Read Online The Pirate Takes A Bride by Shana Galen - Free Book Online Page B

commission. McCoun would chase them until he caught them. He’d likely fire over the bow to damage the rigging, but he’d want his prize intact. Of course, if Nick resisted, McCoun would sink them. Nick was going to hang if caught, as would his men, so he’d resist, if it came to that. “Mr. Chante, your assessment?” he asked.
    “Seventy-four gun warship. One of His Majesty’s finest. Making good time too. With luck we might outrun her.”
    Nick knew that was unfounded optimism. “My luck is shot to hell, Mr. Chante, but I have one or two tricks up my sleeve. We run first, hope the wind changes or that dark cloud up ahead turns out to be the squall we predicted.”
    “Yes, Cap’n.”
    “Throw everything nonessential overboard. Lighten ship as much as you can. But prepare for a fight. If it comes to a battle, we hit her and run.”
    “Begging your pardon, Cap’n, but once she’s broadside, we’re done for.”
    “Exactly, Mr. Chante. So we force her to sail past us.”
    Chante gave him a look rife with warning. Nick held up a hand. “It’s risky, I know. But it could work. We wait until she’s close, so close we’re looking up her skirts, and then we ease the sheets and let her go by.”
    “We’re dead in the water.”
    “She’ll sail right past us.”
    “She’ll fire, too.”
    Nick waved a hand. “She’s looking for a prize. She’ll shoot across the deck, try to damage our rigging. Our sails will already be slack, and we have the cannonades to take out a few of her gunners. When she’s past us, we harden up and cut across her stern. We destroy her rudder with the bow chaser.”
    “We have one shot.”
    Nick nodded and studied the horizon. “There’s a squall out there. We head into it. It will take them time for McCoun to adjust and recover steering. In the meantime, we’ll lose them in the weather.”
    “Yes, Cap’n.”
    “There’s no room for error. I’ll speak to Shanks and have him choose his cannonade gunners personally.”
    “Yes, Cap’n. With your permission, I’ll rally the men.”
    Nick nodded and the two men started in opposite directions until Nick turned back at the last moment. “Chante, if we don’t make it out—”
    “I’ll take care of her, Cap’n,” Chante said, reading his mind as always. “I’ll see her safely back to her family.”
    Nick nodded. “We’ve faced worse odds than this.”
    “Far worse,” Chante acknowledged, but the look in his eyes mirrored Nick’s thoughts. They might have faced difficult odds before, but the stakes had never been so high.

    T he first explosion woke Ashley from a light sleep. At least she had thought it was light, until she had to blink drowsiness and disorientation away and attempt to remember where she was and why the sound of explosions had woken her.
    A ship. Nick’s ship. And they were under attack!
    She jumped to her feet and ran to the windows spanning the length of the stern. But wherever the attacking ship might be, she couldn’t spot it from the great cabin. Perhaps it was alongside the ship on the port or starboard sides. Had the cannon ball hit the ship? Were they sinking?
    Another loud explosion sounded, and she covered her ears. Was it her imagination or had the ship shuddered? Was the vessel on fire? She’d rather sink than be burned to death any day. She wanted to sob at the thought of being trapped below with a raging fire cutting off her escape. Instead of giving in to the temptation to cower, she ran to the door and threw it open.
    Mr. Fellowes had either forgotten to lock it or someone had come and unlocked it while she slept. Even more disconcerting, no one stood guard outside the great cabin. Had she been abandoned? Forgotten?
    There was another explosion and she ran for the ladder to the top deck. Her feet tangled in her skirts and she felt the material rip, but she shook her boot free and continued to climb. Once on deck, she turned in a full circle. Pirates moved purposefully from station to