“They should have known who they were kissing.”
Jaxon shook his head. He couldn’t believe after all these years what happened as kids still bothered him.
“We looked exactly alike.”
“But our personalities are so different. Those were girls we knew all our lives and they couldn’t tell us apart.”
“And you think this girl is different? Do you think without the limp and scars she could tell us apart?” Grayson asked. “I guarantee if we blindfolded her and each kissed her or spoke to her she wouldn’t know who was who.”
“Damn it, Grayson, leave off. I’m not playing this game with you.”
If Grayson heard the warning and irritation in his brother’s voice, he ignored it. “You’re not even curious?”
“What I’m curious about, is why you always steal my girls instead of finding one of your own.”
“I’ve got to have one thing I’m better at than you,” Grayson said with a shrug.
“Grayson,” Jax gritted out. “I can see the clockworks turning in your brain. Heed this warning: I already beat up my favorite brother over Charlie. You, I might kill. If you think I’m playing games, try me.”
“You beat up Daniel? What did he do?”
“He tried to keep us apart.”
18
Breaking the news of Jimmy’s demise was the hardest thing Jaxon had ever done. To know that Aunt Pru left Jimmy in his care, and not to have brought him home, gnawed at Jaxon. Jimmy was eighteen, just a year older than Levi. His life had barely begun. Jaxon and Gray’s mother sent the field hands to fetch the preacher and the other children home from school and work.
Jaxon had been there three hours when everything began settling down. The memorial service date was set, the church calendar checked and the worship hall reserved, news sent to the newspaper, and all the family informed. Jax patiently waited for an opportunity to speak to his aunt alone. Finally, he was able to be alone with her on the porch. She sat in the rocker and he leaned against the railing.
“Aunt Pru, I know this is a horrible time for me to bring this up. I’ve done something I am terribly ashamed of, and I’d like to tell you about it before you hear it from any of my crewmembers. I don’t know if you’ll ever be able to forgive me, but I’m going to ask for your forgiveness, and then I’m going ask you for a favor.”
“My heavens, Jaxon. Surely, it’s not that bad.”
Jaxon raked his hand through his hair. “I already told you that this accident happened while we fought a French corsair. What I didn’t tell you about was the other ship, an American merchant vessel called the Arcadia. We found out afterwards, an English warship had disabled this ship earlier in the day and except for a single cannon, it was completely defenseless. The corsair attacked the Arcadia and we attacked the corsair. Afterwards, the second mate from the merchant ship came aboard our ship to help with our wounded. Charlie has had medical training from a doctor.
“While Charlie helped with our wounded, the Arcadia set sail. We didn’t know if it was intentional or accidental, but I was happy to have a loblolly boy, so I offered Charlie a job. Two hours later, we saw Charlie’s ship coming back. I took Charlie’s uniform and dressed Jimmy’s body it and his body was given to the Arcadia and told he was their second mate. All this so I could keep our new surgeon’s mate.”
“You didn’t bury him at sea yourself?”
“No ma’am. We had a memorial service for him. Jimmy was well loved by the whole crew. But no, it was left up to strangers to inter his body.”
“I’m glad you are ashamed of yourself, Jaxon, because you should be,” Pru snapped.
“I am. After losing Jimmy, I wasn’t really thinking clearly. I didn’t know how I could I prevent anyone else from dying on my watch?”
“I hope it was worth it. This loblolly boy couldn’t save Jimmy. What makes you sure he has the skills to save anyone?”
“Aunt Pru, I don’t think Jimmy could have been saved by a real doctor, but Charlie’s at my townhouse if you should like to talk to her.”
“Her?” Aunt Pru jumped on the pronoun immediately.
“As it turns out, aye, Charlie is a woman. And I am madly in love with her. I’m afraid my conduct with Charlie had also been lacking at times. She has been sharing my cabin on the ship and since everyone makes the assumption we’ve had our wedding night already, we think it would be best if we were married as soon as possible. I know polite society dictates a long mourning period for Jimmy before we have a wedding. I would like to ask your permission to get married in a month’s time. We’d like to keep it small, just family and the ship’s crew, but if you prefer, we can elope and have a wedding elsewhere with just the two of us.”