WADE AND Anneli picked themselves up and started taking stock of what tasks needed to be completed before they could get underway.
Wade stepped away from the handle which helped to lift the main sail. Looking skywards he said.
“I have to fix the broken boom before I climb the mast to replace the pulley at the top.”
“Do you have to climb to the top of the mast?” questioned Anneli.
“Yes. The pulley has jammed. If it’s not replaced, we can’t hoist the mainsail. It was damaged when Charlotte rolled.” Wade shifted his attention to Anneli. “Don’t worry; I’ll be fine. There’s a cleat up there. I’ll don the harness before I start the climb. When I get to the top, I’ll clip myself in. The only thing you have to do is help drag the new pulley up the mast.”
Wade marched over to a locked cupboard, slid the large bolt back and opened the door. Sitting neatly on the top shelf he found a brand new stainless steel pulley. He carried it and a long length of rope to the mast. Tying one end of the rope around the pulley and after winking at Anneli, Wade started to climb the mast using the hand and footholds.
Anneli saw Wade reach the highest foothold three feet below the top of the mast. He clipped himself to the cleat before setting to work.
The operation usually didn’t take long. However, Wade had only ever practiced the change-over on dry land. Being in the middle of the ocean might be another story. Although the sea remained relatively calm the mast still moved side to side. Wade knew if he looked too long at the water he’d throw up.
In a couple of minutes, the four bolts were off. Wade attached the rope to the old pulley before lowering it to the deck. He signaled for Anneli to yank on her end of the rope so the new pulley could be hoisted up the mast. Inside ten minutes Wade stood on the deck.
After a long kiss, Wade whispered in Anneli’s ear. “While at the top of the mast I managed to look out over the ocean.”
“I thought you were trying to stop yourself from throwing up.”
“I wondered why you quickly moved away from the mast to the side.”
Anneli grinned at his smile.
“On the horizon, I spied a large ship. Her sails were up.”
“Strange,” Anneli said slowly, deep in thought. “If I were made to guess, I’d say the ship might belong to my stepfather. He’s doing everything he can to get me back. I can’t understand the reason why he’d want to raise the giant sails. It has never been attempted before.”
“Maybe the ship’s low on diesel.”
“It’s possible. Do you think we can outrun the ship?”
“I believe Charlotte can easily outrun your father’s small ship. If it’s a race he wants, he’s in for the ride of his life.”
“The boom needs repairing before we can raise the sail,” blurted Anneli.
Wade glanced up at the very top of the mast. He nodded before marching across the deck to the locked cupboard. Opening the door, he found what he needed. “This hammer, the pliers, and four new bolts should do the trick. What I need you to do is locate the ship following us to see if you can estimate how far away she might be. After I’ve completed a rough panel beating job on the boom, I’ll re-attach it to the mast then we’ll be good to go.”
Anneli found a pair of binoculars hanging from the wheel on the bridge. She walked to the nose of the yacht, lifted them to eye level and scanned the horizon. She spied the ship Wade saw, confirming the vessel belonged to her stepfather. For several minutes, she studied the craft. Slowly the vessel changed direction. The new course put her on a heading directly for Charlotte.
“Wade, how many minutes left before the repairs are completed?”
“I’m almost finished,” he called back.
Wade slipped the last bolt through the boom plate, pushing the four bolts home. It looked to be an almost perfect alignment between the boom plate and the mast. Snatching the smaller shifter from his pocket, Wade started to tighten the four bolts.
Anneli walked over to view the repairs. “I don’t want to place undue pressure on you, my stepfather’s yacht has changed course. It’s bearing down on us.”
Wade knew by the hysterical pitch in Anneli’s voice they needed to set sail immediately. He jammed the tools back into the cupboard, placed the old pulley on the top shelf and slammed the bolt home which locked the small door.
Anneli started to unleash the sail from the holding straps. Working as a team, they wound the sail up to its stop. The wind immediately filled the sails making Charlotte lurch forward. Anneli led Wade to the bridge, pointing to the large yacht following them.
The race appeared to have started.
Staring at the clouds, Wade searched for warm thermals. He made Charlotte zig-zag on the ocean, trying to obtain maximum speed in the light breeze. Slowly the yacht increased her speed, hovering just shy of fifteen knots.
The ship behind them seemed relentless. She neither gained nor lost ground. Hour after hour, she remained following Charlotte. The sun rose in the East and set in the West five times. Still, the large ship remained in view.
Wade placed the binoculars down on the fiberglass desk. He turned to face Anneli. “You look tired, go below and have a couple of hours sleep.”
“I’m staying,” she insisted firmly.
“I thought you might.”
“I’ve been thinking about the chase. My stepfather’s yacht has two large engines. I’m sure he could easily catch us. If he’s low on diesel, why didn’t he stop in Sydney?”
Wade shrugged. “He might have studied the weather, gambling on making it to Melbourne under sail. Or he doesn’t want to lose sight of us.”
“I guess I’d do the same thing too. Where exactly are we?”
“We’re sixty-four nautical miles from the entrance to Port Phillip Bay,” reported Wade.
“What happens when we arrive in Melbourne? My stepfather will catch us at Port.”
“We’re not going to Melbourne. I live off Flinders, right on the point. If there’s enough distance between us and the ship, we’ll be able to hide at my place. We’ll be sipping champagne on the balcony watching him plow through the heads into Port Phillip Bay. We can even give him a wave.”
“How long before we arrive at your place?” Anneli commenced a daydream of what might transpire at Wade’s home. The fantasy plastered a sexy expression on her face.
