Chapter One

Jen Quintal slung her purse over her shoulder and tucked a stray curl behind her ear. The day was done, finally. She grimaced at the folder of dreaded employee rosters on the desk. She then snatched them up and hugged the despised things tightly to her chest. Well, the day was almost over.

Hurrying out of the quiet hush of her office, she opened the door and blinked at the sudden explosion of noise outside. After the monotony of a long and boring day in the office, the hustle and bustle of a busy evening in Bounty’s Retreat Hotel put a smile on her face in an instant.

Guests meandered through the large, naturally lit foyer—most heading out toward the poolside deck and some going straight into the restaurant. The sounds of the Island music group filled the air. Their drums setting a rapid pace and ukulele’s strumming furiously, competing tunefully with the pure voice of Polynesian song. Humming to the familiar tune, Jen dropped her bag and folder on the reception desk and leaned over the counter to watch the fun.

Grinning as she watched a guest being dragged up by a grass-skirted hula dancer, she stifled a giggle as the dancer attempted to show the sunburned guest how to wiggle his hips. Oblivious to the good-hearted laughs from the crowd, he was giving it his best shot, a frown of concentration on his face as he stiffly undulated. The petite and beautiful female dancer said something in his ear, and the man flushed. His sunburned face turned an even more fiery red. He bowed to the crowd, and they burst into a round of applause as he returned to his seat and the next victim led onto the dance floor.

This is the reason I love this job, she thought as she gazed enviously out at the pool deck. The guests. Seeing a relaxed and happy smile on their faces. Knowing I’ve done my bit to ensure their holiday is the best experience they could have. She grimaced down at the paperwork tucked into the folder. If I didn’t have to see another roster or requisition form from the kitchen, maid staff, or bar…it would be far too soon.

She sighed wearily. Being stuck in the office all day was usually her sister’s job. Being out there—she shot a wistful glance back out at the pool—that is where I belong. Closing her eyes, she inhaled deeply, rolling her stiff shoulders to ease the crick in her neck.

Eyes shut, she stilled and just breathed in the atmosphere. The sweet scent of Frangipani from outside vied with the delicious smells emanating from the hotel restaurant. The gentle hum of conversation and stray bursts of laughter mixed with the music, echoing on the tropical, sultry, and early Pitcairn evening. Yes, she decided. The sooner Kate got back into the job, the better.

“Off home, Jen?”

Susan startled her out of her reverie, and she smiled down at the pretty woman sitting behind the desk. “Yep.” She picked up the folder and waggled it with a grimace. “But it looks as though the job never ends. I’ll be working on rosters at home later tonight.” She shook her head. “I don’t know how Kate did it.”

“She says the same thing about you when you turn a guest crisis into a piffling situation. Anyway, the replacement will be here tomorrow. You’ll be able to train them up to do the paperwork while you handle the guests,” Susan said.

“Thank God. I’d rather be sorting out problems than ordering the toilet paper, believe me.” Jen laughed as she signed out for the day.

She waved a good-bye. “Give me a call if you have any problems at shift change. I’m heading out to Bryce and Kate’s for dinner, so you can reach me there.”

Susan nodded and waved her away. “I’m sure it’ll be fine. Give Kate my love. Go have fun.”

Jen strode out of the hotel and into the parking lot outside where her quad bike awaited. Tucking her purse and folder into a bin bungee-corded onto the front, she keyed the bike into a guttural roar and began the short, ten-minute drive home. All I really want to do, she thought with a mental sigh, is sink into a hot bubble bath with a glass of wine and soak for a few hours—at least until the water goes cold and her fingers get wrinkly. She grinned at the idea. Bath, wine, and bed sounded great. Actually, bath, wine, wine, and another wine, plus bed sounded even better.

