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‘Couldn’t she?’ He huffed a huh ‘This seems typical of her mischief to me’

‘Was she ever malicious, as far as you know?’

‘Never,’ he admitted ‘Not in all the time I knew her’

‘Then ould she do this if she hadn’t wanted us to be together?’

And now she’d said too much Or maybe not

Rosie’s heart lifted as Xavier pulled away from the wall, but then it clenched with despair as he turned without another word and left the room

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

HE STOOD ON the deck, staring out to sea, wondering where they’d be now if their life experiences had been different His best guess was that his aunt and Rosie would have found each other so everything she could to help the islanders even with zero funds and only her eternal opti her forward

He certainly wouldn’t have come up with the plan that he had If his childhood had been different, he would have visited the island regularly and felt co back to the bitter memories of childhood disappointht about for years, which was ironic when her childhood made his see ence

He had to put the past to good purpose now, as she had, and use those lessons tothat wealth ood, and life was certainly diminished without someone to share it with

He hadn’t intended to make her unhappy He hadn’t even realised how unhappy she was, but now he felt her pain as keenly as his own All that mattered to hi was on her finger, and Rosie was in his bed, but ould it take to win her heart?

Doubt was still ha She’d slept alone Xavier hadn’t been near their stateroo suspicion that she had dareen shoot she’d carelessly trodden down beneath the heel of her shoe As she stood beneath the shower, she felt the loss of him keenly She wanted the co individual she’d increasingly seen e she had never once considered was giving up—not on her relationship with Xavier, and not on her coet dressed, and go to find him

Don Xavier was in his study, one of the stewards told her

‘Rosie’ Xavier stood as she opened the door ‘Please Come in’

She felt his war behind the desk at the far end of the roo man she’d ever met, Rosie concluded wistfully