The Pirate & The Adventurer & The Cowboy Read Online Free PDF Page A
Author: Jayne Ann Krentz
Tags: english eBooks
was only 10:00 p.m. She had been asleep for several hours but not all night. What she really ought to do was go straight back to bed. Unfortunately she felt wide awake and hungry.
She turned her head and was transfixed by the view of moonlight on water that filled the screened opening on the far side of the room. Fascinated, she crossed the cool bare floors and stood staring out at the silvered sea. Palm fronds rustled softly on the other side of the screen. The fragrance of the night filled her head, and images danced in her brain.
With very little effort she could envision a tall-masted sailing ship in the cove and hear the shouts of its rough crew as it went to work unloading the captured cargo.
She could almost see the figure of the captain. He would be tall and broad shouldered with a lean, strong body and a harshly etched face. High cheekbones, gray eyes and thick, dark hair. Perhaps a bit of silver in the hair for character, Kate decided. Ever since she herself had passed thirty, she'd noticed her heroes had started showing hints of gray in their hair.
A rumble in the region of her stomach reminded her that she hadn't eaten in over twelve hours. Reluctantly Kate turned away from the screened wall and found a light switch.
The room was surprisingly pleasant, she had to admit as she surveyed the spacious suite. The rattan and wicker furniture with its flower-spattered cushions looked comfortable and appropriate in a way it never did when she looked at the stuff in the import shops in Seattle. The dreaded ceiling fan was spinning lazily overhead, coaxing the balmy breezes into the room. There was even a private veranda on the other side of the screen.
It wasn't really so bad.
All in all, Kate decided, she might be able to get through the next four weeks, providing she didn't expire from boredom. Maybe she could entertain herself by working on characters for her next novel. After all, the setting alone should provide inspiration.
Cheered by that thought, she rummaged through her suitcases until she found a jungle print blouse and a pair of khaki slacks. She could only hope that the Crystal Cove restaurant would still be open at this hour. She was starving.
She opened the door of her room and found herself on a narrow, torch-lit path that wound through a garden past other guest-room doors. She followed the gravel walk through lush, heavy-leafed foliage until she came to a small lagoon. Here the path turned and traced the edge of the water until it reached the wide, open-air lobby of the resort.
Lights, laughter, music and a number of hotel guests dressed in flowered shirts and colorful muu-muus assured Kate she had come to the right place.
She was about to cross the narrow bridge over the lagoon when a small, dark-haired figure dressed in jeans and a T-shirt darted out of a clump of ferns and collided with her.
"Oops, sorry." The boy, who looked to be about nine years old, stepped back instantly and peered up at her. "Didn't mean to run into you like that. I was chasin' my friend, Carl. You okay, ma'am?"
"I'm fine," Kate assured him, aware there was something familiar about the youngster. This time she didn't have to rack her brain for the answer. She smiled. "I'll bet I know who you are."
"Yeah?" The boy looked immediately intrigued. "How much?"
"I beg your pardon?" Kate said in confusion.
"How much do you want to bet?" the boy clarified patiently.
"Good grief, it was just a figure of speech."
"You don't want to bet?" The boy appeared disappointed.
"Well, I suppose I could go as far as a quarter, since I'm so sure I know who you are."
"A quarter? That's nothing."
"Fifty cents?" This was getting ridiculous, Kate decided.
"Okay. You've got a bet." The boy grinned. "Who am I?"
"Are you by any chance related to Jared Hawthorne?"
The slashing grin was a mirror image of Jared's. "He's my dad." There was a wealth of pride in the statement. He immediately dug two quarters out of his
She turned her head and was transfixed by the view of moonlight on water that filled the screened opening on the far side of the room. Fascinated, she crossed the cool bare floors and stood staring out at the silvered sea. Palm fronds rustled softly on the other side of the screen. The fragrance of the night filled her head, and images danced in her brain.
With very little effort she could envision a tall-masted sailing ship in the cove and hear the shouts of its rough crew as it went to work unloading the captured cargo.
She could almost see the figure of the captain. He would be tall and broad shouldered with a lean, strong body and a harshly etched face. High cheekbones, gray eyes and thick, dark hair. Perhaps a bit of silver in the hair for character, Kate decided. Ever since she herself had passed thirty, she'd noticed her heroes had started showing hints of gray in their hair.
A rumble in the region of her stomach reminded her that she hadn't eaten in over twelve hours. Reluctantly Kate turned away from the screened wall and found a light switch.
The room was surprisingly pleasant, she had to admit as she surveyed the spacious suite. The rattan and wicker furniture with its flower-spattered cushions looked comfortable and appropriate in a way it never did when she looked at the stuff in the import shops in Seattle. The dreaded ceiling fan was spinning lazily overhead, coaxing the balmy breezes into the room. There was even a private veranda on the other side of the screen.
It wasn't really so bad.
All in all, Kate decided, she might be able to get through the next four weeks, providing she didn't expire from boredom. Maybe she could entertain herself by working on characters for her next novel. After all, the setting alone should provide inspiration.
Cheered by that thought, she rummaged through her suitcases until she found a jungle print blouse and a pair of khaki slacks. She could only hope that the Crystal Cove restaurant would still be open at this hour. She was starving.
She opened the door of her room and found herself on a narrow, torch-lit path that wound through a garden past other guest-room doors. She followed the gravel walk through lush, heavy-leafed foliage until she came to a small lagoon. Here the path turned and traced the edge of the water until it reached the wide, open-air lobby of the resort.
Lights, laughter, music and a number of hotel guests dressed in flowered shirts and colorful muu-muus assured Kate she had come to the right place.
She was about to cross the narrow bridge over the lagoon when a small, dark-haired figure dressed in jeans and a T-shirt darted out of a clump of ferns and collided with her.
"Oops, sorry." The boy, who looked to be about nine years old, stepped back instantly and peered up at her. "Didn't mean to run into you like that. I was chasin' my friend, Carl. You okay, ma'am?"
"I'm fine," Kate assured him, aware there was something familiar about the youngster. This time she didn't have to rack her brain for the answer. She smiled. "I'll bet I know who you are."
"Yeah?" The boy looked immediately intrigued. "How much?"
"I beg your pardon?" Kate said in confusion.
"How much do you want to bet?" the boy clarified patiently.
"Good grief, it was just a figure of speech."
"You don't want to bet?" The boy appeared disappointed.
"Well, I suppose I could go as far as a quarter, since I'm so sure I know who you are."
"A quarter? That's nothing."
"Fifty cents?" This was getting ridiculous, Kate decided.
"Okay. You've got a bet." The boy grinned. "Who am I?"
"Are you by any chance related to Jared Hawthorne?"
The slashing grin was a mirror image of Jared's. "He's my dad." There was a wealth of pride in the statement. He immediately dug two quarters out of his
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