Wings of the Morning (Kensington Chronicles) (8 page)

"You haven't heard the latest rumor, have you, Dallas?"

"I guess not," he said quietly and waited

"Smoke is a woman."

Dallas waited for his friend to thump him on the chest and

laugh at his own joke--he did neither.

'You can't be serious," Dallas finally said

"I'm very serious. She's been sailing for a few years now,

but until quite recently she's kept her identity very low key.

She sails theAramis, and the talk I've heard is that there's no

finer or swifter craft on the Atlantic"

Dallas' heart began to thunder in his chest. Images of

Jenny's small friend Smokey, the sailor he had seen just hours

ago on the dock, and the ship they had been moving toward all

rushed through his mind

"Hawk, what does the Aramis look like?" Dallas' voice was

just over a whisper.

"I haven't seen her, but I can tell you what I've heard She

looks as new as the day she set sail. Clean lines. Ebony with a

single gold stripe. No figurehead, but she flies a large American

flag at the top of the mainmast, and another smaller one

from the mizzenmast."

Dallas' eyes slid shut when Brandon was through. Upon

Brandon's question, he shared the entire story, starting with

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his sister's friend and ending with the sailor and ship he'd

seen at the dock.

"If the rumor mill can be trusted, she's an American and

lives in Maine, so what you've said makes perfect sense. Look,

Dallas," Brandon went on. "I can see that you're ready to hop

your ship and follow the Aramis as quickly as you can.

'You haven't seen Sunny in ages or met Sterling," he

added "Why not come out to Bracken for a few days? It

wouldn't be your original intent, but if you go chasing after the Aramis, you're only going to antagonize her captain."

Dallas nodded slowly in agreement and then shook his

head in disbelief. It was all too ridiculous for words. The

woman he had met at Tate and Jenny's and then again at Buck's

couldn't possibly be one of the finest sailors to grace Atlantic

waters.

Brandon was right, he did need to stop and think about his

next move. Especially since this was almost certainly a case of

mistaken identity. In just moments Dallas convinced himself

that there was really no need to hurry.

"There's someone here to see you, Mr. Pemberton," Tate's

secretary told him as he stepped into the private office of

Pemberton Shipping. Tate looked up from his desk to thank

the man, but could see that he was distressed

"What is it, Scott? Something James can't handle?"

"Well, sir, they want to see you, and I--"

"If someone is upset," Tate cut him off, "just send him in.

I'm sure we can work it out."

"It's the captain of the Aramis" Scott said Although he

stilnooked upset, Tate's face cleared

"Smoke," he said with relief. "I've never worked with him

re, but his reputation is flawless. Whatever the trouble is,

toork it out. Send him in."

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The secretary hesitated, but Tate ignored him and went

back to his paperwork. A moment later the door opened and

two people entered, closing the door behind them. Tate finished

the entry in his ledger before looking up. He rose with a

congenial smile on his face. When he spied Smokey standing

just inside his office door, however, the smile became rather

fixed, and his look turned to one of confusion. Beside her was

a bear of a man. Both of them looked quite serious.

"I've been asking myself for weeks," she began softly, "if I

was lying by not telling you what I do for a living. I'm afraid I

never came to a solid conclusion one way or the other. I never

dreamed that my shipment from London on this trip would be

coming to one Tate Pemberton. I assure you, Tate, it was never

my intention to be deceitful to you or Jenny."

Tate was so stunned he didn't know what to say, but not for

the reason Smokey imagined She would have been shocked

to learn that his surprise was due almost solely to her manner,

and not to what she did for a living. The Smokey he knew was

endearing, but she was also quite shy and rather clumsy. This

Smokey, the owner and captain of the Aramis, was in complete

control of herself and the situation.

"Sit down, Smokey," Tate said, finally recalling his manners.

Smokey took the chair in front of the desk while Darsey sat

in a chair under the window. Without further word, Smokey

placed some papers on Tate's desk.

He reached for them and studied them carefully, taking a

little longer than usual in an attempt to gather his wits.

"This is your price, the one written here at the bottom?"

"Yes."

"It's a bit steep," he said without hesitation.

"I believe it's more than fair," Smokey interjected with

confident ease.

Tate's eyes came to hers then, and again he was struck by

the change in her. Unsmiling, Smokey held his eyes without

blinking. A slow smile began to spread across Tate's mouth.

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Smokey then smiled in return, and Tate finally had to laugh

with relief.

"I'm just so surprised," he admitted. "I mean, you obviously

know what you're doing and I--" He seemed to run out

of words so Smokey rescued him.

"What you're trying to say is that when I'm in your home,

I'm a woman with a speech impediment and two left feet, and

now you find I really do know how to walk and talk." She

shrugged ruefully, her grin still in place. "I'm sure Jenny

would feel as I have if ever she were to board my ship."

