Tide Will Tell (Islands of Intrigue: San Juans) Read Free Page B

outside for fear of being shot or worse. Tears welled at the memory. If she hadn’t met Chase when she had, who knows what would have happened.
    But now here she was, in this magnificent place, about to be reunited with the love of her life.
    The driver had gotten out and walked around to her side of the car. He opened the door and held out a hand to her. Taking it, she swung both feet to the ground and stood, instantly regretting that morning’s decision to wear the three-inch heels just because Chase had once commented that they made her legs look a mile long. It could very well take the rest of her natural life to adjust to walking in these things.
    She forced a calm breath, appeased by the smell of pine trees and clean air. So different from the city. The only sound to break the silence was the soft twittering of a few birds. She could definitely get used to this.
    The massive double doors at the front of the house swung open and Chase appeared, smiling broadly. He stepped out onto the porch, looking even more handsome than she remembered. His chiseled features—still tanned from the California sun—and silver-streaked hair made him look more like a matinee idol than a businessman. Kate smiled. There was nothing at all wrong with being attracted to good looks, at any age. Older men admired and appreciated younger women—couldn’t the reverse be equally acceptable?
    Smoothing her hair, she scolded herself. Why hadn’t she thought to check her make-up before getting out of the car? She was still so unaccustomed to wearing it and felt a little conspicuous, not trusting it to remain natural looking on her face.
    As Chase descended the stairs, she moved to meet him. Gliding gracefully up the path, her body seemed to get ahead of her feet. Her right knee twisted painfully and sent her nearly pummeling into one of the tidy green bushes lining the walkway. She quickly righted herself, embarrassment flushing her skin.
    What a klutz. She was going to ruin everything if she wasn’t more careful. Darn heels. She made a mental note to go back to flats and work her way up from there.
    “Darling.” Chase reached her in an instant and placed his hands on her upper arms. “Are you all right?”
    A demure nod was all she could muster. “My foot fell asleep.” She shook the offending appendage for good measure.
    Beaming, he gave her a warm hug, then tipped her chin up with his index finger and pressed a kiss to her forehead.
    A shadow of disappointment crossed through her. She had hoped for a more passionate welcome, but this was no doubt too public a place for that. Why had she been so foolish as to expect more?
    Chase called to the driver. “Take Miss Jennings’ things to the guesthouse.”
    The guesthouse? She frowned. She wasn’t exactly a guest .
    He caught the question in her eyes. “I thought it would be more romantic for you to have your own space until the wedding. I mean…” He ran his fingers through her hair. “You did make it crystal clear in San Francisco that you wanted to wait.”
    She pulled in a breath. It was so sweet of him not to pressure her. She loved him, but the thought of getting physically intimate with him was…what? Not exactly un appealing, but something she felt better about waiting for. She couldn’t explain it. Not even to herself.
    “Thank you, Chase.” She smiled up at him. “I appreciate your thoughtfulness.”
    “Come into the house.” Squeezing her shoulder tightly, he guided her up the front steps. “I assume you’ve had lunch?”
    “Yes…” Had she? Willing her knee to take pity on her, she cautioned a step. An alarming pain shot through her leg, throwing emphasis on the incline of the pathway. It didn’t help that the slim skirt was more confining than she was used to.
    “Hurry, darling.” Chase seemed oblivious to her struggle. “There are some people inside I want you to meet.”
    “Oh, really?” Her stomach dipped. “Who?” She tried not to let her voice