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She hated being railroaded, and as the conversation turned to dredging the bay to build a fabulousvast swathes of land for the luxury hotel and golf course, she could feel her tension growing Xavier could turn on the charisested erecting a launch pad for uessed the result would have been the sareed to anything he cared to suggest, and he would push these plans through, regardless of her opinion

She waited until everyone had left before confronting hiolf course and marina? Do you think that’s what Doña Anna intended?’

‘Doña Anna isn’t here to guard her island anyonto one taut hip ‘We have to do that for her’

She shook her head and laughed ‘You’ll spoil the island You’ll tear it apart’

‘And you’d see it cru up ‘Improvements have to be made’

‘I agree,’ she exclaimed with frustrat

ion ‘But why can’t they happen slowly, and develop naturally?’

‘Youjobs today, not uncertainty tomorrow’

And Margaret had said they could compromise?

‘You only see what you want to see, Rosie,’ Xavier insisted ‘And I understand why You had a difficult life before you e s and blank the rest But that’s no good to the islanders They need progress now’

‘I’d do anything for the’

‘I know that So take ood life for yourself,’ he said quietly and intently, ‘somewhere else’

For a moment she was lost for words The island was her ho she had ever dreamed of; that and a faiven her that fa her to their beautiful island with open ar in her power to help the to coe nurants It was all work in progress, but she couldn’t walk away from it now Just because she hadn’t received any positive replies yet, didn’t ive up

‘Who is ht for the islanders?’ Xavier pressed ‘You, or me?’

His words stung her, because they were too dangerously close to the truth But she couldn’t back do She re her Rosie had wanted to stay on at school and go to college, but had been told that she could put that out of her head, as there were no funds for that sort of thing, and she didn’t have the brains for it, anyway