The next morning, the clouds were quickly gathering to the west as Heather did her best to load her guests and all their things into the boat as quickly as possible. It was a lot harder to say good-bye to Sandy and Miranda than she thought it would be. Probably because they’d been with her for two weeks, they were her first real guests, and their departure was more rushed than she’d like it to be. That was why it was so hard. It wouldn’t always be so hard.

At least that’s what she kept telling herself.

“I’m so sorry you have to go like this.” Heather hugged Miranda tight. “If I would have known yesterday was going to be your last day, we would have done something special.”

“It’s okay.” Miranda smiled and her whole face lit up. “This absolutely was the best vacation.”

“It was,” Sandy agreed. “I have never felt so totally relaxed and at peace with life. This place is pure magic.”

“Agreed.”

Heather hugged Sandy next. “I am going to miss you both, so much. Thank you for being my first guests and letting me break myself in on you.”

Miranda waved her away. “You don’t need any practice at all. You’re a natural.”

“Isn’t she?” Ash walked by the dock and dropped a quick kiss on her cheek as he moved on, loaded down with more bags.

As soon as he was out of earshot, or maybe not, Sandy leaned in and whisper-yelled, “If I wasn’t married, I’d definitely give you a run for your money.”

“You wouldn’t stand a chance.” Miranda gave her friend a playful shove. “Haven’t you seen the way he looks at her?”

“True.” Sandy clutched her hands together and pretended to swoon. “Maybe one day…”

“I’ll be sure to tell your husband that you’re keeping your options open.” They both laughed and gave Heather one more hug before they climbed into the boat.

“We should get going,” Ash called across the dock to her, where he was adjusting a rope. The wind was starting to pick up and she knew he was right. If they didn’t get going soon, the weather might get too wild for a safe trip. As it was, it was probably going to be a wet ride into town.

“Just give me one second.” She held up a finger and ignored Ash when he tried to disagree. She turned and almost ran into the new couple who’d only just arrived and now had to leave so quickly. “I’m so sorry your trip was cut short,” she said to the woman. “It’s really too bad.”

The woman waved her hand in dismissal. “It’s just the weather and Lord knows we can’t control that.”

“Besides,” her husband said. “It’s all part of the experience. We’re at the mercy of this beautiful world.”

Heather nodded. It was kind of a hippie way to look at things, but they were right. “Well, I’m sure glad you got at least one day out here.”

“Us too.”

Heather left them to load up into the boat and ran down the dock into the kitchen to find an old tarp or even some garbage bags to provide some type of shelter from the open boat. After a quick dig around, she grabbed some old plastic tablecloths and turned to run back out to the boat where everyone was waiting. With her hands full, she didn’t even look up until she ran straight into a very solid and very familiar chest.

“Slow down.” Ash laughed and tightened his arms around her shoulders.

Her body reacted immediately to his touch. It was insane to her that she could feel both completely safe and very much in danger by his proximity. She looked up into his eyes. “I wanted to make sure I got this to you, and I know you were getting ready to leave.”

He kissed her forehead gently. “I wouldn’t leave without saying good-bye.”

She knew that. Well, she thought she knew that. She also knew that she was about to prepare for the first storm she’d ever had to deal with at Casa del Sol and she had no idea what to expect.

“I do have to get going, though. The wind is getting serious and it’s going to be a rough trip.”

She opened her mouth to interject, but he silenced her with a quick kiss before he continued. “It’ll be safe. Don’t worry. Just rough. And rainy.”

Heather held up the tablecloths in a lame gesture. “It’s not much. But maybe they’ll help keep you a little dry.”

Ash smiled. “They’ll be great. At the very least, they might be able to keep some water off the bags.”

He took Heather’s hand and they walked outside again. The wind whipped her hair against her face. They were running out of time. Ash took the tablecloths from her and handed them down to the passengers, who tucked them around their bags as much as possible. He turned to her, held her face in her hands and kissed her hard. “You need to close up the shutters and secure the swim ladders, okay? And then all you need to do is stay warm and dry and ride it out. I’ll be back tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?” Of course he couldn’t get back in one day. Logically, she knew that. It was upsetting to hear him say it out loud and even more disconcerting that she was upset by it. It was only because there was a storm, she told herself. It didn’t have anything to do with the fact that she might actually miss him.

