Cold Comfort (40 page)
"The other one isn't big enough," he said, leading her down the hill and inside. His face was closed tighter than Ray's mouth.
She followed him through an unfinished wall into a large room with a stone fireplace at one end. Glass at the opposite end drew her attention, revealing the sloping lawn and wide expanse of sparkling water. "It's wonderful."
He turned on the lights behind her.
What did he want? She was afraid to guess. Circling slowly toward him with her heart knocking against her ribs, she glimpsed vivid colors above the fireplace. She stopped, dazed. The huge painting dominated the room. The wine-colored sea, the pale gold sky with streaks of blue...cerulean, she thought. A boat rested at anchor, and against her will, hope rose in her heart. Off to one side, almost hidden in a swell, she saw a single scarlet blossom floating on the water, a little surprise. She stared for a long time, absorbing the beauty of it. Instead of his usual weather-ridden seas, this scene reflected calm, peace.
Finally she walked over to it. A small brass plaque at the bottom of the frame caught her eye.
Claire,
it read.
Ben Riley
.
Get to Know Ellis Vidler:
As a child in the South, I spent long, hot days imagining myself an Indian or pioneer or musketeer. From Geronimo and D'Artagnan to Anne Shirley and Nancy Drew, I lived them all. Later I became the glamorous Scarlett O'Hara (a stretch, I admit). At night I (and my whole family) read. No angst in my childhood. So where did that leave me as an adult? Writing fiction, what else? I love creating characters and making them do what I want, but mostly they take off on their own and leave me hurrying to catch up.
All my stories have some degree of romance and a lot of suspense. My first book, published by Silver Dagger Mysteries, was
Haunting Refrain
. Next came
The Peeper
, a suspense novel co-authored with retired LEO Jim Christopher. (That was a trip, let me tell you!) And now,
Cold Comfort
, my new romantic suspense.
I'll continue to write as long as I can dream.
You can visit Ellis at
or her Blog at
www.theunpredictablemuse.blogspot.com
