Chapter 11
Forrest stared through the windshield and wondered just how long he’d been gone? Did he fall back in time? Why was the waitress from Stomping Grounds Diner dressed as a wench?
“Cut!” a man yelled from nearby. “What is all that screaming? It’s ruining our take!”
“I forgot to tell you about this,” Wilder said, grinning.
Forrest looked to the right and saw a tent set up with a director’s chair and equipment. At the call for a cut, people swarmed around the pirates with makeup, water, and suddenly they were all on their cell phones.
Skeeter, Gator, and Turtle crossed the street and joined them as Dr. Adkins, the head of the Shadows Landing Historical Society, simpered at the director under the tent.
“This is an abomination,” Skeeter muttered.
“What’s going on?” Jordana asked as the trio turned toward her standing by the open car door with Goat’s head resting on her shoulder.
“They’re doing one of those live-action documentaries on the founding of Shadows Landing,” Skeeter told her, his hands in fists. “And they’re getting it all wrong!”
“Is that a goat?” Gator asked, cocking his head. “You know Bubba and Mean Abe love goat.”
“Would they like to adopt him?” Jordana asked.
Gator shook his head slowly. “No, ma’am. They’d like to eat him.”
Goat screamed. The director yelled again. Jordana gasped and moved to protect Goat. Forrest sighed. This was his life.
“Gentlemen, this is Jordana Alves from Brazil. We’re looking out for her since her father is trying to stop some bad guys and they kidnapped Jordana to get to her father.
She escaped, ran into me, literally, and we escaped through the until we got here.
Jordana, meet the heart and soul of Shadows Landing.
This is Skeeter. He knows everything about the history of Shadows Landing and he talks to the pirate ghosts.
” Forrest waited for Jordana’s reaction, but she only nodded.
Skeeter himself looked as if he were waiting to be called out for it.
Wilder’s eyebrow rose. “Normally that elicits a reaction.”
Jordana shrugged. “My ancestors believed they were part of the land. And when they died, they returned to the land to be part of the wind, the land, the nutrients, and the water. Spirts are pretty normal for me.”
Forrest’s smile grew. He knew Jordana would fit in here. “And this is Gator. He wrestles alligators and removes them from downtown, people’s yards, pools, and so on.”
Gator hooked his thumbs in the straps of his overalls and narrowed his eyes at her. “Brazil? They don’t have alligators like we have. You have those little caimans.”
That elicited a response from Jordana. She raised her eyebrow challengingly. “You ever wrestle a caiman? I have, yesterday in fact. Or was it two days ago now? And they’re faster than those hulking, lumbering, American alligators. That’s for sure.”
Gator’s lips turned up slowly. “If you get bored sitting around, you can come out with me anytime to test that little theory. American alligators are bigger, faster, and have a harder jaw bite. They’ll take your little caiman down any day of the week and twice on Sunday.”
“I’d love to join you when everything is situated.
And when it’s safe for me to go home, you must spend some time in the and see how it compares to your Main Street.
” Gator tossed his head back and laughed before reaching out and shaking Jordana’s hand.
“I like you. You’re not another northerner. You’re more southern than we are.”
Jordana giggled, Goat made a strange laughing scream sound, and the director cursed again.
“Hi, ma’am. I’m Turtle. I rescue turtles.
This is Tank. He was injured by a gator, but now he’s my pet.
” Jordana looked to where Tank had on his knitted pirate outfit.
“And look at this!” Before Forrest could stop him, Turtle flashed a picture of a penis with a snapping turtle attached to it.
“A snapper got my willie and made it bigger!”
Goat leaned forward as if to get a look at the picture.
“I’ve seen a man get the tip of his penis eaten by piranha before. You were lucky. His became much shorter.”
Forrest, along with all the men, shuddered and reached down just to make sure their willies were safe.
Forrest was going to talk, but a woman dressed as a wench stormed by them, heading toward the director.
She was in her mid-thirties with flaming red hair covered with a red scarf.
Her breasts were on full display in a wench outfit and swayed as she stomped by them.
“This is not right. I have my freaking Ph.D. in the history of colonial America with an emphasis in piracy and this idiot tells me I’m wrong about which pirates were here?
Anne Bonny is pissed. Like, more pissed than when Mary Read killed that British twat instead of her. ”
Skeeter gasped. “She’s breathtaking. She’s also correct. Anne’s ghost is very upset.”
“Who is she?” Turtle asked as the redhead fury stormed into the director’s tent, demanding he portray history correctly.
“I don’t know, but I think I’m in love.” Skeeter sighed.
Forrest saw Jordana yawn and try to cover it up with her hand. “If Main Street is closed, how are we going to get home? We need to shower and then nap before dinner tonight.”
“And get into clean clothes,” Jordana looked down at herself. The same clothes she’d been in for over a month were fast approaching complete surrender.
“Food and clothing are waiting for you at Forrest’s house. The town is on it,” Wilder told them. “We just have to get there.”
“They’re paused in filming,” Forrest said quickly. “Let’s go before they roll again.”
