Promise Cove (A Pelican Pointe Novel Book 1) (12 page)

A
s
he
g
o
t
cl
o
s
e
r
,
it
w
a
s
n
’t
the
condition
of
the
hou
s
e
that
caugh
t
h
i
s
at
t
en
t
io
n
an
d
held
,
bu
t
r
athe
r
th
e
st
r
i
k
i
n
g
woman
a
bout
f
i
ve
fo
o
t
s
i
x
w
ith
caramel
-
colored,
honey-blonde
hair pulled
back
in
a
po
n
y
t
a
i
l,
s
t
andi
n
g
on
the
w
r
a
paround
porch st
r
uggli
n
g
might
i
ly
w
ith
a
l
arge
commerc
i
a
l
sande
r
.
T
r
y
i
n
g
t
o
keep
a
s
t
eady
hold
on
the
cons
t
ant
m
o
tion,
she
w
as
f
i
ght
i
n
g
the
machine
or
m
a
ybe
the
machine
w
as
fi
gh
ti
n
g
he
r
. Either
w
a
y
,
the
battle
r
a
ged
on
and
it
looked
l
i
ke
the
sander
w
as
w
inni
n
g
.

P
u
l
li
n
g
u
p
b
es
id
e
the
porch
,
h
e
quickl
y
shu
t
of
f
the
e
n
g
in
e
t
o
the
c
y
cl
e
.
Befor
e
h
e
coul
d
slid
e
of
f
the
bi
ke,
how
e
ve
r
,
the
woma
n
l
o
s
t
contro
l
o
f
the
machin
e
.
T
h
e
sande
r
becam
e
ai
r
bo
r
n
e
,
f
le
w
throug
h
the
woode
n
ra
i
li
n
g
,
sa
i
le
d
an
o
t
he
r
fi
v
e
fee
t
i
n
the
ai
r
an
d
l
ande
d
w
it
h
a
g
r
indi
n
g thud
i
n
the
mid
d
l
e
o
f
a
bunc
h
o
f
f
lowe
r
s
.
P
in
k
an
d
pu
r
ple bl
o
ss
om
s
sh
o
t
out
f
ro
m
e
ve
r
y
a
n
gle
,
alo
n
g
w
it
h
g
ree
n
v
in
e
s
g
o
i
n
g
e
ve
r
y
whic
h
w
a
y
.
T
h
e
sande
r
sa
t
there
amo
n
g
the
f
lowe
r
s
,
whirli
n
g
,
spe
w
i
n
g
fo
r
th
enoug
h
di
r
t
an
d
n
o
is
e
t
o
deafe
n
the
neighbo
r
s
o
r
s
car
e
a
b
a
b
y
.

F
rom
s
omewhere
on
the
porch,
N
ick
heard
the
w
a
i
l
of
a
s
ma
l
l
ch
i
ld
.
The
ha
r
r
ied
woman
r
u
shed
over
t
o
a
m
e
sh,
c
r
i
b
-l
i
ke
box
where
she
bent
do
w
n
t
o
s
coop
up
the
unhappy
little bun
d
le
dr
e
ss
ed
in
p
ink
ove
r
a
l
l
s.
C
lu
t
chi
n
g
the
b
a
by
t
o
her ch
e
s
t
,
she
be
g
an
boun
c
i
n
g
her
up
and
do
w
n
t
r
y
i
n
g
t
o
s
o
o
the the
little
g
irl.
O
ver
the
din,
N
ick
heard
her
s
a
y
,
“
O
h,
s
wee
t
ie,
I
’
m
s
o
s
o
r
r
y
.
Do
n
’t
c
r
y
no
w
.
H
ush
no
w
.
I
t
’
s o
k
a
y
.
S
hhhh.
I
t’
l
l be
o
k
a
y
.
M
am
a
’
s
r
ight here, she did
n
’t mean
t
o
s
care
y
ou
.
”

N
ick
bent
do
w
n
over
the
sande
r
,
loca
t
ed
the
s
w
i
t
ch,
and flipped
it
t
o
the
off
p
os
ition,
s
i
len
c
i
n
g
the
deafeni
n
g
n
o
is
e
.
H
auli
n
g
the
machine
out
of
the
b
u
sh
e
s,
he
s
et
it
up
r
igh
t
.
O
ut
of
the
co
r
ner
of
h
i
s
e
y
e,
he
w
at
ched
as
J
or
d
an
s
imply dropped
do
w
n
on
the
porch
s
t
e
p
s
w
ith
H
ut
t
on
on
her
la
p
as if
e
xha
u
s
t
ed,
defea
t
ed.