Caution to the Wind by Mary Jean Adams Read Free Book Online

flipped the eggs in the pan and removed them a moment later, sliding them onto the waiting plate. Afterwards, she stood guard over the stove from her post on the stool while Cookie finished making the captain’s toast. She rolled a couple of sausages around in the pan, ensuring they browned evenly and didn’t stick to the bottom.
    When Cookie suggested she “let it boil,” she snuck the coffeepot off the stove anyway and retrieved the slices of bread he had slapped on the stove and then forgotten.
    Finally, the captain’s breakfast complete, Amanda helped Cookie arrange everything on a tray.
    “Wait a moment, Cookie,” Amanda said before he could head out the door, tray in hand. She grabbed a sprig of rosemary from a strand tacked to the wall and arranged it on the plate.
    “What’s that for?” he asked.
    “It’s what my mother would have done.” Amanda shrugged.
    Cookie grunted and disappeared down the hall. Silently, Amanda vowed to maintain a tighter rein over her more feminine instincts. If she weren’t careful, she’d give her secret away, and then the captain would have her off the ship for sure.
    She let out a sigh and leaned against the wall, tired yet pleased with herself. She had cooked a breakfast she suspected the captain would enjoy, she had allowed Cookie to maintain his self-respect, and she had been assigned a duty she had far more talent for than cleaning guns or scrubbing decks. Not that she minded hard work, but cooking for the captain promised to be much more satisfying.
    The captain’s smile flashed in her memory, and a small voice told her it was more than just her love of cooking that made her look forward to this duty. She shushed the voice before it could say more.
    Amanda hoped the captain would appreciate her efforts. They were just eggs after all, but she thought they had turned out quite well. At least two out of the three had. The one Cookie cracked resembled a scrambled egg, but it would still be edible.
    Cookie returned through the galley door and interrupted her thoughts, “Cap’n wants to see ya.”
    “Did he say why?”
    Had he not liked his breakfast?
    “Cap’n’s not goin’ to tell me.” Cookie cocked his head and grinned. “And I ain’t gonna ask.”
    Amanda made her way to the captain’s quarters at the rear of the ship. Taking a deep breath, she knocked on his door. When he bade her enter, she pushed the door open and peeked in.
    “Come in, Adam. I’m not going to eat you.” The captain waved Amanda forward and then returned his attention to the piece of parchment in front of him.
    The captain scratched out some notes, his head bent over his work, his quill dancing across the page.
    Amanda clasped her hands behind her back and braced her bare feet apart. She shifted her weight to adjust to the constant rolling of the ship. She took no issue with being made to wait. It gave her a moment to study the Sea Wolf in his lair.
    The captain’s quarters appeared smaller than she expected, but then this was a small ship. Even the captain would have to make do with the space available. She noted with interest that he had a hammock instead of one of the stationary boxes filled with bedding she had heard other captains preferred. Who could blame him? She shuddered and averted her eyes from his bed. Sleeping in a box would be too much like sleeping in a coffin.
    His cleaned plate and cup lay stacked in the corner of the table that served as his desk. Large enough to seat three or four guests, it left little clearance between the table’s edges and the planked walls of his quarters.
    She supposed the captain didn’t entertain much. After all, they were at sea. It’s not like ship’s captains called on each other for tea. Amanda stifled a giggle.
    Several trunks, stacked one on top of the other, took up most of the rest of his room, along with a mishmash of scattered charts, papers, and books. The room could be described as clean, but certainly not tidy.
    She glanced