“Yes,” Kathleen laughed. “The children are all hers until morning, and I am all yours.”
“That is the best news I’ve heard all day.” Reed’s lips found the smooth skin of her neck, trailing tiny, nipping kisses to her creamy shoulder and sending shivers of delight dancing across her skin.
Her seeking fingers feathered sensuously through the dark mat of hair on his chest. Kathleen always marveled that the tufts were both coarse and soft at the same time. She loved the feel of it against her palms, and brushing the tips of her breasts when Reed made love to her.
She nuzzled her nose into his neck and worked her way upward to nip at his earlobe. Her tongue traced the shape of his ear, and she blew softly into it, laughing when she felt him shudder in response.
“Witch!” he muttered huskily, turning his head to meet her eager mouth with his own. Their breath mingled, and her lips melted beneath his like warm wax. Tongues met and teased and tangled. Beneath her open hand, Kathleen felt Reed’s heartbeat accelerate to match her own.
With his hands, he spread her coppery hair across the pillow. Then his fingers traced her slightly slanted eyes, her high, delicate cheekbones, her up-tilted nose; and on to her stubborn chin, her luscious, kiss-reddened lips.
“You are so lovely,” he whispered. “So very beautiful. I’ll never get enough of you, sweetheart; not if I live to be a hundred.”
“I’m sure I won’t be beautiful then,” she teased, gazing into his passion-darkened eyes.
“You will always be beautiful to me, my love,” he assured her.
His lips traced the path his fingers had taken, and while he tenderly teased the rosy nipple of one breast between a finger and thumb, his lips pulled insistently at the other. His teeth gently grazed the pert nub, and her back arched as she drew in a sharp breath. Her fingers laced through his dark locks as she held his head tightly to her.
“Reed! Oh, Reed! Yes!” Her mind was whirling as she felt his hand wending its way across her hip; her thigh. His fingers feathered lightly up the inside of her leg and on across her stomach, before delving down to stroke the tiny, throbbing essence of her femininity.
Kathleen was on fire for him. Without thought, her hands caressed the width of his shoulders in broad, sweeping gestures, as his mouth came up to ravage hers and silence her moans of ecstasy. She clutched him to her, unconsciously reveling in the feel of his muscled strength under her hands. She writhed beneath his touch, and as his fingers delved deeply into her silken warmth, he found her moist and ready.
With her body she urged him to take her. Her hand reached down to find his velvet shaft, the hard proof of his desire, and her fingers stroked out their urgent plea.
As he positioned himself above her, her body rose to meet his. “Tell me, Kat. Let me hear the words,” he whispered hoarsely.
“Take me,” she gasped. “Make me yours. I need you so badly!”
The first spasms shot through her body as he plunged deeply into her. Her long nails dug into the bunched muscles of his back, and he let out a low hiss. His kitten had turned into a tigress, and her passion fired his. The rhythm of their lovemaking gradually increased, taking them both higher and higher on an ever-building wave of desire. Their damp, slick bodies strained toward the peak, the pleasure almost unbearable. Then the wave crested, and they rode the sparkling wake together until it lowered them into gentler waters.
Weak with the force of their loving, Kathleen lay limply in his embrace, her head now cushioned on his broad shoulder. A long sigh of contentment shuddered from deep within. “I love you, Reed, more and more each day.”
He smiled, and his arm tightened about her small waist. Reed never failed to treasure her words of love, for there was a time when each of them had feared to let the other know of their deep feelings. Now he tenderly kissed the damp tendrils of hair on her forehead. “I love you, too, kitten. Forever.”
Kathleen fought the intruding sounds that repeatedly forced their way into her deep slumber. She mumbled groggily, feeling the mattress give as Reed shifted position, and then the light of the lantern pierced her closed eyelids. Just as the fog of sleep was lifting from her brain, she heard the creak of the cabin door, and Reed talking to whoever was on the other side.
“All right, I’ll take care of it. Give me a minute,” she heard him say.
“What is it?” she croaked sleepily, as she watched him tug on his pants.
“Just some little wharf rat caught sneaking on board. He probably intended to stow away, but he got caught instead.”
“Why can’t Kenigan take care of it?” she frowned.
“Because the cheeky little waif keeps spouting something to him in Spanish, and the only thing he can make out is that he wants to see the capitán. So, the captain he shall see, and no doubt be sorry he disturbed my rest.”
Reed looked so put out that Kathleen almost felt sorry for the lad. Just as she was about to plead with him to be gentle with the boy, the sound of shouts and running footsteps reached their ears. The noise came closer, and just as Kathleen concluded that the pursuit would lead past their cabin, the door flew open, and in tumbled a dirty, skinny little urchin. Clutching the bedcovers to her chest, Kathleen watched in open-mouthed amazement as four burly seamen crowded in after the ragamuffin.
At Reed’s enraged bellow, the boy scrambled to his feet, gesturing wildly and chattering excitedly in rapid Spanish. Beneath the shouts of the men, the lad’s voice was barely heard.