Since Kate reduced her hours, Jen had been working longer and longer days and taking extra shifts. Though the news that Kate and Bryce had fallen pregnant was celebrated, the first trimester had hit her sister hard. Bryce had asked Jen to cover for her as much as possible—without letting Kate know he’d asked. Jen chuckled to herself. Over the past five months, just finding excuses to get her sister to leave work early, or to take a day off, had been difficult enough. Lying and manufacturing reasons for Kate to take it easy had ended up being just as exhausting as doing the extra hours themselves.

Her mind elsewhere, she almost missed the turn onto their street. Glad for the lack of quad bike traffic on the darkened roads, she slowed and turned up the dirt track.

I wonder what the big news is, she mused. Kate called her at work this morning to ask Jen to join her and Bryce for dinner. Cryptically, and rather annoyingly, she told her only that they’d wanted to discuss something important over a meal. Probably about her travel date, she told herself.

Since the medical facility on the island was not up to handling maternity requirements, Jen knew that Kate and Bryce would have to leave for New Zealand soon. Pregnant women couldn’t travel after they were six months along, and with that milestone nearing quickly, it wouldn’t be long before they were on their way. The idea that very soon Jen could be an aunt was a startling thought.

Navigating the darkened valley, her quad bike lights picking out the well-tended dirt road, Jen mused at how far they’d come. Had it only been just over a year since they’d arrived here on Pitcairn? It seemed like they’d only just arrived—and yet, so much had occurred in such a short time.

Jen had watched as Kate and Bryce’s relationship—after a rocky start—deepened into a love so strong that they were barely apart. Their pregnancy had come as a shock, but a welcome one. The new commitment they made together cemented their partnership even more, if that could be possible. Jen sighed as she turned into a paved driveway and puttered the last few feet to park in front of her sister’s house. Switching off the bike and pausing for a moment, she analyzed the sharp pang that pulled at her heartstrings.

Jealousy? she asked herself—the question bald and blunt. She bit her lip and then shook her head with a laugh. A little envy, she admitted. Her sister had it all, it seemed. Happiness, love, and now, she’d soon have a child. You’ll soon be an aunt, her conscience prodded.

She grinned. Yeah, a little niece or nephew to spoil, fill full of sugar and love. Then, I can hand them back when they’re tired and grumpy. Totally a better deal.

Jen bounded up the steps and onto the porch. Letting herself into the house without knocking, she called out a cheery hello. Stopping suddenly, she rolled her eyes in mock disgust. Kate and Bryce were cuddling in the kitchen, dropping little sweet kisses on each other’s mouths. They grinned at her as she stuck her finger in her mouth and made gagging noises.

“Ugh, get a room you two.” Jen laughed.

Bryce shot Jen a rude gesture from behind Kate’s back as he hugged her tightly and grinned evilly. “We have already, Miss Just Barge In. Learn to knock, smarty.”

“Ha. Smart arse.” Jen poked out her tongue and grinned back. She loved this back and forth banter between her and Bryce. She could tease him as much as she wanted, and he always had a quick comeback. Peering around the smiling pair, Jen crossed over to check out the pot on the stove. “Mmm. Something smells good.”

“Beef stew—something nice and rich to fatten you up. You’re too skinny, little sister.” Kate grinned.

Jen looked down at her slender frame and shrugged. “You can’t talk.” She snagged a breadstick from a cup on the bench and perched herself precariously on a breakfast bar stool. She pointed the stick at her sister’s belly, barely a bulge in her own svelte figure. “You’re five months along and barely a bump.”

It’s true, Jen mused. Looking at her sister, now almost a third of the way through her pregnancy, and she still looked great. With long, light brown hair, hazel eyes, and a pretty oval face, Kate had always turned heads. She still could wow a crowd, even if she’s preggo, Jen thought. Not an inch of fat on that slender body apart from baby bump. She giggled to herself. Hopefully, I look like that when I’m up the duff. People always said they could have been twins. If it wasn’t for Jen’s short and curly hair, and the freckles that were delicately sprinkled across her nose…she bit off another mouthful of crunchy breadstick and chewed thoughtfully. “So, what’s the big news?”

Kate grinned and raised an eyebrow at Bryce. “You wanna tell?”

