JAKrentz - The Pirate, The Adventurer, & The Cowboy (17 page)

"I take it you were expecting someone else?" Letty's expression was one of sympathetic female-to-female understanding.

"Not exactly expecting, more like entertaining a fleeting hope. Come on in."

Letty walked in and glanced at the open suitcases. "So you're going to leave," she said softly. "I wondered if you might be thinking of it."

"To be honest, I haven't made up my mind."

"Better hurry." Letty glanced at her watch. "Hank takes off in half an hour."

"The thing is, I hate to let that arrogant, dictatorial clod run me off the island this easily." Kate started to rehang some of her clothing. "It goes against the grain."

"Said arrogant, dictatorial clod being Jared?"

"Yes."

"Good." Letty settled into one of the chairs near the screened window. "Glad to hear it. The staff is taking bets, and I've got five dollars riding on your decision."

Kate wrinkled her nose. "There's certainly not much privacy on this island, is there?"

"Afraid not."

"Everyone knows I'm furious with Jared?"

"Uh-huh. Believe me, no matter which way they're betting, they're all praying you'll stay."

"Why?"

"Because no one wants to deal with Jared's temper after you leave. He's in one heck of a bad mood and they all figure it's going to get worse if you run off."

"I'm supposed to do everyone a favor and soothe the savage beast?" Kate was outraged anew. "Forget it. The quarrel was one hundred percent his fault."

"Was it?"

"It most certainly was." Kate rehung another dress. "Furthermore, I have absolutely no intention of apologizing to the man. But you can go collect your winnings, if you like, because I've just decided for certain that I'm not going to let him chase me off this island. I came here for a vacation, by heaven. I'm going to get one. Lord knows I've paid enough for it."

Letty grinned. "Somehow I rather thought you'd take that attitude."

"Don't look so delighted, Letty. I'm not hanging around so that I can placate Jared. I've got better things to do on my vacation. The big affair is at an end."

"Did you inform Jared yet?"

"He'll find out soon enough."

"Can't wait." Letty got up and headed for the door.

"Where are you going?"

"Now that I've got a little inside information, I thought I'd go double my bet."

Kate stared as the door closed behind her friend. All in all, she did not think she was getting cured of her stress problems.

That night Kate dressed for the evening ahead as if she were preparing to go into battle. She went through everything she had brought with her and finally selected a flame-colored gown with an artfully draped bodice and a full, flouncy, flirty skirt. A pair of red heels and a silver collar at her throat completed the effect. She surveyed herself in the mirror and decided she had the look she wanted—cool, regal and totally self-contained.

When she walked into the crowded bar for an aperitif, she could feel the speculation, approval and open relief emanating from the staff. The colonel arched one thick brow and inclined his head in a silent salute. Kate smiled demurely and took one of the fan-backed chairs near the railing. A few minutes later a rum-and-fruit concoction materialized at her elbow. She looked up to smile at the waitress.

"Glad you didn't leave," the woman said in a low voice.

"Don't tell me, let me guess. You had a bet riding on my plans for the future, too?" Kate was long past the outraged stage. She had moved on to a sort of fatalistic acceptance of the inevitable.

"I bet ten dollars you wouldn't be going back to Ruby with Hank Whitcomb," the waitress admitted, "but that's not the real reason I'm glad you stayed."

"You think I'm going to somehow wave my magic wand and put Jared back into a good mood?"

The waitress laughed. "You'd have the eternal gratitude of the entire staff of Crystal Cove."

"Has it occurred to anyone that the only reason I might have hung around here is so that Jared can exert himself to put
me
back into a pleasant frame of mind?"

The waitress considered that angle. She appeared to have trouble grasping the concept. "Is that why you stayed? To bring Jared to his knees?"

"You look doubtful."

The waitress's smile broadened. "Let's just say it should be interesting. Good luck, Ms Inskip. Oh, and I just finished your last book. It was great. Loved that part where the hero goes into the bedroom thinking the heroine is going to be meekly waiting for him in bed and she dumps the chamber pot over his head instead."

"I'm glad you enjoyed it."

Kate allowed the waitress's parting remark to warm her as she sat gazing out at the darkening sea. But the good feeling didn't last long. It was obvious everyone at Crystal Cove was finding the situation between herself and Jared vastly entertaining, but Kate knew better. There was nothing funny about her quarrel with Jared; this was no amusing battle of the sexes. The stakes were too high.

She went cold whenever she allowed herself to speculate on what Jared might be involved in up at
Hawthorne
Castle
.

Jared had the natural authority and innate arrogance of a man who was accustomed to running his own domain, but she knew him well enough by now to know he was neither vicious nor totally unreasonable. Vicious, unreasonable men did not build thriving resorts capable of supporting the economy of an entire island. Vicious, unreasonable men did not incur the kind of loyalty and friendship Jared had locally.

Or did they?

Something serious was going on up at
Hawthorne
Castle
, and Jared was deeply involved. He did not want her anywhere near the place and as far as Kate could tell, there could be only one reason for forbidding her to take the castle path: Kate was very much afraid Jared was following in the footsteps of Roger Hawthorne, and because she was also very much afraid she was in love with him, she knew she had to stop him.

She was lost in thought when a shadow fell across the table. She looked up, half expecting to see Jared standing there, but it was Jeff Taylor who was smiling hopefully down at her.

"I see you're alone tonight. Mind if I join you?" He was dressed in a pair of slacks and a flower-printed aloha shirt. His red hair was still damp from a shower.

