Heart's Passage Part 26

This so sucks. She willed herself to concentrate as the Seawolf neared the mark she'd designated as the place to tack. "All right, let's go," she yelled, pus.h.i.+ng everything but the race out of her mind.

Cadie arched her back and rolled her neck around to ease the ache from sitting for the past hour hunched over her laptop. In the evening she had made the short walk up the hill from Hamilton Marina to the hotel. There she'd hooked up to the Internet and downloaded what appeared to be half the planet's e-mail. Since then she had been sifting through the posts, sorting the ones that needed a reply from the ones that could wait until she was back in the States.

Funny how I can't seem to call it home anymore, she pondered, kneading the back of her neck with her thumb.

So far Naomi hadn't pushed the issue of her closing down her business, but Cadie suspected that was only because it hadn't occurred to the senator that she needed to push it yet. She was sure things would be different back in Chicago.

Cadie reached for the computer again, wincing slightly at the tugging ache across her shoulders and the backs of her arms, a legacy of four days of manning the winches and grinders up on deck.

Four days, four races and all square at two wins each, Cadie mused. Tomorrow's going to be a big day. Seawolf had indeed gone two races down after the first two days of the regatta but with each day Toby, Jason, and Cadie had become better and better at making the big yacht race smoothly. Yesterday they had edged Bombardier by the barest of margins but today Seawolf had claimed the money by almost two boat lengths. And tomorrow there's $11,000 up for grabs, she thought excitedly.

She grinned to herself as she remembered Jo's delighted reaction when they had leveled the series that afternoon.

Like a kid in a candy store. And that smile. She closed her eyes and brought to mind the 1000-watt grin that had split Jo's face when the gun went off as they crossed the finish line. Wow. I'd give a lot to see that again.

"What's so interesting?" Naomi growled from where she sat on the bed behind Cadie. "You've been reading that same post for the last 10 minutes."

Back to reality, Cadie.

"It's from Mom," she said out loud. "She says h.e.l.lo, by the way." Naomi grunted. "She wants to know if we're going to have time to go up and visit before we have to get back to DC." Cadie heard the words coming out of her mouth, but it felt like she was talking about somebody else's life. Boy, I wish I could talk to you right now, Mom. Without an audience.

"Probably not," Naomi replied. "The Senate reconvenes the Monday after we get back. And driving up to Madison with jet lag just to turn round and come back again doesn't really appeal."

"I guess not," Cadie murmured. She found it incredibly hard to imagine being back in a Midwest winter. No, she corrected herself. I'm finding it hard to imagine going back to my old life. The realization was both liberating and depressing. But I'm going to have to. At least for now. She looked around the small, tasteful cabin. I wonder when I will be able to come back.

"I'm going to take a shower," Naomi said, standing and picking up a towel from the bottom of the bed.

"Okay," Cadie acknowledged, closing out programs and shutting down the laptop. She sighed. I wonder which nightclub she's going to drag me to this evening. "Where's the party tonight?"

"Club up at the hotel," the senator replied gruffly. "Wear something short." And with that she closed the bathroom door behind her.

"Well actually, Senator, I wasn't really looking for any fas.h.i.+on advice," Cadie muttered to the empty room. It's been a party every night since Friday and there'll be another tomorrow night, especially if we win. She sighed again. I need a cup of coffee.

She opened the door to the cabin and walked out into the Sea-wolf's main lounge. And right into an open blue gaze that bathed her in a bone-deep wash of warmth.

"H-h.e.l.lo," she murmured, unable, not to mention totally unwilling, to tear her eyes away from Jo's. She moved closer, joining the taller woman behind the counter in the galley.

"Hi there," Jo replied, feeling a quiet joy welling up inside her at the sight of the blonde's wrinkle-nosed smile. "Where's your watchdog?"

Cadie bit her lip. "In the shower," she said, flicking a quick glance towards the cabin door, her stomach lurching at the thought of being caught.

