"This is impossible," Kate said.
"No, I think it will be just about right." Jared studied the length of wood that had been sanded down to form the new railing. "Maybe a quarter inch more off that end, Mark."
"Right, boss." Mark picked up the power saw.
"I'm wasting my breath," Kate said. "I should have known there was no point trying to have a serious conversation about this with you. You wouldn't talk to me last night and you won't talk to me this morning. I'm beginning to get the idea you just don't want to talk to me at all."
Jared must have caught the new note of resignation in her voice. He shot a quick glance over his shoulder. "There's nothing to talk about that can't wait until after that cruise ship sails. Look, why don't you go have a nice swim in the cove? Dave, take her swimming."
"Sure thing, Dad."
Kate smiled slightly at David. "No, thanks, Dave. Maybe some other time. I think I'll go back to my room for a while."
"Good idea. Have a nice nap or something," Jared said. He grabbed hold of the railing and helped his men lock it into place. "You must be exhausted after all the excitement last night."
Kate watched him for a moment. Then she looked down at David, who was studying her anxiously. "See you later, Dave. Thanks again for the drawing." She turned and walked off the terrace.
The colonel was setting out sparkling glasses on the bar as she went through the lounge. Letty was helping him.
"Morning, Kate," Letty called. "Finished chewing Jared out for not telling you about what was going on up at the castle?"
"Yes. I'm finished."
"Well, I want you to know I'm on your side in this. Men. They think they should make all the decisions and keep the ladies in the dark. For their own good, of course."
"Now, just one minute," the colonel interrupted. "Jared was doing a favor for a government man and he had been told to keep his mouth shut. He couldn't tell Kate what was going on. He couldn't tell anyone, not even me. Give the man a little credit. He was doing what he had to do. How could he have known Butterfield had turned bad? No one knew. I heard what the government man who came over with Sam Finley this morning told Jared. He said Butterfield had always been useful and they'd never had cause to suspect him."
"Naturally you'd take Jared's side in all this," Letty said. "You're a man. Seems to me that if Kate hadn't gone up to the castle with the Hawthorne dagger, Jared might have been worse off than he already was. You can't tell me that dagger wasn't very useful."
"Excuse me," Kate murmured. "I have to be on my way. I've got a lot to do this afternoon before Hank leaves for Ruby." She gave both the colonel and Letty a fleeting smile and headed for the door.
"Oh, my goodness," Letty breathed. "Did you hear that, Colonel?"
Satisfied, Kate did not linger to hear the colonel's response. She slipped out the door and into the gardens, heading for her room.
Ten minutes later Kate had all her suitcases open on the bed. She started taking clothes out of the closet.
There were some risks a woman had to take, she told herself as she worked. And if she failed, then she failed. It was better to know the truth than to live on in false hope.
By noon, Kate had to face the fact that Jared was not going to come pounding on her door demanding that she stay on the island. Perhaps he hadn't yet heard she was leaving. Or perhaps he simply didn't care.
When she went into the restaurant for lunch she discovered it was already filled with cruise-ship people who were thoroughly enjoying the stopover on Amethyst.
She wandered past the gift shop and saw that it, too, was crowded. The colonel was swamped in the bar and the extra seating on the terrace was jammed. Snorkelers and swimmers swarmed down on the beach and the resort Jeeps were busying ferrying people into town for souvenir hunting.
Obviously the owner of Crystal Cove Resort had more important things on his mind today than whether one particular guest was getting ready to fly home.
Kate ate her lunch in a leisurely fashion, chatting with the waitress and the rest of the staff. Jared was nowhere to be seen. When she wandered out into the lobby she was greeted by Lani and Jim at the front desk. They looked stunned when she asked for her bill so that she could settle it.
"You're leaving? Today?"
"On the afternoon plane to Ruby," Kate explained as she signed her name on the credit card slip.
"Jared never said anything," Jim said uneasily.
