"Oh, aye, lady. I can build 'un for yer. I got summat to do first, but I c'n start in two days. Should take me a week. Anywhat else yer wantin' whilst I'm out there?"

Colette thought for a moment. "Can you build some fences? I put up kind of a rough fence from sticks and what have you, but I'd like something more secure around my pasture."

"Hrrmm... Mebbe a rail fence wit' stone pillars for strength?"

"Sounds good." Gannon poked a few buttons on his calculator with his huge finger, then Colette paid the deposit. "I'll see you in a couple of days, then," she called as she left.

On her way back to the ranch, she stopped in at the feed store to pick up some supplies and look for Vaughn. As usual, he was moping around in the back of the shop, looking more than half asleep. She wondered how he even made a living, but then perhaps he did better on the mainland.

"Hey," she said as she approached him.

"What?" he asked without looking up.

"It's officially summer as of today, and I'd like to discuss getting more livestock."

"You would, huh?" With a grunt, he sat up and hopped down from his perch. He stretched lazily, then looked at her. "All right, let's go see how you've done so far with what you have."

She paid Mirabelle for her feed, to be delivered later, and Vaughn sauntered out the door as she hurried to catch up to him. When they reached her farm, he headed straight towards the back fields and barns. With a critical eye, he inspected first her animals and their small enclosure, then her buildings. When he was finished, he leaned against a fencepost. "Well, everything looks shipshape. Gotta hand it to you, I never thought you'd take to farm work as well as you have. Guess I was wrong about you," he admitted reluctantly.

"So... does that mean you'll sell me more animals now?"

"I reckon, on the condition that you provide them with a larger pasture. This one's too small for many more critters."

"Well, hallelujah! A breakthrough at last!" she exclaimed with a wry smile. "Come on, let's have a glass of iced tea to celebrate. It's a hot day."

He shrugged. "Sure."

Her tiny cabin was stuffy and hot, so she left the door open and hurried to open all the windows, too. "Have a seat," she said as she kicked off her boots. "Sugar? Lemon?"

"Just plain. Thanks," Vaughn replied, sitting in the small easy chair and fanning himself with his hat.

She handed him a glass and sat on the sofa, putting her feet up on her ottoman. Wiggling her toes, she brushed her damp hair off her forehead, gasping, "Whew, it's hot! Is it always this in the summer here?"

"Yup. Some years it gets even hotter. This is pretty average for these parts. They get some pretty extreme weather here in the archipelago."

"Maybe I'll see if Gannon can install some fans in the barns, too," she murmured, sipping her tea.

"'Too'?" Vaughn asked with a glance. "You havin' some work done?"

"Yeah, I'm having him build a stable for me, and I also asked him to put in some good, solid fencing around my pasture. Even if I don't leave my animals out at night, I want to be sure they don't escape during the day and help themselves to my crops. Plus Taro was warning me the other day about the summer storms we get blowing through here some years. I want everything to be as sturdy as possible."

Vaughn nodded approval. "Good plan. So what do you want a stable for, anyway? Planning to raise horses, too?"

"No, I'd just like to have a horse to ride. I haven't ridden very much since I left home, and I miss it. Now that I've got a place for one, I'd like to get back into the habit."

"Yeah? You had horses as a kid?"

"I never had a horse of my own exactly, but my family owned quite a few. It was kind of a hobby of my father's. My favorite was a big bay Trakehner gelding my father called Remy—after the cognac, because he was so smooth, you see."

Vaughn snorted. "And when is all this to be done?"

"Gannon's starting in a couple of days, and he said it'd take about a week or so. So I'd like to arrange for you to bring some new stock with you next week when you come out, if possible. I'll have him do the fences first, so that they won't be disturbed by the work on top of settling into their new home."

"And just what critters did you have in mind?" Vaughn asked, leaning back into the soft cushions.

"Well, for now, I'd like to add three cows, a half dozen hens, and four ewes. And I'd like you to keep an eye out for a horse for me. That is, if you're willing to act as a broker?"

He shrugged again as he took a gulp of his tea. "Tell me what you want, and if I see something, I'll let you know. I'm not goin' out of my way to look, but I know some people."

"I think I'd like an Arabian, full or part. They're pretty versatile. My mother's favorite horse was an Arabian mare, and she was a lovely creature. And I'd like one that's been trained to work stock as well as to ride for pleasure, just in case I expand more into livestock later."

"All right." Vaughn started to rise, then a puzzled look came over his face. "Wait, you said Gannon told you it'd take him a week to build your stable? Isn't that a long time? A stable for just one horse isn't all that big, and he's a fast worker."

"Oh, it's not just for one horse. I asked for a four-stall barn. After talking with Will, I realized that there's no place here to board horses, so I thought I'd make it a little larger. As soon as it's built, Will's going to board his stallion here, so he won't have to send him back home."

Vaughn scowled and quickly stood up. "Will? You mean that rich nitwit with the fancy boat? Well, isn't it peachy that you're making friends. I'll be back next week with your animals. I'll leave your total amount due with Mirabelle, payable on receipt." Then he shoved his hat down on his head and left, his iced tea only half finished.

Colette stared after him in surprise. "What on earth...? Well, guess that's what I get for trying to be nice." She shrugged, stood up, and went to wash the dishes.

She was just wondering if she should go find Will to tell him about the plans for the stable, or wait until she just bumped into him sometime, when there was a knock on her doorframe.

"Hello?" She jumped at the sound of Will's voice and turned quickly around to see him standing there smiling at her, his khaki shorts and crisp, white short-sleeved shirt emphasizing his tanned physique.

"Oh, you startled me!" she exclaimed, partly to excuse the red she felt creeping into her cheeks.

