The smile on Naomi Martin’s face set off a bad premonition in Joseph’s gut.Especially with the look on Alice’s face—one glance from her and he felt a chill rattle down his spine. His heart thudded once, hard.It’s over.For a split second, he wanted to crawl into a hole. He’d come back with Alice; there was no way Naomi hadn’t seen that. And Naomi knew he was a married man. With her talking like this, Joseph didn’t need to think to know she was doing it on purpose. Alice would absolutely get the wrong idea. With her temperament, she’d start wondering whether something had happened between him and Naomi—and then no number of explanations would save him.What he couldn’t fathom was why. He didn’t even know Naomi. What grudge did she have against him to aim like this?With a stunning beauty cooing at him in front of his wife, even Joseph felt like maybe there really was some secret history between him and Naomi Martin.She was trying to get him killed.“Alice, let me explain—”He was ne

“It’s done, Mr. Joseph.”Julia Kelly exhaled, relief softening her face as she wiped the nervous sheen from her brow. “Rest properly and you should be fine in a few days.”Her worry for Joseph was plain to everyone—Joseph included.What he didn’t see was the fleeting glint that crossed Alice’s eyes, gone so fast it left no trace.Pinned between Alice and Naomi, Joseph hadn’t noticed Julia’s figure at all. The onlookers had. Plain as her clothes were, her fresh beauty and the clean lines she’d just bared could hold their own against anyone’s. Different types, yes—but Julia was no less radiant than Naomi or Alice. What kind of absurd luck did Joseph have, to stand at the center of three such women?Status, strength—most of the men here had him beat. All they could do was envy.Especially the man whose wound Julia had dressed earlier—using his shirt for the bandage. For Joseph, she’d torn her own clothing without a second thought. The difference in treatment was night and day.“Almost fo

“You?”Charles narrowed his eyes at Joseph. “You’re a worthless nobody. What debt do you think you can settle with me?”He might not dare touch Naomi Martin—and he’d already lost all face under her hand—but who was Joseph to challenge him?“I warned you before,” Joseph’s voice came cold as steel. “You didn’t listen. I gave you a chance, and you squandered it. You still think you’re untouchable. On this island, you’re no young master—everyone is equal.”“You’re not welcome here. Leave.”That was Joseph’s final word on the matter.Not killing Charles was already his bottom line.Real people had died because of Charles. Joseph would not tolerate it any longer.“Expel me?” Charles let out a laugh. “You? A useless piece of trash? Go find a puddle and take a good look at yourself. If I say I’ll kill you, you’re dead. And you think you can drive me out?”Things had come to a head; there was no point pretending in front of Naomi Martin anymore.Charles’s true nature was laid bare.“Kneel and

Joseph cut the bear and venison into neat, even chunks and soaked them in a corral of seawater—both to rinse them clean and to let the natural salt draw in flavor.Under the blazing sun, he spread the trimmed meat across the drying racks they’d just built—bear, deer, and the rabbit he’d brought back at the start. Noon meant the fewest flies and the fiercest heat, the best window for sun-drying. With their numbers halved, they were consuming less, so jerking the meat—easy to store, easy to eat—was the smartest choice.He gathered branches from the wild fruit trees. The fruit themselves weren’t edible, but their wood was a treasure. He heaped the branches beneath the racks and lit them, letting thick smoke roll over the meat. The smoke would discourage flies from laying eggs, speed the drying, and add a deeper flavor.Especially those two bear paws—if they hadn’t washed up on this island, Joseph doubted he’d ever have the chance to taste them in his life.Waste not, want not.Once every

Watching another woman tease her man was more than Alice could bear.Her temper flared on the spot.Joseph had meant well—he’d wanted her to eat, then rest. She’d been hurt when she fell from the cliff, after all. But with this going on, how could Alice possibly rest?Give it a little longer and Naomi Martin would have spirited Joseph away.The pear Joseph had picked out so carefully for her suddenly tasted like ash. She tossed it aside and marched toward him, fury in every step.Joseph was hers. If anyone was going to flirt with him, it would be Alice—and only Alice.Seeing Alice storm in, Kyle Lee and the others shared a single, uncharitable thought: Joseph was in for it this time.Not that any of them dared warn him. Alice’s wrath was not to be trifled with, and if Joseph hadn’t noticed by now… well, that was his misfortune. They’d done what they could.“Think what you like,” Joseph said darkly.He was out of ways to deal with Naomi Martin. What was he going to do—hit a woman?Her