Mystery in the Moonlight Read Free

so besotted with a man. People certainly acted like being in love was fun. Perhaps she should think more seriously on that topic, instead of daydreaming about pirates and imagining romantic adventures. Wasn’t that what Babs wanted her to do? Maybe it was time that the skinny tomboy still hiding within Caitlin grew up to be woman—whenever she got the opportunity to do so, of course.
    Staring around at the nearly empty bar, however, Caitlin concluded that that opportunity wasn’t going to occur very soon. And, unlike Babs, she was unwilling to focus all her attention on the subject, to spend her time getting ready for a future event. In the meantime, why not enjoy the scenery?
    Making that final decision, Caitlin sipped at her soda and allowed her eyes to focus once more on the liquid palette of the sea. The water was far more than a simple blue, ranging as it did from vivid indigo to azure and turquoise, the shades changing with water depth and the height of the sun, eventually blending into spellbinding tints of green in the shallows. Thinking of spells, Caitlin half closed her eyes, whimsically trying to conjure up the scene she’d imagined before. But the misty outlines of ghostly ships soon dissipated with the sound of an outboard motor.
    It wasn’t a Spanish galleon or a pirate sloop that now approached the island’s marina, but a small, noisy boat bearing the Lewis family, complete with four noisy children of various ages. They comprised the six other travelers staying on Hibiscus.
    As the family clambered onto the dock, Caitlin drank the rest of her soda and noticed the lengthening shadows of the palms. She must have been sitting there for more than an hour, although it had seemed like only minutes. The island’s magic made her forget about time. She should go back to the bungalow and change into a dress for dinner at the Caribbee Longhouse, the island’s dining room. Not that such a formality was required or that anyone would notice; Babs simply thought a dress was more attractive, feminine apparel for a young lady to wear, and she’d convinced Caitlin to go along with her.
    “How about a cold beer?”
    The deep masculine voice was unfamiliar. Turning in her chair, Caitlin saw a tall stranger leaning against the bar. Wearing faded jeans and an old striped T-shirt, the man was trim and hard, his skin tanned to a bronze color, his thick brown hair bleached by the sun.
    “You don’t have to pour it. I’ll do it myself,” the stranger gruffly told Basil, taking the beer bottle and glass from the bartender. “Thanks.”
    Who was he and where had he come from? Caitlin wondered, taking in the stranger’s longish hair, beard, and straight blade of a nose. Obviously he was used to spending a lot of time outdoors, possibly working at some kind of physical labor—probably giving orders rather than taking them, she thought. The man didn’t resemble the usual tourist. Caitlin squinted. He looked more like a professional sailor…a seafaring soldier of fortune…or even a pirate…
    Pirate! She’d exercised her imagination too well, and now it had run wild. Caitlin shook her head, chuckling with amusement.
    “People are getting jovial early. Too many rum punches?”
    Was the strange man talking about her? Peering over at him, she was stunned when she met the intensity of his unsmiling, speculative gaze. His green eyes glowed fiercely against the bronze of his lean, high-cheekboned face. Blushing, Caitlin quickly looked away.
    “People are happy on Hibiscus Island,” Basil replied. “They don’t need rum punch for laughter.”
    The stranger didn’t speak again. Leaning back against the bar, he sipped his drink. Braving another glance in his direction, Caitlin was relieved to see that he now was observing Tom and Marilyn.
    Nervously she fingered her glass. What would she have done if the man had said more? Would she have been able to talk to him? Probably not. He looked much too sexy, the type of man that