Heart's Passage

by Cate Swannell

  "Yeah, sorry about that Skipper," Toby agreed.

  "Not your fault, guys," Jo said. "Purely mine. I pushed it too hard at the wrong moment. But you two are naturals. You should do more sailing when you get home."

  Both men grinned from ear to ear.

  "I think we probably will," Toby said. "We're having a ball, Jo. Thanks."

  "My pleasure," she said. Well, at least that's two satisfied customers.

  She continued forward, finding both Paul and Cadie flat on their backs. Paul appeared to be asleep, but Cadie was shading her eyes with a gloved hand and gazing up into the colors of the spinnaker.

  Jo crouched down next to the blonde and gently touched her knee. "Hello, sailor."

  That provoked laughter from both supine figures.

  "Oh, I'm out of here if that's the quality of humor we've sunk to," Paul groaned and jumped to his feet.

  Cadie sat up and met a twinkling set of blue eyes. Just then the Seawolf slid down the face of the wave she was surfing and dug her nose into the trough. A spray of seawater engulfed the trio leaving them to shake off like a pack of wet dogs.

  Cadie giggled. It was the first time she'd seen Jo look less than impressed by the ocean. But the scowl that touched the tall skipper's face didn't last long, good humor returning as she met the shining green eyes in front of her. "Come on," Jo said. "You shouldn't stay forward of the mast in these kind of conditions."

  "I'm okay, Jo-Jo," Cadie replied. "I'm having fun."

  Paul chimed in. "She's right, Cadie," he said. "If the mast snaps, you're in the worst possible place up here."

  Cadie sighed. "Okay, okay," she grumbled. Paul disappeared aft. "It's also about the only place on the boat Naomi won't follow me."

  Jo nodded, suddenly seeing the lines of strain on the blonde's face. III think it's bad watching them be together how much worse would it be to be joined at the hip with the senator. "I'm sorry," she said.

  Cadie brightened, shaking her head with a smile. "Don't be," she replied. "I'm actually having a great time. Entering this regatta was an inspired idea."

  "Well, we can thank Paul for that," Jo said. She opened her mouth to say something else, but another wave splattered across the bow, soaking them both again. She opened her eyes to find a dripping blonde, giggling at her.

  "Sorry, but you look so pissed when that happens," Cadie chortled. "Like somehow you don't expect it."

  Jo laughed and sat down next to the blonde. "One of the good things about being the skipper and not the crew, is you get to stay nice and dry in the stern most of the time," she said. She wiped the saltwater off her face. "That's the theory anyway."

  "S'not working, Skipper."

  "No, it's not," Jo replied, squeezing the water out of the bottom of her shirt. She turned to face Cadie and the sudden sense of connection between them was almost palpable.

  "You took my breath away before, you know," Cadie said softly, watching a drip slide down Jo's aquiline nose.

  Suddenly bashful, Jo ducked her head, looking up at the blonde through long, damp eyelashes. "When was that?" she asked huskily.

  "You were standing on the rim of the cockpit, and you had your arms crossed and you looked like the world was yours for the taking." Jo chuckled, feeling the blush rising despite the cold water. Cadie leaned in towards her. "It was about the sexiest thing I've ever seen."

  Jo cleared her throat, fighting the urge to kiss the blonde right here and now, senator be damned. "I think we both need a cold shower," she said, smiling. A movement in the ocean caught her eye. "And I think we're about to get one." Seawolf's nose dug deep into the trough of the wave in front of it and again the pair was doused. "Come on, or we're both going to end up over the side."

  This time the blonde didn't argue and let Jo pull her upright.

  "I think it might be a good idea if I went down into the sail hold and made my way back below decks," the skipper said. "That way Naomi's not gonna know which way's up, with any luck."

  Cadie nodded, suddenly glum again. "I'm sorry, Jo. This is an awful lot of shit to go through just for a paying customer."

  "Hey," Jo waited until Cadie's eyes lifted to meet her own, "you're not just a paying customer, and I don't think you have been from the moment we laid eyes on each other."

  Cadie smiled gently. "What am I then?" she asked.

  Jo paused, tilting her head as she thought about it. "I think you're who I'm supposed to be with," she said.

