The Pirate & The Adventurer & The Cowboy

mine. I did not dream such unbearable joy existed. I know I should not have allowed him such liberties, but I vow I was helpless to resist him. It seems I have loved Roger forever, and at long last he is discovering he loves me. Surely he loves me. He is too much the gentleman to have kissed me otherwise. I am in heaven as of this moment. I cannot wait until he makes an offer for me.

    "Uh-oh," Letty said. "Let me guess what happened next. The rogue left England and poor Amelia never got her offer."

    "Afraid not. Hawthorne didn't actually seduce her, but he certainly got passionate on a number of occasions and led her to believe he was going to ask for her hand in marriage. Then, without any warning, he ups and leaves the country without a word of explanation and doesn't return for three years. Amelia was devastated. Cried inconsolably for days."

    "Poor girl."

    "She turned out to be the feisty type, though. When she finally recovered from her heartbreak she was determined never to give her heart to another man. She scorned all offers of marriage, though her family pleaded and threatened when she turned down one eligible male after another."

    "She'd really had it with men, hmm? Can't say that I blame her. Why did Roger Hawthorne leave England so suddenly?"

    "I don't know yet. Amelia just says he split without bothering to say goodbye. He was a second son and so couldn't inherit. I expect he decided to go off and make his fortune as a pirate, and the thought that poor Amelia would get her heart broken didn't occur to him."

    "Or didn't bother him too much if it did occur to him. Typical male in many respects."

    "I'm at the part now where he's just returned. Amelia has found out he's in London and that he's asked her father for her hand in marriage. Apparently he's quite wealthy now and society is willing to overlook the little matter of how he got so rich. Amelia writes that her parents are delighted with the offer. But she refuses to even see him. Says she is not about to trust him with her heart a second time. Can't wait to see what happens next."

    "Well, we can guess, given the fact that the legend says he eventually kidnapped her and brought her back here."

    Kate closed the book. "Something tells me she put up a good fight. She's really furious with him at this point."

    "Maybe her relationship with Roger went the same way your relationship with Jared is going. I must tell you, Kate, we are all having a great time watching you two."

    "I can tell. I feel as if I'm conducting a relationship inside a goldfish bowl."

    "You don't know how good it is to see Jared getting involved emotionally at long last. He's been alone with only David for too many years. He needs a wife."

    Kate stirred uneasily. "Come on, Letty. You know as well as I do that the kind of thing Jared and I have is probably going to end the day I catch my plane home."

    Letty smiled complacently. "If Jared takes after Roger Hawthorne as much as I think he does, he won't let you get on that plane."

    "He can't stop me," Kate said automatically.

    Letty chuckled without opening her eyes. "Don't be ridiculous. Jared all but owns this island. He can do anything he wants around here. Just ask anyone."

    Kate thought about Jared's midnight treks to the Hawthorne castle and went cold. What if Letty was right, she wondered. What if Jared really did run this island as if it were his own personal kingdom? What if the power he wielded around here had gone to his head and he had gotten involved in something dangerous or outside the law?

    Her imagination was running wild, she told herself. "Letty, what do you know about Max Butterfield?"

    "Max?" Letty opened one eye. "Not a lot. But then there isn't a lot to know. He's been out here forever. He's the kind of guy who imagines himself to be another Hemingway and does a good enough job with the booze, but not an equally good job with the writing. Why? Did old Max make a pass?"

"No. I was just curious." She was about to ask another question when Jared's voice interrupted.

    "There you are, Kate." He walked up behind Kate and leaned down to drop a hard, possessive kiss on her forehead. "I've been looking for you. Hi, Letty, how's it going?"

    "Just fine, Jared. Kate has been filling me in on all the details from Amelia Cavendish's diary. It's about time someone read it cover to cover."

    "I tried once, but I didn't get far. Pretty dull going. Roger's journals and log are a lot more interesting." Jared dropped