A strong arm snaked around her waist and pulled her close. Cadie turned back and looked up into Jo's warm regard, suddenly feeling a s.h.i.+eld of protection envelop her.

"I miss you, Jo-Jo," she whispered.

"And I you, love," Jo replied, leaning down and capturing Cadie's lips in the softest of kisses imaginable. The blonde reached up, sliding her arms around the tall woman's neck and pulling her down, deepening the contact into a sweet exploration. Finally Jo broke away, resting her forehead against Cadie's. She closed her eyes and felt her heart nestling into a very safe place. "What's going on, sweetheart?" she asked quietly.

Cadie touched a fingertip to the soft lips just inches from her own. "Don't ask, please?" Blue eyes flickered open and caught her own, the gaze intense. "Please, Jo?"

Jo stood up tall now, tipping Cadie's chin up with gentle touch. She felt the blonde snuggle closer. "Is she threatening you?" Jo asked, fighting to keep a rein on her growing anger.

Cadie remained silent, dropping her eyes to escape Jo's scrutiny.

A light came on in the skipper's head. Ah. Now I get it. "She's threatening me, isn't she?" she asked, reading the acknowledgement in the blinking green eyes that quickly tracked back to hers. "Cadie, she can't do anything to hurt me."

"Yes, Jo, she can." Cadie pulled away from Jo and began putting together two cups of coffee. "You don't understand how powerful she is. She can hurt us both." She clattered cups on the counter, frustration making her hands clumsy.

"Arcadia," Jo said calmly, stepping forward and taking the shorter woman's hands in her own. She waited until the blonde turned back and met her gaze, tears welling in her eyes. "Listen to me. I can handle anything she can throw at me. I've come up against a lot worse than her, I promise."

They both startled at a noise from the direction of Cadie's cabin.

"Jo, please just trust me with this," she said hurriedly, pleading with her eyes. "She can do a whole lot of damage to you, the company, all of it. Just let me get her back to the States and she'll soon forget all about you."

Jo couldn't argue. She leaned forward and again rested her forehead against Cadie's. "I do trust you," she whispered, feeling tears close to the surface. "But this hurts. It hurts seeing the way she's treating you, and not being able to do anything about it. And," she swallowed, "and it hurts that you're leaving with her. I know that was always going to be the case, but the way she's being...just makes it worse."

Cadie cupped her hands around Jo's face. "Nothing's changed in my heart, Jossandra," she said fiercely. "I will come back. I need to come back. But for now I need to keep you safe. And if that means staying away from you and putting up with her touching me..." She shuddered involuntarily and Jo tightened her arms around her waist.

"I hate her touching you," she muttered, squeezing Cadie gently.

"I know. And I hate the way she touches me. But if it means doing what she tells me to do for a while...then I'll do it. Gladly."

A tear overflowed and tracked down Jo's cheek. Cadie caught it with the pad her thumb and brushed it away. "Have you noticed we never seem to cry at the same time?" she asked with a weak smile, leaning in and kissing the tip of Jo's nose. "One of us is always being the strong one."

"Just as well," Jo sniffled. "Otherwise we'd never get anything done." They both laughed softly and then got lost once more in their connection. "Has anyone ever told you, you have the most beautiful eyes, Miss Jones?" Jo murmured.

"n.o.body whose opinion ever mattered to me like yours does," Cadie replied, pulling the skipper's head down again for another long, lingering kiss. Louder noises from the direction of Cadie's cabin broke them apart, breathless and hungry for more.

"You'd better get back in there," Jo whispered into the blonde's ear, feeling Cadie's arms tighten around her in response. "I'll be here waiting for you, darling. Always."

"I love you." Cadie disengaged quickly, grabbing the two coffee cups and heading back to the cabin door. She looked back over her shoulder and met an encouraging smile with one of her own, before she pushed open the door and disappeared inside.

d.a.m.n. Jo rubbed her eyes with one tired hand. This isn't getting any easier.

