Love In Catalina Cove. Brenda Jackson

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СКАЧАТЬ seemed once the diagnosis was made the condition worsened, and he had buried his wife on the day that would have been her thirtieth birthday.

      He pushed from his mind thoughts of Johanna. Even after over four years they were too painful to dwell on. He was about to reach for his phone to call Trudy when a car sped by. The driver was clocked doing sixty in a fifty-five-miles-an-hour zone.

      Pulling his patrol car onto the highway, he flipped on his flashing red-and-blue lights and siren as he took off behind the speeding red Corvette convertible.

      * * *

      VASHTI HAD THE radio on full blast while singing along with Beyoncé, belting out her newest hit. This was a perfect day to drive with the top down. March was about to roll into April with spring-like days. The midday sun wasn’t too hot and the breeze was just right. She loved the feel of her hair blowing in the wind, and wished somehow her problems could be blown away as easily. If she had to return to Catalina Cove she might as well make the drive fun. She would admit this car had a lot of power. Already she’d made it to the outskirts of town and should be reaching her destination soon.

      She glanced in her rearview mirror and saw the flashing red-and-blue lights and immediately turned down the volume on the radio. That’s when she heard the siren. Where had the police officer come from and how long had they been following her? She pulled to the shoulder of the road and he pulled off the road behind her.

      Vashti wondered why she’d gotten stopped. Annoyed, she tapped her hand on the steering wheel and when the police officer reached her car, she looked at him. OMG. She was convinced she was staring up into the most handsome face she’d seen in a long time. And on top of that, a snap of sexual awareness she hadn’t felt in years rocked her to the bone.

      He was so tall and she thought there was something magnetic about those dark brown eyes that were staring back at her. It took her a minute to notice his lips were moving, which meant he’d been talking. What on earth had he said? She’d been too busy concentrating on the shape of his lips.

      “Excuse me, Officer. Could you repeat that?”

      He gave her an irritated look. “I asked why you didn’t stop when you heard my siren?”

      “I didn’t hear your siren probably because I had the radio on full blast. Sorry about that.”

      “Your license please.”

      “Sure.” She then went into her purse and pulled out her driver’s license, wondering who had ruined his day. It was obvious he was in a bad mood. She handed him her driver’s license. “And why was I stopped?” And why was she noticing how the shirt of his officer’s uniform seemed to stretch across a broad chest and over muscular shoulders?

      He didn’t answer her. Instead he returned to his patrol car. She was tempted to hang out the window and check out his rear end but quickly talked herself out of doing so. Mr. Not-So-Nice-Cop had one redeeming quality. He was definitely a hottie. But regardless of his sexy attributes, he could have answered her question before walking off.

      A good ten minutes had passed before he returned and handed her license back to her. “And why was I stopped?” she asked him again.

      “You were speeding.”

      “Speeding?”

      “Yes. You were going sixty in a fifty-five-miles-an-hour zone.”

      Had she? She knew that was a possibility. More than once she’d had to ease her foot off the pedal when she’d discovered she’d been going faster than she intended. He handed her a ticket to sign and she felt a tingling sensation in her stomach when their hands brushed in the process. She looked up at him. “Is this a real one?”

      He lifted a brow. “A real what?”

      “Ticket.”

      “What other kind is there?”

      She frowned. “A warning ticket.”

      “I don’t give out warning tickets.”

      She looked at the ticket and then back at him. “Two hundred dollars!”

      “Yes. That’s forty dollars for ever mile you were going over. Forty times five would be two hundred dollars.”

      “That’s a bit much.”

      He lifted his brow again and she wished he wouldn’t do that. Each time he did she was captivated by the beauty of his eyes. “You think so?”

      “Yes.”

      “I don’t. You broke the law.”

      “It wasn’t intentional.”

      “If you say so. Here’s your driver’s license back.” Again their fingers brushed and Vashti felt that tingling sensation.

      “I take it you’re headed to Catalina Cove,” he said, pushing his hat back from his face to reveal even more of his features.

      “Yes, why do you ask?” she asked, noticing that besides being handsome, the man was broad-shouldered and fit.

      “No reason. Just make sure you drive within the speed limits while you’re there. Looks like this little toy you’re driving might get you in trouble.”

      She looked at her ticket before looking back up at him. “Looks like it already has.”

      His mouth formed a smile and she felt a fluttering in her stomach at the sensual curve of his mouth. No man should have the ability to have such an effect on a woman...especially when he’d just made her two hundred dollars poorer.

      “Do you have family in town or are you just here to enjoy all Catalina Cove has to offer?” he asked her.

      No need to tell him why she was there. It really wasn’t any of his business. “I’m here to enjoy all Catalina Cove has to offer.”

      He nodded. “Well then, enjoy your stay. Good day.”

      Watching in her side-view mirror as he walked back to his patrol car, she also thought he looked good from the waist down and appreciated the way his slacks fit a pair of masculine thighs and long legs. And his backside was pretty darn nice, too. It was only after he’d gotten in his vehicle did she allow herself to breathe again. As far as she was concerned, he’d provided her with the best view she’d seen since arriving back in Louisiana.

      Starting her car, she pulled back onto the highway.

      * * *

      SAWYER WATCHED UNTIL the little red Corvette was no longer in sight. What the hell had happened when their hands had accidentally touched? Hell, even now he could feel a burning sensation. It had taken all the control he could muster to maintain his professionalism and give her that ticket. He had not been that attracted to a woman since Johanna.

      According to her driver’s license her name was Vashti Alcindor and she lived in New York City. Since she wasn’t wearing a wedding ring he assumed she was single. The car was a rental and he wondered what had brought her to the cove. He’d tried asking her in a roundabout way, but she hadn’t told him anything. That was okay. Everybody had the right to keep their business to themselves. СКАЧАТЬ