Forrest didn’t wait for Jordana to get out of the SUV. He didn’t want her walking on her feet anyway right now. He bent down, placed his shoulder on her stomach, his arms around her waist, and lifted her out of the car. She dangled down his back in surprise until she yelled at him in Portuguese.
“Someone bring Goat.”
“You can’t name him Goat,” Gator called out as he and Wilder worked to get the goat out of the back of the SUV.
“What should I name him?” Forrest asked as the crowds of pirates parted before them.
“His little beard is black, you should name him Blackbeard,” Skeeter suggested.
Then he gave a little chuckle as he looked off to the side.
What was strange was that the redhead also gave a little smile and looked at the same place as Skeeter.
Then their eyes met across the street. Her eyes went wide and then she looked away.
“I like it,” Jordana called out from where she was hanging over his back. “Do you like it, Goat? Would you like your name to be Blackbeard? He was a fierce pirate. Instead of being a pirate ghost, you’ll be a pirate goat.”
Goat screamed, broke free from Gator, and butted his head against Forrest’s ass before tilting his head up and licking Jordana. “Okay, Blackbeard it is.”
“Thanks Skeeter,” Forrest called out as Rowan led the line of them through downtown.
Nothing strange to see. Just a doctor, a barefoot man with a woman over his shoulder, a goat, a man in overalls, a man who talks to ghosts, a man with a turtle in a knitted pirate outfit, and a suave nightclub owner in a suit walking down a street filled with pirates.
“Is that a goat?” Damon leaned against his motorcycle as he watched them walk toward him and Kane on the other side of Main Street. Apparently, everyone was stuck due to the first day of filming today.
“I brought him back for you,” Forrest said innocently.
“For what? To eat?”
Blackbeard screamed and charged. Damon jolted in surprise, but nothing could stop Blackbeard from hitting his target. Head down, he rammed into Damon’s balls as Forrest put Jordana down.
“You’re going to need to scratch behind his ears to make up for that,” Jordana told him. “Hi. I’m Jordana Alves. Which one of you is Kane?”
Kane smiled and held out his hand. “I am. It’s damn good to see both of you.”
Jordana didn’t shake his hand. She threw her arms around him and hugged him. “Thank you for working with my father and getting us to safety.”
Forrest nodded his thanks and Kane nodded back. “It’s what I do. My wife, Waverly, is with the women putting together a bag of supplies for you. She said you wouldn’t want to talk to anyone until you ate, had a shower, and got some clean clothes.”
“That sounds wonderful,” Jordana sighed before turning to where Damon was holding his balls and grimacing.
“You must be Damon.”
“I would welcome you, but I’m still trying to breathe,” Damon told her hoarsely, glaring at Blackbeard who looked rather smug.
“We’ll talk tonight. Harper’s. Seven. Don’t be late.
” Damon took a fortifying breath, swung his leg over his bike, and started it up.
He drove off, leaving everyone standing watching him and Blackbeard.
“Well, I’m here to drive you home,” Kane told them. “And I wanted to see you with my own two eyes. You scared me, brother.”
It was Kane’s turn to hug Forrest as they slapped each other on the back in brotherly love. Sometimes words weren’t needed and this was one of those times. Thank you wasn’t going to cut it for what Kane had done to rescue them.
The drive home was quick, even with everyone and a goat in the back of Kane’s SUV. Forrest saw his new sister-in-law rushing down the front walk of his house as they pulled in.
“Oh! I’m so sorry. I wanted to leave this here to give Jordana time to decompress. I didn’t think you’d be here so soon.” Waverly blinked, “Is that a goat?”
“Yes, that’s Blackbeard, and I’m Jordana. I guess you can say that we were both rescued. Your husband told me that you were getting me clean clothes. Thank you so much.”
“I understand exactly what you’re feeling.
I was held for ransom, kinda, and Kane rescued me.
I had to sneak back into the country too and I remember that first shower to this day.
I heard we’re meeting tonight at Harper’s.
Go shower, eat, and sleep. I’ll see you tonight.
” Waverly gave Jordana a kind smile and moved to sit in Kane’s front seat.
Rowan was leaning out of the back of the SUV.
“Don’t get your feet wet,” Rowan ordered. “And call me if you need anything before dinner. I’ll get everything for you and see you at Harper’s.”
“Thanks, Ro.” Forrest hugged his twin tightly before he closed the SUV’s door and watched them back out of his driveway.
“You’re gonna need a fence for Blackbeard,” Turtle told them. “Or one of the gators will snap him up.”
Forrest sighed. “You’re right. Can I pay you to do that?”
“Of course,” Turtle told him. “I’ll go to the back of the hardware store and get some metal fencing. Won’t be purdy, but it’ll get the job done until we can finish building a more permanent one.”
“I’ll help you,” Skeeter told him.
“I’ll get my truck. We can put the things we need in the back,” Gator told them, handing off Blackbeard’s rope to Forrest. “We’ll be back in a jiffy so you all can rest and Blackbeard can hang with us as we get his new home sorted.”
“Thank you, guys,” Forrest said, sincerely. He looked at Jordana and knew the exhaustion he felt was mirrored in his face. “Let’s go see what Waverly left us.”