Promise Cove (A Pelican Pointe Novel Book 1) (57 page)

“
S
plitti
n
g
wood
,
” he
co
r
re
c
t
ed
as
he
sat
the
d
i
ape
r
s
on the
floor
and
the
sac
k
s
on
the
coun
t
e
r
.

“
H
uh?”
S
he
plopped
H
u
tt
on
down
on
the
floor
and s
t
a
r
t
ed
putti
n
g
a
w
a
y
the
groce
r
i
e
s.

“
N
ever
mind
.
”
H
e
s
ent
her
a
w
ide
g
r
in.
“
I
think
I
can handle
an
a
x
.
”

W
ith
a
body
like
his
she
had
no
doubt
he
could
handle just
a
bout
a
n
y
thi
n
g
p
h
ysical.
B
ut
w
h
y
w
as
he
t
r
y
i
n
g
s
o
hard?
“
I
’ll
just
s
t
a
r
t
lunch
while
y
ou
go
p
l
a
y
P
aul
B
u
ny
an
then
.
”

“
H
e
y
,
it
got
cold
l
ast
night.
T
h
i
s
cl
o
s
e
t
o
the
coast
it
gets chill
y
.
The
firewood
w
ill
come
in
hand
y
.
”

W
ith
tha
t
,
he
d
i
sappeared
through
the
doo
r
w
a
y
,
le
a
v
i
n
g her
s
t
andi
n
g
there
wonde
r
i
n
g
where
he
got
h
i
s
ener
g
y
.
I
n fa
c
t
,
it
cr
o
s
s
ed
her
mind
that
he
a
c
t
ed
like
a
man
p
ossess
ed
o
r
w
it
h
s
o
methi
n
g
t
o
prov
e
.
S
he
j
u
s
t
w
as
n
’
t
sur
e
wha
t
i
t
w
a
s.

S
ho
r
tly
af
t
er
lunch
he
w
as
s
itti
n
g
at
J
or
d
a
n
’
s
d
e
sk
ske
t
chi
n
g
out
h
i
s
p
l
an
for
a
g
arden
fence
when
he
heard
a
car
door s
l
a
m
.
J
or
d
an
m
u
st
h
a
ve
heard
it
t
o
o
beca
u
s
e
she
rounded the
co
r
ner
quickly
ho
p
i
n
g
t
o
reach
the
f
ront
door
before the
v
is
i
t
or
ra
n
g
the
doorbe
l
l.
“
I
j
u
st
put
H
ut
t
on
do
w
n
for her
af
t
e
r
noon
na
p
.
I
do
n
’t
w
ant
a
ny
one
r
i
n
g
i
n
g
the
be
l
l
and
w
a
k
i
n
g
her
u
p
.
”

“
H
o
w
’
s
that
goi
n
g
t
o
work
when
g
uests
s
t
a
r
t
sho
w
i
n
g up?”

“
Good
qu
e
stion.
I
g
u
e
ss
I
’ll
h
a
ve
t
o
work
s
omethi
n
g
out once
g
u
e
sts
become
a
reali
t
y
,
”
she
t
old
N
ick
as
she
raced
for the
door
just
in
time
t
o
s
ee
F
rank
M
a
r
tin
st
r
idi
n
g
up
the
front s
t
e
p
s.
The
banker
w
as
Sc
o
t
t
’
s
a
ge
but
w
as
already
l
o
si
n
g
h
i
s hair
and
had
a
nice
com
b
-
over
g
o
i
n
g
on.

J
or
d
an
opened
the
door
and
s
t
epped
outside,
a
bit breathle
s
s,
more
from
ne
r
ves
than
a
n
y
thi
n
g
e
ls
e
.
T
h
i
s
man
w
as
n
’t
exa
c
tly
a
welcome
sight.
“
F
ran
k
.
H
o
w
’
s
it
goi
n
g?”

“
A
fte
r
noon
J
orda
n
.
”
L
oo
k
ing
around,
F
r
ank
s
i
ghed
audibl
y
.
“
I
w
a
s
a
f
r
aid
o
f
th
i
s
.
N
o
t
ma
k
ing
much
pro
g
r
e
s
s,
are
y
ou?”

J
ust
as
sh
e
’
d
done
at
the
s
t
ore
earlier
w
ith
S
i
s
s
y
,
J
or
d
a
n
’
s
t
emper
f
l
ared
in
a
rare
show
of
i
r
r
i
ta
tion.
C
ould
n
’t
the
man
s
ee
how
much
bet
t
er
the
porch
looked?
N
ick
had
not
only s
t
ained
and
sanded,
but
h
e
’
d
a
ls
o
shored
up
the
s
a
g
g
i
n
g boar
d
s,
rep
l
aced
the
rot
t
en
wood
from
the
raili
n
g
,
and repain
t
ed.
J
or
d
an
had
no
in
t
entions
of
letti
n
g
h
i
s
comment slid
e
.
“
On
the
contra
r
y
,
I
’
m
mo
v
i
n
g
r
ight
alo
n
g
on
s
chedul
e
.
”