Staff Feature: Abbey Downey
Tortuga, 1645
Cataline Morely pressed her back against the carved wooden door inside the captain’s quarters, waiting with bated breath for the shouts of guards to announce her presence to the other pirates. Thankfully, not even the sound of waves hitting the dock outside breached the stillness on the ship. It seemed everyone on board was heavily asleep.
Wiping damp palms down her embroidered bodice, Cataline fought back an unwanted memory—the glimpse of beloved green eyes her mind tricked her into seeing while these pirates overturned everything in her family’s home, hunting for valuables. It couldn’t have been Taryan Bristol, son of the best weaver on Tortuga. Not only was he assumed dead after five years with no word, but he would never stand by and watch pirates hurt her family.
At least, the Taryan she’d known all her life wouldn’t.
Cataline released a slow breath. It was time to finish the quest that sent her sneaking into the darkness so far from the perpetual glow of Fort de Rocher’s lanterns. The best loot would be found in this cramped chamber, where the captain kept it close to avoid his men trying to steal it.
And Mother’s diamond necklace would certainly be part of the best loot.
A sliver of moonlight illuminated one corner of the room, glinting off the sharp spindle of a spinning wheel that was oddly out of place. Most of the chamber was taken up by a large bed with a human-shaped lump under the blanket. Against the wall next to the bed was a stack of crates—her destination.
Cataline crept forward. If caught, she would never leave the ship alive. So she fixed her attention on figuring out how to dig through the crates without waking the man sleeping only two feet away. Before beginning her search, she risked a glance to her right to see if the pirate was still sleeping.
This close, the curve of his jaw was so like Taryan’s that Cataline found herself leaning closer to examine his features. It was silly. There was no reason her dearest childhood friend, her first love—the man who promised to return for her before leaving Tortuga to discover the truth about his parents—would be occupying the captain’s quarters of a pirate ship.
Her brain demanded she find the necklace and run. Instead, Cataline stretched precariously over the bed, desperate to see if she’d conjured Taryan’s image or if there was something more going on.
But then a heavy wave hit the ship, causing the vessel to shudder and rock. Losing her balance, Cataline tumbled straight onto the sleeping pirate—and her lips landed squarely on his.
In her shock, Cataline reacted too slowly. The pirate’s strong arm wrapped around her back, pressing her closer to his shockingly bare chest. Calloused fingers buried in her hair, holding her head so she couldn’t remove her lips from his. His eyes opened.
Eyes the color of sea glass shimmering in the sunlight, a pale green she’d never seen on anyone else. She hadn’t imagined seeing him.
Angry tears burned. Had Taryan changed enough that stealing something so precious to her family meant nothing to him? She pushed hard against his chest, jerking her head to the side at the same time, breaking his hold on her.
Cataline scurried away until her back pressed against the opposite wall, attempting not to stare at Taryan’s unclothed torso while he sat up. “I won’t complain about being woken with a kiss, but Cataline, what are doing here? This isn’t safe.”
Bitter heat built in her chest and Cataline’s fingers clenched into fists, as if she might hit him given the chance. “You’re one to talk of safety, after bringing pirates into my family’s home. And I might ask you the same question. If I cared enough to wonder what became of you.”
She attempted to put on a haughty expression so he wouldn’t see how much his betrayal hurt. But Taryan stood and crossed the cabin in three long strides, stopping so close she could smell soap on his warm skin. He must bathe more often than most pirates. “Your family was never in danger. You have to know I would never hurt them…or you. I needed to see for myself before announcing my return. To learn if…you waited for me.”
With fingers aching and those dratted tears still threatening to fall, Cataline fought to comprehend what he was saying. “You raided our home because you thought I might have given up on you?”
He nodded, the sheepish way he pressed his lips together softening her anger. But there was still enough of it. Cataline once again shoved his substantial chest with her palms, wishing she was strong enough to send him sprawling on the floor. “Why did you take Mother’s necklace, then?”
Unaffected by her push, he ran a hand through his mussed hair, the size of his flexed bicep capturing Cataline’s attention so thoroughly that she almost missed his explanation. “I didn’t want the men to know I had romantic intentions. They’d never respect me as their captain again if they knew the truth. I was going to return it when I got the courage to see you without the disguise.”
Taryan reached into a pocket in his trousers and pulled out a fabric bundle. He unwrapped it to reveal her family’s treasure, perfect gemstones catching the moonlight while nestled in his palm.
Cataline stepped forward to take it, but as her fingers closed around the metal, Taryan captured her in his arms. “Can you forgive me, darling Cataline? For the raid, for my cowardice, and for being gone so long without sending word? I have so much to tell you about what I discovered.”
His seafoam eyes softened as he lowered his head, lips hovering just above hers until she nodded. The kiss was a promise, one that, like the last, she fully believed he would keep.
After growing up throughout the Midwest, Abbey settled in central Indiana, where her family has lived since the 1840s. She fills her days with fixing up a few acres in the country and hanging out with her husband, two kids, and one rather enthusiastic beagle.
Connect with Abbey online at Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and her website.
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