The Village of Gerard's Cliff Read Online Free PDF Page A

him in.
    "Hello, Mr. Garrison." She opened the door with her usual
smile. "... Connor, I mean." He strode past her, noticeably
agitated. "Are you alright?" Allie was genuinely concerned. After
walking past her, he had turned back toward her, and seemed to be
wrestling with his thoughts, all the while fidgeting with the keys
that he still held in his hand. His thick, dark brows were
furrowed, and his penetrating stare was unnerving. "Is everything
alright?" she asked him again, as she bolted the front door, and
turned back to him. She really didn't know this man, and wasn't
sure how much she wanted to know about him. Just because he was
about the most handsome man she had ever laid eyes on, did not mean
she wanted to know all of his deep, dark secrets. Ethan had been
all the drama she could handle in one day. She was starting to feel
uncomfortable with his silent brooding, as his eyes continued to
bore through hers, his dark eyebrows furrowed, and his strong jaw
looking very set and determined.
    "Well.." Allie decided to
change the subject. "The Hollands will be back shortly from their
trip into town," she mentioned, in a carefree voice, her hands
clasped. She decided to ignore his strange behavior. "Is there
anything I can get for you from the kitchen before you retire?" She
hoped he had picked up on the word 'retire,' as she did not want to
prolong this agony. What is it with men today, she inwardly
seethed, but continued smiling at him as if she no longer noticed
anything out of the ordinary.
    "No...no, don't bother."
Connor seemed to have regained his composure, or made some sort of
decision. At this point, she couldn't care less, she decided as he
pocketed his keys. "I'll head on upstairs." He looked at her again,
but this time with a crooked, thoughtful smile that crinkled his
eyes, and that again, unnerved her.
    She returned his look with
a tenuous smile, her brows furrowed as her eyes quickly scanned his
face for some clue to his odd behavior. Then she turned away
quickly, and said dismissively, "Well, good night, then." and
walked toward the desk.
    "Goodnight, Allie." She
was startled at his quiet, familiar tone, but as her back was to
him, she gave no indication, and continued walking to the desk. As
she slid behind the tall, pine desk, she listened to his footsteps
growing lighter as they reached the second floor, then heard the
sound of his door closing.

Chapter X
    As she was about to head
downstairs to begin a new day, Allie took one last glance at
herself in the mirror on the back of the closet door. She smoothed
back a few stray strands of her hair, which was pulled back in a
neat ponytail, tied with a knotted, filmy, green floral scarf. She
was not too displeased with what she saw...her slim figure was clad
in another turtleneck - dark green this time, and khaki slacks,
finished off with sensible, brown flats. She realized, then, with a
start, that the young woman looking back at her was a widow...and a
recent widow, at that. Why did she keep forgetting that? Her
fluttery reactions to Connor's good looks, to the sight of his
broad back in her dining room chair, and to his eyes, staring at
her in such a familiar way, were not what a new widow should be
feeling. Allie looked into her own reflected, troubled eyes. She
should still be in mourning for Patrick. She should be wearing
black. She should be ashamed of herself. What would Connor think of
her if he knew? But just as quickly, she reassured herself that he
would have no idea that she was widowed...and, why should she care
what he thought about it anyway. She'd only met him two days ago,
for goodness sake. What was he to her, but a guest at her inn, one
out of the hundreds of guests who had stayed at the inn. She shook
back her head in disgust at herself, gave herself one last level
look in the mirror, and hurriedly left her room to prove to herself
that she could be that widow. She owed Patrick that, at the very
least, didn't she?
    That morning was much