“It depends on the wind. Present speed, about four hours.”
“How’s the engine?”
“Fine,” Wade answered. “It’s the fuel. Sea water has contaminated the tank.”
Anneli walked over to the barometer. She stood staring at the numbers.
“We’ve come so far, so quickly. I can’t believe there’s nothing we can do except hope the ship doesn’t overtake us.”
“We can keep scanning the air for stronger winds,” hinted Wade. “Everything will turn out. Before we start searching the sky, I need to say something. I hope you realize I’m going out on a limb here.”
Anneli squared herself to Wade. “This sounds serious.”
“It is.”
“You have my undivided attention.”
Wade reached out, placing his hands on her hips.
Anneli searched his face as if his statement might be written in his eyes. She felt a little nervous at what he’d been thinking about for the past few days. After such a horrid start to their trip, the remainder of the voyage back to Melbourne remained uneventful. Having a lot of time to think about the future seemed to plague his thoughts.
“I have a couple of questions I’ve been chewing over since our first meeting on the bridge a year ago. They’re statements, not questions; though one idea is a question.” Wade looked over Anneli’s shoulder to focus on the land coming into view.
“For the first time since we have known each other, you sound nervous. I bet you don’t get nervous in a courtroom full of highly paid lawyers or the Judge. Spit it out.” Anneli rolled her eyes, grinning seductively at knowing what he wanted to s
ay.
“Okay,” said Wade. Straightening his back, he stood to full height. Sweat broke out near his temples. He raised his hand to wipe the annoyance away. “The kiss on the bridge felt unique,” he stated.
The sparkle in Anneli’s eyes couldn’t overshadow her enthusiastic expression. She resorted to biting her lip to mask her excitement.
“So far I have to agree.”
Wade’s shoulders slumped. “I’m having a tough time of this, please, you can’t interrupt.”
Anneli looked lovingly into Wade’s dancing pupils. They easily showed his nervousness. She inadvertently gave him a hard time. For a few moments, she thought she could feel his knees tremble. She sensed the man standing before her looked more nervous than a groom on his wedding day.
“Okay, I won’t interrupt again.”
“I’ve forgotten where I got up to; I have to start over.” Wade exhaled in an attempt to relax. “The kiss on the bridge felt unique. I loved it so much I wanted to get to know the person who not only allowed me to kiss her, she wanted to kiss me back.”
“You’re stalling.”
“I know I am.” Wade cleared his throat. “Anneli, whatever you say in the next thirty seconds I want you to know I respect every cell in your body.”
“Thank you, that means a lot to me.”
“Anneli, what I want to say is; I have fallen deeply in love with the woman behind our first kiss. I want to love you forever. If you feel the same way as I do, I’d love you to consider saying yes to my next question.”
Anneli started to fidget. She wanted to say her answer before he could recite the question.
The sun and the backdrop behind Wade looked so romantic Anneli felt sure nobody could describe the perfect scene. The sky looked to be a picture of beauty. If God exists he’d have to be the master artist. His work looked perfect, his timing exact.
Wade pulled a small dull red felt covered box out of his pocket before downing his left knee. He looked up into Anneli’s gleaming eyes. After a short pause, he asked his question.
“Anneli, please consider marrying me.”
Anneli’s smile grew wide.
Wade viewed the signal as a possible yes. He stood before her an excited man.
Anneli nodded, answering in a positively excited voice.
“Yes, a thousand times yes. I will marry you. Wade, I want to spend all of my life by your side.”
Wade pulled the ring from the box, pushing it gently onto Anneli’s finger. Using a new-found passion, the couple kissed. Their loving embrace looked strong, tender.
Anneli broke the hold first. She stepped back, looking into Wade’s blue eyes.
“You have to do something for me.”
“Sure,” he replied.
“I need you to walk to the front of Charlotte. I need you to watch the mountains. Whatever you do you can’t look back to see where I am.”
“I’ll agree to your strange request,” complained Wade.
“You have to promise me.”
“I won’t break my word. I’ll do what you’ve asked.”
Walking towards the stairs, Anneli looked over her shoulder. “I will only be a minute.”
Wade watched her disappear down the stairs, concern wrinkling his brow. He faced the mountains. The sun quickly cleared the ocean. The golden-edged clouds were breaking up, replaced by a light blue sky. Wade couldn’t comprehend the magnificence of ‘Morning Glory.’ His heart pounded inside his chest. He’d searched for the young woman from the moment he lost sight of her on the bridge. Now he not only found her, she hadd agreed to his marriage proposal. His gamble had paid high dividends. His nest egg contained plenty of cash and many businesses, so he never again needed to step foot into the courtroom.
Wade stood so absorbed in his thoughts over what their future might hold together he failed to hear the soft footsteps approaching from behind him. He barely felt the tender brown arms moving across his chest. The gleam from the large diamond and sapphire studded engagement ring glistened in the morning sunlight as Anneli slipped her naked body around his torso and stood in front of him.
“I want to reaffirm my answer to the question you asked before.” Her soft sweet voice wafted up to the man standing proudly before her. “I want to be your wife forever more.”
Wade’s smile said it all.
Anneli led Wade back into the depths of the yacht. She had turned the bed down. Two long glasses were full of Champagne. In one smooth movement, Wade’s shirt floated to the floor. His broad shoulders, deep chest and tight abs dominated Anneli’s stare. Wade swept the young woman up into his arms. He gave her a long passionate kiss before carrying her to the bed.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN