it.
Rafe drew a slow breath, filling his lungs with salty air, and turned to his companions. “I’d just as soon not sail anywhere in that. It looks like one decent—sized wave will swamp it.” Shaking his head, he gazed back at the boat. “
Buccaneer’s Bliss.
You should call it the
Leaky Teaky
. I can’t believe you don’t have a ship. What kind of pirates are you?”
“Retired pirates.” Snake’s droll brogue rolled across the salty morning air like breakers on the beach. “We traded in the
Mary Margaret
for rocking chairs once we realized the barkentine wouldn’t fit on Lake Bliss. Now, grab your bag and stow it. We sail in the morning with the tide.”
Rafe stood his ground, his frown fixed on the boat, while Gus scowled and folded his arms. “What’s the matter with you, Malone? Do you actually think we’d take chances with our Maggie’s safety?” He gave Snake a sidelong glance and said, “The fella may be brave, but I question whether he has any smarts.”
“I’m wondering about how brave he is,” Snake replied. “The boy sounds like he’s afraid to sail with us.”
“I’m smart enough to be afraid to put to sea in that rickety old tub,” Rafe fired back, his voice rising like the caws of the sea birds perched on the yardarms of the
Buccaneer’s Bliss
. “I signed up for adventure, not suicide.”
A feminine laugh drifted from behind him. “Whine, whine, whine. You sound just like my children.”
Recognizing the voice, Rafe whirled around in surprise. “Honor?” He had just enough time to grin before the brown-eyed beauty, Mrs. Luke Prescott, threw herself into his arms and kissed him.
“Rafe Malone, am I glad to see you!” she said.
“That doesn’t mean you have to kiss him, Sunshine. Malone, get your hands off my wife.” Luke Prescott ambled up the pier holding a bundle of blue-eyed, blond-haired one-and-a-half-year-old feminine energy in each arm.
Rafe gave Honor Prescott an extra hug for her husband’s benefit before releasing her so he could swoop one of her daughters from Luke’s arms. He smelled talc and lemon candy and happiness. “Kimmy, my love,” he said, giving the child a tickle kiss on the neck.
“Me, too!” cried the child in her father’s arms.
Tess wasn’t about to let her sister have all the fun, so Rafe relieved his partner of his other daughter and nuzzled her into giggles also. Rafe was laughing, too, when he looked past Luke and said, “Hey, Micah. Jason. Fancy new hats y’all are sporting, boys.”
Micah tipped his hat and grinned. “Nana bought them for us yesterday at the dry goods.” Turning to Luke, he asked, “Pa, is it all right if we go on back down the pier a ways and watch that fella playing the game with seashells some more. I really think he was cheating somehow. I want to see if I can catch him.” At Luke’s nod, the boys scampered away.
Well aware that the pirates were observing the reunion with avid interest, Rafe kept his tone casual as he glanced at the man he considered his brother and observed, “Smart boy, that Micah. Y’all traveled a far piece to do some shopping and spy out a confidence game.”
Luke cocked his head to one side and his tone was droll. “It was a spur-of-the-moment decision.”
“It was my fault.” Honor reached into her handbag and removed a folded piece of paper Rafe recognized as the brief note he’d left for Luke, tacked to the door of his cabin. “You know me,” she said, her smile not quite reaching her eyes as she fanned her face with the makeshift fan. “I get these wild ideas and off I go. Sometimes I even forget to mention them to my family ahead of time.”
Rafe bit his lower lip in chagrin. As much as he envied Luke his happy marriage, Rafe was happy not to have to deal with Honor’s temperament on a daily basis. The woman wielded guilt like a rapier. He offered her his most charming, get-me-out-of-trouble smile, but she wasn’t falling for it. Even worse, she