Read Online Lucky's Lady (The Caversham Chronicles Book 4) by Sandy Raven - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Sandy Raven
Ads: Link
slender form. Today she wore a dove gray apron over her light blue trousers. Under the apron, she had a pale cream blouse with loose sleeves that ended well above the elbow leaving her arms mostly bare and free to move. He knew her uniform was intended for her comfort and ease of doing her tasks, but if she had any idea the effect it had on him, she would cover herself further. But if she wore the dresses with the hoop skirts that were coming into fashion she would look out of place. Out of place, attracting attention and unable to perform her duties.
"Oh, no." Her smile was soft and genuine. "I enjoy coming in before the rest of the staff and getting work done in the undisturbed quiet."
Lucky wondered if her presence, and her unconventional manner of dress distracted the men who worked here. It certainly distracted the hell out of him.
A scuffling noise in the corner of the room, near the filing cabinet caught their attention, and they both watched as a cat carried its freshly-caught meal out of the room. "Good girl," Mrs. Watkins said to the animal. "Take your breakfast outside."
"Early riser, are you?" The skin of her arms was lightly sun-tanned, but not overly so. When she moved her arms across the drafting table and he could catch a glimpse, he noticed that further up the arm it was milk-white, untouched by the sun. And, he was willing to bet, untouched by a man.
She nodded. "You?"
"I cannot seem to sleep past the early shades of dawn. Once the sky begins to lighten, even before the sun is up, I'm stirring." He came around to her side of the drafting table, to get a better view of the drawing she worked on, but not before he drank in more of her appearance.
Her hair was, as usual, coiled practically into a net at the nape of her neck. How he wanted to tug at that bow and pins, allowing the net to drop, freeing all her glorious auburn hair. He wondered again how long it was and if it would be soft to the touch should he run his fingers through it. And if he lifted it to his face to inhale the scent, would it be roses or lavender that filled his nostrils? She was intoxicating him, and he knew of no cure for that ailment but one.
Mrs. Watkins dipped her pen tip into the ink and tapped the drip back into the inkwell. Returning her focus to the drawing, she said, "I am almost finished with this one, then I'll start a cross section elevation of the hull after we compile the finishings list."
He looked at the closed office door. "Is Mr. Watkins in today?"
She shook her head. "He had a meeting this morning in Baltimore, and left me here before sunrise. He may come in later this afternoon for a few hours, depending on how he feels."
As they spoke, Mr. Nawton and two other men arrived to take up their positions at their respective desks and tables. Mrs. Watkins introduced the men Lucky hadn't met the day before, telling him that one man was the accountant and the other the shipyard's crew manager. The crew manager took a pencil off his desk and with a pocket knife began to sharpen the tip over a wastebasket. He then lifted a sheet of paper and went outdoors.
"This afternoon is payroll closing." Mrs. Watkins continued to go over her penciled lines with ink, making it an official copy. "Hours get calculated today and the men get paid tomorrow. He's off to collect the past weeks' hours from all the shift supervisors.
"Oh. I remembered something we forgot to discuss yesterday." She pointed to an unfinished section on the drawing. "We forgot to talk about mast composition. I know you'd listed a single tree mast. But I can do composite steel and wood. There are benefits and problems with both."
"What are benefits to the composite?"
Thus began a detailed conversation explaining the structural strengths and weaknesses of each. In the end, he'd decided on composite because of the controlled breaking points. If a mast were to break, which was inevitable at some point, with a composite the damage could be somewhat controlled.
"Oh, no." Her smile was soft and genuine. "I enjoy coming in before the rest of the staff and getting work done in the undisturbed quiet."
Lucky wondered if her presence, and her unconventional manner of dress distracted the men who worked here. It certainly distracted the hell out of him.
A scuffling noise in the corner of the room, near the filing cabinet caught their attention, and they both watched as a cat carried its freshly-caught meal out of the room. "Good girl," Mrs. Watkins said to the animal. "Take your breakfast outside."
"Early riser, are you?" The skin of her arms was lightly sun-tanned, but not overly so. When she moved her arms across the drafting table and he could catch a glimpse, he noticed that further up the arm it was milk-white, untouched by the sun. And, he was willing to bet, untouched by a man.
She nodded. "You?"
"I cannot seem to sleep past the early shades of dawn. Once the sky begins to lighten, even before the sun is up, I'm stirring." He came around to her side of the drafting table, to get a better view of the drawing she worked on, but not before he drank in more of her appearance.
Her hair was, as usual, coiled practically into a net at the nape of her neck. How he wanted to tug at that bow and pins, allowing the net to drop, freeing all her glorious auburn hair. He wondered again how long it was and if it would be soft to the touch should he run his fingers through it. And if he lifted it to his face to inhale the scent, would it be roses or lavender that filled his nostrils? She was intoxicating him, and he knew of no cure for that ailment but one.
Mrs. Watkins dipped her pen tip into the ink and tapped the drip back into the inkwell. Returning her focus to the drawing, she said, "I am almost finished with this one, then I'll start a cross section elevation of the hull after we compile the finishings list."
He looked at the closed office door. "Is Mr. Watkins in today?"
She shook her head. "He had a meeting this morning in Baltimore, and left me here before sunrise. He may come in later this afternoon for a few hours, depending on how he feels."
As they spoke, Mr. Nawton and two other men arrived to take up their positions at their respective desks and tables. Mrs. Watkins introduced the men Lucky hadn't met the day before, telling him that one man was the accountant and the other the shipyard's crew manager. The crew manager took a pencil off his desk and with a pocket knife began to sharpen the tip over a wastebasket. He then lifted a sheet of paper and went outdoors.
"This afternoon is payroll closing." Mrs. Watkins continued to go over her penciled lines with ink, making it an official copy. "Hours get calculated today and the men get paid tomorrow. He's off to collect the past weeks' hours from all the shift supervisors.
"Oh. I remembered something we forgot to discuss yesterday." She pointed to an unfinished section on the drawing. "We forgot to talk about mast composition. I know you'd listed a single tree mast. But I can do composite steel and wood. There are benefits and problems with both."
"What are benefits to the composite?"
Thus began a detailed conversation explaining the structural strengths and weaknesses of each. In the end, he'd decided on composite because of the controlled breaking points. If a mast were to break, which was inevitable at some point, with a composite the damage could be somewhat controlled.
Similar Books
