Page 2 of Hired by Pirates

It couldn’t be. In our quiet, plain corner of the world?

But there was no mistaking it. Two young men were securing the ship with ropes, so it must have just docked moments ago.

The townsfolk didn’t dare set foot on the dock, but stared at the spectacle, murmuring amongst themselves. Stopping to gape along with everyone else, I watched in fascination as a great man in a long black coat leapt off the boat, landing like a sleek black cat on the boards below.

He seemed to be frantically asking something of the dock master, who had come rushing toward him.

Pirates and other world travelers never bothered coming to our town, because it simply wasn’t worth it. There was no excitement here. Nothing worth stealing. Unless they were after the very sweetest blackberries and brambleberries in the land, which I highly doubted, there was absolutely nothing here for them.

Although I had heard that there was more and more trading between seaside towns, thanks to these larger ships. Perhaps our little town of Toburg would grow with these changing times. I’d noticed a few new things coming through lately, like women wearing beautiful ribbon and seashell chokers, and delicious new recipes at the bakery.

When I was a very small girl, I would sometimes go to the top of the hill, staring out at the farthest part of the sea, watching the larger ships pass us by.

I’d always wanted to travel. But life had shifted suddenly wh

en I was fourteen, and I’d had to work hard to survive ever since. There was no room for dreams for several years, until I discovered there was a slight chance I could actually become a doctor. A person with a title. With a real name for themselves.

My attention was pulled back to the giant man on the dock. He seemed to get an answer from the dock master, and turned to snap his fingers at a few of the men behind him. Although I couldn’t make out the words, the deep boom of his voice was carried on the breeze. He was certainly the leader of the group.

The morning sunlight caught the edge of his face, igniting his profile in a way that very nearly made me blush. He was a strange sort of beautiful, even though he appeared a rough, perhaps even slightly uncivilized man, who must have been nearly forty.

Realizing with a start that I should not be caught up in whatever hubbub was unfolding, I turned and scurried up the street. Passing the small houses and fresh green grass, my heart was racing far faster than it should have been.

Reaching the small white house, my eyes rested as always on the tidy black lettering on a sign by the front door. “Dr. D. Grenville”. How I dreamed of having my own sign someday.

As I suspected, Dr. Grenville hadn’t even opened his doors yet. I would have bet two bits that he was still snoring upstairs, sleeping off whatever ridiculous amount of liquor he consumed last night.

Unlocking the door, I put the kettle on, and checked the appointment book. Mrs. Jensen, a recent widow, would be popping by in an hour, simply to pick up her prescription, which I had already prepared last night.

I honestly questioned whether she even needed the pills, or whether it was just an excuse for the doctor to flirt with her outrageously every two weeks. At least I knew for certain that the doctor would be coming downstairs today. That didn’t always happen. Sometimes I was left to take care of his duties, no matter what they were.

After working here for two years, most people had begun to trust me, even at the tender age of nineteen. Those who didn’t simply made sure to come in the afternoon, when the doctor was at his most alert.

Running the broom around the floor, I made sure the room was spotless. I had just lifted the kettle to begin pouring a pot of tea when the door crashed open.

“Doctor?” A booming bass voice called out. “We need a doctor.”

I came out of the kitchen to see the great man from the ship with a younger man leaning awkwardly against his side, clutching his arm. The older man was huge – well over six feet, with shoulders that nearly took up the entire door frame. His dark eyes looked especially vivid against his tan skin, and his shaggy hair and beard were nearly black.

The man propped up against him had slightly lighter coloring, but otherwise looked quite similar, other than being a bit smaller. They were certainly brothers.

Two more younger men lurked in the doorway, their eyes skittering around as if scanning for threats. They looked like brothers as well, with fairly short, straight brown hair and dusty gray clothing. I’d have guessed them to be in their late teens, judging from the way their limbs hung a bit too loose, as if they weren’t yet done growing.

I could instantly see that the man being held was bleeding profusely from his right forearm. My stomach tightened as I realized I would have to step in for the doctor yet again, but this time for a more serious case than usual.

It might be tricky to convince total strangers, and big rough men, that I was the best person for the job.

“The doctor isn’t in,” I said as calmly as possible, even though my pulse was racing with nerves. Meeting strangers always made my heart flutter strangely. “I’m his assistant, Astor Green.”

The wounded man’s eyes were glazed over, only half focused.

The large man’s eyes locked on mine, and suddenly my heart was beating frantically for a very different reason. Those eyes. The steely gray of flint. With more fire in them then one man should ever be allowed to possess.

He was more rugged than handsome. More man than gentleman. There was something powerful about him that I found drawn to, like a moth to a flame. Even though he was a total stranger, I found myself stepping closer.

Even though his clothing was a bit shabby, there was something almost regal in the way he carried himself. Proud, determined, and expecting everyone to recognize him as the leader he was.

There was no warning thought whispering in my ear that he might be dangerous. That he was the sort of man I should stay far away from. I needed to be near him. In his world. It was one of the oddest sensations I’d ever felt.

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