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‘But I loved you then,’ she said, ‘from the first second I opened my eyes and saw you.’ She paused. Her fingertips caressed his cheek and lingered against his lips while he kissed them. ‘No, it was even before that. When you held me that morning there was a bond between us that didn’t need words, and since then I’ve thought of no one but you.’

He smiled, remembering the way it had been. ‘I felt it, too. I thought my island had everything I needed to make me happy, but as soon as I saw you I knew I would never be completely happy until you were sharing it with me. Say you’ll marry me straight away and we can be there for Christmas.’

‘No, Sam.’ A shadow crossed her face. ‘I must be with Greg at Christmas.’

‘Then we’ll make it a Christmas wedding. How about that? We’ll discuss it over dinner at the hotel this evening.’ He kissed her again before she could make another excuse, and the way she clung to him was his answer.

‘Wonderful,’ she agreed. ‘But I’ve a better idea for this evening. I shall cook dinner for the two of us at my flat.’

He held her away from him, a wicked smile lighting his eyes and curving his mouth. ‘Sparrow, if you’re willing to be alone with me, knowing how much I want you, there’s nothing I’d like better.’

She gave his beard a playful tug, then snuggled back into the warmth of his arms, hearing the way his heartbeats matched her own.

‘I hate to shock you, Sam, but I want to be alone with you so much I don’t know how I’m going to live through the afternoon in that awful shop.’

‘Tell you what,’ he suggested, ‘read as much as you can about pineapple growing, and bring the book with you this evening. We’re going into business, my darling. I’ve already acquired the land and all I want now is a loving wife to share my enthusiasm.’ He paused to stroke back some hair that was blowing into her eyes. ‘Oh, Minella, we’re going to have such a wonderful life together!’

Without more ado he picked her up in his arms, careless of the wet skirt and boots marking his city suit, and kissed her thoroughly before setting off up the beach with long, easy strides.

A WORD ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Pamela Pope can trace her ancestry back to the first duke of Suffolk, though her family’s “blue blood” has been diluted by an assortment of interesting characters who have hovered in her mind, piquing her writer’s imagination.

When she was a girl in Yorkshire, England, during World War II, she passed many long hours escaping the problems around her by writing stories. Though her friends loved the tales, her teachers were less enthusiastic, especially as Pamela persisted in her writing endeavors during Latin lessons. One of her efforts had to be rescued from the staff waste basket!

But it was real-life romance rather than romantic fiction that first claimed her when she grew up. She moved to the Isle of Wight and met her husband-to-be, a man who insists that theirs was love at first sight.

When her two daughters were born, Pamela began to take her writing more seriously than ever before. A trip abroad-to Mississippi-gave her the spark of inspiration she needed to begin her first romance novel. Now, with several books to her credit, she feels her writing career has brought exciting rewards - not just financial but personal, as well.