Retribution. Ruth Langan

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СКАЧАТЬ Trudy.” She kissed the housekeeper’s cheek, then circled the table kissing her family goodbye. “See you at Sunday brunch.”

      Hannah’s eyes twinkled with teasing laughter. “If you happen to run into that mystery man, you could always entice him into your cabin with Trudy’s pie.”

      While the others laughed, the Judge huffed out a breath. “As if any of the Brennan women need pie to snag a man’s interest.”

      “Good one, Poppie. I can always count on you to stand up for me.” Laughing along with the others, Sidney blew her grandfather a kiss before walking out the door.

      Chapter 3

      Sidney waved at old friends and neighbors as she pedaled her bike through the dusk-shadowed streets of town. Once she’d left Devil’s Cove behind, she found herself deep in thought over what little she’d learned about Adam Morgan.

      Her mystery man wasn’t just a photojournalist, but an award-winning one, as well. Not that she was too surprised. There was an intensity about him that suggested that whatever he attempted, he would do well.

      She’d always admired that in a man. Hadn’t it been what had first attracted her to Curt? She’d fallen in love with his work before ever meeting him.

      It pleased her to know that she could think of Curt now without tears. At first, every time she spoke his name, or saw a flash of his face in her memory, she’d been battered by grief. Now, each year that passed made the loss more tolerable. She would always love him. He’d been her first love, and the bond between them had been so special, so tender, she knew nothing would ever erase those happy memories from her mind. But she’d moved on. It had helped to come back to Devil’s Cove. She’d needed family and friends around her, and the comfort of familiar childhood haunts. It had helped, too, to carve out her own space. Her own life, apart from Curt’s. Apart even from that of her own very talented, very driven family.

      There had been a few men since Curt, but none who merited more than a passing interest. She knew her family watched and waited, clucking like hens over the fact that she was still alone, but the fact was she liked her life as it was. She had her career. She had Picasso and Toulouse for company. And she had her dreams. Maybe that wasn’t enough for some, but it was certainly enough for her. For now.

      At a gust of icy wind Sidney ducked her head and pulled up the collar of her jacket. Legs pumping, she began to pedal faster, suddenly eager for the warmth of her cabin. She should have started home sooner, before the sun had disappeared behind the clouds, leaving the gathering darkness and its attendant chill nipping at her heels like the hounds of winter.

      Adam cranked up the volume on Bruce Springsteen and turned the Jeep off the highway and onto the dirt road that snaked through the forest. The Lake Michigan perch and the cheesecake at The Pier were as good as promised, and he was feeling mellow, despite the curious stares he’d had to endure from the locals while he ate.

      That was the trouble with a small town, he thought. Every new face was a source of speculation. Still, it could work to his advantage, as well. Another new face would spark just as much interest, and would have the authorities moving quickly to investigate. The team assigned to the car bombing was already on high alert to his new location, and had promised to move in at the first sign that security had been breached.

      To keep his visits into town to a minimum, he’d loaded up with supplies from the grocery store. His backseat was piled high with bags and boxes. He’d stocked up on film, as well, and was determined to get a darkroom equipped as quickly as possible. That would cut down on his visits to Devil’s Cove even more.

      He was actually looking forward to living the life of a recluse for the winter. It would be a new experience for him. The very nature of his business made it necessary to move easily in crowds of people. One of the first things he’d mastered was the ability to blend in. Whether he was photographing soldiers at war, children in a jungle clearing, or women haggling at an open-air market, he made certain that no one took any notice of him. That was what gave him the opportunity to move freely among strangers, snapping pictures without making his subjects appear self-conscious. No matter where he was, no matter the faces of those around him, Adam had the uncanny ability to become one of them.

      He was thinking about the children he’d met at an orphanage in Afghanistan as he rounded a curve in the road. For an instant there was a flash of color that barely registered in his brain as he hit the brakes with such force, the Jeep fishtailed and turned a full circle. The dirt spewing from his wheels rose up in a cloud of dust that obliterated everything. Before the vehicle had even come to a stop he hit the door and scrambled out, struggling to see through the curtain of dust to where Sidney was lying in a tangle of bike and arms and legs.

      Nerves had him swearing viciously as he dropped to his knees. “Don’t move. Don’t you even think of moving. Where does it hurt?” His voice was gruff with self-loathing. “Sorry. I was going too fast. I never even saw you.”

      “I’m…okay.” Sidney started to sit up and was startled when his hands closed roughly over her upper arms.

      “I told you not to move.” His face was thrust nose-to-nose with hers. His hot breath stung her cheek. “Something could be broken.”

      “I think I’d know if I’d broken any bones.” She tried to evade his touch, gingerly lifting a hand to her head. “I’m just a bit dizzy.”

      “Hold still. It might be a concussion.”

      She shook her head and waited until his face came into sharper focus. “I think I just had the wind knocked out of me.”

      She saw him take in a long, deep breath. All the while his eyes never left hers. “You’re sure? You’re not bleeding? Nothing’s broken?”

      “Not as far as I can tell.”

      “Think you can stand?”

      She nodded and he wrapped his arms around her, helping her gently to her feet. In that instant she felt a rush of heat so intense, she could do nothing more than stand quietly, sucking in several deep breaths.

      “Any dizziness?”

      “I’m…” She struggled to find her voice. “I’m fine.”

      “I’m driving you home.”

      She started to turn back. “My bike…”

      “I’ll put it in the back of my Jeep.” He walked with her to his car and held the passenger door open, practically lifting her off her feet until she was settled inside.

      After stowing her bike in the back, he climbed into the driver’s side.

      He turned to study her and she felt again that quick sizzle of heat along her spine. “You okay?”

      She nodded, afraid to trust her voice.

      They drove the entire distance in silence. When he pulled up to her cabin, he turned off the ignition and turned to her. “I’m really sorry about this.”

      “No harm done.”

      “You may think so now. By tomorrow you’ll be cussing me out. A spill that hard, I doubt you’ll get away without a few cuts and scratches.”

      She СКАЧАТЬ