Rock Harbor Series - 04 - Abomination Read Online Free PDF Page B

to the owner of the store? What’s her name?”
    “Anu Nicholls. We’ll go over after Terri gets up. You’ll love Anu. She’s always been there for me, even after Rob died.”
    “Mama?” Terri stood in the doorway, rubbing her eyes.
    “Hi, sweetheart.” Elena held out her arms, and Terri ran to climb onto her mother’s lap. The little girl’s hair was sticky with something and stuck up on end, but the aroma of little girl was even more appealing than that of the Finnish pancake. Elena pulled it into her lungs, dragging it in deep like an oxygen-starved diver. “We need to give you a bath. Are you hungry?”
    Terri nodded. Her mother offered a spoonful of pannukakku , and the little girl’s eyes widened.
    “Good?” Elena asked her daughter.
    Terri nodded and opened her mouth like a little bird for more. The child soon finished a whole pancake.
    She wiggled down to the floor. “Music,” she said, pointing to the radio on the counter.
    Bree smiled and flipped it on. The melody filled the room, and Terri began to dance.
    Elena watched her daughter twirl and pirouette around the room. She was incredibly graceful for a little girl. Elena couldn’t drag her eyes from her daughter. Each limb so exquisitely made, so perfect. Her limbs twitched with the desire to dance with Terri, but knowing the Matthewses would be watching kept her in her chair. Elena’s love of dance was her first clue to knowing herself.
    “Looks like she’s had dance lessons,” Bree said.
    Elena just nodded. It was obvious Terri had been taught, but Elena had no memory of the lessons. “Let’s get you bathed and dressed, Terri.” She scooped her daughter up. “I’ll be right back,” she told Bree.
    By the time she bathed Terri and dressed her in denim pants and a pink shirt that read “Daddy’s Girl,” her assurance lagged. She didn’t want to leave the safety of this lighthouse home and face anyone in town. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea. A job where she didn’t meet people might be better. What if he came here and just walked into the shop?
    She glanced sideways at Terri. The little girl hadn’t mentioned her father. Was that a telling omission? If only Elena could name the threat. It was hard not knowing who was a danger.
    Terri patted her mother’s cheeks. “Mama sad?”
    “Mama is fine.” She kissed Terri’s cheek. “Maybe we can find a park and go swing later.”
    “Swing!” Terri agreed. “Daddy go?”
    So much for Terri not asking for her father. How should Elena respond? She not only didn’t know the answer; she didn’t know all the questions. “Daddy isn’t here. We’re visiting friends.”
    Terri frowned but didn’t say anything more. She held on to Elena’s hand as they went down the steps to meet Bree by the door.
    “Anu is expecting us,” Bree said. She held the door open. “Kade went on to work.”
    Elena stepped out into brilliant sunshine and the fresh scent of water. The sound of waves hitting the shore lent a peaceful calm to the day. It was like standing at the beginning of a new world, a place she’d never dreamed existed. This place cast a spell of deep peace over her heart. If only she could stay here.
    Maybe she could. It might be safe.
    She rolled down her window as they drove the few blocks into downtown. Bree pointed out the landmarks, and Elena drank in the beauty of the small village. The smell of the big lake made her think of new life, and she prayed this was a chance for her and Terri to start over.
    Whatever was behind her was something she didn’t want to face.
    “Rock Harbor is surrounded on three sides by old-growth forest. The west side of town runs along a bluff above Lake Superior. We live there. Rock Harbor’s downtown area is nestled at the base of Quincy Hill.” Bree smiled. “If you can call three blocks downtown . Most of town’s major businesses are lined up on Houghton Street, which is intersected by Jack Pine Lane and Pepin Street.”
    Elena nodded.