Stranger on the Shore Read Free Page B

days in the area. However, I think I need a new fishing spot." He grinned at the boy. "I don't believe I'll catch much here."
    Jimmy Joe beamed, unable to hide his look of satisfaction.
    "There's a good hole 'bout half a mile up the shore," he offered. "An old snag hangs out over the water."
    "Would you mind if I tried it?"
    Jimmy Joe shook his head.
    "Then I might try it tomorrow. Do you want to fish with me?" he asked.
    Jimmy Joe shook his head again. "Ain't Friday. But I might come by and visit a spell."
    "Do you only fish on Fridays?"
    This time Jimmy Joe nodded his head. "Grandmother fixes fish on Fridays."
    "Every Friday?"
    "Uh-huh."
    "What happens if you don't catch enough?"
    "I always do," Jimmy Joe assured him.
    Jordan grinned again, amused by the boy's supreme confidence.
    "I gotta go now," the boy told him."
    Jordan nodded. "Maybe I'll see you tomorrow, then," he said. "And Jimmy Joe, thank you, and thank your cousin, too, for showing me Scarface."
    "That's okay."
    Jordan watched Jimmy Joe scramble up the clay bank to where his cousin was waiting. The boy turned to wave before they both disappeared into the thicket.
    He began collecting his fishing gear, his mind busy sorting through his impressions. The children, the lake, the countryside, its people—everything about this place intrigued him. Rural settings weren't new to him. The small farms, nestled like green emeralds in tiny valleys, reminded him of the home he'd known as a boy. But something about this place was different. It called to him, fascinated him, seduced him.
    Beaver Lake was another contradiction—behaving at times like a wild river as it moved north, collecting waters from deep gorges, and in other places, lazily lapping the shoreline, like a complacent lover.
    Then there was the woman—the one he'd come to find. For a moment, when the boy first mentioned his cousin with the sight , he'd hoped his search was about to end. He should have known it wasn't going to be that easy. Three days ago, he'd been almost ready to abandon his hunt. Then he'd discovered Sarah Wilson's name in the county tax records. But even that was strange. The deeds were part of old Monte Ne—a resort now buried under the waters of Beaver Lake.
    Jordan wondered if he should backtrack to St. Louis and try a new path. No, damn it. The woman was here. He was sure of it. He'd keep looking and eventually, he'd find her.
    Besides, he wasn't ready to leave. Something held him here. This was a place of enchantment—a place where children tamed lake bass.
    His eyes moved once again to the place where he'd last seen the boy and girl. Jimmy Joe was a lovable imp. It had taken a lot of character for the boy to refrain from saying "I told you so."
    Jordan's thoughts switched then to the girl. Mysterious eyes and the ability to charm the fish in the lake.
    Absolutely unbelievable.

 
     
     
    Chapter 2

     
    Sarah wasn't surprised at the message awaiting her when she and Jimmy Joe returned to her grandparents' farm.
    "Your Aunt Cinda wants to see you," her grandmother told her. "T.J. brought the message."
    "Did he say why?"
    Sarah's grandmother shook her head. "She said you would know."
    Yes, she knew. She had refused to acknowledge the situation since the stranger first appeared in the valley. She'd tried to avoid him, but their meeting by the lake destroyed the last of her defenses. It was too late to alter events now.
    Sarah sighed. Then, when she saw the concerned look on her grandmother's face, forced a smile. The strange ability she shared with her grandmother's oldest sister was one that was accepted but never discussed by the family. Neither was it understood. Sarah wasn't sure she understood it herself, nor the bond it created between them.
    Why hadn't Aunt Cinda's daughter, or even her granddaughter, received the gift? She knew it could skip a generation, and in her case, it had. Aunt Cinda was the only one of that generation, just as Sarah was the only one of her generation