The Pirate & The Adventurer & The Cowboy

private castle.

    There was no way in the world she could resist taking a peek. She was no fool, however. She certainly wouldn't risk her neck exploring the ruins alone at night. But she couldn't see the harm in catching a glimpse of the castle. An old pirate fortress drenched in moonlight was more than any romance writer worth her salt could possibly ignore.

    She slipped under the heavy chain that barred the way and managed to get several feet along the steep, dark path before she heard the soft, masculine voices behind her. She froze, recognizing one of the voices instantly.

    Discretion, at times, was the better part of valor, Kate decided as she ducked into a clump of thick ferns.

    She could not really explain, even to herself, why she decided to hide rather than confront Jared Hawthorne. Kate just knew that in that moment she really did not feel up to defending her reasons for flagrantly violating his edict.

    Besides, it would be embarrassing to be chewed out in front of a stranger, and she could hear the second man quite clearly. She was fairly certain that Jared would have no compunction at all about reading her the riot act in front of others for daring to climb the castle path.

    The rich, humid jungle scent of the ferns enveloped her as she crouched motionlessly. She smiled as Jared and an overweight man dressed all in white went past within a yard of where she hid. Jared was moving easily, but the portly man was breathing heavily. Kate hugged herself and grinned. She suddenly felt as if she were involved in a small, delightful adventure.

    It wasn't until the two men had vanished along the trail and Kate had quickly escaped back toward the resort that she found herself wondering why Jared was breaking his own house rules.

    She could think of no reasonable explanation for the owner of the Crystal Cove resort to be escorting anyone up the dark, forbidden castle path at this hour.

THREE

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    K ate picked up the skirts of her diaphanous, high-waisted gown, adjusted the silver mask that concealed the top portion of her face and crossed the small bridge over the lagoon. She walked into the lantern-lit resort lobby and was instantly transported back to a time and place she had frequently visited in her imagination.

    It gave her a disorienting sense of déjà vu. Things looked remarkably familiar, even though she knew she had never walked into such a scene before in her life.

    She had stepped into a charming recreation of a Regency-era ballroom. Men dressed in austere black and white circled the room to the strains of a waltz. The ladies in their arms were all wearing low-necked off-the-shoulder gowns that floated around their ankles. Here and there a variety of other costumes added flavor to the colorful mix. Wealthy nineteenth-century planters, pirates, grass-skirted ladies and one or two ship-wrecked sailors bobbed amid the elegant crowd. Everyone wore a mask.

    No doubt about it, the costume rental business was a thriving one here on AmethystIsland.

    Kate instantly dismissed the exorbitant price she had paid to rent her own lovely yellow gown. It was worth every penny, she decided as she moved into the airy room.

    She was asked to dance before she got halfway across the lobby. Smiling, she stepped into the arms of a masked stranger and found herself waltzing for the first time in her life. It was surprisingly easy, she discovered. It was as if she had always known how to waltz.

    "This is really something, isn't it? I mean, I came here to go diving, and I end up at a masquerade ball. I almost didn't spring for the costume, but at the last minute I decided to give the thing a whirl." The redheaded stranger grinned beneath his mask as he swung Kate around in a wide circle. "I'm glad I did. Been here on the island long?"

    "No." Kate really didn't feel like talking. It broke the spell. She just wanted to drift around the room to the glorious strains of the waltz and pretend she was in another world.

    "Diving's terrific around here. You dive?"

    "No. I've never had the opportunity. I wouldn't mind learning, though."

    "The resort provides instruction, if you're interested. Even if you don't want to go the whole route, you could rent a snorkel and mask. The reefs are unbelievable. It's like being inside a saltwater aquarium filled with the most spectacular fish in the world."

    Kate smiled at the man's enthusiasm. "I'll give the snorkeling, at least, a try," she said as they drew to a temporary