He shook his head, leaned against the kitchen bench, and smiled at Kate. “You tell her, love. I know you’ve been itching to spill the beans.”

“Yay!” She clapped her hands with excitement and then clutched them to her chest, her eyes shining with excitement. “We’re getting married,” Kate said.

Both Kate and Bryce stared at Jen, faces eagerly watching for her reaction. Giggling to herself, she arranged her face into a careful look of indifference. She shrugged. “Well, that was a given…at some point.” She raised a querulous eyebrow at Bryce. “After all, you have knocked up my sister. If you were any kind of gentleman, you’d have made her an honest woman long before now.” Unable to keep a straight face any longer, Jen broke off in a peal of laughter, dodging a dish towel flung in her direction.

Bryce grinned, even as Kate frowned with disappointment. “There’s more,” Kate said. “We’re getting married next month.”

Jen’s jaw dropped, and Kate’s frown instantly turned into a grin. “There’s the reaction I wanted.” She laughed.

“Four weeks from now?” Jen spluttered.

“Yep.”

“Holy crap.” Jen started ticking things off on her fingers. “There’s no time!” she shrieked. “There’s the dress, the rings, the food…oh, God…the church!” She poked a finger at Bryce. “You…you heathen. Do you think the church will let you in?”

Bryce cracked up laughing. “Your sister warned me you’d lose your mind.”

Kate smiled affectionately at her sister. “Stop panicking. It’s going to be small—sarongs instead of big, white dresses and bridesmaid gowns, lots of flowers, and we’re going to have it in the park up at Pawla Valley, where we had our first date.”

Bryce wrapped his arms around Kate’s middle and dropped a kiss on her head. “Small and simple.”

Jen sighed. It sounded perfect—and, she thought with a wry grin, easier to organize. Jumping down from her stool, she ran to give the couple a hug.

Giving her soon-to-be brother-in-law a tight squeeze of a bear hug, tears glistened in her eyes. “Couldn’t have wished for better news. I never had a brother, and you’re the next best thing,” she whispered in his ear. Bryce, speechless this time, simply gave her a tight squeeze back in reply.

Wrapping her arms around her sister, she took pleasure in the warm feeling of Kate’s pregnant belly pressing against her own flat stomach. She pulled back, holding her sister at arm’s length, feeling happy tears forming in the back of her throat.

“Congrats, big sis. To you too, my wee nephew.” She bent to rub at Kate’s belly lovingly. “Let’s hope this little man comes out more like our side of the family.” She added with a giggle and then spoke out loud to her sister’s rounded belly. “If you come out like Yeti-man, you’re going to make your parents broke with hair removal products.”

Bryce roared with laughter. His nickname had proven unshakable. Even Kate now used it. Since their very first meeting on the longboat, it had stuck, even though he was now clean-shaven. Back then, with a prolific beard, mustache, and a mop of hair that would have made a balding man cry, the name had been apt.

Kate laughed as Jen stroked her belly, still cooing to the small mound. “Why does everyone think my belly is public property at the moment? It’s like I’m the Pitcairn Buddha. Everyone is rubbing it.” She jabbed a finger into Jen’s side. “And who says it’s a boy, anyway?”

Jen shrugged her shoulders and sauntered over to the stove with a smile. Stirring the bubbling pot, she leaned over to inhale deeply the heavenly, beefy aroma. “Gotta be a boy. There’s some powerful Yeti genes growing in there, Sis.” She shot a sidelong smirk at her sister. “Either that, or you’re gonna have one hell of a tomboy!”

Jen grabbed a spoon out of the drawer next to the stove. “If this is as good as it smells, you’re going to have to give me the recipe to take back to Felix.” She dipped it in and pulled out a steaming morsel to confirm her diagnosis. She moaned in delight. “Yep, Felix is gonna love it.”

Kate strode over and put the lid back on the pot, frowning at her sister good-naturedly. “I give up. With Felix living at the Quintal house with you, you should be as big as a house. Isn’t he always trying his recipes out on you before he cooks them at the hotel restaurant?”

