In Shelter Cove Read Online Free PDF Page A

had never looked as guilty as she did now. “What kind of present?”
    Before Nancy could reply, Lucas ran into the kitchen, his face lit with excitement. “Mommy, guess what Grandpa and Grandma got me?”
    The sound of barking told Brianna all she needed to know. “You didn’t,” she said, as Lucas grabbed her hand and pulled her into the living room.
    Rick had a squirmy black dog in his arms and a sheepish expression on his face. “I forgot it was today,” he told Nancy, who had followed them into the living room.
    “So did I,” Nancy said.
    “Can I hold him?” Lucas asked.
    Rick hesitated and then handed the frantically excited puppy to Lucas. Lucas couldn’t hang on to the dog, and the two went down together in a mix of barks and giggles.
    “We’re going to go,” Laurie said hastily, giving her husband, Bud, a pointed look. “Let you all sort this out.”
    Brianna barely registered the neighbors’ departure, too caught up in disbelief. Lucas had been asking for a dog for months, and she’d promised him they’d talk about it when his dad came home. Apparently, Derek had made his own plans to surprise his son.
    The black Labrador was awfully cute, but the timing wasn’t great. She would have preferred to get settled into their house before considering a pet.
    “Derek had a black Lab,” Nancy told her. “The last time we visited him, two weeks before he died, he said that he wanted to get Lucas a dog. We agreed to set it up for him with some friends of ours who breed dogs.”
    “After Derek died, I forgot all about it,” Rick said.
    “I can keep him, can’t I, Mommy?” Lucas asked, his arms tightening around the puppy, which was enthusiastically licking his face. “I’ll feed him and play with him all the time.”
    “I guess so,” she said. There was no way she could erase the happiest smile Lucas had worn in months.
    “We’ll help you,” Nancy said.
    “We’ve got a head start on supplies,” Rick added, motioning to the crate and the bag of dog food. “He didn’t come empty-handed.”
    “What should we name him, Mommy?” Lucas asked.
    “I’ll let you pick. In the meantime, I’ll go to our house and get our beds set up and clear some space for the three of us.”
    “I’ll come with you,” Nancy said.
    “No, that’s okay. I need a few minutes to myself.”
    “I’m sorry we sprang this on you.” Rick offered her a rueful smile.
    “It will be fine.” And as she watched Lucas playingwith his new best friend, she started to believe it would be. This was what she wanted for her son: normal, happy family moments. It was why she’d risked coming to Angel’s Bay. There were shadows here, but there was also a lot of love. And she didn’t want Lucas to grow up lonely, the way she had.
    “I wish Derek could see this,” Nancy murmured, her gaze on the child and the puppy. She glanced back at Brianna. “His last gift to his son. I think it was a good one.”
    “I think it was, too.”
    Jason headed to the police station after leaving Colin’s house. He wasn’t on duty, but he wanted to speak to the chief before Brianna did.
    Joe Silveira was just getting off the phone when Jason entered his office. In his late thirties, the chief had dark hair, dark eyes, and an unshakably cool manner. He’d spent years working vice in Los Angeles and brought a wealth of experience to this job. Jason had enormous respect for his boss, and they had a good working relationship, but they hadn’t moved close to a friendship. Joe was approachable yet distant, the kind of man Jason doubted anyone knew very well.
    “What can I do for you, Marlow?” Joe asked, giving him a thoughtful look.
    “I wanted to give you a heads-up on a situation that might be developing.”
    “Let me guess: Derek Kane. I heard you were at the funeral today. Was that a good idea?”
    “Probably not.”
    Joe picked up a thick file from the top of his desk. “I took a look through this earlier. Interesting case. Local