  Cadie's heart lurched in her chest and long seconds went by as they gazed wordlessly at each other, just enjoying the connection, oblivious to the bucking of the deck under their feet.

  "Oh, we are in so much trouble," Cadie muttered, laughing at the rakish grin that lit up Jo's face.

  "Understatement," the skipper replied. "Now get going, crewman."

  "Aye aye, Captain," Cadie responded, snapping a smart salute.

  "Oh shut up," Jo laughed, watching the very wet blonde turn and make her way aft.

  "We're running out of water, Skip," Paul said.

  "Yup, I know mate," Jo replied. She was sitting on the rail of the stern, holding the wheel in place with her right foot, propping her chin on her hand, elbow on her other knee. The spinnaker reach had been a straight speed run, with no tactics involved beyond picking the right sail and the fastest line to the finish. "Not much we can do about it. It's..." She stared hard at the stern of the Bombardier, "...in the lap..." She reached for her binoculars, "...of the-gods." She gazed through them for several seconds.

  "What is it, boss?"

  "Whooohooo. The gods are smiling, Paulie!" she yelled, standing up and clapping her hands together. "They blew out their spinnaker!"

  Paul grabbed the binoculars from around Jo's neck, almost lynching her in the process. "Get the fuck outta here," he exclaimed, climbing up onto the rail. Jo jumped down and picked up Jason's gloves, which sat on the rim of the cockpit. She tossed them at the American.

  "We're back in the hunt, folks. Let's kick it up a notch, eh?"

  Whoops and hollers greeted the news, and people scattered in all directions. Cadie manned her winch, releasing the slack in the sheet and taking the tension on the grinder, waiting for the order to wind. She glanced back and watched Jo at the helm. The tall woman was wound almost as tight as the rigging, and Cadie grinned at the obvious glint in the steely blue eyes. A pirate queen. My pirate queen.

  Jo grabbed the trophy with both hands, tipping the silver cup up and drinking long and deep from the contents. The champagne threatened to spill over and she let it, not caring how much she wasted down the front of her shirt. There was plenty more where that came from. Tucked into her back pocket was $1180 cash— her share of the $13000 the Seawolf had won over the past five days.

  The best part was hoisting the trophy over the heads of the assembled crowd with Paul holding the other side of it. She grinned, took another swig of the ice-cold champagne, and passed the trophy on to Jenny, who happily buried her head in the silverware.

  And the worst part... Jo looked around the deck of the Sea-wolf, which was packed to the gunwales with the crews from the other boats in their class.

  The worst part is Cadie isn't here to share in it, she thought, sobering. Typically, Naomi had pocketed her share of the winnings and, along with Kelli and Larissa, had disappeared into the night, dragging Cadie behind her. She looked like she was about to burst into tears, Jo remembered. Damn, I wish she was here. She worked just as hard for this as the rest of us.

  She gazed around at the marina, which was fully booked for the biggest night of the regatta. Over 200 yachts and motor launches snuggled up to each other. There were several other parties on different boats across the marina, as the winners of each class hosted their own victory celebrations. Lights twinkled against the dark backdrop of the island rising behind them in one direction, and the open waters of Whitsunday Passage in the other.

  Jo sighed. There are a couple of green stars I'd like to see twinkling right about now, she th
ought wistfully. But she didn't have long to get introspective as a loud war-whoop announced the arrival of Paul by her side.

  "We did it, Skip!" he yelled, picking her up bodily and spinning her around. "We kicked their bums!"

  Jo giggled. "Put me down, ya big goon." He complied and she reached up to ruffle the big man's blond curls. "We got lucky, Paulie. That's all."

  "That's bullshit, Jo-Jo," he protested, waving his stubby of beer wildly. "We could've given it away when we blew the mainsail. But we didn't. You put us in the right place at the right time so we could have a go when we got a chance." He kissed her soundly. "And now Jen and I have enough for a honeymoon as well as a big party."

  She grinned at him cheesily. "My pleasure, big fella," she said, patting him on the belly.

  Someone below decks cranked the music up and soon the boat was rocking as 70-odd happy sailors settled in for a big night of partying. The skipper of the Bombardier—a bearded man with a pot belly—sauntered up to Jo and bowed deeply.

