Promise Cove (A Pelican Pointe Novel Book 1) (15 page)

“
M
u
r
p
h
y
’
s
g
o
t
a
b
ig
mouth
.
”
H
er
shoulde
r
s
slumped
a
g
ain—
v
i
s
ibl
y
.
S
he
s
ighed
a
g
ain.
“
I
t
’
s
a
s
ma
l
l
t
o
w
n.
Y
ou’
l
l find
that
out
s
oon
enough.
N
o
thi
n
g
but
bu
s
ybodi
e
s
who
k
now
eve
r
y
thi
n
g
a
bout
y
our
bu
s
in
es
s.
I
’
m
J
or
d
an
by
the
w
a
y
.
J
or
d
an
P
h
il
li
p
s
.
”
Bounci
n
g
her
d
augh
t
e
r
,
she
added,
“
A
nd
th
i
s
i
s
H
u
t
t
o
n
.
”

“
N
ick
H
a
r
r
i
s
.
”
H
e
w
a
t
ched
her
face
for
a
n
y
s
i
g
n
of
recognition
at
the
nam
e
.
S
urel
y
,
Sc
o
t
t
had
mentioned
him
in
h
i
s let
t
e
r
s
hom
e
.
B
ut
when
she
appeared
more
d
i
str
es
s
ed
and deeper
in
though
t
,
he
realized
the
name
meant
nothi
n
g
t
o he
r
.
W
h
at
now?
he
wondered.
The
woma
n
did
n
’
t
s
ee
m
t
o
h
a
v
e
a
n
y
ide
a
wh
o
h
e
w
a
s
.
H
e
w
a
s
n
’
t
sur
e
wha
t
t
o
d
o
.
H
e
had
coun
t
ed
on
her
recognizi
n
g
h
i
s
nam
e
.
S
hould
he
mention how
he
k
new
Sc
o
t
t
,
blu
r
t
out
here
and
no
w
,
admit
w
h
y
h
e
’
d come
t
o
P
elican
P
o
in
t
e
in
the
fi
r
st
p
l
ace?
H
e
sucked
in
a
quiet breath.
S
he
looked
s
o
vulner
a
ble
s
itti
n
g
there
w
ith
the
b
a
by
o
n
he
r
l
a
p
.
H
e
r
e
y
e
s
s
t
il
l
gl
i
s
t
e
ne
d
w
it
h
t
ea
r
s
.
H
e
’
d
w
itn
es
s
ed th
e
woma
n
’
s
breakdo
wn
ove
r
a
sande
r
.
W
ha
t
woul
d
sh
e
do
if
he
dredged
up
pain
f
ul
memo
r
i
e
s
a
bout
her
dead
husband
now
?
S
h
e
’
d
s
t
a
r
t
c
r
y
i
n
g
a
g
ain
,
that
’
s
wha
t
.
H
e
did
n
’
t
s
e
e
a
n
y rea
s
on
t
o
t
a
ke
the
chanc
e
.
H
i
s
cour
a
ge
plumme
t
ed.

A
s
h
e
w
a
t
c
he
d
he
r
face
,
N
ic
k
k
n
e
w
sh
e
w
a
s
weighi
ng
he
r
o
p
tions
.
H
e
coul
d
t
e
l
l
ho
w
in
t
entl
y
sh
e
s
t
udie
d
hi
m
over
th
e
t
o
p
o
f
th
e
b
a
b
y
’
s
head
.
H
e
did
n
’
t
b
l
am
e
he
r
.
H
e
w
a
s
a
st
r
a
n
ge
r
r
idi
ng
a
H
arle
y
.
F
o
r
a
l
l
sh
e
k
n
e
w
h
e
coul
d
b
e
a
s
e
r
i
a
l
k
il
le
r
.
H
e
racke
d
h
i
s
b
rai
n
fo
r
ins
p
i
r
a
tio
n
.
W
h
a
t
could
h
e
s
a
y
tha
t
migh
t
rea
ss
ur
e
he
r
tha
t
sh
e
coul
d
t
r
u
s
t
him
?
B
u
t
the
n
w
h
y
shoul
d
sh
e
t
r
u
s
t
a
t
o
t
a
l
st
r
a
n
ger
?
S
uddenl
y
,
he
blu
r
t
e
d
ou
t
,
“
I
’
d
s
t
a
y
i
n
t
o
w
n
,
wor
k
her
e
du
r
i
ng
th
e
d
a
y,
go
bac
k
to
m
y
roo
m
a
t
nigh
t
i
f
t
h
at’
l
l
mak
e
y
o
u
mor
e
comfo
r
t
a
bl
e
.
”
I
t
w
a
s
th
e
onl
y
thi
ng
h
e
coul
d
of
f
e
r
.