Not at all.

Before he could object, or tell her she was being ridiculous, which she already knew, Heather gave him a quick kiss. “Go,” she said. “Be safe.” She turned and said one more good-bye to her guests as Ash hopped down into the boat before untying the bow line and tossing it into the boat.

Ash didn’t waste any time before whipping the boat off. Amid a handful of waves and hoots, they were gone, zipping across the water toward Bocas.

Heather stood on the dock until she could no longer see them. Thor, whining at her heels, reminded her that there was still a lot to do.

They’d be fine. Her guests. Ash.

He’d stay the night in Bocas and be back in the morning. It was the safe thing to do. Besides, it’s not as if they were married or anything. He certainly didn’t need to risk his life in a tropical storm just to return to her when they were only…what? What were they?

It didn’t matter and she didn’t have time to think about it. Refocusing on the mounting to-do list at hand, Heather forced thoughts of Ash out of her head and got to work. She managed to get the shutters secured and tied down on grande casa without much trouble, but the rain started by the time Heather headed out to the bungalows to make sure they were secured. Camila had retired to her own little house in the trees earlier, so she was on her own to get the guest rooms protected before it was too late.

By the time she had the majority of the bungalows secured, Heather’s clothes were drenched and stuck to her skin. Her hair was pasted in wet streaks across her face and she was chilled to the bone. Despite the fact that it was a tropical rain, it was really freakin’ cold when you were stuck in the middle of it and the wind whipped all around you. Damn cold.

She tucked her chin to her chest and went out into the storm one more time to check the far bungalow. The same bungalow she and Ash had gone swimming off of. There hadn’t been anyone staying in it, but she hadn’t checked it and if there was a shutter loose, it could cause massive amounts of water damage inside.

Heather tugged on the door and walked around to check each shutter. They were secure but something out in the water caught her eye. The swim platform. Or more specifically, the ladder on the swim platform.

The water level was rising with the increase in rain. It was something Heather didn’t expect, but then again she’d never experienced a tropical storm in the jungles of Panama before. The rainwater, combined with the fresh water coming off the streams in the hills, was causing a rise in the level, which meant the ladder on her swim platform was no longer resting on the ocean bottom, but was lifting and getting dangerously close to floating away.

“Dammit.”

If she lost the ladder, it probably wouldn’t be the end of the world, but at the same time, it would be a pain and they did have more guests coming soon. Besides, that would be the first really big screw-up she’d made since being in charge.

She didn’t want that. Not at all.

The canoe.

It was tied to the main dock and it wouldn’t take much to paddle it over and secure the ladder. Then everything would be taken care of and she could get inside and ride out the storm.

Her decision made before she’d thought it through, Heather rushed back to grande casa and out to the dock. The canoe had already been tied tightly and with her cold fingers, it took a little bit longer to work the knots, but she managed and jumped in with the paddle.

The waves were bigger than she’d expected and despite the short distance she had to travel, the paddling was hard. She finally reached the swim platform, grabbed the rope in the bow and hopped out. It would be easier to tie up the ladder from on top of the platform.

The rain came harder now, and Heather’s teeth chattered together painfully from the cold. But she was almost done. It would only be a few more minutes and she could go warm up.

It took her a few fumbling tries to tie the canoe to the cleat on the side of the platform and then she quickly turned her attention to the ladder. After a quick assessment, she decided it would be best to pull the ladder up instead of leaving it in the water. It was a job that would have been easier to handle with another set of hands. But she was on her own. She could do it. She’d prove to Ash and to Sherri that she was a good manager and Casa del Sol was in good hands with her. Trying to get some leverage, Heather stood and tugged on the ladder. But the wood was slick beneath her feet and they slid right out from under her, sending her crashing to her ass.

The pain from her tailbone radiated up her spine, but she didn’t have time to think about it. The waves were getting bigger and started to wash over the platform. Some of the larger waves crashed over the top and filled the boat.

“Come on, Heather.” She gritted her teeth and pushed to her feet. “You got this.”