Jen twirled a corkscrew of her short, brown curly hair around a finger and smiled at her sister. “Why do you think I have to run every morning?”

“How’s that going, anyway?” Kate asked as she began to pull plates and cutlery out to set the table. Jen took them from her and walked around to the table herself.

“My new flatmate? Or the running? I did a 5K yesterday—just running up and down the Hill of Difficulty.” She purposely kept her back to her sister as she spread out place mats, arranging them just a little more than they needed.

“Yeah.”

“Good. Felix is great.” She steeled herself against the look in Kate’s eye and sighed inwardly. Her sister was always trying to set her up with someone, or rather, she could tell that another “sisterly” lecture was coming. Putting the last set of cutlery next to the last plate, she turned with a sigh to face her sister.

Sure enough, “that” look was on her face. “He’s nice, isn’t he?” Kate prompted hopefully.

“Save it, Kate. I know you’re happy with Bryce, and I know you’d love for me to be in a happy relationship too, but stop being a matchmaker. Felix and I are just good friends.”

“Yeah, but you thought he was hot stuff when he first took on the Chef position.”

“He’s still hot stuff—but not an option. You don’t poop where you eat, Kate.”

Bryce snorted and rolled his eyes. “Nice, Jen. You’re all class.”

“Well, it’s true!” Jen protested. “I have to work with him and live with him. It’s so not happening.”

Kate sighed, her shoulders sagging. “I suppose.”

Relieved the grilling seemed to be over, Jen perked up at the sight of Bryce lifting the pot off the stove. “Anyway, Felix is gay.”

Bryce stumbled and barely saved the pot from tumbling to the floor. “What?” Kate and Bryce said in unison.

Jen looked at them in shock. “It’s not a bad thing, you guys. He just prefers guys.”

“That’s not it, Jen,” Bryce sputtered. “What makes you think he’s gay?”

Jen pulled out a chair for her sister and then claimed her own as Bryce placed the hot pot on the table and went back for a bowl of steaming rice. “I’ve known for ages. He once told me himself that he wasn’t interested in any girls here.”

Kate rolled her eyes. “Doesn’t mean a thing, Jen. I don’t know where you got that idea from, but…” Eyes growing wide at the mountain of rice and stew that Jen was heaping on her plate, Kate shook her head and changed the subject. “Anyway, before you pass out from overconsumption…I wanted to ask you if you’d do me the honor of being my Maid of Honor.”

“I thought you’d never ask!” Jen crowed with excitement, food forgotten. “So, you’ve set a date already, right?”

Kate nodded. “We want to get married the day before we fly out. That way, we can count the trip out as a honeymoon as well.”

“Get some time alone before the invasion of a little person, she means.” Bryce added with a chuckle.

Jen didn’t miss the look that passed between her sister and Bryce. The smile on Kate’s face as she looked at her future husband, and the returning gaze of adoration—it was clear he felt the same way.

Jen’s eyes misted over again with tears. “I’m so happy for you two,” she blurted out with a sob.

Passing her a napkin, Bryce smiled. “I win both ways. I’m gaining the woman I love and a sister I never had…” He paused and added with a cheeky quirk of a grin, “…and a baby-sitter, too.”

Firing the napkin back across the table with a groan of amusement, Jen shook her head. “Just as well my sister wants to keep you. I’d have returned you for retraining years ago.”

* * * *

Jen arrived home, eager to tell Felix about the upcoming wedding. Much to her disappointment, the house was cloaked in darkness. She closed the door behind her, tossed her bag and paperwork onto the dining room table, and headed for the hall. The possibility that she’d have no one tell her fantastic news to just wasn’t an option. Felix was either home or at work, and she was simply going to explode if she couldn’t find him and tell him the good news. She was either going to wake him up or call him at work. It was just too exciting to hold in. Felix was her best friend, and her sidekick in all things—he had to know and share in her excitement.

