Unexpected Treasure: A High Seas Adventure

  COPYRIGHT

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, places, events, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

  Copyright © 2016 Tammy Andresen

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the express written permission of the publisher.

  Published by Tammy Andresen

  TITLES BY

  TAMMY ANDRESEN

  Lily in Bloom Series

  Seeds of Love

  Lily in Bloom

  Other Books

  Taming a Duke’s Reckless Heart

  Taming a Lady Wolfe

  Midnight Magic

  Stealing a Lady’s Heart: Fairfield Fairy Tales

  Coming in September 2016

  The Golden Rules of Love

  DEDICATION

  This book is dedicated to men who stand by their ladies. I am lucky enough to be married to one of them.

  UNEXPECTED TREASURE

  CHAPTER ONE

  Off the Coast of England, Atlantic Ocean

  Rex Masters lowered his spyglass, oblivious to the rocking of the ship. “You’re sure One Eye is bearing down on that vessel?”

  “I’d stake my life on it.” His first mate, Sanders, gave a nod. “He’s been tacking just out of sight of that merchant ship for three days. He would have attacked already if it weren’t for this storm.”

  Rex grimaced. It was a nasty bit of weather, to be sure. They had been riding alongside One Eye’s boat for close to a week. Sailing parallel and coming into sight only long enough to keep tabs on the other ship. Though, he had nearly lost the pirate ship twice in as many days until they had discovered the pirate’s prey, a small merchant boat. Since then, it had been much easier to keep track of One Eye. Now the question was how to further use this knowledge to his advantage.

  As if his first mate was reading his thoughts, he asked, “What do you want to do?”

  Crossing his arms over his chest Rex assessed the merchant ship. It was small. There was a good chance it wouldn’t survive the storm. If it did, it surely had no method of protection against invading pirates. They were defenseless on both fronts. If the ship did go down, Rex would most likely lose One Eye. It was difficult to track a pirate but the merchant ship had been easy to follow, knowing that it had become One Eye’s prey.

  “We could wait till the pirates attack and then come around One Eye’s flank and catch them by surprise.” Sanders stared towards the rolling vessel.

  Rex shook his head. “We’ll lose them both. That boat could go down and then One Eye will flee.”

  Sanders gave a curt nod of understanding. “What then?”

  “We take everyone off the boat. They’ll be safer here. Then, if the ship doesn’t go down. The pirates will attack and we will trap the pirates then.”

  Sanders eyed him. “That’s a big risk, loading all those people on this boat. What if One Eye sees you?”

  Rex gritted his teeth. Sanders was right. But he couldn’t let innocent people die if he could stop it. He had lost one innocent life this month already, he couldn’t let it happen again. There were things more important than returning the crown’s gold. Though he doubted Prinny would agree.

  * * *

  The boat swayed just as the woman lying in bed in front of Sarah screamed. It was long and low and she grasped her friend’s hand harder, her eyes wide with fear. If someone had told Sarah what was happening in front of her eyes could frighten her more than the storm that raged outside, or the events of the last six months, she would have never believed them.

  Anne had been in labor for two days. Now her screams came almost nonstop. The boat lurched to one side, but Sarah hardly noticed. “I have to push,” Anne panted out.

  “It’s time.” Mrs. Flannery nodded to Sarah. The boat gave another sickening dip, but Sarah was oblivious. “Get me more hot water and more rags. Hurry!” Mrs. Flannery’s voice screamed over the howling wind and creaking wood.

  Sarah shot up, thankful to have something to do other than stare in fear. Racing along the dark hallways to the galley of the ship, she held out her hands to keep herself from crashing into the walls.

  “I need hot water,” she gasped the second she spied Cook. “The baby’s coming.”

  “Have you felt this ship?” he said, his normally friendly demeanor gone. “I couldn’t heat water if I wanted to and we’re dying anyway.”

  She gasped at his words, taking stock of the storm for the first time. The ship rocked wildly again. “I can’t be certain we will die from the storm but I am absolutely sure that baby is coming. I need water.”

  He handed her a bucket and then crouched behind a cabinet bolted to the wall. A loud crash made the boat shudder as Sarah turned to head back to Anne’s room. Taking a deep breath, Sarah began the laborious trip down the narrow, swaying hall.

  As the ship leaned to the right, Sarah crashed into the wall and water splashed all over her front. Steadying her feet, she kept moving down the hallway. But this time, tears pricked at her eyes.

  Cook was most likely correct. They would perish in this storm and her uncle would have his way after all. She should have known this trip was doomed from the first. A desperate act of a desperate woman.

  A tear slid down her cheek as she shook her head, unable to believe this is what it had come to. A shadow crossed her path, for a split second, she simply thought the lamp lighting the hall was simply swinging with the rocking of the ship. But as the boat righted itself, the shadow remained in place.

  Slowly she turned to see a man looming over her. Tall and dark, fear prickled over every inch of her skin. He was wet from the storm and it slicked back his hair, adding to his menacing appearance. Instinct took over. Taking a deep breath, she opened her mouth to scream.

