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       PROLOGUE

      Fifteen months ago

      GRUMBLING AT HER travel-weary reflection in her palm-sized mirror, Grace Railton used a cotton swab to clean away the mascara smudges under her eyes. Jet lag. No sleep and a seven-hour time difference between Paris and Indian Lake are not your friends, Grace. She peered into the mirror. Nope. Not by a long shot.

      “Next stop—Indian Lake. Indian Lake!” the conductor announced as he trundled down the crowded aisle.

      Grace inhaled—for courage or stamina, she didn’t know. Almost there.

      “Indian Lake!” the conductor shouted again as he passed Grace’s seat.

      Grace reached out to touch his sleeve. “Excuse me, would it be possible to get some help with my bags when we stop? I’ve been traveling for nearly fourteen hours and—”

      “Not my job,” he barked back and started to move away.

      Grace gripped his sleeve. “Sir. I’m most happy to pay for the service and I—”

      “We don’t take tips.” He peered at her, taking in her clothing. “You’re not from around here.”

      “I just flew in from Paris.”

      “Let me guess. You’re the one with the huge bags blocking the exit?” He glared at her.

      Grace wasn’t about to be shut down. “I only need help off the train.”

      He continued to glower at her. Hard.

      “Thirty dollars?”

      “I’ll meet you by the door.” He looked down at her high-heeled boots. “Think you can manage the steps in those things?”

      “I’ll be fine,” she assured him with a bright smile.

      Grace СКАЧАТЬ