Suddenly the young scamp spied Kathleen in the bed, and he lurched unsteadily toward her, his black eyes seeming to plead with her for help.
Reed grabbed his arm, pulling him back. “What the hell are you trying to prove here?” he shouted.
The boy’s eyes never left Kathleen’s, and Kathleen’s own gaze was swiftly transmitting signals to her sleep-dazed brain. Those eyes! Those huge black eyes, heavily fringed with long, dark lashes. Those lips, perfectly shaped into a cupid’s bow! Those eyebrows; delicate arches as fine as a bird’s wing!
“Oh, my God!” Kathleen gasped in disbelief.
Before she could say more, Reed was shepherding the men from the cabin, dragging the lad after him.
“Wait!” Kathleen shrieked, gathering the covers about her as she leaped from the bed.
“For heaven’s sake, Kat! Get back in bed!” Reed exploded.
“No! You don’t understand!” she interrupted. “Let the boy speak! Let him go!”
“Have you gone daft?” Reed demanded.
Kathleen took a deep breath and said more calmly, “Reed, please. Send the men away and let me explain. I know what I am doing, believe me.”
Something about her absolute certainty made him relent. “All right, but I’m staying, and we are going to get to the bottom of this.”
When the men had gone, Kathleen said, “You can let him go now, Reed.”
He looked at her doubtfully, but reluctantly complied.
The lad stood mutely as Kathleen approached. With a mischievous smile, Kathleen reached out and pulled off the boy’s cap, releasing a mass of waist-length black hair.
Through Reed’s amazement, he heard Kathleen say softly, “I’d like you to meet Isabel Fernandez.”
One huge sob tore loose from the very depths of the bedraggled Isabel as she flung herself into Kathleen’s open arms. Her hot tears wet them both as Kathleen clutched her friend and the covers tightly, rocking Isabel gently as she often did in comforting her own children.
As she stroked the tangled hair, Kathleen’s own eyes shimmered with tears. “What on earth has brought you to this end, my dearest Isabel?” The girl weighed less than nothing, and Kathleen could feel her bones through the thin shirt she wore.
Full of pity, Kathleen pulled herself slightly away, looking down at her diminutive friend. Pleading jet-black eyes looked up into hers. When Isabel spoke, her voice quavered with fatigue, and she sagged weakly against Kathleen’s supporting arm. With obvious effort, she begged faintly, “Ayudeme, Katrin
a. Help me! For the love of God, hide me! Save me!” With the last of her strength, she added, “Por favor—please.” Then, as if aware she had reached safety at last and could finally relax, she wilted in a dead faint.
Reed caught her before her head hit the floor. Scooping the frail girl into his arms, he looked questioningly at Kathleen. “Well, Kat? Do we find her a bed and let her rest, or do we give her a bath first?”
Kathleen smiled her thanks. “I think she needs the sleep more, or she wouldn’t have fainted.”
Reed frowned. “That, or she passed out from sheer hunger. Good grief, but she is a skinny little thing! Was she always so thin?”
“No.” Kathleen shook her head in dismay. “She was always very tiny and petite, but never anything like this! The poor girl is practically dying of starvation, Reed! I wonder when she last had decent food?”
“Well, I can tell you she will have plenty of it as soon as she wakens, my love,” he promised solemnly. “But we may have another problem first.”
At her quizzical look, he explained. “Kat, she’s burning up with fever. We have a very sick lady on our hands.”
Kathleen let out a cry of dismay.
“Don’t worry,” Reed soothed. “We’ll tend to her. It is a good thing we have our own doctor aboard, since we obviously do not dare risk calling in a physician from town, not knowing what kind of trouble Isabel is running from. But, until the doctor confirms that whatever ails her is not contagious, I want you and the children to stay well away from her.”
“But, Reed ...” Kathleen started to protest.
He cut her off, his words sharp and brooking no more argument. “No, Kathleen. She is your friend, and we will help her, but I’ll not risk your life or the children’s for anyone. You mean too much to me.”
By the following morning, Isabel’s fever was raging, and she was shaking with chills so badly that her teeth chattered. Completely delirious and incoherent as she was, there was no way Reed could find out what sort of trouble she was in. The ship’s doctor assured them that her fever was a result of her run-down condition. It appeared she had survived for some time on barely enough food to keep body and soul together. With proper food and care, he told them, Isabel would survive, as long as they managed to get her fever down soon.
In view of the doctor’s diagnosis, Reed relented and allowed Kathleen to help care for Isabel. With Della’s help, she stripped the dirty, vermin-ridden rags from her friend’s thin frame. Together they bathed the filth from her body, and even managed to shampoo her hair. The tepid water helped to cool her and keep the fever from rising further.
By mid-morning Reed had noticed three men hanging about the docks who didn’t look like the usual sailor or dock worker. Something about them nagged at him, but he could not put his finger on what was different about them. They were dressed no differently from any of the other workers and they seemed busy enough . . .
Reed watched them for a while. As he watched one of them lift a heavy crate, something suddenly clicked in his brain. The man had bent from the waist, instead of stooping and letting his legs take the weight, something every sailor or laborer learned early on. It could be the men were merely new on the job, but Reed doubted it. Several times in a few minutes, he saw them dart quick, surreptitious looks about them, often directing their attention toward the Kat-Ann.