  His hand covered her mouth. “Please don’t scream. We are here to help you.”

  Without waiting for confirmation, he began pulling her down the hall and away from her friend and towards the hatch. It took several steps for her mind to register what was happening. His hand was like a vice around her upper arm and he pulled her effortlessly as if she weighed nothing at all. Attempting to pull away, she didn’t break his stride at all. Any woman one her own would be frightened out of her wits, but she’d been looking over her shoulder for so long, she barely talked to anyone save Cook, Anne and Mrs. Flannery, that desperation was seeping in. Was this man a pirate? Worse, had he been sent by her Uncle to take her back?

  “Stop.” Her voice was still muffled by his hand and he ignored her, continuing to propel her away from Anne. She pulled harder but his arm came around her waist. Dimly she registered that his arm was pure muscle as it wrapped around her.

  “Stop,” she cried more loudly but he still disregarded her protests. Not knowing what else to do, she sank her teeth into his hand.

  “Bloody hell!” he yelled is as hand withdrew from her mouth.

  “Please, I beg you, don’t do this. I’ve nothing for you.”

  He looked near shocked, as he assessed her. “Why, you’re a proper lady.” He stared down at her, his eyes drinking in the details of her face.

  Sarah cursed herself. She was dressed in very humble clothing, but he must have recognized her accent. Normally, she tried to hide it or just not speak. She’d never really been able to replicate the cockney slang of the London lower classes.

  “Ladies do not bite men’s hands.” She feebly attempted to deflect his observation as she slowly backed away. If
he were a pirate, he may try to ransom her. If he was sent by her uncle, he would know she was the woman he was looking for.

  “We have to leave, time is of the essence.” His voice was incredibly pleasant. It trickled over her senses like warm honey on a cold day. Strange to find your kidnappers voice pleasant.

  “I could not possibly leave with a strange man. Who are you? Why are you here? Besides--”

  He cut her off before she could suggest he was likely a pirate, “I must insist.”

  The cries of an infant carried down the hall and Sarah turned on her heel and ran.

  UNEXPECTED TREASURE

  CHAPTER TWO

  Rex watched her run down the hall, holding the bucket. What was a beautiful debutante doing aboard this tiny merchant ship? Well he didn’t know for sure she was a debutante but she was young, ridiculously beautiful, and obviously well bred. Her accent had all the markings of money. But she had denied it when he asked. Why? A slight grin turned up the corners of his lips. Beautiful and mysterious.

  Her hips swayed and her skirts swished as she entered the room and the end of the hall. The baby’s cries grew louder as she opened the door.

  The door closed but Rex stood there, looking at the spot where an angel had just been. Her golden hair had tickled his nose and her body had fit just right against him when he had pulled her close. He ran his fingers through his hair. He’d been at sea too long.

  The captain dropped down from the hatch and landed next to Rex. “What is the hold up?”

  “Perhaps I should have sent you down here, I frightened the only passenger I came across.” Rex held up his hand.

  A grimace flitted across the captain’s face, “Which one?”

  “I don’t know her name, blond hair, large blue eyes, a body―”

  “Sarah,” the captain supplied. “Keeps to herself. Which is smart. She didn’t happen to say if the baby has come?”

  “It came.” Rex frowned. A baby made this so much more complicated. He was beginning to regret his decision to collect these people. He ran a hand thorough his hair again. He didn’t mean that. He had missed an opportunity to save an innocent women and it weighed heavily on his thoughts. But time was of the essence and moving a woman who had just given birth and a baby made this much more difficult.

  “I’ll go get Cook. I’ll join you to move the women in two shakes of a stick. Thank you again. You’ve undoubtedly saved our lives.”

  Rex gave a single nod. The captain was right, of course. But under normal circumstances the captain should have been suspicious of a strange boat pulling up and offering passage. It was a testament to how desperate the man was that he was willing to trust a complete stranger. Of course, Rex would deliver them safely back to England but for all the man knew, Rex could be selling them into slavery.

  He marched down the hall and stood in front of the door where the angel had disappeared. “Sarah,” he repeated the name whispering off his lips. Didn’t seem right, her having a regular name. He gave a knock on the door, then opened it.

  A matronly woman stood in his path. “Yes,” her sharp voice cut over the noise of the storm.

  “I’m here to bring you to safety. The captain has ordered everyone to abandon ship.”

  “How do we know the captain has actually given that order?” Sarah called from in the room.

  “He will be on deck to assure you himself. Please, ladies, we must hurry.” He tried not to simply throw open the door and snatch the woman up. Did she not understand this vessel was in immediate danger?

  The matron, as he now thought of her, looked him up and down. He glanced over her shoulder to see Sarah holding a baby swaddled in blankets. Her face was near euphoric. It made her look even more angelic and he sucked in his breath. His entire body tightened at the sight.

  Tearing his eyes from her, he looked at the woman on the bed. Her eyes were half closed and she lay limply against the pillows. She looked like she had been through hell. “Bloody bullocks,” he whispered to himself.

  “Excuse me,” the older woman’s voice demanded.

