On Shadow Beach Read Free Page A

Good.” She gulped in a deep breath of air and wrapped her arms around her waist.
    “Are you scared of me?” Shane sent her a speculative look.
    “Don’t be ridiculous.”
    “You seem nervous.”
    “I just want to get this over with.”
    A few minutes passed, then Shane said, “Your father loves this town. Do you really think you can drop in after all this time and sweep him away without an argument?”
    “I have to do
something
. When I arrived at his house tonight, the stove was on. He could have burned the house down. And who knows where he’s headed now?” She shook her head in confusion. “This shouldn’t be happening. He’s only sixty-seven; he’s too young to be losing his mind.”
    “Some days are worse than others,” Shane commented. “Other times, he’s the same as he always was.”
    “You talk to my father?” she asked in surprise.
    “He’s on his boat almost every day. Mort took his key away from him a while ago. I don’t know where he got another one.”
    “My father doesn’t—” She broke off the question, realizing she was heading into dangerous territory.
    “Blame me for Abby’s death?” Shane finished, a hard note in his voice. “Some days he does, some days he doesn’t. But he does blame me for yourleaving and never coming back.”
    “That wasn’t because of you.”
    “Wasn’t it?” He tilted his head, giving her a considering look. “What’s making you so jumpy, Lauren? Don’t tell me it’s just the water. You don’t like being alone with me.”
    “I got over you a long time ago. It was a teenage crush, that’s all. It’s not like I’m still attracted to you. I don’t think about you at all. I am way,
way
over you. I’ve moved on.”
    “Are you done?” he asked when she finally ran out of steam.
    “Yes.”
    He eased up on the throttle so abruptly, she stumbled right into his arms. Her lips had barely parted in protest when his mouth came down on hers, hot, insistent, demanding the truth.
    She should break it off, pull away . . . but God, he tasted good. She felt seventeen again, hot, needy, reckless, on the verge of something incredible and exciting and . . .
    She had to stop. Finally, she found the strength to push him away. She stared at him in shock, her heart pounding, her breathing ragged.
    He gave her a long look in return. “Yeah, I’m over you, too.” He put his hands back on the wheel.
    Okay, so her body still had a thing for him. That didn’t mean her head or her heart intended to go along. Loving Shane had only gotten her a heart full of pain.
    “I’m glad we’ve settled that,” she said sharply.
    “Me too.”
    A tense silence fell between them, and the air around them grew thicker, colder, and damp. Her hair started to curl and a fine sheen of moisture covered her face. As they rounded the point, a silvery mist surrounded them. Her father had often spoken of the angels that danced above the bay, that watched over and protected them. She’d believed him with the innocence of a child, but she’d lost her faith when Abby died. What kind of angel could let a fifteen-year-old girl be killed?
    She felt a wave of panic as the mist enveloped them in a chilling hug, and had to fight a powerful desire to fling herself back into Shane’s arms.
    Why are you fighting? He’s the man you’ve always wanted.
    The voice wasn’t in her head; it was on the wind. She certainly hadn’t said the words, because they weren’t true. She didn’t want Shane—not anymore.
    A melodic laugh seemed to bounce off the waves, as if the ocean found her amusing. She shook her head, forcing the fanciful thought away. She didn’t believe in angels, or much of anything. Believing in someone always led to disappointment.
    She let out a breath of relief as the fog lifted, and a beam of light danced off the waves ahead of them—her father’s boat.
    Shane’s boat was moving faster now. They’d reach the
Leonora
within minutes. But then what? “How will we stop