Voyage of the Dreadnaught: Four Stella Madison Capers by Lilly Maytree Page B

another denim apron
that hung just inside the walk-in pantry. “Besides that, he wore
holes in the knees of all his bunny suits, already, from crawling
around so much.”
    “Wouldn't surprise me if he was walking
before the month's out.” Millie took the little boy from Stella,
when he reached out to her as soon as she got close enough. “Right,
luvy? How about some fruit salad? It'll be awhile before those
hamburgers are done, Lou.”
    “I'll just give him a cold hotdog.”
    “A baby can't grow strong living off potato
chips and hotdogs. Wouldn't you say so, Stella?”
    “Well, I wouldn't know so much about that,”
she replied. “But, as a teacher, I have heard it said that not
having enough proteins and enzymes in the diet can lean toward
tendencies of ADD. Which leads to behavior problems. Then—nine
times out of ten—the authorities have to step in.”
    There was an audible gasp from Lou, as
Stella had expected, since the young woman knew exactly what having
to live under the supervision of authorities meant. Cole, who
hadn't said a word during the entire exchange, reached for an apple
from the fruit bowl on the counter, and gave her an appreciative
wink before heading out the opposite door to join the men. By that
time, Lou had her apron tied and was rummaging through the
refrigerator for the fruit salad. Her blonde hair was gathered at
the nape of her neck with a beige “scrunchie” that was a perfect
match to the angora pull-over sweater, which seemed somewhat the
opposite of her usual t-shirt, jeans, and sweatshirt. She even had
a set of lovely, teardrop pearl earrings on.
    Then again, it was an evening of
celebration, and Stella thought it rather touching that she had
even gone so far as to change the baby out of his usual pajama
attire. Lou Edna had come a long way since her heartfelt decision
to get on the right side of life (and the law) and change her ways.
After a couple of weeks, the effects of the relief alone was
softening her into a real beauty. The kind that came from inner
peace instead of outward application. Come to think of it,
considering how she used to get so overly made-up for her bank job,
every day, Stella couldn't remember seeing any of that once they
all moved aboard the Dreadnaught .
    Having made a mental note to keep an eye on
whether or not Captain Stuart ate his dinner, was forgotten about
halfway through the meal. It was during the discussion of what
everyone's plans for the evening were. Usually, they lingered over
coffee and dessert, swapping entertaining stories from varied
backgrounds. However, if it was a weekend, or an occasion for
celebration such as this one, they might go so far as to play a
game of “Rummie,” using shipboard tokens in lieu of cash, that
could be traded for chores, favors, or some coveted food item a
person might have a hankering for. Another favorite was to listen
to some true account read from one of the volumes of hero stories
that the colonel had chronicled over his years as a military
historian.
    Every bit of which went to the wayside when
Lou Edna announced they had something entirely different in mind
for this particular evening. If the Captain would agree.
    “I got no complaints about most shipboard
entertainments,” he replied, adding more ketchup to a pile of
French fries that was larger than his hamburger. “Long as it's
legal.”
    “Lou and I were wondering if you'd marry
us.” Cole looked directly into the startled glance of the
disheveled older man across the table. “You've done that before,
haven't you?”
    “I have. Got the service printed out in the
back of my old seafarer's Bible. Along with funerals and other such
things a captain might need to preside over.”
    “Well, then?”
    “ I think it's a fine idea,” said the
colonel. “Nothing seals a promise so much as an act that truly
proves your commitment. It's the kind of trust between parties that
one can't get any other way. More importantly, it's the right thing
to