"Pardon the intrusion, but I wondered... as it's such a terribly hot day, would you like to go get some ice cream?"

Drying her hands on a towel, she exclaimed, "I'd love to! I love ice cream!"

She slipped on a pair of sandals, and they headed out. "Which is your favorite flavor?" Will asked as they walked over the bridge.

"Hmmm, that's a hard question. It changes, depending on my mood."

He chuckled. "Well then, pretty lady, which is the flavor du jour?"

"I think today it's strawberry cheesecake. Unless Haila happens to have maple walnut! But she won't," she replied, a little sadly.

"How can you be sure?"

"She never has, not since I arrived anyway, and besides, I asked her once. She said I was the first person ever to ask for it—she'd never even heard of it before. So not a lot of demand for it around here, I guess."

"Is it your 'flavor du jour' often, then?"

"Yes, it is. It's kind of nostalgic for me. So I suppose you could say that's my favorite flavor... except of course when it isn't!"

Will laughed. "You know, you are a most refreshing companion. Thank you for allowing me to see you again so soon. I feared you'd decline, but I had to try."

She just smiled at him, uncertain how to respond to that, and they walked in silence for a few minutes. Then Will looked slightly askance at her. "By the way, who was that man that passed me on the bridge to your farm? The man with silver-blond hair and such oddly colored eyes. I'd swear I've never met him, but if looks could kill, I'd be a dead man."

Colette laughed heartily, then shook her head. "That would've been Vaughn. It's not you, though. He's like that with everyone. He's the local livestock dealer—he was over discussing some livestock I wish to purchase from him. Oh!" she exclaimed, clapping her hands. "I almost forgot to tell you! I'm having that stable built. Gannon will start on it in a few days, and it should be done in about a week, or possibly a little more as I'm having him do a few other things around the place. It'll have four nice, roomy box stalls in it, so you can board Arthur with me once it's built, if you're interested. There'll be a paddock, too, separate from the pasture. You'll have to see to his feed and grooming, though—I'm only offering the stall and turn out."

"Perfect! And as a bonus, I'll be able to see even more of you," he replied, reaching down to give her hand a quick squeeze before releasing it again.

Colette blushed and looked away for a moment, then said, "One of the animals I've asked Vaughn to try to find is a saddle horse for me. So with luck, I'll soon be able to take up riding again."

"Then I shall look forward to the pleasure of accompanying you," he said as they reached the café's door, and he opened it and stood aside to allow her to pass.

They took their ice cream outside and wandered over to the beach to sit on the sun-warmed rocks and look out at the sea while they ate their cones, strawberry cheesecake for her and rocky road for him. When they had finished, Colette jumped up from her seat and brushed the crumbs of cone from her shorts. "I was thinking of going for a swim this afternoon," she said, turning to look at him as he jumped down beside her. "Want to join me?"

"I'd be delighted," he said. "Where do you swim?"

"Well, usually just from one of the docks around here. Not the ferry dock so often, usually either the dock on Verdure Island or at my farm."

"Why not come on board my yacht? I often go for a swim there, and besides, I'd love to show it to you."

Colette hesitated for a moment, thinking it over, then smiled. "Sure, why not? Thank you, Will. That sounds like a lovely idea. Let me go home and change, and I'll be back shortly."

She returned a short while later, clad in her bright red bikini and a gauzy wrap, a straw tote bag slung over one shoulder. As she boarded the boat, Will leaned down to give her a hand. "You look stunning," he said appreciatively. "That particular shade of red really makes you glow."

"Thanks," she said, trying to hide the pleasure she felt at his admiration. "Shall we dive right in?"

"By all means," he laughed.

They swam for a good hour, splashing and playing games in the water, exploring the steep, rocky shoreline of the northernmost promontory, and holding races back and forth between the yacht and various rocks. Finally they clambered back up onto the deck, laughing and gasping, before spreading out their towels side by side and flopping down on them to dry in the hot sun.

"That was so much more fun than swimming alone!" Colette exclaimed, still catching her breath from their final race.

"Yes, it was—much more," Will agreed amiably. He rolled onto his side to face her, smiling down at her. "Care for some lemonade?"

"That sounds terrific, thank you."

He disappeared for a few minutes, then returned with two tall glasses. Handing one to her as she sat up, he dropped back down onto his towel, sitting beside her.

"You know," he mused after a moment, "I had the strangest sense when we met yesterday that somehow I'd seen you before. Not actually met you—I'm certain I'd remember that. But still, you seemed oddly familiar to me."

"Déjà vu?" she asked, raising one eyebrow at him, then she set her empty glass down and lay back on her towel, shading her eyes with her arm as she looked up at him.

"Yes, I suppose so. Still, I wondered where you come from—if somehow I really had run into you before, perhaps long ago."

"'Once upon a dream'," she murmured, smiling at him.

He stared down at her, then leaned over and kissed her—just a sweet, little kiss, nothing more. But she sprang up and shoved him away as if she'd been bitten.

"Don't!" she cried, jumping up.

"I... I'm sorry. Too soon?" he apologized, quickly rising to his feet.

"Much. I...." She sighed deeply. "My last relationship ended... well, badly. More than that—it was a fiasco. Life-alteringly disastrous. That... that's why I'm here, to try to forget it all and start over. But even though it's been a long time now, I'm still not... I'm not sure I'll ever... be ready, be able to trust anyone like that again." Then she grabbed her towel and bag and fled the ship.

Watching her as she raced up the beach and vanished amidst the houses of the village, Will felt a sharp pain twisting deep within his heart, and he wondered just what sort of a mess he'd gotten himself into.