"He may not have heard yet." Kate smiled as she handed back the slip. "He's got a lot on his mind today."
"That's for sure." Jim glanced at Lani, who gave a small, helpless shrug. "We're going to miss you around here."
"A lot," Lani said, her dark eyes wistful. "Things have been much more interesting around here since you showed up. It just won't seem the same after you leave."
"I've had a wonderful time, but all good things must come to an end."
"Would you do me a favor and autograph your book for me?" Lani whipped out a copy of Buccaneer's Bride from behind the desk. "I just loved it."
"Of course." Kate scrawled her name and best wishes inside and handed the book back. "Thanks for asking." She turned away from the desk and walked out onto the little lagoon bridge. It occurred to her that it was hot today but she didn't mind.
The heat no longer seemed to affect her much. Apparently she'd acclimated.
Two hours later she and her luggage were standing on the tarmac near Hank's twin-engine Cessna. A small group of people who were preparing to leave the island milled around, waiting for Hank to load the bags.
There was still no sign of Jared.
She had known this was going to be a risk, Kate reminded herself as she nudged one of her bags toward the pile Hank was assembling. She had gambled and she had known there was a chance she would lose. Betting was a way of life here on Amethyst, but she hadn't had a lot of practice at figuring odds. She wished the stakes weren't quite so high this time.
"You ready, Ms Inskip?" Hank asked as he started boarding his passengers.
"Yes."
Hank looked down the road that led back to the resort. "You know, I kinda thought Jared might show up this time the same way he did last time."
"He showed up the last time I was preparing to leave?"
"Yes, ma'am. Showed up and paid me the price of a seat just to make sure I'd say I didn't have room for you on board. In case you showed up here at the strip, that is.
Which you didn't."
Kate smiled briefly. "I guess he didn't want me to go that time."
"So what about this time?"
Kate shrugged and walked toward the plane. "Looks like he doesn't care this time."
"That can't be right. Not from what I hear." Hank scowled. "You sure he knows you're leaving?"
"If he's paying any attention at all to what's going on around him today, he knows." Kate put one foot on the bottom step.
The roar of a Jeep engine shattered the serenity of the flight field. Hank grinned in sudden relief and turned his head to look down the road again.
"Well, well, look who's here," Hank said softly.
Kate stood on the bottom step and watched the Jeep tear through the gate and race toward the plane and the small group of people clustered around it. Jared was at the wheel. Beside him sat David, looking very fierce.
Everyone stopped talking abruptly and turned to watch as the Jeep slammed to a halt in a cloud of dust. Jared switched off the engine and vaulted out of the vehicle.
He stalked swiftly toward Kate, his expression taut with anger.
"Where the hell do you think you're going?"
"Home." Kate braced herself and lifted her chin defiantly. "It's time, Jared."
"You're not due to leave until tomorrow."
"Twenty-four hours either way isn't going to make much difference, is it?"
"Are you out of your mind? It makes a hell of a difference."
"Why? What was going to happen between today and tomorrow that's so important?"
" I was going to ask you to marry me!" Jared roared. "That's what was going to happen."
Kate's heart leaped, but she forced herself to stay calm. "Were you really? How odd. You couldn't even find time to talk to me this morning. And you're going to be swamped with cruise-ship people until late tonight. How were you ever going to find a spare minute in which to ask me to marry you?"
"That's my business." Jared reached up and took hold of her wrist. "Get out of the way. Hank's trying to load his passengers."
"I'm one of them."
"Not anymore you're not." Jared looked over at David, who was sitting on the hood of the Jeep. "Come give me a hand with the luggage, Dave. Kate does not travel light."
"You bet, Dad." David leaped down and dashed forward. He was wearing a huge grin now. "I knew you'd make her stay."
Kate dug in her heels at the foot of the steps. "Jared, it isn't going to be this easy.
There are one or two matters we have to deal with before any commitments are made."
"Later, Kate."
