The Pirate & The Adventurer & The Cowboy

but the bar serves snacks and stuff most of the night. You can get just about anything you want there."

    "Thanks, I'll do that. Are you always up and around at this hour of the night?"

    "Sure. Except on school nights. But there's no school tomorrow."

    "I see."

    "Dad says as long as I'm living in a resort, I might as well keep resort hours as much as possible. People stay up late at places like this, you know."

    "I see."

    David chewed on his lip for a second, looking torn. Then he appeared to come to a decision. "Would you do me a big favor, Ms Inskip? Would you teach me how to do that special kick you used on Sharp Arnie? Dad said you knocked the knife out of Arnie's hand, then stomped him right into the pavement with your high heels."

    Kate looked down at the boy. "Is that exactly what your father said? I stomped Sharp Arnie into the pavement?"

    "Yeah," David assured her with relish. "Right after you kicked Arnie in the…uh—" He broke off abruptly and coughed. "That is, well, you know. Anyhow, I'd really like to learn how to do that."

    The kid was irresistible, Kate decided. Pity the father was such a loudmouth. "All right. One of these days I'll show you how I did it."

    David brightened. "That'd be great. Maybe I could show you something in return."

    "Like what?"

    "How about the reefs? Know how to use a snorkel?"

    "I've never tried."

    David grinned. "Then we've got a deal. You show me how to stomp a sucker like Sharp Arnie into the pavement, and I'll show you how to use a mask and snorkel around the reefs."

    "Deal."

    David nodded, satisfied. He led the way over the small bridge into the wide lobby. "Bar's that way."

    "Thanks. Nice meeting you, David."

    "See you around real soon." David took off in the direction of the front desk where he greeted one of the clerks and promptly disappeared into a back room. He was obviously very much at home.

    An odd way to raise a child, Kate reflected as she made her way through the lobby, but then, she was hardly an expert. She thought wistfully of the plans for children she had once made, plans that had gone up in smoke on the day her husband had filed for divorce. She wouldn't have minded a little boy like David Hawthorne; a child full of life and mischief and the future. But you couldn't have everything, she reminded herself firmly. Fate had dealt her a different hand than the one she had originally intended to play, and she had learned to live with it.

    With the ease of long practice, she pushed the emotional images aside.

    Her mind instantly zeroed in on another matter entirely. If there was a junior Hawthorne around, there must be a Mrs. Hawthorne. It gave Kate an unexpected jolt to realize Jared might be married. Then she told herself it was hardly an important issue to her.

    She glanced at the paneled lobby walls and noticed that they were covered with several ethereal watercolors. It didn't take a trained eye to tell they were excellent. Which only went to prove that art was where you found it, she thought. She paused to examine two or three of the soft, translucent seascapes and wondered if the artist lived on Amethyst.

    After a few moments of scrutiny, Kate made her way into a darkened, thatched-roof bar that hung out over the water's edge. Huge fan-backed wicker chairs clustered around small tables, providing islands of privacy for couples. The tiny candles burning on each table revealed that the lounge was comfortably busy.

    Kate quickly located an empty fan chair, sat down and grabbed the small bar menu. A sarong-draped waitress appeared a minute later, smiling in welcome.

    "I'd like one of these pineapple-and-rum drinks," Kate said, deciding to be adventurous. "And a bowl of the conch chowder." Was that going to be enough? She was really hungry. "Some of the fried plantains, I think. And how about a salad?"

    "Missed dinner?" the waitress asked with a smile as she jotted down the order.

    "Afraid so."

    "No problem. I'll be right back. Say, are you by any chance the lady Jared picked up this afternoon over on Ruby? The one who knows karate or something?"

    "No. You must be thinking of someone else."

    "Oh. All right. But I could have sworn… Never mind. Be back in a few minutes."

    Kate settled back and automatically tuned in on the conversations going on around her. It was hard not to listen to others in a restaurant or bar when you were sitting alone. The storyteller in her could never resist listening to someone else's stories.

    She