"I meant as a crewman."
Smokey chuckled; she couldn"t help herself. "Captains do not make good crewmen."
"I would" Dallas" deep, solemn tone forced Smokey to look at him. He was staring at her intently.
He"s serious/ she thought incredulously.
"Why?" she managed out loud "Because I want to study the Aramis."
"Why?" Smokey asked again, beginning to think this conversation absurd Dallas sighed It was a reasonable question, but so hard to answer.
"I don"t want to sail all my life." Dallas* eyes were now back to sea, his voice wistful. "When my parents moved south, a man they"d known for years took over my father"s company.
Buck had his own business to run, and I was too inexperienced to understand we were being swindled until it was too late. We were nearly broke in six months. Now I want to build the business up again, and my sailing is simply a means to that end. When I have enough capital, I want to build ships, and studying the Aramis would be invaluable to that trade."
"Knight Crafts," Smokey said when the realization dawned "They"re fine ships."
"I think so. I realize we were one of the smaller lines, but it"s my dream to see the company in full production again."
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"What happens to your ship in the next few weeks?"
"It needs repairs, and because it"s been a busy year, my crew is ready for a break. I would work hard for you," Dallas added, "and take orders with the rest of the men."
Smokey wondered that she was actually considering it.
Nate had impaled his hand on their last voyage, and as of a week ago, it was still infected. They could sail without him; it wouldn"t be the first time they were shorthanded, or Dallas could take his place. Of course he probably wouldn"t want the job when he learned it was the most insignificant position on the ship.
"I have an opening, but there"s nothing very glamorous about it."
"I would take any job in order to be on theAramis when you sail."
"You"d be a cabin boy of sorts, taking everyone"s grief and seeing to every dirty job on ship, including the care of my clothes, my cabin, and the officers" quarters, and without a word of complaint."
"I was cabin boy to my uncle for two years. I can do the job." Dallas" eyes were alive with excitement.
"All right," Smokey agreed before she could change her mind "Great!"
Without even looking at him, Smokey knew his smile was a mile wide.
"Do your officers call you Smokey or Captain Simmons?"
Dallas asked, his voice respectful.
"Captain Simmons," Smokey said with an unladylike snort.
"I should be so lucky!"
It was a cryptic remark, but Dallas was given no chance to question her. Smokey pushed to her feet, jumped down to the beach without help, and took a few steps away. She turned back to him, as though suddenly remembering he was there.
"Be at the docks here at six bells tomorrow evening. Be on time, or we"ll sail without you." She gave him no chance to reply.
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Dallas watched her walk on down the beach, his heart and mind aswarm with questions. None of them mattered for the moment, however. He was going to sail on the Aram is. He still had his doubts as to whether Smokey could sail her way out of the harbor, but that wasn"t important--studying her ship was.
9 w 9 "Did Dolly find you?" Jenny inquired of Smokey when she came back to the house.
"He did," she told her with a decisive nod "And did he apologize?" Jenny prompted "Yes, we actually talked awhile."
"Why, Smokey, that"s wonderful! What did you talk about?"
"My sailing. I actually was able to converse with him this time without stuttering or staring at him like I was demented"
"So the wall has come down between you?"
"I wouldn"t say that," Smokey shook her head "He asked if he could sail with me when I leave tomorrow, and I actually agreed"
Jenny"s mouth swung open. As funny as she looked, Smokey did not feel like laughing. She gave Jenny a short rendition of the conversation, and when she finished, the younger woman was still speechless.
"What are you thinking?" Smokey needed to know.
"That you"re wonderful," Jenny told her lovingly.
"What do you mean?"
"Smokey, I know Dolly hurt you last night, and here you are helping him out. It"s been his dream to build ships for years, and I think your a.s.sisting him is wonderful." Jenny paused and bit her lip. "Do you feel a little used?"
"A little," Smokey admitted "Your brother is kind, but he really couldn"t have given me the time of day before he found out who I was."
Jenny nodded with understanding. "I"ll be praying that
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you two will get to know each other and be friends. Knowing you both, I think you would get along very well."
"Thanks, Jen, but first I need you to pray about my having to tell Da.r.s.ey. I don"t even want to think about what he"s going to say."
