The Pirate & The Adventurer & The Cowboy

you want to fight occasionally, I'll fight with you. I'm an accommodating man, Kate."

    "Gee, thanks."

    "There's just one thing you ought to know before you launch too many more battles."

    "What's that?"

    "You can't end any of them by getting on a plane and flying home."

    "Who's going to stop me?" As usual, she could not resist rising to the bait.

    Jared smiled slowly in the shadows. "Take a wild guess." He kissed her again, straightened and walked out the door.

EIGHT

    « ^ »

    K ate surfaced, pushed back her mask and snorkel and laughed up at Jeff Taylor, who stood in the water beside her. "This is great," she said. "I could get used to doing this every morning before going to work."

    "If you think this is good, you should try the diving." He indicated his gear on the beach. "Fantastic. I'm going out in a while. Going to do a little underwater photography."

    Kate nodded as she started toward shore. "It sounds fascinating." She wondered if she could write off the expense of diving lessons if she used the information in a book.

    That thought unfortunately only served to remind her that soon she would be returning to Seattle. She tried to push the unwelcome realization aside as she walked up onto the beach. She halted beside Jeff's diving gear, eyeing the yellow-and-black wet suit.

    "Do you need a suit for diving in these warm waters?"

    Jeff nodded, picking up a towel. "You do when you're going to be in the water for a long time. Any water, no matter how warm, saps your body heat after a while."

    "Who will you be diving with today?"

    "No one. I go by myself."

    "Aren't you supposed to always dive with a buddy?" Kate dried her hair with the towel.

    "Technically. But I know what I'm doing in the water and I prefer to go down by myself. I don't take stupid chances. Do me a favor, though, and don't tell the resort management I dive alone, okay? Someone is almost bound to feel obligated to give me a lecture on the subject of diving safety, and I hate lectures."

    Kate smiled. "I won't mention it. Be careful, though."

    "I'm always careful."

    "Have a good dive and thanks for joining me this morning." She draped her towel around her neck, turned and waved as she started up the beach.

    "Maybe I'll catch up with you later in the bar," Jeff called.

    "Maybe."

    A few minutes later Kate halted at the top of the path and looked back. Jeff was busy adjusting his wet suit. She waited awhile longer and watched as he strapped on the rest of his gear and finally slipped into the water. He disappeared at once. The whole business looked like a lot of fun, Kate decided. If she lived here on Amethyst, she would definitely learn how to dive.

    But she did not live here on the island, and somehow she couldn't work up a lot of interest in diving back home in the cold, dark waters of Puget Sound. She had gotten accustomed to warm, clear, turquoise seas.

    You can't have everything , Kate reminded herself. The affair with Jared would eventually end and she would be left with real-life memories to match her dreams. There were a lot of women who never even got that much.

    She was contemplating the dismal prospect of returning home alone when she rounded a corner into the hotel gardens and nearly collided with Max Butterfield.

    "I beg your pardon," Kate apologized quickly and hurriedly stepped back. She looked with chagrin at the damp spots she had left on Max's pristine white shirt.

    "Please don't concern yourself." Max fastidiously brushed his shirt and then the white pants. He was obviously not pleased with the wet patches she had left behind, but he managed a gracious smile. "Should have been watching where I was going. Been swimming, I see?"

    "Yes. Great morning for it. But then, I guess all the mornings around here are pretty terrific, aren't they?"

    "Endless paradise," Max said, glancing over her shoulder and out to sea. "Hard to believe one could ever actually tire of it, isn't it? Would you care to join me for a cup of coffee on the pool terrace, Ms Inskip? We can talk shop. It's been a long time since I conversed with a fellow writer. One tends to lose touch."

    Kate hesitated and then nodded, unable to think of a suitable excuse. "All right. That sounds nice. Thank you."

    They made their way through the open lobby to the tiled terrace that surrounded the pool. A waiter in sunglasses took their order and returned with a silver pot of coffee, two croissants and a Bloody Mary for Max.

    "When did you first come out