Yes, no problems

The ride back seemed to fly by as Brenan's mind whirled with thoughts, ideas and emotions. He had two junior officers, five deckhands and a cook. Ideally he should have at least one more deckhand, then he could have three watches each with an officer and two crew. Also he worried about how his small sloop would fair if she were chased by a pirate or one of the sloops used by the Veertor coastguard to intercept smugglers.

Sailing empty, he was confident that he could outrun even the fastest of his pursuers. Although some pirates sailed small frigates like the Kranderkill, most pirates used schooners only slightly larger than his but instead of carrying freight they would fill their hold with extra guns and boarding parties. The extra weight of six to eight heavy guns as well as three times the crew would give him a clear advantage if it came to a chase. However, when his schooner was fully loaded that advantage would be reduced to nearly nothing, Brenan could imagine a case where a well aimed shot took away one of his sails, then he and his crew would face a boarding **** of up to twenty men. Or a Veertor cutter trapping him in the secluded bay that Ambrose had selected.

Even with the advantage of his Defender revolver, Brenan never wanted to face three to one odds, especially as neither James nor Jones boys looked much like fighters. Red had clearly given Cindy some of the skills needed in a close fight, but she would be outweighed by as much as 40 kilograms in nearly any fight. Of course Red knew what to expect. A vivid memory of her swinging from the Kranderkill onto the deck of a Cryn merchantman too stupid to strike its colors flashed briefly - she looked magnificent, her red tresses flying wild in the wind - Red at least he could count on. Too bad Cindy didn't have a hulking brother who specialized if the bloody melees Brenan had become so accustomed to over the past four years.

Red was still magnificent, if anything she looked better in the flowing white dress that gave tantalizing glimpses of her legs and breasts as she moved gracefully about her cottage. As tempting as Cindy's firm young body had been, Brenan was able to control his baser instincts; if it had been Red who had slipped from her dress, Brenan doubted he would have had as much control. Thinking about the two women was a mistake he realized as he felt the predictable tightness in his trousers, he shifted uncomfortably in the saddle as he recalled how frustrating the past day had been.

From the moment when he held Cindy's curves against his body, there seemed to be opportunity after opportunity that somehow he had failed to capitalize on. Red's intimate confession as they walked on the beach, Cindy mouthing the sea cock in the skiff, her drunken goodnight kiss, Red and he sitting just centimeters from each other under the stars by the fire and then finally the kiss on the sand. Two beautiful women, each at one time known for their ability to satisfy men, but who have been living in cloistered seclusion for the past four years. He knew for sure Cindy had wanted him badly, and he couldn't imagine that the Red he knew from years past would have been any less willing than her niece.

"Damn" he swore out loud as he slapped his thigh hard enough to make Davy's horse jump. "Any other man would have bedded both of those two." He told the horse as it resumed its steady pace. "All I got was a hangover and a set of blue balls." To be fair to himself, he got what he really needed; a first officer that he trusted and a deckhand with a great deal of potential. Had Brenan tried to bed the pair, he might be riding back to town with a smug look on his face, but still with only half a crew.

Brenan tried to concentrate on the ride home, but time after time his mind wandered to the feeling of Red's soft lips pressed to his, and the scent of her skin as he embraced her. He also reviewed the awkward end to the kiss when his surprise at Red's invitation for more had startled him into withdrawing from her. He vowed to himself more than once that Cindy or no Cindy, he was going to kiss Red the way she deserved to be kissed - and damn the consequences that were sure to complicate his life.

Davy's horse picked up its pace as Brenan got closer to town and walked directly to the stables. Brenan doubted that even a much better horseman than he could have directed the horse to any other location. Grunting as he slid from the saddle that had become much too familiar, Brenan handed the reins to the groom standing by his side and swore that he would never again ride a horse, not even for the riches vault on the planet.

By the time he walked from the stables to the piers, his gait was a little less awkward and the feeling in his butt was starting to return. The sight of a steady stream of boxes being carried up the gangplank, and the small stack that was left waiting to be moved cheered him as well. The boxes as he had expected were small enough to be loaded easily onto a small boat, or hidden in a wagon.

James met him at the gangway with a smile and a piece of paper.

"This is for you, Captain, its the receipt." He said as he handed Brenan the paper. "Ambrose delivered these about an hour ago Captain, we've been the mules, and the Jones brothers have been telling us where to stack them.