Andrea Kane by My Hearts Desire

hands on hips, annoyed at his seemingly unwarranted outburst. From his peripheral vision, Drake saw Smitty take a protective step closer to Alex, intending to ward off Drake’s forthcoming assault.
    This was too ludicrous to be true.
    Alex truly believed that Smitty needed her help, due to his fatigue. Actually, Drake noted, she wasn’t entirely wrong. Smitty did look exhausted.
    “Smitty, go get some sleep.” Drake approached the helm. “I’ll take over.”
    Smitty frowned. “But you’ve gotten no sleep, Captain.”
    Drake shrugged. “I’m becoming used to it. Now go. It was an order.
    Smitty tried not to look relieved as he relinquished the helm to his captain. In truth his fatigue was caused not by his advancing years but by the sleepless hours he spent listening to Drake pace the floor of the cabin, cursing and muttering under his breath. It was almost a relief when he would finally storm out and, Smitty assumed, go to the helm.
    Smitty made his way below, recalling Alex’s belligerently beautiful face and Drake’s steely stance. Pity that one acquired wisdom and insight only as one got older, he mused. Ah, well, they would soon discover for themselves what he already knew.
    Left alone, Alex turned toward Drake’s hard profile. “Do you feel the storm coming?”
    “Yes, princess I feel it.” He glanced up at the sky. “It will be several hours before it is upon us. After our midday meal we will batten down La Belle.”
    Alex nodded. “We’ve been very lucky with the weather until now. The winds have been strong, but the rains have spared us.”
    “Yes, well, we’re not out of the woods yet, my lady,” he reminded her. “We still have many weeks ahead.”
    “I know.” Alex sounded delighted rather than upset by the prospect. She leaned back against the smooth wooden planks and looked up at Drake. “When will we near the Saint Lawrence?”
    “Not for at least a fortnight,” he replied. “Longer, if the weather does not cooperate.”
    Alex’s eyes glowed. “I can hardly wait to see Canada!” She gave Drake a brilliant smile. “I have imagined it so many times—a great untamed wilderness with miles of untouched land and beautiful waters on which to sail.”
    Drake grinned. “Is that what you plan to do once we arrive in York? Sail?”
    Alex nodded vigorously. “I plan to acquire another skiff as soon as possible. Then I can strike out on Lake Ontario on my own!”
    Once again Alex’s infectious enthusiasm warmed the coldness of Drake’s heart. But the reality of her fate, while clear enough to Drake, seemed to escape her. “Don’t you think your father might have other plans for you, princess?” he reminded her gently.
    Alex shrugged. “At first, perhaps. But the novelty will wear off. He will be far too busy to be bothered with me.”
    “You’re his daughter!”
    “I know, but that is how it is between us. Perhaps if I. had been the son he wanted things would have been different, but …” Alex gave a philosophical shrug. “Anyway, I have no fear that Father will monopolize my time. It will be far easier for him if I am not in the way.”
    Unbidden, a surge of protectiveness claimed Drake. Didn’t Alex’s parents recognize that she deserved better than two cold and self-centered providers who obviously had no time for their warm and headstrong daughter? Damn them!
    The ship lurched unexpectedly, recapturing Drake’s attention.
    “Go below and eat,” he ordered Alex quietly. “If you wait much longer your stomach may not cooperate.”
    Alex nodded, realizing the storm was moving toward them rapidly. “I’ll finish my meal, then wake Smitty. By that time it will be necessary to ready the ship for its battle with nature.”
    Drake grinned at her choice of words. “Would it be foolish to ask if you were intimidated by the thought of the storm?”
    “Yes.”
    “Yes, you are intimidated?” He raised questioning brows.
    She walked past him, laughing and shaking her head.