Twenty minutes later Jo was sitting up on the c.o.c.kpit cowling with Paul, the spare mainsail gathered around them in large, cream-colored ruffles. They were going over the kevlar with a fine-tooth comb.

"I guess this means we're going all-out tomorrow, eh boss?" Paul asked with a grin as they painstakingly st.i.tched a patch to a needy bit of sail.

Jo c.o.c.ked an eyebrow at him. "Well, I called Ron, and the prospect of $11,000 on top of the $2000 we've already won has him drooling," she said. "So he said go for it. It'll be a boost for the company if we can win that trophy."

Paul snorted. "It won't do us any harm either," he replied.

"I thought of that," Jo said, beaming.

Just then she caught sight of Naomi and Cadie dressed up for a night out emerging from the main cabin. The blonde was in a s.h.i.+mmering green mini-dress that managed to accentuate both her eye color and her shapely legs. Jo had a hard time tearing her eyes away.

"Pick your jaw up off the deck, Skipper," Paul said softly in her ear, surprising Jo into driving the large sewing needle into her thumb.

"s.h.i.+t," she muttered, sucking the digit hard to take away the ache. She glanced up again to see Cadie, who obviously knew exactly what Jo had been gawking at and was struggling to keep her laughter silent.

"Not going out tonight, you two?" the senator asked, taking Cadie's hand and pulling her towards the gangplank.

"Got some repairs to do before tomorrow," Jo said shortly, wrapping her bleeding thumb in a cleaning rag she had stuffed in her pocket. "Have a good time." But Naomi hadn't waited for a response, and had already taken them ash.o.r.e. Cadie gave a small wave behind the senator's back and Jo returned it with a tiny smile.

"Y'know what, Skip?"

"What's that, Paulie?" Jo murmured, watching the Americans walk up the hill towards the hotel.

"The more politicians I meet, the more I wonder what kind of sc.u.mbag you have to be to become one."

Jo turned and looked at her crewman, eyebrows raised in surprise at the usually affable man's criticism of a pa.s.senger.

"What?" he retorted. "Come on, Skipper, don't tell me you don't agree with me. That one's got a nasty streak as wide as her backside. She treats Cadie like c.r.a.p."

Jo nodded. "No argument from me, mate," she said softly.

There was a pause as Jo resumed sewing, head bent over her work.

"You're really gone on her, aren't you, boss?" Paul asked quietly, realizing he'd hit the mark when Jo's hands stopped moving and a blush crept up her neck. She glanced up at him, nodding slowly.

"Yeah," she replied. "Yeah, I am."

He whistled softly. "Picked yourself a tough challenge there."

Jo snorted with laughter. "I think the challenge picked me, Paulie," she said, smiling at him as they resumed work on the sail patch. "It just seemed to be there from the moment we met."

He nudged her with his shoulder. "Ya big softie."

"Yeah, yeah...give me a break, will you?" She quirked an eyebrow at him. "Besides, what about you? You've been spotted being more than a little starry-eyed lately yourself."

Jenny came up from below, carrying a tray of sandwiches and cups of coffee, which she slid onto the cowling in front of Jo and Paul. She leaned her elbows on the deck and placed a hand on the crewman's knee. "There's actually a pretty good reason for that, Skipper," said the perky brunette with a grin.

"Thought we were going to wait a while to tell people," Paul said as he put his hand over Jenny's.

"This isn't people, hon, it's Jo. That's different," Jen replied.

"Well somebody tell me something," interjected Jo. "Or am ! going to have to torture it out of you?"

"What with? A sewing needle?" Paul laughed.

Both women slapped him on a shoulder at the same time.

"Okay, okay, okay." He threw his hands up in surrender. "Tell her, Jen."

The brunette positively beamed at Jo. "We're going to get married, Skip," she said.

Jo whooped in delight, scrambling forward and leaning down to give Jenny a congratulatory hug.

"That's fantastic! I knew it!" She sat back up and poked Paul in the stomach. "You didn't need to go sneaking around, y'know." She clapped her hands together and bounced up and down on the spot with excitement. "When?"