The truth—if she was honest with herself—was that she most certainly did not have it. She reached down one more time and tried to get a grasp on the slippery ladder, but once again she crashed to the dock. This time the pain from her tailbone was sharper. Heather knew if she hadn’t cracked it, she’d most certainly done some major damage. But she couldn’t give up. She was invested now. One more time, Heather picked herself up and reached down for the ladder. This time, she squatted deep and heaved with her legs. The ladder moved. She gritted her teeth and heaved again. It moved more. And then it was coming up onto the dock. And on top of her.

Right before the ladder came all the way up, she was able to wiggle out of the way and avoid being completely crushed by it. But she didn’t have time to celebrate, because the wind had picked up and with it, the waves. Now, almost every second one washed up and over the dock. And into the canoe.

“Shit.”

She scrambled on her stomach to the cleat and lashed the ladder down so it was secure before she turned her attention to the canoe, which was now half filled with water.

She needed to bail. And fast.

“Where’s the…”

Her words were swallowed by the wind. Not that it mattered, because there was no bailing bucket. There was nothing. And if she didn’t do something, soon there would be no canoe. It was filling quickly.

Too quickly.

Heather looked around in vain. There was nothing she could use. Worse than that, there was no one to come and help her. Just because there was nothing else she could do, she scooped her hands and tried to push some water out of the boat. But it was no use. The waves came faster than she could deal with them.

At least it was tied to the raft. In a last-ditch effort to save the boat from total loss, Heather loosened the rope as much as she could so it wouldn’t bash against the platform before she sat in the middle, wrapped her arms around her knees and tried her best not to cry.

* * *

At that very moment, Ash should have been sitting at the bar at the Bitter End with a beer in his hand, or tucked into a warm bed with an even warmer body tucked up next to him.

He wasn’t. Not only was he not at the bar or in bed with one of his lady friends, the surprising part was that he didn’t want either of those things. Sure, the idea of a beer wasn’t bad. But the idea of being in bed with anyone except Heather was even less appealing than sitting in the driving rain that assaulted him from all sides as he powered through the waves in his little boat.

He wiped the spray from his face, but it was in vain since the rain was coming down in stinging blasts, soaking through his clothes.

He should have stayed in Bocas Town. At that very moment, he could be warm and dry and safe and alone. Because he would most definitely not be in the arms of anyone who wasn’t Heather.

Not that he felt that it was cheating. It couldn’t be cheating if they hadn’t defined their relationship.

It wasn’t a relationship.

He didn’t use that word.

But it was something.

Something he was enjoying. And despite how much he’d been dreading it, telling her about Carlie the night before had been a relief. And whatever it was between them, he wasn’t going to screw it up with someone in Bocas Town.

The wind howled, and he aimed the boat directly into it, taking the waves head on, letting them smash against the hull of the little boat. It was foolhardy to be out on the water. He should have stayed.

But he hadn’t. Because the only thing he could think of was Heather.

Heather alone at Casa del Sol. Heather trying to batten down the shutters as best as she could with the wind snapping them out of her hands. He’d done it before. It wasn’t easy to secure the bed-and-breakfast with two people; it would be incredibly difficult to do it all by herself. And what if she forgot something? She was still so new to Bocas and Casa del Sol. She’d beat herself up if she missed something.

No.

Maybe the smart thing to do would have been to stay put until the storm cleared. But when it came to women—some women—Ash had never made the smart choice.

He twisted his hand on the accelerator and urged his boat to move even faster through the wind and the waves. The sooner he got there, the better.

As soon as he got the boat behind a stand of mangroves that broke the wind a little bit, it was easier going and he was able to give himself a moment to think. Chances were good that by the time he got there, everything would have been done and she would be inside grande casa, wrapped in a blanket and with a cup of tea in her hand. He was being ridiculous. He almost laughed at himself, but then he navigated around a corner. The very corner that would put him within sight of…

Heather?

“What the—”

It had to be her.

He didn’t have time to think. He pushed his little boat even faster toward Casa del Sol, and more specifically, the swim platform tied up outside of their bungalow.

It was difficult to make it out in the rain, but it looked as if there was a very distinct human form huddled on top of the dock. A human form that looked a whole lot like Heather.

What the hell was she doing out there? Had she swum? What was she thinking?

She must have heard the roar of the boat’s engine, because her head lifted from her knees. A little bit at first, and then more.

He called out, yelling her name.

She jumped to her feet and was almost immediately knocked down by a wave.

“Stay still,” he yelled. “I’m coming.”

