They’d sat this way hundreds of times before, but now their proximity felt awkward, and having his arm casually resting there seemed all wrong. He felt it, too; Kate could sense his tension. He was wounded and angry at her betrayal. She didn’t deserve his kindness or his compassion, and the fact that he was offering both right now, when she needed them most and deserved them least, made her feel so ashamed that she bent her head and tears gathered in her eyes. Max laid his big head on her knee, his unblinking, adoring gaze on her face, and she reached out to scratch his head while two tears ran down her cheeks. It belatedly dawned on Kate that she hadn’t even given Evan the courtesy of an apology, and she swallowed twice, trying to drag her voice through the knot of emotion in her throat. ’m sorry,” she whispered.
know you are.”
Wishing desperately she had a tissue, Kate felt in her purse, but there were none in there. His duffel was on the seat beside her, and she reached for the zipper on it while tears began streaking in earnest from her eyes. “Do you have tissues or a handkerchief or something I could use in here?”
think so,” Evan replied. it over to me and I’ll look.”
’t bother,” she said, already tugging on the zipper. ’ll do it—”
’t open—” Evan said, but it was too late.
Lying atop all the neatly packed masculine apparel in Evan’s duffel was a thick, square, robin’s egg blue Tiffany box tied with a cream ribbon. It was a ring box.
Kate stared at it through a fresh haze of tears, and for the second time in less than an hour, she covered her face and wept.
He hesitated, and then he lowered his arm around her shaking shoulders and curved his hand around her arm, drawing her close so she could weep against his chest. should be the one comforting you,” Kate whispered brokenly.
’m beyond comforting,” he whispered.
hate myself,” she said fiercely.
He thought about that for a moment. hate you, too,” he said, but there was a smile in his voice.
Kate closed her eyes. She couldn’t let herself think about Mitchell yet or she would shatter. Exhausted from the turmoil, and the struggle to keep thoughts of him at bay, she dozed as the old taxi jolted and bumped along the short distance to the airport.
When she opened her eyes, she found that Evan had taken her hand in his and he was holding it. up, we’re here,” he said, and took his hand away. While she was sleeping, he’d slid the dazzling diamond solitaire from Tiffany’s on her ring finger. Kate stared at it and started to shake her head. can’t—”
is what I’m ‘proposing.’ ” Evan clarified, need some time to get past what’s happened, and so do you. In the meantime, I suggest we announce our engagement in the newspaper.”
?”
He leaned close and whispered, , for one thing, that ring will look very nice with whatever gown you wear to the Children’s Hospital benefit Saturday night. We’re one of the sponsors.”
Kate looked at him in stupefaction as he took his arm away and reached into his pocket to pay the cab fare. ’s theother thing?”
Wyatt family will be there. Now,” he continued conversationally as he counted out money, don’t know about you, but if I were in your place, I’d like it if Mitchell Wyatt was forced to realize thathe’d been used—”
as what?” Kate asked bitterly.
He slanted her a sideways smile tinged with just a little regret. “Yourlast fling.”
Chapter Twenty-nine
BY FIVE-THIRTY, THEtide of tourists on the streets around Captain Hodges Wharf was receding rapidly. Cruise ship passengers, carrying bags of duty-free bounty, were heading back to departing ships, and tourists staying on the island were returning to their hotels to nap before a long night of dining, gambling, and nightclubbing.
In a parked car, MacNeil phoned Gray Elliott to report again on Wyatt’s whereabouts. ’s still hanging around the wharf,” MacNeil said. ’s the bad news. The good news is, I just checked with our contact at the airport. He said Wyatt’s plane is on the ramp at the hangar, fueled up and ready to fly. His pilots are waiting in the lounge, drinking coffee. So he’s planning to leave soon.”
right, stay in touch,” Gray replied. is on standby, prepared to conduct simultaneous searches of his apartments in Europe, but I can’t give them the go-ahead until Wyatt’s plane is in the air. Otherwise, I run the risk that some doorman or housekeeper will phone him, and he’ll figure outhe’s the subject of our investigation. He has a telephone in the plane, but I don’t think he’d give that number to underlings and domestics.”
’ll call you as soon as he’s on the move,” MacNeil said.
As MacNeil lowered his phone, Childress raised the camera and focused on Wyatt for another quick shot. guy is a chick magnet,” Childress remarked a little wistfully, watching through the camera’s eye as a pretty blonde strolled into the frame.
me,” a female voice said. you tell me what time it is?”
’s five-thirty,” Mitchell replied without looking at his watch or the woman. He’d just checked the time, and his attention was now fastened on a new boat appearing on the horizon.
As the boat grew larger, it appeared to be about the right size and moving at about the right speed for a tourist boat. St. Maarten’s coastline was dotted with marinas and wharfs, however, and most boats coming over the horizon appeared to be headed in his general direction at first, so Mitchell kept a tight rein on his expectations. A few minutes later, the boat was still angled toward Captain Hodges Wharf, and Mitchell’s pulse began edging up, notch by notch, while his gaze fastened on the boat’s bow, willing it not to change direction.
The boat came nearer, grew larger, and Mitchell began searching for a glimpse of shining red hair among the blur of passengers on deck. A few minutes later, theIsland Sun had docked and the last passenger had filed past him. Mitchell returned to his vantage point on the other side of the wharf and scanned the horizon for signs of another inbound tourist boat. Obviously the boyfriend’s flight had been delayed, and he’d arrived an hour or two late, which was delaying Kate.
Smiling a little, he marveled, yet again, that neither he nor Kate had thought to exchange cell phone numbers. In the hours before she left this morning, they’d shared a sunrise, laughter, several stories, long kisses, and the most exciting, profoundly satisfying lovemaking of his life. They had not, however, shared their phone numbers—which wasn’t all that surprising on his part, Mitchell thought wryly, because he’d lost the ability and the desire to concentrate on anything else when she was near.