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“Your island is beautiful,” Haley commented as they drove through the tropical paradise.

“Not mine. The land I built the hotel on is rented for fifty years. After that, I can negotiate my rent and the hotel goes into the hands of the government here. The arrangement works for both of us. There’s a population of over four thousand here, and not many jobs. I negotiated a few contracts to let a few cruise ships dock off the island. The jobs it provided boosted the economy, as well as the tourists that vacation here. We keep the tourists at a steady number. We want to make it a getaway.” Bringing the truck to a stop, Rhone beamed at the hotel like a proud parent. “What do you think?”

“I think you’re going to have a hard time saying good-bye when the fifty years are up.”

“Nope. By then, I’ll have moved on. Plan to be chasing after my great-grandchildren, if I can ever catch a woman willing to marry me.”

Haley rolled her eyes at him. The last problem Rhone had on earth was finding a woman to marry him. Every time she saw him, he had a different woman on his arm.

“You shouldn’t be so picky,” she advised, preparing to get out.

“At my age, all the good ones are taken,” he said, wiggling his eyebrows at her. “Or has a stick up her ass. I want a woman who wants at least five kids. How many kids you planning on having?”

“Not five, that’s for sure.” Haley laughed as she started to open the door, only to find that Desmond was opening it. Then, before she could climb out, he was lifting her to the ground.

Finding herself the focus of so much attention was heady. Haley wanted to pinch herself. Get ahold of yourself, she rebuked herself. Desmond is just playing the attentive boyfriend.

Following Rhone inside the hotel after he had retrieved their luggage, Haley gazed around in admiration. The hotel was only two levels and was surrounded by palm trees. To the side was a long expanse of beach with only a handful of people lying spread out under canopies or hammocks. The turquoise water gleaming under the bright sun had her promising herself a swim once they were given their room.

Skirting the reception desk, Rhone carried their luggage up a winding staircase.

Gazing around, Haley felt at ease. Nothing about the hotel was pretentious. The main area had neutral colors, blending with bold displays of flowers.

Reaching the top, Rhone led them down a wide hallway to the end where there were double doors. Swiping a plastic card, he opened the door, exposing the room filled with dramatic glory.

The entryway had shiny, cream tiles. Haley hated to walk in for fear of removing the shine. They were greeted by a large round table with a huge bouquet of assorted flowers, iced champagne, and a tray of fruit and cheeses.

“Darn, Rhone, I may never leave,” she joked, walking farther into the suite. The entryway had a door to the side before leading to a main room, where there were two lemon-colored sofas, catty corner to each other in front of the window that gave a sparkling vision of the beach.

Setting the suitcases down, Rhone walked to the side of the window then began opening it completely. Going outside to the open balcony, Haley saw a table and four chairs.

“I thought we could share breakfast before I left you two on your own,” he said, motioning to the fully set table that had several covered dishes and a glass pitcher of orange juice.

“That sounds wonderful. Thank you, Rhone.”

“My pleasure.” Smiling, he went behind one of the chairs and gestured grandly. “My lady.”

“Be still my heart.” Grinning up at Rhone, she caught a strange expression cross his face. It only lasted for a second but had her wondering what had brought on the guilty look she had caught.

Pouring herself a glass of the orange juice as Rhone and Desmond took their seats, she almost dropped the pitcher when Desmond slid his chair closer to hers, placing an arm across the back of the chair.

Transferring an omelet from the serving tray to her plate as the men filled theirs, she felt her cell phone vibrating in her pocket. Taking it out, she saw an unexpected number calling.

“Excuse me.” Rising from the table, she pressed accept before going into the entryway, where she was far enough away from the two men outside.

“Hello, this is Haley.”

“Haley, this is Leighton.”

Her breath caught in her throat. Her sister-in-law would only call if it was bad news.

“I just wanted to thank you.”

Her mind went blank. “What for?”

“For sending Desmond last night.”

Haley’s eyes flew toward where Desmond was sitting on the balcony.

“I don’t know how you knew to send him, but he got me out of the house last night with the boys. I’ve been trying to leave Gilbert for the last six months, but he manages to keep one member of your family with the boys anytime he leaves the house. I wasn’t going to leave my boys …”