There was no way to know whether his words reached her over the howling winds. But just calling to her made him feel better. As soon as he got close enough, he slowed the boat so as not to crash into the platform and he could see the rope stretched from the platform cleat.

He didn’t have to ask to know it was the canoe. He’d have to cut it free. It might wash up on shore; it might be lost. But at least it would have a chance.

“Get in,” he told her as soon as he was close enough. “I’ll get as close as I can, but you’ll have to jump.”

She nodded in understanding. Ash could see her teeth clattering, the white tips of her fingers and the fear in her eyes.

Heather did as she was told and all but fell into the boat the second she could. Ash pulled his knife out of his pocket and sliced through the rope, before quickly tucking it away.

“The canoe.”

He nodded. “It’ll be fine.” It was most likely a lie and they both knew it, but he had to say something. Everything else would have to wait. As quickly as he could, he pulled the boat up alongside the dock and quickly tied it. She was clearly frozen, and likely incapable of making any fast moves, so as soon as the boat was secured and the engine cut, Ash jumped up to the dock and reached down for her. He scooped her up into his arms and carried her into Casa del Sol.

The door was open. Likely from when she’d ventured out with the canoe. As soon as he got her settled onto the couch with the heaviest blanket he could find pulled over her knees, he went to work securing the door and mopping up the floor where the water had snuck in.

A quick look around showed that all the other shutters had been closed. Casa del Sol was secure. Heather had done good. And now she was safe.

He climbed up onto the couch behind her and pulled her back against his chest. He was cold to the bone himself, but compared to her, he was smoking hot. She couldn’t talk for a few minutes and he didn’t push it. She needed to warm up. That was the most important thing. There’d be plenty of time for her to explain what on earth she’d been thinking by being out on that platform in the middle of a tropical rainstorm. She could have been killed, for God’s sake.

Her body was so cold. Her clothes were soaked and not helping, so he eased her forward just enough to pull her clothes from her body, and then his own before settling back into the cushions with her between his legs. His body reacted at once to the closeness of her naked skin, but he ignored it.

Slowly, he could feel the warmth returning to Heather’s limbs. He slowly rubbed her arms, and then her thighs. Her murmur of pleasure let him know she was warming up. “Feeling a little better?”

Heather nodded and rested her head against his chest. “I was so cold.”

“You were.”

“I didn’t even think it was possible to get that cold in the tropics.” She twisted her head around a little to look at him. “I think the last time I was that cold was back home in Idaho when I was a kid and stayed out too long sledding.”

“What were you doing out there, Heather? You could have been killed.” Just speaking the words aloud made it even more real to him. The idea that he could have lost her slammed into him.

“You told me to secure the ladders.”

Did he? He probably had. But he certainly hadn’t meant for her to go out onto the water to secure anything. That was crazy. “I told you to secure the shutters and get inside.” He ignored the fact that he may have in fact told her something he hadn’t meant. “You’re just lucky I came back. What was your plan? Were you just going to stay out there and freeze to death?”

She shook her head, but didn’t speak for a moment. Her pretty eyes glistened with tears. “I was…well…I was going to…” A tear slipped down her cheek. “I was going to wait until the wind died down and then swim back.”

Ash shook his head. She was crazy. But at the same time, he could see that she didn’t have many choices. He reached out a finger and wiped her cheek.

“I didn’t think you were coming back.”

“I wasn’t going to.” He nuzzled into the crook of her neck. “But I couldn’t stay away.” It was true. He absolutely couldn’t have stayed away and even though he couldn’t explain that feeling, he didn’t care because thank God he’d come back. “I’m so glad I came back.”

“Me too.” Heather wiped at the tears that streamed down her face in earnest and turned away. “I don’t know what I was thinking. What would have happened if you hadn’t come back? I was all alone out there.” She sniffed and wiped at her face with the blanket. “I was totally alone and—”

“It’s okay.”

She shook her head. “No. It’s not. I was just trying to show you that I could do it.”

Ahh. There it was. He knew there had to be a reason she’d risked her life for a ladder.

“I wanted to show you that I was capable of running Casa del Sol and taking care of everything all by myself. And Sherri, too.” Heather whipped around, her eyes wide. “Oh my God. Sherri!”

