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He watched her go with mixed emotions, the strongest of which was desire. She made him ache
all over. He checked his watch. Pauline s ten minutes were up, and he wanted out of this apartment. He
called a good-night to the girls and went out without another word to Kasie.
When he got back in, at two in the morning, he paused long enough to open Kasie s door and
look in.
She was wearing another of those concealing cotton gowns, with the covers thrown off. Jenny
was curled up against one shoulder and Bess was curled into the other. They were all three asleep.
Gil ground his teeth together just looking at the picture they made together. His girls and Kasie.
They looked more like mother and daughters. The thought hurt him. He closed the door with a little
jerk and went back into his own room. Despite Pauline s alluring gown and her spirited conversation,
he had been morose all evening.
Pauline had noticed, and knew the reason. She was, she told herself, going to get rid of the
competition. It only needed the right set of circumstances.
Fate provided them only two days later. Kasie and Gil were barely speaking now. She avoided
him, and he did the same to her. If the girls noticed, they kept their thoughts to themselves.
Impulsively Kasie phoned Zeke at his hotel and asked if he d like to come over and have lunch with
her at the hotel, since she couldn t leave the girls.
He agreed with flattering immediacy, and showed up just as Kasie was drying off the girls.
Surely you aren t going to take them to lunch with you? Pauline asked, laughing up at Zeke,
who attracted her at once. I ll watch them while you eat.
Please can t we stay and play in the pool? Bess asked Kasie. Miss Raines will watch us, she
said so.
Please, Jenny added with a forlorn look.
You ll be right inside, won t you? Pauline asked cunningly. Go ahead and enjoy your lunch.
I m not going anywhere.
For an instant, Kasie recalled that Gil didn t trust Pauline with the girls. But it was only for a few
minutes and, as Pauline had said, they were going to be just inside the nearby restaurant that
overlooked the pool.
Well, all right then, if you really don t mind, she told Pauline. Thank you.
It s my pleasure. Have fun now, Pauline told her. And don t worry. Gil s not going to be back
for at least a half hour. He s at the bank.
Kasie brooded over it even while she and Zeke ate a delicious seafood salad. They were seated at a
window overlooking the swimming pool, but a row of hedges and hibiscus obscured the view so that
only the deep end of the pool could be seen from their table.
Stop worrying, Zeke told her with a grin. Honestly, you act as if they were your own kids.
You re just the governess.
They re my responsibility, she pointed out. If anything happened to them&
Your friend is going to watch them. Now stop arguing and let me tell you about this new hotel
and casino they re opening over on Paradise Island.
Okay, she relented, smiling. I ll stop brooding.
Outside by the pool, Pauline had noticed that Kasie and her companion couldn t see beyond the
hedges. She smiled coldly as she looked at the little girls. Jenny was sitting on the steps of the wading
pool, playing with one of her dolls in the water.
Closer to Pauline, Bess was staring down at the swimming pool where the water was about six
feet deep far too deep for her to swim in.
I wish I could dive, she told Pauline.
But it s easy, Pauline told her, making instant plans. Just put your arms out in front of you
like this, she demonstrated, and jump in. Really, it s simple.
Are you sure? Bess asked, thrilled that an adult might actually teach her how to dive!
Of course! I m right here. How dangerous can it be? Go ahead. You can do it.
Of course she could, Bess thought, laughing with delight. She put her arms in the position
Pauline had demonstrated and shifted her position to dive in. There wasn t anybody else around the
pool to notice if she did it wrong. She d show her daddy when he came back. Wouldn t he be
surprised?
She moved again, just as Pauline suddenly turned around. Her leg accidentally caught one of
Bess s. Pauline fell and so did Bess, but Bess s head hit the pavement as she went down. The
momentum kept her going, and she rolled into the pool, unconscious.
Oh, damn! Pauline groaned. She got to her feet and looked into the pool, aware that Jenny was
screaming. Do shut up! she told the child. I ll have to get someone&
But even as she spoke, Gil came around the corner of the hotel, oblivious to what had just
happened.
Daddy! Jenny screamed. Bess falled in the swimmy pool!
Gil didn t even break stride. He broke into a run and dived in the second he was close enough.
He went to the bottom, scooped up his little girl and swam back up with all the speed he could muster.
Out of breath, he coughed as he lifted Bess onto the tiles by the pool and climbed out himself. He
turned the child over and rubbed her back, aware that she was still breathing by some miracle. She
coughed and water began to dribble out of her mouth, and then to gush out of it as she regained
consciousness.
Call an ambulance, he shot at Pauline.
Oh, dear, oh, dear, she murmured, biting her nails.
Call a damned ambulance! he raged.
One of the pool boys saw what was going on and told Gil he d phone from inside the hotel.
Where s Kasie? Gil asked Pauline with hateful eyes as Jenny threw herself against him to be
comforted. Bess was still coughing up water.
There it was. The opportunity. Pauline drew in a quick breath. That man came by to take her to
lunch. You know, the man she met on the plane. She begged me to watch the girls so they d have time
to talk.
Gil didn t say anything, but his eyes were very expressive. Where is she?
I really don t know, Pauline lied, wide-eyed. She didn t say where they were going. She was
clinging to him like ivy and obviously very anxious to be alone with him, she added. I can t say I
blame her, he s very handsome.
Bess could have died.
But I was right here. I never left them, she assured him. The girls mean everything to me.
Here, let me have Jenny. I ll take care of her while you get Bess seen to.
Want Kasie, Jenny whimpered.
There, there, darling, Pauline said sweetly, kissing the plump little cheek. Pauline s here.
Damn Kasie! Gil bit off, horrified at what might have happened. Kasie knew he didn t trust
Pauline to watch the girls. Why had Kasie been so irresponsible? Was it to get back at him for what
he d said the night they arrived in Nassau?
When the ambulance arrived, Kasie and Zeke left their dessert half-eaten and rushed out the
door. Zeke had to stop to pay the check, but Kasie, apprehensive and uneasy without knowing exactly
why, rounded the corner of the building just in time to see little Bess being loaded onto the
ambulance.
Bess! What happened?! Kasie asked, sobbing.
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