They reached Mitchell’s chartered boat, and Kate’s attention turned to the task of getting Max aboard. me get on first,” she said. Taking the captain’s outstretched hand, she stepped off the dock into the boat’s stern; then she turned and patted the side of her leg as she had before. on, Max,” she called.

Max backed up, body trembling with fright, but just as Kate decided they would have to lift him aboard, he gave a giant leap forward and landed against her legs, knocking her into the captain, who grabbed her arms to steady her.

far, this has been easier than I expected,” Mitchell remarked, stepping down into the boat.

onyou, not me,” Kate laughed, dusting dog hair off her jeans.

Mitchell chuckled at her quip and walked over to the railing to stand beside her, trapping the dog between them. The captain started the engine and Mitchell angled sideways, idly watching her long ponytail shifting in the breeze as the pier slid away and the boat picked up speed.

are you staring at me?” she asked.

Mitchell was staring at her because she had the greenest eyes, the smoothest skin, and the most beautiful mouth of any woman he’d ever known. And, if her tender devotion to a stray mongrel was any indication, she also had the softest heart. He was thoroughly enchanted with all her attributes except the last one. For some reason, that one made him feel vaguely, inexplicably uneasy. was thinking that you have a beautiful smile,” he replied, then he turned toward the railing and leaned his forearms on it, watching the boat’s churning wake spread into a wide V.

The unexpected compliment filled Kate with pleasure, but since he hadn’t sounded entirely pleased—or convincing—when he answered her question, she decided not to reply.

Ten minutes later, as they neared St. Maarten, the captain finally broke the silence. either of you folks fans of Zack Benedict, the movie actor?” he called.

When Mitchell said nothing, Kate looked over her shoulder at the captain. ’m a huge fan of his.”

’s Benedict’s boat over there,” the captain told her, pointing off to the left at a gleaming white motor yacht riding at anchor inside the harbor. ’s called theJulie. ”

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it’s named after his wife,” Kate explained to Mitchell as she admired the graceful lines of her favorite movie star’s boat.

tourists told me they saw Benedict aboard this morning, reading a newspaper,” the captain provided. you want me to take you over there? I can get you in real close, and you could get a look at him if he’s on deck.”

,” Mitchell said emphatically at the same time Kate said politely, thank you.”

Startled by his forceful reply, Kate looked curiously at him. aren’t a Zack Benedict fan?”

His brow furrowed and an inexplicable smile edged his mouth while he appeared to give her question grave consideration. can’t, in good conscience, describe myself to you as Zack Benedict’s fan,” he said finally. ,” he added, ’d be interested in hearing why you’re such a ‘huge fan’ of his.”

Kate thought he was being condescending, but she refused to back down from her statement. admire him even more as a person than as a movie star,” she explained very firmly. thought he was ultramacho when he escaped from prison a few years ago and took Julie Mathison hostage, but women all over the world fell madly in love with him when he forgave her for leading him into a trap and getting him recaptured. When he went back to the small town she lived in and asked her to marry him, half the women in America were in tears when they saw the newsclips of how he did it.”

you in tears?” Mitchell asked, turning fully toward her.

course.”

sound like a hopeless romantic.”

probably am,” she admitted.

betrayed him,” Mitchell reminded her. the real murderer hadn’t been found, Zack Benedict would still be rotting in prison because he trusted her when he escaped and she betrayed him.”

aren’t very forgiving, are you?”

’s just say I’m not a romantic.”

Although he sounded very sure of that, as Kate looked at his handsome face, she considered some of his actions the night before and arrived at her own conclusion. Smiling a little, she turned away from him and gazed at Zack Benedict’s yacht instead.

was that all about?” he asked with amused curiosity.

was deciding for myself whether you’re a romantic.”

did you decide?”

think you are.”

you think you can tell things about me by looking into my eyes?”

Kate nodded in the affirmative, but her answer was a little shaky. really, really hope so.”

Mitchell suppressed a grin at her uneasy tone and toyed with the idea of surprising her tomorrow by taking her aboard Zack’s boat and explaining that he knew both Zack and Julie well, and that he liked Julie. At the moment, however, he wasn’t inclined to say anything that would lead to a prolonged discussion of her favorite romantic hero, and he didn’t want to commit himself to any plan other than going to bed with her.

Chapter Fifteen

VET’S OFFICEis a few blocks from here,” Mitchell said as he helped her off the boat at Captain Hodges Wharf in Philipsburg, a bustling, picturesque little town on the Dutch side of St. Maarten. “We could walk there easily, but with your suitcase and the dog, we’ll be better off with a taxi.”

’re probably right—” Kate began, but her cell phone rang and she paused to take it out of her purse and look at the caller’s name. need to take this phone call. I left a message for a business associate to call me at this number.”

’ll take the dog and your suitcase and find a taxi,” Mitchell said, already walking toward the street.

Kate put the phone to her ear and covered her other ear with her hand, but there was so much background noise from street traffic and boat motors that she finally took the phone away from her ear and turned the volume all the way up. couldn’t hear you before, Louis, but I can hear you now. Did anything happen yesterday that I should know about?”

Following slowly behind Mitchell, Kate listened to Louis Kellard go over one day’s events at the restaurant: The vegetable supplier had delivered only half their order, and the featured evening entr had to be changed partway through the night; the bartender had refused to serve any more liquor to an inebriated customer who made a scene and had to be escorted out; this morning his attorney had called, threatening to sue the restaurant for causing embarrassment to his client; the wine cellar needed to be replenished before Kate returned . . .




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