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

at the breakfast tray balanced on a stack of books. His empty plate showed streaks of yellow from where he had used his toast to mop up nearly every remaining bit of fried egg.
    He was such a formidable man, aloof, stern, commanding. Everything she might imagine a ship’s captain should be. Yet his actions were different from his reputation and the façade he wore at all but the most unguarded of times. Why, for instance, would a man who so obviously enjoyed eating keep a cook who couldn’t even fry an egg? Did he understand more about Cookie’s situation than the cook realized? Perhaps he wasn’t quite the wolf he pretended to be.
    Warmth stirred within her. If she weren’t careful, she could fall in love with a man like him, and that would never do.
    She glanced down at her homespun tunic, the color of dead leaves where it was still clean, darker elsewhere. Even if he could see past the grime that covered her, her other flaws were almost too numerous to mention. There was her unflatteringly flat chest, made even less flattering by the tightness of her bindings, her chipped fingernails, her narrow hips and spindly legs, her curly hair that refused to be tamed, the freckles across her nose... No, a man as handsome as the captain no doubt had women waiting for his return in more than one port.
    Besides, she needed to keep up her disguise if she had any hope of remaining aboard ship. On her second day, one of her shipmates had struck up a conversation while they were scrubbing the decks. Although he looked to be about her age, he had served with Captain Stoakes for a number of years. From him, she learned the captain had one hard and fast rule—no women aboard ship.
    While it stiffened her resolve to keep up her ruse, she wondered why the sailor saw fit to warn her. Did he think her likely to sneak a woman aboard? Laughter caught in her throat and came out as a snort.
    Captain Stoakes looked up. He pushed aside the parchment and leaned back in his chair, folding his hands over his stomach. “I wanted to thank you.”
    “Did you like it?”
    Amanda knew she should try to sound more impassive, but she couldn’t help herself. While she might never be able to attract his attention with her feminine appeal...she almost laughed again at the notion, she could at least make him happy with her cooking.
    “It was the best meal I have had in…well, a long time.” The captain paused. “A very long time.”
    His eyes crinkled at the corners, softening his strong features. A grin carved well-formed lines around his mouth.
    Amanda dropped her gaze to her toes when she felt her cheeks flame. Had she tamed the wolf? She made a silent promise to him to do her very best to keep him well fed for as long as she remained part of his crew.
    Perhaps someday she would become so indispensable that he could accept her for who she was. Not that it would change their relationship, but she wanted him to see her, really see her, not the boy she pretended to be.
    “Captain!” A young man in a sweat-stained, striped shirt and loose fitting canvas trousers stood in the doorway, gasping for breath.
    Amanda shot him a smile, trying hard to remember his name.
    “What is it?” the captain asked in a clipped voice.
    “British merchant ship on the horizon!”
    “Looks like breakfast is over.” Captain Stoakes pushed back from his desk, scraping the chair over the wooden floor.
    Amanda glanced about, unsure what to do next. The sailor’s words reverberated in her brain. British merchant ship on the horizon . Did that mean they were going into battle?

Chapter Four
    Amanda picked up the captain’s empty plate and carried it to the galley. Her hands shook when she set the plate in an oak washtub alongside the cast iron pan. She scoured bits of dried egg while guilt did the same to her conscience.
    She should be on deck and preparing for battle with her shipmates. Yet, regardless of how much she knew where she should be, her feet refused to obey. For