Bursting into his room without knocking, she switched on the lights and smiled with satisfaction. He was sprawled starfish-like, half covered by a sheet on his bed—which did nothing to hide his well-muscled form. She sucked in a titillated puff of air and shook her head at the sight. What a man…what a pity. Ah, well. I love him, anyway. He’s my BFF, after all.

Giggling, she ran and leapt onto his bed beside him, waking him out of his deep sleep with her weight and enthusiasm where the bright artificial light overhead had failed.

Turning over with a groan and yanking at the sheet, which was in extreme danger of being ripped off his naked body, Felix peered myopically at the brown-haired bombshell bouncing on his bed. He yawned loudly, and keeping a careful grip of the sheet to protect his modesty, he ran his other hand through his mop of dark black curls. He scrubbed at his eyes and refocused on Jen as she stared at him, quivering with barely restrained excitement.

“What time is it?” he asked. Shaking his head, he grunted. “More importantly, what if I’d had a woman in here with me?”

Jen laughed. “I would have fallen over in surprise, first of all. Then, I would have backed out quickly and quietly, giving you a high five as I left.”

Felix snorted with laughter. “You? Quiet? Never happen.”

She slapped him and settled on the end of the bed in a cross-legged position. “Cheeky. Sorry for waking you up. I just have some huge news.”

Jen stared at him as he hiked himself up onto an elbow and stared back at her. What if I’d gone in and found him with someone in his bed? Felix was one of the most attractive men she’d ever met, and one of the most modest. A well-built frame kept in check with his passion for karate training, a strong mouth and jaw line, and brown eyes you could drown in—he was drop-dead gorgeous. A woman in his bed, though? She’d never seen him with a woman—man either, for that matter, her subconscious added. She’d never heard a whisper that he was interested in anyone.

Jen smiled inwardly. If there had been anyone, on Pitcairn, you’d hear about it in an instant. The grapevine here was notorious. If there had been a girl, or guy, she’d have known about it and be the first one to defend him. He was the only person, besides her sister, that she was closest to. They told each other everything and went everywhere together.

Making herself comfortable next to him, she propped the pillows under her head and turned to face him. “Are you awake enough to hear some great news? It just couldn’t wait until the morning.”

He grinned at her. “The news couldn’t wait? Or you couldn’t?” He rolled his eyes. “As if I could possibly sleep through the whirlwind that is Jen? You’re worse than the threat of any real tornado.”

Despite himself, he was now curious to hear what had gotten her so excited.

“Kate and Bryce are getting married.”

“Is that it?” He groaned. “That couldn’t wait until tomorrow? Geez, Jen.” He pulled the pillow out from under Jen’s head and put it over the top of his own. “That’s not gossip or even news. She’s pregnant, they’re a couple, and they’re in love.”

“No, I mean in four weeks married.” Jen swiped the pillow back from him and pushed it under her head again, frowning at him in exasperation.

“Get excited, damn you. You’re the chef for the occasion!”

“If I get excited, will you let me go back to sleep? I’ve got an early start tomorrow, and you’ve got the new manager coming in to start training for Kate’s temporary leave.”

“Oh, you’re a spoilsport.” Jen rolled off the bed with a thump and threw the pillow at him, which he batted away with a laugh. “Just start thinking menus and finger food—tropical themed!”

As she stomped crankily from the room, she slammed the door, purposely leaving the light on. Felix grunted in annoyance. Climbing out of bed, he switched the light off and slipped back under his covers. In the inky darkness, he blinked—suddenly wide awake.

He groaned and rolled over onto his back, putting his hands under his head and staring blankly at the moonlit dappled ceiling above. Listening to Jen, not so quietly getting ready for bed in the room next door, he wondered what her reaction would have been if he’d reached out and done what he’d been wanting to do for months—what his heart had been warning him not to do ever since he’d moved in.

What would she have done if he’d taken that sweet face of hers in his hands and kissed her, caressed her, and made love to her until she was a gooey mess beneath him?

Throwing an arm over his eyes, he swore under his breath as he realized it was going to be a long time before sleep claimed him, again.