Chapter Twenty-Seven: At Home in Her Arms
"Jack!" Rachel cried as she spied him on the dock. "Anna, he's home!"
"So he is." Annamaria smiled. "I told you he'd be back. Jack Sparrow is not an easy man to pin down."
Rachel grinned. "Not true," she said. "I've done it many times."
"Aye, but you've an advantage," Annamaria replied dryly. "Just let someone else try that."
"Oh, no. No one's going to pin Jack Sparrow down but me."
She watched as Jack stepped into the rowboat. Just ten more minutes and he would be back in her arms. He looked up and waved to her with a grin. She raised her hand to her lips and blew him a kiss, then watched as the rowboat pushed away from the dock. Loading was still going on all around her, but she was lost to them for now. Dusk was swiftly descending and they would have to give it up soon, in any case. Those ashore were already returning save for a few men left to guard the remaining supplies left on the dock. The reloading would resume at dawn and probably would be finished by sunset tomorrow. Then they would be away from here and out to sea again, with no need to go ashore for at least another month.
The rowboat glided through the water toward the Black Pearl. Rachel watched as it came closer and closer, until it bumped softly into the side of the ship. Jack was on his feet and up the ladder in a matter of moments and she threw herself at him to be enfolded warmly in his embrace.
"Oh, Jack!" she exclaimed. "I'm so glad you're home."
"I told you there was nothing to worry about, luv," he said. "I'm back, safe and sound, just like I promised."
"What's that?" she asked. A rolled up paper that had been tucked in his belt fell to the deck.
"Just a little souvenir," Jack told her. "One for each of us, actually. I picked up yours on my way back."
He unrolled the papers and showed them to her.
"Oh, Jack," she gasped as she looked at her picture. It was drawn in ink and then colored with some kind of wash. It was almost like looking at a portrait of herself. "He really means to bring me in, doesn't he?"
"I told you he did, luv. And money seems to be no object. He's spending a small fortune just on the posters. They're all over the place. What I want to know is, how did he get such an accurate depiction of me? I've never seen a better drawing, and my mug's been on many of these things, I assure you."
"Roll them back up, Jack," she pleaded. "I'm sure that, one day, I'll find them to be quite amusing. But for now, they make my skin crawl. I don't like just how much trouble he's going to over this. He's a determined man, Jack. I'm wondering if it's just a matter of time until he gets what he wants."
"He wants you, Rachel," he said. "And that's the one thing I'll never let him have."
He folded her back into his arms. "Don't worry, pet," he said. "We'll be back to sea on the morning after next."
She snuggled up against him.
"Yer a lucky man, mate," Jarod said as he walked up to them. "I sometimes wish Ellie could come with me when I sail. But I don't think it would work with the two little ones runnin' about."
Rachel turned in Jack's embrace and looked at him. "You really miss her, don't you?" she asked. "When were you last home?"
"It's been about two months, now," he replied. "I've been savin' up what I can. I left her enough t'last about a year or so. I'm hopin' t'be able to settle down for a few months by then."
"I don't know how ye do it, mate," Jack told him. "S'why I always avoided entanglements."
"Hate t'tell ye this, chum," Jarod replied. "But ye look pretty entangled t'me right now."
"So I am." He kissed Rachel softly on the ear. "But she loves the sea almost as much as me. I don't think I'll ever need worry about losing her ashore."
"What are ye gonna do when the babe comes?" Jarod asked.
"We'll manage," Rachel said. "We'll have to. I couldn't live ashore."
"The babe will be a pirate, just like his mum and dad. He'll have the sea in his blood."
"He?" Rachel asked.
"Or she," Jack hastily corrected himself. "The little tyke will have the whole crew t'play with."
"How old are your children, Jarod?" Rachel asked.
"JJ is four, and Emily is two," he replied. "We hadn't really planned to have kids, but you know how those things go. I'd never planned on fallin' fer her either. But here we are."
"So what was in yer head back there then, mate," Jack asked, tilting his chin toward the shore. "I was wonderin' if maybe I should leave the two of you alone."
"She reminded me so much of Ellie," Jarod replied. "Those same dark silky waves. Her eyes were even the same color."
"You boys seem to have lost me," Rachel interjected. "Who are you talking about?"
"Just someone we met ashore," Jack told her. "Jarod was quite taken with her. Told her he would sweep her off her feet if he didn't have the missus at home."
"Something tells me I may want to know more about this meeting," Rachel told him. "Is there any reason why I should feel that way, Jack?"
"Just a little run in with some young bucks wantin' t'prove themselves," he replied. "Unfortunately, the noise attracted some attention and we had to beat a fast retreat. We found a nice quiet garden to take shelter in, but it turned out to be already occupied. Fortunately, the lady occupyin' it was a friendly sort. She invited us in for tea and biscuits."
"And were you planning to tell me about this?" she asked.
"Didn't want t'worry you, luv," he said. "Ye've been frettin' enough, without hearing about things like that."
"You can't coddle me, Jack," she told him. "I won't be able to relax at all if I think you're hiding things from me."
"Sorry, luv. I'll try my best, but honesty is not my best trait. Just doesn't come natural, if you know what I mean."
"Honesty isn't the problem. Just don't get so overprotective that I can't breathe."
"You remind me somewhat of Ellie, too, poppet," Jarod interjected. "Yer a real spitfire when ye get wound up over something. I'm just glad yer temper's not directed at me anymore."
"Where is Ellie?" Rachel asked. "You've never told us where you hang that hat of yours when you're not at sea."
"Barbados," he said. "Most beautiful island in all the Caribbean."
"Well, then," Jack told him. "We know where to head for when we need to make port again."
"That sounds good, mate. Even if I can't stay fer awhile, a couple days would be more than welcome."
"I'd like to meet her, if I could," Rachel said.
"We'll see about that," Jarod told her. "You've got a price on you. We'll have to make sure it's safe first."
"Not you, too!" she said. "I'll go in men's clothes with my hair tied up. No one will even recognize me. You saw that poster. Everyone's going to be looking for an elegant young woman, not a scruffy young boy."
"We don't want to rely too much on that, luv," Jack said. "But maybe we'll give it a try. Let's wait and see what the situation is once we get there."
"And when will that be?" she asked. "How long will the supplies last us?"
"About three months, give or take." He turned to look at Jarod. "Good enough, mate?"
"It'll have to be," he replied. "At least I have something to look forward to. If I was still with Blakely, I'd be lucky to make it back in a year."
"That's too long for a man to go without his woman," Jack told him.
"Or seeing his children," Rachel added.
"Three months, then," Jarod said. "I guess I can hold out that long." He grinned. "Just so long as I don't have to watch the two of you melt into each other. I'm gettin' out o' here before ye start t'make me homesick again."
Jack looked into Rachel's eyes as Jarod walked away. "Well, luv," he said. "Shall we go melt into each other in private?"
She let a smile crawl slowly across her face. "That sounds like heaven," she said. "I haven't melted into anyone all day."