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Now it was Smokey"s turn to sigh, heartfelt and deep. "I"m sure that won"t be a problem, Da.r.s.ey," Her voice was resigned "No problem at all."
She turned and went upstairs before he could question her, but in truth he had heard enough. He sat in Willa"s parlor for a long time, wondering how many years he had prayed for this, and then asking himself, now that it had finally happened, why it scared him witless.
As it was, Da.r.s.ey said nothing. He simply stared at Smokey for one full minute. When he spoke, his voice was even.
"What about your plans for China Island?"
"We can still do it, if we don"t forget the book this time."
Da.r.s.ey fell silent again.
"I can send word that it won"t work out," she finally said, looking so young and vulnerable that Da.r.s.ey sighed deeply.
She was so naive of other ships and crews. Didn"t she realize how unusual their life on the Aramis was?
"It"s not me I"m thinking of, la.s.s, it"s you. The boys know how to give you your privacy, and you give us ours. We don"t know this man. It certainly wouldn"t be the end of the world if he didn"t work out, but it would be an awful bother getting rid of him"
"I don"t think he"ll be any trouble. Like I said, he"s been a captain for years, and he just wants to study the Aramis."
"In other words, we won"t be getting much work out of him."
Smokey shrugged. "I hope that"s not the case, but I can"t make any promises. I don"t want to talk you into this, Da.r.s.ey."
Smokey"s voice changed suddenly, and Da.r.s.ey knew his captain was speaking.
"Because if I do talk you into this, you"ll say 1 told you so" if it doesn"t work out. So speak up now or keep still."
"I"ll abide by your decision, la.s.s, but hear me well. I"ll not brooka moment of improper conduct out of him where you"re concerned."
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the next day da.r.s.ey gathered the officers of the Aramis as they set sail from their home port in Kennebunk. He explained that Nate would not be sailing with them this trip, and that they would be picking up a man Smokey had hired to take his place in Kennebunkport.
"Does Nate know he"s being replaced?"
"He"s not being replaced, Mic," Da.r.s.ey patiently told him.
"It"s just for this one voyage."
"He wants to study the Aramis," Smokey interjected when she came across the group gathered on the deck. "Since he won"t be sailing with us again, I"d like you to be of help to him if you can. Answer any questions he may have. Outside of that, it"s business as usual."
The men nodded, and Smokey"s eyes lingered on their faces. There wasn"t a man under 40, and most were nearer to 50. Da.r.s.ey was that and then some. Each of them--Da.r.s.ey, Mic, Robby, Pete, and Scully, who was the ship"s cook--had sailed with her father for years before he died. She knew them to be capable, reliable, and loyal to a fault. What would they think of Dallas Knight? Indeed! What would Dallas think of them?
Hers was not a normal group of sailors. Most men enjoyed full-time work, but Smokey had a tendency to stay closer to
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home than her father had, so she could be in port more often.
The older these men became, the more that seemed to suit them. She was a generous captain, and they always shared in the fruits of her labor, which Included time off for weeks at a stretch.
The men dispersed while Smokey was still deep in thought.
She walked to the bow, her body moving to the rocking of the ship with the ease of a willow tree in the wind Once at the front of the ship, the sight of the waves and the speed with which the Aramis moved did not thrill her as it usually did. She barely noticed either. Her mind was already in Kennebunkport and on the man who would be waiting in port to meet them.
"I"ve never seen you like this, Dallas," Tate commented to his nearly delirious brother-in-law. Buck was quick to agree.
The three men were standing on the dock Sunday evening, awaiting Smokey"s ship.
"It"s hard to explain," Dallas told them, his eyes still alight with pleasure even as he tried to calm down. "It will mean so much to the business, and I think this is a once-ina-lifetime opportunity."
"I hate to be a prophet of doom," Buck interjected, not unkindly. "But have you thought about what will happen if you don"t get along with Smokey or her men?"
"What"s not to get along with?" Dallas asked in genuine confusion. "1*11 do my job, observe the workings of the ship, and come home rich with knowledge." Dallas" voice was so matter-of-fact that neither man commented.
Dallas himself was still thinking on his brother"s words, but the more he thought about Smokey Simmons" personality, the more a.s.sured he felt that they would get along fine. After all, she was very shy and quiet, keeping mostly to herself, and that would suit him fine.