The couple looked at each other and shrugged.

"As soon as this trip is done," Jenny replied. "It's not going to be a big deal, Jo-Jo. Just you and a few other friends, my parents, and Paul's dad. Just an excuse for a great big party."

"Sounds wonderful to me," Jo said, smiling. They all relaxed into a comfortable silence for a bit. "Aw guys, I think it's great. It's really good to see you both happy."

Jenny climbed up onto the cowling and sat down next to her fiance, wrapping her arms around him as Paul went back to sewing the sail patch. "Thanks, boss," she said. She and Paul exchanged a look. "So... what about you and the cute blonde?"

Jo groaned.

"Two minutes!" Jo yelled. She watched as her five crewmembers scrambled for their stations as the 5eawoII"jockeyed for position along the start line. "Therese!" The attorney turned at the sound of her name and Jo gestured to her. "Give me a hand for a minute?"

Therese clambered out of the c.o.c.kpit and made her way aft to the portside helm station where Jo was juggling the wheel with one hand and trying to keep her unruly hair out of her face with the other.

"Take the wheel for me for a bit?" she asked the attorney. "My hair's driving me nuts."

"Urn, Jo. I don't know anything about this," Therese said hesitantly as she stepped in front of the skipper and tentatively put her hands on the wheel.

"Piece of cake," Jo rea.s.sured her. She leaned forward and pointed over Therese's right shoulder. "See that flag on the bow of that big motor launch ahead of us." Therese nodded. "Okay, just keep her pointed that way. Turn the wheel a bit to get a feel of how she responds." She waited patiently as the attorney experimented, pulling the Seawolf oil course slightly. "Great. Now get her back on the right course. Perfect. Now hold her there."

Therese nodded and Jo stepped aside, ducking down into the companionway where she had stowed a small bag of supplies under the map table. She dug out a cap and a hair band, impatiently pulling her dark locks back into a rough ponytail before securing it with the band.

"Jo!"

That sounded a bit panicky, Jo thought as she threw on the baseball cap, quickly threading the ponytail through the gap at the back.

"Jo!"

She sprinted back up the steps.

"Okay, okay, I'm coming," she said as she pa.s.sed Naomi, Sarah, Kelli, and Larissa in the c.o.c.kpit. "Thanks, Therese."

"Sorry, but it looked like they were all coming at us at once," said the somewhat fl.u.s.tered attorney.

Jo laughed. "No problem," she said. "I know it looks a little daunting right now." She looked down at her watch. "One minute, people." Time to get your brain in the game, Jossandra. She looked around at the teeming waters around the Seawolf.

There were 10 50-foot yachts, all jostling for a good run at the starting line. Any boat that crossed the mark early had to bear away and do another circuit before being allowed to start racing, so timing was crucial in the run up to the gun. Gotta get this right. Jo had opted to aim for the northern end of the line, as had three other yachts, but Bombardier and the other five had headed for the southern end.

Immediately to starboard and ahead of Seawolf one of their compet.i.tors was in the process of getting it horribly wrong. The line loomed as the clock ticked down and the skipper could be heard yelling at the crew to bear away.

They're gonna miss the start, Jo thought with satisfaction. One down, eight more to beat.

"Thirty seconds," she shouted. Cadie crouched by her winch on the port side, immediately in front of Jo, amids.h.i.+ps. Jenny was on the starboard side. Paul and Toby were further forward, tr.i.m.m.i.n.g the foresail and organizing sail changes. Jason was down in the sail hold, ready to pull out or stow sails as needed.

"Here we go!" Jo warned the crew, noting their heightened tension. Gently she eased the Seawolf away slightly so they were running almost parallel to the start line. "Five, four, three, two, one..." The gun fired and Jo ducked the yacht's nose over the line instantly, judging the timing perfectly.

"Nice one, Skipper," Paul shouted from the bow.

Jo grinned and set the yacht on the first of many tacks up the reach to the mark. S'gonna be a long day, she thought happily.