  "Congrats, Jo-Jo," he said graciously. "You got us a good one. Jen's just told me half your crew was a bunch of rookie Seppo tourists. You must've been training the buggers for weeks."

  Jo beamed from ear to ear, proud of the makeshift crew. "Actually, Jacko, we only decided on Wednesday to give it a go." She laughed as his jaw dropped.

  "Well, bugger me," he said. "All power to you, Skipper, you deserve it." He shook her hand and pumped it vigorously. "We'll get you next year though," he added, wagging a finger at her as he headed back into the crowd.

  Don't count on it, Jacko, she thought happily.

  It was almost midnight as Cadie wandered back down the hill towards the marina. Parties were still in full swing all over the harbor, and she grinned at the thought of finally joining the Seawolf crew in its celebration.

  She and Naomi had become separated in the crush of the dance party on the other side of the resort and she'd opted to make her way back to the boat, rather than try and find the increasingly intoxicated senator.

  That's my story and I'm sticking to it, she thought with a smile as she caught sight of the Seawolf. Is that... She laughed out loud as she recognized the figure halfway up the mast as Paul, hanging happily in a harness, singing his head off. Looks like it's already been quite the night. Her eyes swept around the deck. No sign of Jo though.

  She walked up the gangplank and waved at Jason and Toby who yelled their greetings as they cha-cha-ed past.

  I've gotta get out of these heels, Cadie thought, as she stepped into the cockpit and down the companionway. She emerged into the cabin to find Jo sitting with her back to her, head propped on the back of the sofa. Nobody else seemed to be around, so Cadie tiptoed forward and slid her arm over Jo's right shoulder, pulling the skipper close as she ducked down to whisper in her left ear.

  "Hello, sailor," she burred, kissing the rim of Jo's ear softly.

  "Mmm, hello gorgeous," Jo responded, tipping her head back even further to look up into green eyes. "You managed to sneak away, huh?"

  "Mhmm, something like that." Cadie smiled down at the dark-haired woman, letting her fingers tangle in the long locks. Oh, I can't resist. She bent again and took Jo's mouth passionately, her tongue probing as bolts of desire rushed through her as Jo responded in kind. Strong hands reached up and cupped her head, pulling her closer.

  Jo groaned into the contact, aroused beyond belief by the blonde's initiative. Damn this sofa, she thought blearily, wishing she could just pull Cadie over the back of the sofa and into her arms.

  Cadie could taste champagne on the skipper's tongue and she smiled as she gently pulled away. They rubbed noses and she kissed Jo lightly. "You all done partying?" she asked.

  Jo leaned forward and picked up a cup of coffee. "No fenr," she answered. "Just getting my second wind," She loaned back and watched Cadie ease her high heels off her feet with a happy groan. "How about you?"

  "Well, I'm done wearing these torture devices," she said. "I'm going to change into something more comfortable." She laughed at Jo's raised eyebrow. "Not that comfortable, darling," she said, patting the skipper's shoulder. "I want to get some fun in before Naomi figures out where I am."

  Jo nodded. "Okay. I'll see you back on deck." Jo drained her cup and stood up. "Unless... um..." She grinned wickedly. "Unless you need some help in there." Casually she wandered over to where Cadie was laughing, one hand on the cabin door.

  "Oh, Jo-Jo, my love. Don't tempt me." Cadie stood on her tiptoes and kissed Jo softly again. "But the way my luck is running, Naomi would swim by and crawl up through the head just to see what I was up to." She smiled regretfully as Jo nodded her agreement.

  "Come up and celebrate with us, Arcadia," the tall woman said softly. "We missed you." She paused and cupped the blonde's cheek again with a gentle palm. "I missed you."

  Cadie pulled on her jeans. As she had been doing for close to a week, her mind turned over the problem of what to do about Naomi's threats and demands. And as had happened every time, she ran into a brick wall. She smoothed down her shirt distractedly and looked around the cabin.

  The drugs are the key. She's threatening to plant drugs on the boat and blackmail Jo with them. So... She spun in a slow circle. She wouldn't keep the drugs on her because...well, just because that's too big a pain in the ass for Naomi. And she's barely set foot in other parts of the boat. I doubt she even knows where the crew goes at night. That leaves the main cabin, where anyone could stumble over it, or...in here.

