Storm the Author's Cut Read Free

parties. Forever."
    "Being around someone like Ken who's satisfied with his own life is good for me. I've settled down since... since the crash."
    "Does your dad approve?"
    "Dad's wants me to quit work and raise a family." Laurie wasn't ready for that, but maybe once the children came.
    Bev said, "You once told me you wouldn't marry a man unless he made the earth move for you."
    "I like the earth stable under my feet."
    "Ken doesn't move your earth?"
    Laurie laughed. "The earth moves all the time. Spinning, going around the sun." As a girl she'd dreamed of Ken touching her, making her forget everything, everyone. She was grown up now. She was no longer the wild young thing she had been, and she knew that the earth didn't move for a man and a woman.

 
     
     
    Chapter 2

     
    "I like that dress," Ken said.
    Laurie enjoyed his admiration as she walked down the stairs to him. She knew the softly knit burgundy clung to her breasts and waist, liked the feel of its flared skirt brushing her legs.
    "I wore it last month. It's not new."
    "I liked it then, too."
    He kissed her when she came into reach. "Mother wants me to circulate, keep the guests happy. But later, when the dancing starts we'll find somewhere to be alone." He took her arm and led her towards the other guests.
    "Yes," she agreed. "Later." After her interview with Lucas.
    She'd deliberately chosen a dress that was both attractive, and comfortable enough to wear on a late-night excursion to the seaplane base.
    The music would have disturbed the neighbors if they hadn't been at the party, too. Even the Australian sailor had found someone to invite him. He seemed to be making progress with a pretty redhead whose name Laurie couldn't remember.
    The early stages of the party were devoted to eating and conversation, with food laid out buffet style. Laurie helped Mrs. McDonald carry dishes from the kitchen and kept the punch bowl full. Each time she moved into the large living room, her eyes found Ken.
    This time he was by the window. They smiled at each other, knowing that when the dancing started they would have their time together.
    She kept an eye on the sky and when the sun dropped low on the horizon, she helped close the curtains. Then she slipped quietly away, going out the back door and letting her car roll down the driveway before she started the engine.
    She tried to avoid working evenings or weekends, but tonight was different. She couldn't ignore a missing airplane. Although she felt guilty sneaking away, she knew that if she went openly Ken would argue, spoiling the party for both of them.
    Halfway down the ramp to the dock, she spotted the Beaver circling over the harbor. Although the area near the dock was partly sheltered from the strong winds that had whipped the ocean into whitecaps, she knew enough about seaplanes to know the pilot had a challenge.
    She stood on the wharf beside Barry Stinson and watched the plane fly away from them in a slow circle, then silently back, losing altitude quickly. The landing looked amazingly smooth for the state of the sea.
    "Do you fly?" she asked the boy beside her.
    "Not yet, but Luke says he'll teach me—he's a certified instructor. He's the best pilot on the islands."
    Laurie moved towards the plane as a broad, muscular man climbed out. He wasn't tall, but neither was she, so he seemed to tower over her. She saw weariness in his eyes when smiled at Barry. The instant he saw Laurie's microphone, his eyes turned cold and he pushed past her without a word as she introduced herself.
    She should have been talking, asking him questions, but his hard face silenced her. She noted that his fair hair was sun bleached, or perhaps it was starting to grey. She put him down as a man to be wary of, and decided the passenger behind him was a better bet.
    Dave Hall's face broke in a smile when he saw her. He was one of the most skilled carvers in the Haida Nation and he was Nat's father-in-law. She had interviewed him several times in