  “Ma’am, we have to go now. This ship could sink at any moment.” He pushed past her. “Can you carry the baby?” He looked at Sarah. She eyed him warily.

  “Ladies, please. The captain’s voice boomed down the hall. We must not tarry.”

  Without delaying another minute, Rex picked up the woman on the bed. She was limp in his arms. His doubts were replaced with sympathy.

  “Where is your husband? We will collect him―”

  “Her husband is dead.” Sarah’s voice caught.

  He gave a single nod and then turned for the door. The captain and Cook were there, the captain whispering to the matron. She looked defiant but started out of the room.

  The boat gave another lurch, and he watched Sarah grab for the wall to keep from falling with the baby. “We have to go now.” His voice boomed over the rushing waves.

  This time, everyone scrambled to follow his command. The captain led the way with Cook and the matron behind him. Sarah was just in front of him and his eyes wandered over her long blond hair, half falling out of its bun, then down to her tiny waist and the flare of her generous hips.

  The woman in his arms stirred. “Where is my baby?”

  “Sarah has your baby. You rest now, we’re going to keep you safe.”

  ***

  Her name on his lips and the gentleness of his voice sent shivers running down Sarah’s spine. She turned to look at him and his hazel eyes pierced into hers. Up till that point, she had felt nothing but fear for this large man who had invaded their lives. But like a bolt of lightning, she became aware of him. It flitted through her mind that she hadn’t told him her name. How had he known it? Could this be proof he was sent to find her? It mattered not at the moment. It would seem he stood between life and death for all of them.

  The baby in her arms wailed as the cool night air hit his skin and she didn’t have any more time to think about the dark stranger. She bundled the baby closer, shushing softly.

  Glancing back at him again, she noticed he carried Anne easily, without any effort at all. His appearance was dark, almost dangerous and yet, when she looked closer, there was something almost aristocratic about his features. Of course, she had noticed right away that he was handsome but it had only made him more dangerous. But his voice, that somehow put her at ease.

  Several other sailors, that Sarah didn’t recognize, stood on the rolling deck of the ship. Swallowing hard, Sarah stopped moving. Her uncle had an army of sailors searching the London streets for her before she had escaped. She had barely interacted with the crew aboard this ship. It frightened her to see all these hard looking men, staring at her. Memories flooded her mind of another group of men staring at her in much the same way.

  His rich voice soothed from behind her, “No one will hurt you. Just keep moving.” It comforted her beyond measure and her feet started moving again, though she could hardly understand it. Never had a person’s voice captivate her the way his did.They kept moving toward the rail. Sarah peered over, two dingys were tied just off the bow. With the crashing waves a new fear was rising in her mind, how would they get into those boats?

  She barely had time to consider it when her dark haired rescuer was passing Anne to another man. Then he turned back to Sarah, looking dark and dangerous once again. Her breathing became rapid and her heart hammered in her chest, it wasn’t necessarily fear this time but another, unnamed emotion. He turned and picked her up, baby still in her arms. “What are you doing?” her strangled voice cried out.

  He gave her a smile that lightened everything about his face. “You can’t get on that boat by yourself.”

  “I don’t even know your name,” she gasped as she was pressed against his fantastically hard chest. The baby quieted instantly in the heat between their two bodies.

  “My friends call me Rex.” Grabbing a rope, he swung them down from the ship into the row boat in one fl
uid motion, all the while holding them steady.

  “What does the rest of the world call you?” She gasped as the row boat swayed.

  His lips were dangerously close to hers and curved in a smile, invited her to touch them. His eyes sparkled in the moonlight making him breathtakingly handsome. “I will tell you when you tell me why a lady of breeding is riding on this tiny merchant ship.”

  She sniffed then. “I have already told you, I’m not―“

  Rather than being put out by her lack of information, his grin only broadened. “Keep your secrets for now and I will keep my name. But make no mistake, we will have this conversation again.”

  Sarah swallowed hard. Her secrets guarded her wellbeing. Telling them to the wrong person could send her back to the wolf’s door. But currently, this man held her life in his very strong hands.

  UNEXPECTED TREASURE

  CHAPTER THREE

  Sarah watched with great satisfaction as Anne fed the baby. In her heart, she had been worried that Anne wouldn’t live. There were no wet nurses at sea. But both mother and baby were recovering.

  With the morning, the storm had cleared as well and everyone was feeling more optimistic. It was nice to see her companions happy. Though she had only met Anne and Mrs. Flannery on this voyage, the women, all three alone, had become fast friends. They had been a beacon of hope in one of Sarah’s darkest hours. She would give anything to help them.

  Rex had supplied the three ladies with plenty of food and fresh water. The ship’s doctor had examined Anne and the child. He had even ordered a bath for Anne, which had really bolstered the woman’s spirits.

  Since the storm had subsided, Sarah’s own thoughts had turned to the merchant ship the Anna Claire and her own fate after the storm. While it was tempting to find Rex’s ship a safe haven, she must keep her guard up. It seemed less and less likely that Rex was a pirate. They didn’t generally travel around rescuing people. But, who was he then and what did he want with her?