  She glanced down at her watch.

  Just after lam. My guess is she's going to be at least a couple more hours. Plenty of time to search this room from top to bottom.

  Chapter Eleven

  The cell phone rang with obscene volume so close to Jo's ear that it brought her upright with explosive speed. She cracked her head on the ceiling of the cramped crew quarters, driving her back down onto the bunk, hands pressed to her temples.

  "Oowww. Fuck."

  She scrambled to silence the offending gadget. Sleepy hands fumbled as muffled curses floated up from below where Paul and Jenny were curled up in a sodden ball together.

  "Hello?" Jo mumbled into the speaker, hoping she'd pressed the right button.

  She had.

  "Is that Jo Madison?" came an unfamiliar male voice.

  "It's her pitiful outer shell speaking," Jo replied, wondering just how a hangover could possibly feel any worse.

  "I'll take that as a yes, then. Look, it's Constable McDonald here, from the Hamilton Island police." Jo's hangover got worse instantly. "We've got three of your passengers here. One of them claims to be a US senator."

  Jo groaned, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand.

  "Are they lost or something?" she asked, wishing fervently the man would just go away. "Want me to come and collect them?"

  "Oh no, Miss Madison, you misunderstand. They're not lost. They're arrested."

  At the same time Jo was slamming her head into the ceiling of the crew quarters, Cadie jolted back to consciousness, face down, head buried under a pillow. You couldn't really call that waking up, she thought fuzzily.

  "Oh God," she groaned, not knowing quite what had woken her. Blearily she lifted her head, shoving the pillow off the bed with a flailing arm and revealing disheveled blonde locks. A sharp pain knifed through her brain. "Oh Jesus, Uke me now." Someone mean and vicious was pounding jungle drum between Cadie's ears and it took half a minute for her to realize someone actually was knocking on the cabin door. "Come on in," she mumbled into the mattress.

  Jo pushed open the door and gingerly stepped into the cabin. Her own skull was still feeling hollow. She walked carefully around the small piles of discarded clothing Cadie had obviously left on her way to bed. The tall skipper was stopped in her tracks by the sight of the petite blonde. Cadie wore a very brief set of pajamas, sporting tiny Winnie the Poohs.

  Or is that Winnies the Pooh? Jo thought disjointedly as she took in the sprawled figure on the bed. The sheet was
twisted around one of Cadie's legs and the other was exposed all the way to the bottom of the blonde's shorts. Now there is an instant hangover cure. Jo brightened considerably.

  A bloodshot green eye peeked out from behind shaggy blonde locks. "Are you the vindictive bitch who spiked my tequila with more tequila?" Cadie asked hoarsely.

  "That depends," Jo said, managing a half-smile at her friend's obvious discomfort, "was that before or after you started that game of Fuzzy Duck?"

  Cadie moaned piteously and Jo decided to be merciful. She stepped forward to help the blonde swing her legs over the side of the bed and sit up. Cadie had obviously been in no fit state when she put on her pajamas as the buttons were misaligned, giving her a slightly off-centre look. My God, could she be any more adorable? She crouched down in front of Cadie and placed her hands on the smaller woman's knees, relishing the warmth and softness under her fingertips.

  Being upright seemed to make Cadie feel better and she reached up and swept her errant hair back off her face with one hand. The other she placed on top of Jo's. For a few seconds the two women just enjoyed each other's presence, reveling in their connection.

  "Hi," Cadie said softly, smiling down into twinkling, if somewhat tired, blue eyes.

  "Hi yourself," Jo replied. "Quite a night, wasn't it?" She found herself in no particular hurry to break the news about the senator. Can't think why.

  "Mhmm. And I sure made up for getting to the party late, didn't I?" Cadie winced as a memory of a particularly vigorous round of limbo resurfaced. "I guess my image as a perfect young lady is shattered for good, huh?"

  Jo replied by leaning forward, placing herself squarely between Cadie's legs. Funny how it doesn't bother me when she does it, Cadie thought as a gentle wash of desire chased the worst of the hangover away. Jo's hands slid up the blonde's thighs and came to rest on her waist. Dark hair spilled against her chest as Jo planted the gentlest of kisses on Cadie's breastbone, nuzzling a path between the folds of her pajama top.