Kate smiled. "Not at all."

Jeff's smile widened with satisfaction. "Thanks." He took the chair across from her and lifted a hand to catch the waitress's attention. "Haven't been able to catch you alone since the night of the masquerade ball. You been hanging out with the local boss man, I hear. How come he's left you on your own tonight?"

"I'm on vacation," Kate said. "I hang out with whoever I want to hang out with."

"Hope that means me tonight."

Out of the corner of her eye, Kate saw Jared saunter through the door and head for the bar. She tensed, preparing for a scene. "Why not?" she said, smiling brilliantly.

Several hours later Kate finally decided Jared was not going to make a scene, after all. She told herself she was glad, but some small, very primitive part of her was hurt, she had to admit.

It was not that she didn't enjoy herself with Jeff Taylor. They had dinner together and danced afterward. Jeff was charming, funny and more than willing to follow her lead. When she eventually pleaded weariness and said she wanted to go to her room, he quickly volunteered to walk her back through the gardens. She wondered briefly if she would have trouble with him at the door, but when she dismissed him gently, he went with good grace.

"Maybe we can do this again," he murmured, brushing a quick, light kiss across her cheek.

"Maybe." She smiled a good-night sort of smile that made no promises. Behind her the room was shrouded in darkness.

"Say, you want to go snorkeling in the cove tomorrow morning?"

She hesitated and then asked herself why not. She was supposed to be on vacation, after all. "Sounds great."

Jeff grinned. "I'll meet you right after breakfast."

"That will be fine."

Kate smiled again and then closed the door gently but firmly in his face. She turned around and walked into the room without bothering to switch on the light. She went to the screened wall and stood looking out at the silvered sea. She was learning to love the island night. The fragrant, velvet air drifted through the open windows, caressing her and bringing back poignant memories of the nights she had spent in Jared's arms.

The familiar feeling of awareness went through her and she hugged herself. It was ridiculous, but she could almost feel him nearby. There was that curious tingling at the back of her neck…Kate gasped and whirled around.

"Lucky for all of us you didn't invite
Taylor into the room," Jared said from the shadows of the bed. "Could have been a little awkward trying to explain the crowd in here."

"
Jared
." Kate took hold of herself immediately. "What are you doing here?"

"What do you think I'm doing here?" His hand moved negligently, and the pale moonlight glinted off the brandy snifter he was holding. He was propped up against a couple of pillows, wearing a pair of low-slung jeans and nothing else.

"How did you get in here?"

"I own the place, remember? I have a key."

Kate drew a deep breath, unable to move. This was not fear, she told herself firmly. She was just feeling naturally wary of the big, dangerous man on her bed. "Did you stop by to apologize and explain yourself?"

Jared sipped meditatively from the snifter. "No. What about you? Finished playing games with
Taylor?"

"I'll play games with whoever I feel like playing games with."

"Then we have a problem, don't we?"

"I don't see why. You and I are no longer involved, remember? We had a major quarrel this morning. That was the end of our famous affair as far as I'm concerned."

"You're lying. If you thought things were over between us, you would have bought a ticket on the afternoon plane to Ruby. You didn't even try."

"I said things were over between us, I didn't say my vacation was over."

"Go ahead and tell yourself whatever you like. We both know you're still here because of what's happening between us."

"You are so damned arrogant."

"And you're not?"

"Not like you," Kate shot back.

He laughed softly and sat up on the side of the bed. He put the snifter down on the end table and got to his feet, facing her. "You're more like me than you want to admit and that's why we've got a few problems. But I'm beginning to think we can fix all that."

She instinctively stepped back as he came around the end of the bed and started toward her. Then she refused to retreat any farther. Her chin lifted even as she felt herself turning hot and vibrant with the fierce emotions coursing through her.

"Now just one blasted minute, Jared Hawthorne."

"Let's get something clear right from the start. This is just between you and me," Jared said. "You want to go to war, we'll go to war. You want to make love, we'll make love. But we don't involve any third parties. No more Jeff Taylors."

"You really are a pirate, aren't you?"

"If I'm a pirate, you were born to be a pirate's woman." His hands closed over her shoulders and his mouth found hers in a searing kiss.

He was right, Kate acknowledged silently as she felt the passion rising swiftly; some part of her had been born to respond to him. He was the man she had been waiting for all her life. Her arms went around his neck and she shoved her fingers through his thick, dark hair.

Jared exhaled heavily, his body going hard at her touch. "I knew when you didn't try to get on that plane today that you realized this was special." He pulled her down onto the bed and sprawled across her. "Neither one of us can walk away from it now."

His arrogance appalled her. "All right," Kate said, looking up at him through her lashes, "I'll admit the sex is good. And I've heard it's a great cure for stress. I might as well enjoy it."

Jared's eyes glittered with sudden anger and his hands tightened on her. "It isn't just the sex and you know it."

"What else is there? It's not as if there's a lot of trust or love between us."

"Damn you, stop trying to manipulate me. I'm not the kind of man you can push and prod until I collapse in a heap of jelly and tell you whatever you want to hear. One of these days you're going to learn that."

"Just as you're going to have to learn that I'm not the kind of sweet, soft, meek little woman who will let you pat her on the head and tell her to mind her own business."

He stared down at her, his mouth inches from her own, his hands locked on her shoulders. "One of us is going to have to back down and I can tell you right now, it won't be me, Kate. I know what I'm doing and I know what's best for you. You're going to have to trust me and that's final."