* * *

Panic rushed through Heather. Any and all thoughts about how her own life had been in danger vanished at the thought of the older woman up in her treehouse all alone. “I can’t believe I didn’t even think to go check on her.”

She tried to wiggle free of Ash’s arms, but he held her tight.

“You’re not going anywhere.”

“I need to go check on her, Ash. She’s all alone up there and this storm—”

“Is still raging.” It was true. The wind was still whipping against the shutters and through the trees behind them. “There is absolutely no point in risking our lives again to go up there. She’s fine.”

“How do you know that? And it’s not like we’re going back out on the water. We’re going up—”

“Through the trees with falling branches and who knows what else. It’s almost more dangerous, Heather. You’re staying put. So am I. Because she’s fine.”

Frustration built up inside her until she was sure she was going to burst. How could he be so sure Sherri was okay? How did he think it was okay that she was all alone up there with no one to help her if something went wrong?

“Settle down.” He kissed her forehead. “Although I do love your concern.”

That’s it. She was going to hit him. In a burst, Heather wrestled herself free from his grip. The blanket fell from her body and she jumped up in front of him. She would have taken a swing at him if the look on his face hadn’t stopped her. “What?”

Ash wiggled his eyebrows. “You’re sexy as hell when you’re all worked up. I need to remember that.”

“That’s not funny.”

“I’m not trying to be funny.” The grin slid off his face into sincerity. “I think it’s incredible that you’re concerned about Sherri.”

“But then, what about—”

“Come here.” He extended a hand and that she still kind of wanted to hit him, she took it and let him pull her back into his embrace and the warmth of the blanket. “Sherri’s fine. I’ll go check on her after the storm has died down, but I spoke with her before I left Bocas and she’s all settled. She managed to get the shutters secured and was holed up with Thor.”

Thor! She hadn’t even thought about the dog.

“It’s not your job to worry about the dog,” Ash said, reading her thoughts. “You had enough to worry about and the dogs around here can more than take care of themselves. They probably know better than we do about taking cover and staying safe.” He shot her a look. Which she pointedly ignored.

“Wait.” What he’d just said finally registered in her head. “What do you mean, you spoke with Sherri before you left Bocas? How?”

Ash had the sense to back up on the couch slightly. Not that she’d hit him. But she might.

“I called her,” he said tentatively.

“You called her?”

“On the phone.” He slipped his battered cell phone from his back pocket and held it out.

“You have a cell phone?” She immediately felt stupid for asking the question. Everyone had a cell phone. But everyone in the middle of the Panamanian jungle? Maybe it wasn’t such a stupid question. Besides, no one had mentioned a phone before. She hadn’t taken her own cell phone out of her bag since she’d arrived. “You have a phone?” she asked again.

Ash shrugged in response. “It’s not like I use it. Not really. It’s mostly for Sherri to get a hold of me when she has guests to pick up or something for me to grab from town. And of course situations like this.”

She could have been angry, but there was no point. Besides, what business was it of hers whether he had a phone or not? Never mind the fact that he hadn’t offered to give her the number. But then again, maybe their relationship wasn’t at that point yet.

Whatever that point was.

Or even if they had a relationship.

She shook her head. It was all too confusing to think about. All she wanted to focus on was the fact that she was sitting there, inside, out of the storm and in the arms of the very sexy, very naked man who’d saved her.

She snuggled back against him, feeling his hardness against her back.

Yes.

That was definitely what she was going to focus on.

Ash wrapped his arms around her and pulled her tighter to him. One hand secured around her waist held her in place and the other found her breast, gently cupping and massaging it. He nuzzled into her neck and whispered in her ear, “Is that okay with you?” When she didn’t answer right away, he tweaked her nipple and elicited the exact response he was looking for.

She moaned and pressed back into him. It was more than okay with her. Although, if she’d been asked at that exact moment what exactly they were talking about, Heather wasn’t sure she’d be able to give an answer. At least not a coherent one, but one that started with a moan and more than likely would end with her turning in her seat, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him until neither of them could remember what they’d been talking about.

“I thought so,” Ash murmured and bit the sensitive skin directly below her ear. “Are you all warmed up now?”

She shook her head and twisted around so she faced him. “Not entirely.” She kissed him, sucking his bottom lip between her teeth. “But I think I know how you can help fix that.”