She ignored him. "First, I do not appreciate the cavalier treatment I've been subjected to today. Second, I think it's high time you stopped fooling around and told me flat out that you love me. I'm sick and tired of pussyfooting around the subject."
"I love you. Dave, get those two flight bags, will you? I'll take these suitcases.
Hank, could you give us a hand? We're in kind of a hurry here."
"No problem." Hank smiled genially and bent to pick up two large suitcases.
The three males started toward the Jeep with the luggage. Kate stared after them in annoyance and then hurried forward. "Not so fast, dammit."
"Honey, I've got a resortful of people trying to spend money." Jared tossed her luggage carelessly into the back of the Jeep. "I'm too busy to stand around here restating the obvious."
"What's so damned obvious? You've never bothered to tell me you love me. How was I supposed to know?"
"You wouldn't have headed for the airport this afternoon after making sure everyone except me knew where you were going unless you were damned sure I'd come after you. Okay, you've made your point. Now get into the Jeep. I've got things to do back at Crystal Cove. If you're going to be the wife of a resort owner, you're going to have to learn that sometimes the paying guests come first."
"Your wife?" She smiled brilliantly up at him.
"Yeah, my wife. Get into the Jeep, lady. Now."
"Not until I've been properly asked. You can't just order me about as if I were one of the staff, Jared Hawthorne."
He towered over her. "Ask you? Are you kidding? I'm not asking, I'm telling you you're going to marry me. You think I'd be dumb enough to ask politely and give you a chance to say no?" He took one step forward, scooped her up into his arms and tossed her into the passenger seat. "With women like you, a man has to be assertive or he'll find himself running in circles. If you don't believe me, look at me right now. Circles within circles. I'm getting dizzy."
"Ready, Dad?" David hopped into the back $eat.
"Ready."
Jared turned the key in the ignition and swung the wheel. The Jeep leaped toward the road to the combined cheers of the small crowd around the plane. Kate turned in the seat to wave goodbye to Hank, who waved back before he returned to the business of loading his passengers.
"Everything's okay now, huh, Kate?" David asked, leaning over the front seat.
She grinned and reached back to ruffle his hair. The breeze was warm with the scent of exotic flowers and the sun was so bright on the sea that it almost hurt her eyes. She felt gloriously alive and sure of herself. The pirate of her dreams had just swept her off her feet and was carrying her away to his island hideaway where he would make hot, passionate love to her just as soon as he got a spare minute. The boy in the back seat of the Jeep was going to be the son she had never had. She just knew her career would flourish because living here on Amethyst Island was going to inspire her as nothing else could ever have done.
"Yes," said Kate with complete certainty. "Everything is okay."
"Wanna bet?" Jared cast a sidelong glance at Kate.
"You got a problem, Hawthorne?" Kate smiled serenely.
"Yeah, I've got a problem. It seems to me I'm the only one who's making a public commitment around here. I've declared my love in front of a whole planeload of passengers, but I haven't heard much in the way of response from you."
"Oh," Kate said, as if it had just slipped her mind for a moment, "don't worry about it. I love you, too."
Jared laughed, his satisfaction ringing loud and clear in the crystalline island air.
"Yeah, I kind of figured you did."
The telegrams arrived at ten o'clock in the morning. Margaret Lark was just switching on the kettle to make her customary morning cup of tea when her doorbell rang. She accepted the message, skimmed it hurriedly and grabbed the phone to dial Sarah Fleetwood's number.
"Did you get one, too?"
"Sure did. Can you believe it?" Sarah laughed with delight.
"No. This is incredible. What a cure for stress."
"I knew Amethyst Island was the right place to send her. I just had a feeling."
Sarah carefully unfolded her copy of the telegram and reread it once more.
Have found my pirate. He's got everything: dark hair, gray eyes and a real dagger. Married yesterday. Will see you soon when we return to the States for a visit. Regards, Kate.