The Pirate & The Adventurer & The Cowboy

nice swim in the cove? Dave, take her swimming."

    "Sure thing, Dad."

    Kate smiled slightly at David. "No, thanks, Dave. Maybe some other time. I think I'll go back to my room for a while."

    "Good idea. Have a nice nap or something," Jared said. He grabbed hold of the railing and helped his men lock it into place. "You must be exhausted after all the excitement last night."

    Kate watched him for a moment. Then she looked down at David, who was studying her anxiously. "See you later, Dave. Thanks again for the drawing." She turned and walked off the terrace.

    The colonel was setting out sparkling glasses on the bar as she went through the lounge. Letty was helping him.

    "Morning, Kate," Letty called. "Finished chewing Jared out for not telling you about what was going on up at the castle?"

    "Yes. I'm finished."

    "Well, I want you to know I'm on your side in this. Men. They think they should make all the decisions and keep the ladies in the dark. For their own good, of course."

    "Now, just one minute," the colonel interrupted. "Jared was doing a favor for a government man and he had been told to keep his mouth shut. He couldn't tell Kate what was going on. He couldn't tell anyone, not even me. Give the man a little credit. He was doing what he had to do. How could he have known Butterfield had turned bad? No one knew. I heard what the government man who came over with Sam Finley this morning told Jared. He said Butterfield had always been useful and they'd never had cause to suspect him."

    "Naturally you'd take Jared's side in all this," Letty said. "You're a man. Seems to me that if Kate hadn't gone up to the castle with the Hawthorne dagger, Jared might have been worse off than he already was. You can't tell me that dagger wasn't very useful."

    "Excuse me," Kate murmured. "I have to be on my way. I've got a lot to do this afternoon before Hank leaves for Ruby." She gave both the colonel and Letty a fleeting smile and headed for the door.

    "Oh, my goodness," Letty breathed. "Did you hear that, Colonel?"

    Satisfied, Kate did not linger to hear the colonel's response. She slipped out the door and into the gardens, heading for her room.

    Ten minutes later Kate had all her suitcases open on the bed. She started taking clothes out of the closet.

    There were some risks a woman had to take, she told herself as she worked. And if she failed, then she failed. It was better to know the truth than to live on in false hope.

    By noon, Kate had to face the fact that Jared was not going to come pounding on her door demanding that she stay on the island. Perhaps he hadn't yet heard she was leaving. Or perhaps he simply didn't care.

    When she went into the restaurant for lunch she discovered it was already filled with cruise-ship people who were thoroughly enjoying the stopover on Amethyst. She wandered past the gift shop and saw that it, too, was crowded. The colonel was swamped in the bar and the extra seating on the terrace was jammed. Snorkelers and swimmers swarmed down on the beach and the resort Jeeps were busying ferrying people into town for souvenir hunting.

    Obviously the owner of Crystal Cove Resort had more important things on his mind today than whether one particular guest was getting ready to fly home.

    Kate ate her lunch in a leisurely fashion, chatting with the waitress and the rest of the staff. Jared was nowhere to be seen. When she wandered out into the lobby she was greeted by Lani and Jim at the front desk. They looked stunned when she asked for her bill so that she could settle it.

    "You're leaving? Today?"

    "On the afternoon plane to Ruby," Kate explained as she signed her name on the credit card slip.

    "Jared never said anything," Jim said uneasily.

    "He may not have heard yet." Kate smiled as she handed back the slip. "He's got a lot on his mind today."

    "That's for sure." Jim glanced at Lani, who gave a small, helpless shrug. "We're going to miss you around here."

    "A lot," Lani said, her dark eyes wistful. "Things have been much more interesting around here since you showed up. It just won't seem the same after you leave."

    "I've had a wonderful time, but all good things must come to an end."

    "Would you do me a favor and autograph your book for me?" Lani whipped out a copy of Buccaneer's Bride from behind the desk. "I just loved it."

    "Of course." Kate scrawled her name and best wishes inside and handed the book back. "Thanks for asking." She turned away from the desk and walked