Rapture's Tempest by Bobbi Smith Page A

at his assessment. “Nothing girlish—really!”
    Ollie drained another drink and poured himself some more. “You know, I think our captain is making a big mistake.”
    The mention of Jim drew her immediate attention and she looked at him questioningly. Ollie had never talked much of Jim to her before, and she was ready to hang on his every word.
    “I didn’t think the captain made any mistakes,” she responded lightly, trying to cover the depth of her interest.
    “Not usually, but this time…”
    “What do you mean?”
    Ollie settled back on his bunk and fixed Murphy with a serious look. “This engagement of his…I just don’t feel good about it.”
    “Why?”
    “I wish I knew why. If I did, then maybe I could explain it to Jimmy,” Ollie said, confused by his own thoughts on the matter.
    “Don’t you like Annabelle Morgan?”
    “Never met her,” he replied shortly. “But I don’t think she’s the woman for Jimmy.”
    “How come? I saw him on the levee with her when we tied up and they looked plenty happy to me….” Her voice was tinged with a bitterness she couldn’t hide.
    “But did you notice how tense he got these last few days before we docked?”
    “He did seem extra grouchy, but I thought he was just tired.”
    “No, the captain doesn’t snap like that when he’s tired. I know him pretty well, and the only time he gets in that kind of mood is when there’s something bothering him.”
    “Well, he certainly was feeling no pain when he got back from seeing her last night,” Delight said, finding it hard not to show her feelings.
    “You thought he was with her all last night?” Ollie looked at Murphy in surprise as the cabin boy nodded in response. “He met me at Harry’s Bar about eleven o’clock. He only spent about an hour with her.”
    Now it was Delight’s turn to be surprised. “Why didn’t he spend the whole evening with her?”
    “He wanted to, from what I can figure out, but she told him she had to get to bed early so she could be fresh and well rested for the party tonight.” Ollie obviously thought the excuse sounded flimsy.
    “That doesn’t sound right. It seems to me if you love somebody, you’d want to be with them all you could. Especially if they’ve been gone for almost two weeks,” Delight said.
    Ollie gave her a helpless look. “I thought the same thing, but there he was at Harry’s. We drank together for a couple of hours, but, you know, he never said a word.”
    “He didn’t even talk to you? You’re his closest friend, aren’t you?”
    “Jimmy hasn’t been much of a talker for quite a while now. There was a time when he told me just about everything, but ever since he fell in love with Renee all those years ago…”
    “Renee?” Delight blurted out in shock.
    “You know Renee?”
    “His brother’s wife, right?” she added, covering her mistake. “I met her that day I had to deliver the papers to Marshall for him.”
    “Oh, that’s right. Anyway, a long time ago, when Renee first came to town, Jimmy fell in love with her. She only had eyes for Marshall, though. It was kind of rough for him, because he’d never had any woman trouble before that. Why, that boy used to have women all up and down the river just waiting for him….”
    “And he doesn’t anymore?”
    “Nope. Not since Renee. That’s why I just don’t feel good about this Annabelle. I’d almost swear on a stack of Bibles that he doesn’t love her.”
    “Why would he get engaged, then?”
    “His family’s been after him for years to settle down, and I think it just dawned on him that it’s about that time. He’s successful at what he does, he doesn’t have a worry in the world where money is concerned….”
    “But to marry without love…it seems so cold.”
    “That it is. And that’s why I’m worried.”
    “Did you try to talk to him about it?”
    “Oh, sure. Right after he first told me of his plans.”
    “And did he say he loved her?”
    “He said he