The Pirate & The Adventurer & The Cowboy

halt and waited for the music to resume.

    "Do that. I'll be glad to show you the ropes. Unless you're, uh, here with someone special?"

    "No. There's no one special, but I do have a snorkeling instructor lined up."

    "Just my luck. Maybe I could buy you a drink in the bar instead?" the redheaded man persisted.

    "Later, perhaps."

    "The name's Jeff Taylor."

    "Mine is Kate Inskip." She was searching for something else polite to say and wishing the music would start again, when a miniature pirate tugged on her arm. She looked down to see Jared's son, David, in an elaborate costume complete with eye patch and plastic cutlass.

    "Hi, David."

    "Hi, Ms Inskip. You recognized me, huh? I recognized you right away, too. You look great tonight."

    "Thank you. You look pretty sharp yourself."

    David glanced at Jeff Taylor and Kate could have sworn she detected a hint of disapproval in the boy's eye. "Seen Dad, Ms Inskip?"

    "No, I haven't."

    "He's supposed to be around here someplace."

    "I'll keep an eye out for him," Kate promised. The more she got to know David, the better she liked him. They had become instant friends. Twice during the past two days he had turned up to chat with her while she sat on the beach in the shade of an umbrella. He'd settled in next to her for some time this afternoon and rattled on about everything from the small island school he attended to his shell collection. He had even taken her beachcombing, and she'd returned to her room with some lovely specimens.

    Now David seemed disinclined to leave, though he was supposedly looking for his father. The boy eyed Jeff Taylor again. "So," he said, clearing his throat and trying for a nonchalant pose. "You having a good time, Ms Inskip?"

    "I certainly am. Mr. Taylor and I were just talking about the great snorkeling around here."

    "Right," David said quickly. "Remember I'm going to teach you how to snorkel."

    "I wouldn't mind giving her a few lessons," Jeff volunteered.

    "No offense, Mr. Taylor, but you're just a visitor here. I've lived here all my life, and I know the waters around here like the back of my hand."

    "I'm sure you do," Jeff Taylor said diplomatically. "But I'd kind of like to show Ms Inskip some of the places I've discovered on my own."

    "Perhaps after I've had my lessons from David, I could see some of the reef with you, Jeff," Kate said, making her own attempt at diplomacy.

    "My dad could show you the reef," David said quickly. "If you want to snorkel with a grown-up, that is."

    So much for diplomacy. "I'm sure he's a very busy man," Kate murmured.

    She prayed that much was true. More than once during the past two days she had felt a strange tingling sensation at the back of her neck. When she'd turned around, she'd found Jared Hawthorne watching her with a narrowed, intent gaze. It had happened at poolside and two or three times in the restaurant where Jared apparently ate lunch and dinner with his young son. It had also happened again last night in the lounge. She had gone back to her room, aware of an unsettling sensation of being pursued.

    A writer had to work hard to keep her imagination under control, Kate thought.

    "I'll bet he could find the time." The boy glanced at Jeff Taylor again and then back at Kate. "Maybe we should go ahead and set a time for the lessons. How about tomorrow morning?"

    "Well," Kate began hesitantly. Then she saw the anxious look on David's face. "Tomorrow would be fine."

    "Great. It's all settled. Guess I'd better say hello to my friends Travis and Carl. They're here tonight with their parents, along with some other folks I know. They always come to these masquerade parties."

    "That's nice. Do you have a lot of friends here on the island?" Kate asked.

    "Lots," David assured her brightly. "Dad and I know everyone here on Amethyst."

    "I see. I'm sure they're all very nice."

    "Yeah, they are. Well. See you later."

    Kate nodded. "Goodbye, David."

    The boy still looked reluctant to leave her alone with Jeff Taylor, but he finally turned and darted off through the crowd. Jeff chuckled. "I think the kid's got a crush on you."

    "Unfortunately, he's a little young for me."

    "I, on the other hand, would appear to be just about the right age. Shall we try another waltz?"

    For the next hour Kate danced to her heart's content, first with Jeff and then with a very nice middle-aged man who had obviously been wedged into his evening clothes with a shoehorn. After him she found herself in the