This didn't add up.

John's brows knit tight, his face full of hesitation. "Anna, let's not get mixed up in this. We need to head out."

"Dad, come on, save him."

"No way."

"Hmph, fine. If you won't, I will." Anna said it and made a move to dive right into the water.

"Whoa!" John grabbed her arm quick. "Alright, alright, I'll do it. You stay put right here."

He shot her a grumpy look, grabbed a life ring, and jumped overboard, swimming out to the guy.

It wasn't long before John hauled him back onto the deck.

After some solid work from both of them, the man finally came to.

He coughed hard, hacking up seawater, his eyelids fluttering open.

Anna sat on the deck, her big eyes glued to him, heart pounding like crazy.

How could any guy look this good?

Even pale as a ghost and soaked to the bone, he still had that sharp, upscale vibe that hit you right in the gut.

"How you feeling now?" Anna wanted to scoot closer, but her dad yanked her back.

"Dad, why'd you pull me?"

"You stay back there. I got questions for this fella."

"Dad!" Anna protested.

"Zip it!" John raised his voice.

Anna huffed and planted herself behind her father like a good girl.

John fixed him with a hard stare. "Who the hell are you? How'd you end up floating out here?"

The man blinked around in a daze, his head throbbing like a drum.

"I... I can't remember..." His voice came out rough and faint.

"Can't remember?" John eyed him like he was trouble. "You pulling my leg or what?"

"I mean it. If you try anything shady, I won't go easy on you."

"Dad, he just woke up. His head's gotta be all fuzzy. Can you ease up on the tough guy act?"

Anna slipped out from behind him like a slippery eel and planted herself in front of the man.

"He needs to rest right now. Whatever you wanna know, wait till he's good and ready."

John caught sight of his daughter's starry-eyed look and nearly blew a fuse. "You... you're something else."

"Fine. We'll call the cops once we're back on land, hand him over to the station. That's it for me."

Anna's face screamed reluctance, but she bit her tongue.

John cut the fishing short for the day, swung the boat around, and headed back toward Sunset Island.

Anna dug out some spare clothes for the man to change into and poured him a mug of hot tea.

"Here, watch it, it's hot."

"Thanks." He took the mug.

Anna: "You really don't remember a thing?"

"I..." He glanced around, straining to pull up anything, but another stab of pain hit him, and he clutched his head. "Ow..."

"You okay?" Anna leaned in, all worried. "If it's not coming back, don't push it."

John just shook his head over and over.

Girls grow up too fast. One look at a handsome stranger, and she was gone, head over heels.

He wasn't even getting that kind of fuss as her dad.

The rest of the trip, Anna couldn't stop staring at the man, totally lost in her crush.

Then a lightbulb went off in her head.

Her eyes lit up. She hopped up, darted to her father's side, and whispered in his ear.

"Dad, what if we skip the cops?"

John jerked back. "No chance."

"Why not?" Anna arched a brow at him. "Didn't you always say we could use an extra hand around here?"

"Look at him, all ripped and strong. Bet he could pitch in big time."

John snuck a few glances back at the man, mulled it over, and finally gave a nod.

"Alright."

"Yes!"

Anna nearly whooped for joy, but since they were on the boat, she held it in.

In the end, the two of them brought the man home, named him Jack, and treated him like family.

Jack settled into the rough island life bit by bit.

At first, Anna was a little wary of this quiet guy whose eyes sometimes flashed something fierce.

But he was just too damn good-looking, so she kept inching closer until the fear faded away.

Plus, Jack could throw down like nobody's business.

Ever since he showed up, all the jerks who'd picked on him and her dad got sorted out good, and nobody dared mess with their family anymore.

Trouble was, Jack only saw her as a little sister and brushed off her confessions like they were nothing.

But that was okay. They'd be together forever anyway. Labels didn't matter.

Over the past three-plus years, she'd already locked him in as her future husband in her mind.

After her dad passed, she leaned on Jack even harder, figuring he'd be her rock for life.

And now? They were telling her his real name was Ethan, that he had a fiancée and a kid. He wasn't hers anymore.

It all crashed down so fast, like a bolt from the blue, leaving her reeling.

"Anna, is the food not sitting right with you?" A soft, concerned voice pulled her back from the side.

Anna snapped to, spotting Sophia's hostess smile, and a wave of irritation bubbled up. "No."

"Well, if there's anything you crave down the line, just let Martha know. She'll pass it along to the kitchen..."

"No need!" Anna cut her off, sharp as a tack. "I'm not that picky."

"It's just breakfast. As long as it fills me up, that's fine. Jack... I mean Ethan and I never fussed over stuff like that."

Sophia paused for a beat but didn't push, going back to her meal.

Ethan spoke up out of nowhere. "Anna, Sophia's just looking out for you. You don't need to snap like that."

Anna's breath caught.

This was the second time her brother had called her out over this woman.

She felt so wronged, the words tumbled out before she could stop them.

"What's wrong with my attitude? I'm just stating facts. I'm not fussy about food, so why's that worth a lecture?"

"Anna!" Ethan's tone went ice-cold.

"Whatever, I'm done." Anna set her utensils down. "You all take your time. I won't cramp your style, or I'll catch hell a third time."

With that, she bolted from the table.

Sophia flicked a glance at Ethan out of the corner of her eye, saw his face hadn't budged, and kept feeding the boy in her lap.

"Daddy, is Anna mad?"

"Nah, she just finished eating."

Buddy nodded. "Daddy, I'm full too." He grinned and patted his round little belly.

Ethan nodded at the nanny nearby, signaling her to take the kid.

Now it was just the two of them in the dining room.

Once she was done, Sophia set her fork aside. "Ethan, mind filling me in on Anna? I'd like to get a read on her, make things smoother down the road."

Ethan didn't look up. "No point. Ignore her. She'll sort herself out. That's just how she is."

Sophia puzzled over it in her head.

This didn't add up.

Why was Ethan so frosty toward the girl who'd saved his life?