d once loved.
Brogan withdrew his hand. “Well then, I guess I am going to have to prove to you I am no pirate.”
“Aha, and what is the nature of this meeting?” Nathaniel Huntley arrived, smiling down on them. “A secret, hmm?”
Jabez Smith joined the group. “I believe, Mr. Huntley, the cap’n might be trying to recruit the little mite into joining his crew aboard the Yankee Heart. And what do ye say to that, sir? Do ye believe the boy hearty enough?”
“I should say so,” Huntley responded. “In fact, it is almost a pity the war is over. I am sure Drew would have given the enemy good and proper recompense.”
Brogan rose. “I was about to ask him if he’d like a tour of my ship and perhaps a short cruise once she is rigged. Would you like that, Drew?”
“May Lorena come with us?”
Brogan inwardly cringed. He knew all along this would not be easy. But this was not the time to wean the lad away from his mother figure, not when their own relationship was so very fragile. And yet their future together depended on his doing just that.
6
From the opened doorway of the deserted carpentry shop, cawing gulls could be heard as they swooped in graceful circles over the bay. Lorena had told no one where she was going, so if Captain Talvis did not arrive soon, she would be forced to leave before her family began to wonder as to her whereabouts.
She turned to pace the depths of the interior. The afternoon sun streaked through the westward-facing windows with a lazy warmth that filled the shop, raising the smell of dust, wood shavings, and drying paint from a nearby corner where Drew’s toy ark sat under construction. In their spare moments, several of the carpenters, under the direction of the dockyard foreman, Edward Hicks, had been constructing a two-foot replica of Noah’s ark to go along with the carved animal pairs they had given the boy on his recent birthday.
She bent to admire it, but her thoughts would not be diverted.
How long had she been waiting? Twenty, thirty minutes? Plenty of time to reconsider the wisdom of a clandestine meeting with a man who, two short days ago, she’d regarded as an arrogant and unwelcome stranger.
And yet it had been her suggestion to meet here. And what had been the need when they could have just as effectively spoken on the outskirts of the launching crowd, in plain sight yet out of hearing?
Whatever possessed her to be so daring?
Lorena made a dash for the exit, only to be brought to an abrupt halt as Captain Talvis came striding into the shop.
“Captain, oh, I was beginning to think you might not manage to get away.”
“Were you about to leave? My apologies, Miss Huntley. I came as quickly as I could, which is the reason, I fear, for my hurried and ungainly entrance. I hope I haven’t startled you . . . again.”
“Certainly not.” With a shake of her head, Lorena dismissed his apology as unnecessary, but the captain’s steady gaze told her he’d heard the breathlessness in her voice.
“No?” There was mischief in his eyes, and a smile played at one corner of his mouth. “Dare I hope I’ve redeemed myself and now have your trust? Or are you simply playing the brave girl? This time we are most certainly alone, Miss Huntley, for when last I saw Drew, he was listening to one of Mr. Smith’s yarns. And I can assure you, Mr. Smith does not release a captive audience in quick time.”
He advanced with long strides, with the heavy clunk of his bootheels, his laughter echoing throughout the room, until all that separated them was mere inches, a thin passage of soundless summer air and a few floating dust motes.
Lorena found herself once again at eye level with his strong jaw.
She glanced up to meet his gaze. It got her hot with exasperation how he endeavored to best her in their encounters, always with a confidence to overshadow hers. Make no mistake, she wasn’t foolish enough to believe she was a match for the likes of a privateering war hero. No, what got her dander up was the little boy inside who enjoyed watching her fluster. Well, not this time. Lorena had plenty of experience with little boys, and she saw through their games.
“If you’ve lured me here simply to bait me again, I shall leave,” she announced.
He chuckled, eyes bright, and removed his hat. The heat and sunshine had dampened his brow, and his sandy hair clung to his forehead where the brim had been resting. She found his shaggy hairstyle to be more roguish than fashionable, and yet it seemed to complement him.