Sunset Point: A Shelter Bay Novel Read Online Free PDF

moved into.”
    Kara laughed. “There are times when I vaguely remember living that workaholic life when I was juggling being a wife, mother, and Oceanside cop. But mostly—thank God—I’ve forgotten them. Fortunately, here, I’m mainly dealing with barking dog complaints, TP attacks, or vandalized mailboxes. And since I can’t convince you to stay for dinner, I’d better get going. Have a safe drive back home, and I’ll keep an eye on Dana for you.”
    “Thanks,” Tess said as they tossed their empty cups into the recycle bin. “Perhaps one of these days, you and Sax can come up to Portland. While I can’t cook anywhere near his standards, I do make great reservations.”
    “It’s a date,” Kara said. Then turned down a ride the few blocks to her office. “I need to walk off that cupcake before Sax’s calorie-laden dinner.”
    As she headed toward her car, Tess thought that coming home at the end of the day to a meal waiting for you could definitely be a perk of marriage.
    “Note to self,” she murmured. “Pencil in time for a husband. Sometime in the next fifty years.”

6
    Anticipation. That’s what he was suffering from, Nate diagnosed. His vague edginess had turned into a premonition that had grown increasingly stronger as he walked along the seawall.
    A second later the reason for his heightened feelings suddenly appeared on the sidewalk in front of him, her face—that lovely face that had been haunting him for weeks—illuminated by an old-fashioned gas streetlight’s amber glow.
    It was her. The woman from his dreams.
    “Hey! Wait a minute!”
    Tess saw a tall, dark-haired man hurrying toward her. As he passed beneath the light, his behavior caused a sudden flashback she’d mostly overcome.
    She’d been a carefree eight-year-old tomboy who enjoyed playing hide-and seek with her cousins in the cask room, hanging out with her dad and grandfather in the tasting room, and running wild and carefree in the Lombardi family vineyards.
    Then the day came when a man in a white van stopped to ask her for directions while she was walking home from her then bestie’s slumber party.
    Now, as this man got closer, Tess’s mouth went dry. She swallowed. Fighting for the control that had once been taken from her, she wished she’d ignored his shouted command. Then she’d already be safely inside her locked car rather than standing toe-to-toe with a tall male who was looking down at her with such raw intensity.
    “Are you by any chance speaking to me?” Her tone was as chilled as her blood.
    His gaze didn’t waver from hers. “Do you see anyone else around here?”
    No. Unfortunately, she didn’t.
    “You’ve been driving me crazy,” he ground out. “I have to know. Who the hell are you?”
    After she’d finally been rescued, along with a therapist who’d helped her return to a reasonably normal life, her father had hired a former Marine to teach her self-defense. Since her career involved interaction with criminals, she’d occasionally take a class to stay sharp. Although she’d never had a reason to test her moves, just knowing them kept her from shaking in her pumps now.
    “I really don’t think that’s relevant.” She turned back toward the safety of her car.
    He caught hold of the sleeve of her jacket. “You can’t go until you tell me your name.”
    You can’t go . Those words were all it took to send her into self-protection mode. Later, when she had time to dwell on the event, Tess would recall the desperation in his deep voice. At the moment, far more concerned with saving her life than sparing her attacker’s feelings, she stomped her high heel on his instep and slammed the heel of her hand upward, hitting him right beneath his nose.
    The result was as instantaneous and effective as her instructor had promised. As his nose began to bleed like a faucet, the man released her arm.
    Leaving him cursing a blue streak, Tess sprinted toward her car, fumbling through her purse for her