"I'm sure you're right," he agreed, his smile even larger at

the thought of his wife doing Smokey's job.

"Now, Mr. Pemberton," Smokey brought him back to earth

in a no-nonsense way. "Are you interested in my cargo, or do I

travel farther up the coast?"

"You mean at this price?"

"Indeed, I do." There was a note of steel in Smokey's voice

that Tate didn't miss.

"Sold," he said softly and shook the hand Smokey offered

to him.

"When are you coming for another visit?" Tate asked

without relinquishing his hold of her hand. His question so

surprised Smokey that she didn't immediately answer.

"I wasn't sure I'd still be wanted," she finally admitted

"Then you weren't listening very well when we said goodbye.

Now, when can we expect you?"

Smokey was so moved by the sincerity of his eyes and

voice that she felt warmly overwhelmed.

"Two weeks?"

"Make it ten days."

Smokey's laugh filled the room. She reclaimed her hand

and stood. After introducing Darsey, who would handle the

rest of the transaction, she made ready to leave.

"Ill tell Jen she can expect you," Tate called to her retreat-Ing

back.

Smokey tossed a grin in his direction as she exited the

She'd been buying and selling since before her father

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died, trading with shipping magnates and amassing a small

fortune for herself in the last few years. But she didn't know

when the sale of her cargo had ever felt so fine.

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"I HAVE SOMETHING TO TELL YOU, SMOKEY." Jenny's VOice was

hushed as the two women sat close together on the large sofa

in the Pembertons' parlor.

"What is it?"

"We haven't told anyone, and I need you to keep it a

secret."

"All right," Smokey agreed and watched as Jenny's eyes

glowed with excitement.

"I'm going to have a baby."

"Oh, Jen," Smokey whispered. The two women embraced

for long moments, and when they broke apart their eyes were

suspiciously moist.

"When will the baby come?" Smokey's voice was now as

hushed as Jenny's.

"Next summer."

"That long?" Smokey's voice became quite loud, her brow

wrinkling in disappointment.

"It does take time, you know." Jenny was laughing so hard

over Smokey's reaction that she could barely talk.

"I know, but next summer! Why, that feels like years away!"

Again Jenny went off into gales of laughter. It was contagious,

and Smokey laughed too. They talked of babies for the next hour, and then Jenny asked Smokey about her plans for

J&ristmas.

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"I'll be with Darsey at Willa's. Her children live in the area,

and they'll all come on Christmas Eve."

"What about Christmas Day?"

"It's pretty quiet. By the time the family goes home on

Christmas Eve, Willa is pretty worn out."

"Would they be terribly upset if you spent Christmas Eve

and Christmas Day with us?"

Smokey blinked "I don't know, Jen."

"Now what does that hesitant look mean?" Jenny couldn't

have asked that question several weeks ago, but having Tate

and Jenny learn of Smokey's occupation seemed to bring

down the wall that separated them.

However, Smokey had not told anyone about the way she

felt when she even thought about Dallas Knight. She didn't

think she was ready to share, not even with Jenny.

"I'll think about your offer, okay, Jen? Maybe I'll discuss it

with Darsey."

"Darsey means a lot to you, doesn't he?"

"Oh, yes," Smokey told her with a smile. "He was my

father's first mate before he was mine, and he's been beside

me since I was a baby. Willa told me that Darsey sees me as the

daughter he never had."

"Do you miss your father?"

"I do, but the anguish is gone. That first year, the pain was

so intense I didn't think I'd make it." Smokey suddenly grew

very quiet.

"I'm sorry if the subject brings back all the pain."

"It's not that," Smokey told her. "You and Tate have been

wonderful, but there's something more about me that I want

to explain."

"All right," Jenny's voice was expectant, but something in

Smokey's look made her heart thump with trepidation. Her

mind ran with every crazy thing Smokey could possibly say,

from being a pirate to having a husband and child of her own

somewhere.

"Not now," Smokey said, much to Jenny's disappointment.

"I want to talk to you when Tate is here too."

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After two beats of her heart, Jenny agreed, knowing she

would have to put her curiosity on hold. It would be hard, but

she knew Tate deserved to hear the news firsthand. This was

obviously something very important to Smokey. Jenny wanted

to do all she could so Smokey would feel free to tell them in

her time, secure in the knowledge that Jenny's love was unfailing,

no matter what she shared

"I'm not ashamed of what I do for a living," Smokey told

Jenny and Tate that evening. They were alone in the library,

and dinner was over. "But I find that I'm something of a

curiosity."

"And you would rather we didn't tell everyone we know