Reed searched out his quartermaster and quietly pointed out the men in question. Finley confirmed his suspicions. He, too, had noticed the trio, adding that they’d first appeared yesterday afternoon, to his knowledge. Also, while on watch last evening, he’d seen a couple of men‚ either these or others, skulking about in the shadows of the nearest buildings.
Reed could only hazard a guess, but he bet that Isabel was the reason. The men could be looking for someone to rob, or planning to stow away, but he doubted it. He and Kathleen had openly visited Isabel’s parents the previous morning, and after the old woman’s warnings in the carriage, the coincidence was too obvious.
“Did anyone see our young stowaway come aboard last night?” Reed asked.
“I can’t say for positive, but if you mean those three spies, I think not,” Finley replied. “None of us saw him come aboard. If I hadn’t gone to the galley for a cup of coffee before starting my watch, we may not have discovered the scamp until we’d sailed. I caught him stealing food.”
Reed nodded. “Then whatever occurred happened belowdeck, with our observers none the wiser,” he concluded.
Finley concurred.
“Those three bear watching,” Reed commented, his eyes squinting in thought. “Go about the ship’s business, but keep an eye on them, and alert me to anything out of order. Tell the crew not to discuss anything at all, no matter how trivial, with anyone they don’t know, and I particularly want them to keep quiet about our starving stowaway.”
Finley quirked a questioning brow at Reed.
In answer, Reed said, “I can’t explain now, but you are to consider that a direct order from your captain. The consequences will be dire, indeed, to the man who disobeys it.”
Finley did not attempt to question Reed further. “Aye, Captain. I’ll pass the word along. Anything else?”
“No. Let’s just get loaded. The sooner we’re gone from here, the happier I will be.”
Later that day, Reed sent two of his most trusted men into the town. Several hours and taverns later, they returned with the information he sought. He waited to approach Kathleen until he was certain she was alone in their cabin. He told her about the men lurking about on the dock, and then related what the two crewmen had heard.
“Kat, they found out why Isabel has been in hiding.” His face betrayed his reluctance to hurt her with his news.
Kathleen’s teeth worried her bottom lip. The news was obviously bad, or Reed would be faster to reveal it. Steeling herself mentally, she said, “Tell me.”
Reed heaved a deep sigh and seated himself on the edge of his desk. “Isabel has been married for the last three years to Count Carlos Santiago, a very rich and important nobleman. That is, she was married to him until two months ago. Apparently he was an extremely dominating man, well known for his cruelty to his servants and disliked by many of his fellow noblemen. All that aside, he was found one morning in his private drawing room, slain. A sword was found in his hand, and another near the door to the courtyard.
“At first it was thought that an unknown adversary had entered the room, sparred with him, killed him and left. However, both rapiers belonged to Don Carlos. Also, Isabel was nowhere to be found. A maid identified a shredded piece of fabric found near the body as part of one of Isabel’s favorite nightrobes.
“Isabel has not been seen since early on the evening of the murder. The authorities have been searching for her
for two months now. Needless to say, she is their prime suspect.
“I’m sorry, Kat.”
Kathleen was stunned. She shook her head vigorously in denial. “No! A nobleman has been killed, and they need a scapegoat. There has to be another explanation.”
“Then why hasn’t ‘"Isabel come forward to clear herself?” Reed insisted.
“Really, Reed!” she huffed. “She might just as well buy the rope they’d hang her with! Do you think they’d listen? They most likely want someone to blame so they can conclude their case all nice and tidy, and justice be damned!”
“Alright, I’ll give you that much. The fact remains that we are now knowledgably harboring a wanted woman. The question is—what do we do about it?”
Kathleen looked at him squarely, her emerald eyes glittering with determination, her chin jutting out stubbornly. “Nothing,” she answered firmly. “We go on as if we knew nothing of what you have just relayed to me; as if Isabel never burst through that door last night; as if we’ve not seen her at all.”
“And if the authorities question us?” Reed persisted. “They surely know we visited the Fernandez home yesterday. I believe that is why those three men are observing the
Kat-Ann so closely. Since they have not approached the ship, I assume they did not see Isabel sneak aboard last night.”
“If they question us, we know nothing,” Kathleen insisted. “If they come to search the ship, we’ll hide her somehow.”
“And what if she truly is guilty of killing her husband?”
Kathleen shrugged. “Then I can only assume he deserved it,” she stated confidently. “I know Isabel. She is a fine, gentle person. If she was driven to murder, she had good reason.”
Reed sighed. “Alright, Kat. As you say, you know Isabel. We’ll keep her aboard, hide her if necessary. Then, when she is able, we’ll hear her side of it.”
Kathleen’s tense body relaxed, and she offered him a grateful smile. “Thank you, Reed. I owe you a debt of gratitude for this.”
He grinned lecherously at her, his blue eyes blazing. “And I’ll collect with interest, my love.”
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