The Pirate & The Adventurer & The Cowboy

with you, dammit. That gives me some rights. I demand an explanation, Jared."

    "Well, you're not going to get it, so you might as well calm down. The only thing you are going to get is my personal guarantee that what I'm doing is legal. You are also going to get a few strict instructions. From now on, you stay way from the castle."

    "I could try cornering Max Butterfield and asking him what's going on." It was a weak threat, but it was all Kate had.

    "Max left the island yesterday afternoon."

    That stopped her for a second, but only a second. "I could tell Letty or the colonel what I've seen."

    "Go ahead. They'll come straight to me and I'll tell them everything's under control. That will satisfy them. You'll just wind up making yourself look foolish."

    "Because as long as you're in charge, everything's just hunky-dory here on AmethystIsland, is that it? I don't believe this."

    "Believe it." Jared set down his cup and leaned back in the leather chair. "It's the way things work around here."

    "So I've been told." Kate massaged her temples and tried to clear her head. "This is crazy."

    "Can't you trust me, Kate?" Jared asked gently.

    "That's unfair," she snapped. "You know if the situation was reversed, you'd jump on me with both feet, demanding explanations."

    "Only because I'd be worried about you getting yourself into trouble."

    "Okay, so I'm worried about you."

    He smiled grimly and put his feet up on the desk. "There's no need. I've been taking care of myself for a long time."

    "Jared, I don't like this. You've been living out here beyond the reach of civilization for so long that you're starting to think you're a law unto yourself, the way Roger Hawthorne thought he was."

    "Not quite. I haven't started locking people up in dungeons yet."

    "That's not very funny. Roger did that?"

    "Sure. He was the only law on the island and the bunch that worked for him was rough, to put it mildly. He occasionally needed a dungeon, so he had one built at the bottom of those stairs you were exploring this morning."

    "That little cell? That's some sort of dungeon?" Kate's eyes widened. "I knew it. But there's more down there than just that barred room. I know there is. I saw the way the footprints just disappear near the wall."

    "Did you?" He eyed her speculatively.

    "There's something else down there, Jared."

    "Yeah. There is. But it's got nothing to do with you. One of these days, I'll show you the whole place, honey, but not today. Not for a couple more weeks, at least. Until I give you the word, you are not going to set foot on the castle path."

    "You can't stop me from going wherever I want to go."

    "Yes, I can. Here on Amethyst, I can do just about anything I want."

    She stared at him for a long, measuring moment and knew he was right. "You really mean that, don't you? You really think you can give me orders and make me obey them."

    "Kate," he said wearily, "even if you went back to the castle, you wouldn't see anything more than you did this morning. There's nothing more to see except a few other empty rooms."

    "Then why can't I go there and explore to my heart's content?"

    "Because it's unsafe, that's why. I've told you that."

    "It's more than just structurally unsafe, isn't it? Whatever you're involved in there is dangerous. I know it is."

    Jared swung his feet down from the desk, his eyes narrowing. "Look, I've had enough of this. Whether you like it or not, I'm the boss around here. Hawthorne castle belongs to me. That makes it private property. I don't want you anywhere near it and that's final."

    "And you really don't feel you owe me any explanations at all?" she asked in stunned, helpless disbelief.

    "Just because I'm sleeping with you? No."

    Kate looked at his implacable face and realized further argument was useless. Furious, she went to the door and yanked it open. "You arrogant, overbearing, dictatorial, son of a… You know something, Jared Hawthorne? You're no better than your ancestor. You're just a twentieth-century pirate who thinks he's lord of all he surveys."

    She slammed the door on her way out When she was safely back in her room, she cried for the first time since Harry had walked out the door.

    On that occasion she had been feeling hurt and humiliated and very much a failure. This time it was much worse. This time she was afraid her heart might break.

SEVEN

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    J ared walked into the nearly empty bar that afternoon and realized immediately that the news of his