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By Root 660 0

that. His life and his job were miles away from this island in the Pacific Northwest. And why would Kate be willing to give her heart to a man who had come to town to destroy her or one of her sisters? She wouldn't be able to forgive someone who hurt her family. Her loyalty ran deep. It was one of the things he loved about her. Not love, he told himself fiercely. Just like. He just really liked her.

"Look, there," Duncan said, pointing to the right.

Tyler got to his feet, stunned to see two incredibly large gray whales just a few feet away. They sliced through the water with power and grace. "Amazing," he murmured. "I didn't realize we could get that close."

"They're used to the boats. They don't pay us much attention."

He saw the joy in Duncan's face. "You love this world, don't you?"

"Every last bit of it. But I won't be back this way for a while. It's time to move on."

"You're going to race down to San Francisco next week?"

"And then on to Hawaii. Maybe," he added, surprising Tyler.

"Maybe? I thought it was a done deal."

"Rick wants the girls onboard. I thought Kate would change her mind. She always came through before." Duncan's voice grew weary. "I guess she's finally given up on me. Hold the tiller, would you?"

"What?"

"Just steer toward those trees. I want to adjust the sails."

Tyler felt awkward with the tiller in his hands. Unlike Duncan, he did not feel comfortable on the water, especially when their progress seemed to be contingent on a couple of pieces of canvas and the stick in his hands. Not exactly high technology. But then this boat had obviously seen better days, much like its owner. They were relics from a past era. They'd never be what they'd once been, but they both had stories to tell. He'd bet his life on that.

"I'll be right back. You're doing fine," Duncan said as he disappeared into the cabin.

Doing fine? What the hell was he doing? He was just holding on to the tiller and hoping he didn't run into anything, but they were away from most of the other boats now, and the islands were getting smaller, too. He'd never realized the Sound was so large, so empty.

A shiver ran down his arms as the wind picked up and the boat suddenly seemed to take off. But the wind disappeared as quickly as it had come. Tyler relaxed as the boat's speed decreased. He liked adrenaline as much as the next guy, but he would have liked it more if he knew what he was doing.

Tyler wondered what the old man was up to. He hoped Duncan didn't have a stash of vodka in a cabinet somewhere. He suspected that was a foolish hope. Duncan didn't seem to keep much distance between himself and a bottle of booze.

Tyler reached into the jacket of his windbreaker for his cell phone. He had Kate's numbers, both the bookstore and house, programmed into the phone. He'd try the bookstore first.

"Fantasia. Can I help you?"

The sound of her voice stirred him in a way he'd never imagined. Instantly he was taken back to the night before, to the soft, breathless words she'd spoken in passion. His body hardened; his muscles tightened. He didn't want to be out on this damn boat. He wanted to be with Kate, making love to her.

"Is anyone there?" she asked.

"It's me, Tyler," he said quickly, realizing she was about to hang up.

"What? Tyler? I can't hear you."

"I wanted to make sure you were all right," he said loudly. "I wanted to say good-bye to you this morning, but I didn't want to wake you."

"I can't hear you, Tyler. Is everything okay?"

"It's fine."

"Tyler? Are you there?"

He sighed, knowing she couldn't hear him. They were too far out, and getting farther away by the minute. He'd thought this would just be a nice little sail around the island, but Duncan seemed to have other plans. "I'll call you later. I miss you, Kate. I wish you could hear that." Maybe it was better that she couldn't.

Tyler closed the phone and slipped it back into his pocket. That's when he realized that Duncan was standing at the top of the