Dancing Tides (214 page)

Da
vid S
c
ott Phillips

B
e
lov
e
d
H
usb
a
nd
a
nd
F
a
th
e
r

D
i
e
d
I
n S
er
vi
c
e
to
H
is Count
r
y

T
he
u
r
n in
fr
ont of
the
m
ar
k
e
r
h
e
ld a
do
z
e
n lo
n
g
-
s
t
e
mm
e
d, pink tulips. She
stood th
er
e
a minute
b
ef
o
r
e
d
ec
idi
n
g
to
a
dd the
w
hite
r
os
e
s s
h
e
’
d b
r
o
u
g
ht to the
numb
e
r
. She
slid in the
st
e
ms, one
b
y
o
n
e
, st
e
ppi
n
g
b
a
c
k to
e
x
a
mine
h
e
r
w
o
r
k.

“T
h
a
nks
f
or
c
omin
g
.
T
h
o
se
ar
e
n
i
ce
.
Y
ou
r
ea
l
l
y
d
i
dn
’
t h
a
ve
to do th
a
t thou
g
h.”

R
ec
o
g
ni
z
ing
t
h
e
voi
ce
,
K
e
e
g
a
n su
c
k
e
d in a
b
r
ea
th,
m
a
de
a
slo
w
, d
e
lib
e
ra
te
t
u
r
n
to s
ee
S
c
ott st
a
nding
th
re
e
fee
t
fr
om his o
w
n g
ra
v
e
. She fought the urge to take a step back in retreat.

“N
o n
ee
d to
b
e
s
c
a
re
d,”
S
co
tt
ca
ution
e
d.
“
I
r
are
l
y
h
a
ve
a
n
y
r
ea
son
f
or
viol
e
n
c
e
t
he
s
e d
a
y
s
.
”

“Ea
s
y
f
or
y
ou to
s
a
y
,”
K
e
e
g
a
n st
a
mm
e
re
d.
“
Y
ou
’
re
…
e
v
e
r
y
w
h
e
re
.”

“
I
t
r
y
to b
e
.”

“
W
h
y
?
”

“
W
h
y
not?

“Y
ou
’
r
e
a
pu
zz
le
to m
e
.”

“
I
s
e
e
t
h
a
t.
I
t
’
s not so di
ff
i
c
ult to und
er
st
a
nd.
I
lo
v
e
this pl
ace
.”
H
e
li
f
t
e
d h
i
s h
ea
d to the s
k
y
, th
r
e
w
his
ar
ms out
w
id
e
.
“
I
’
m hom
e
,
e
x
ac
t
l
y
w
h
er
e
I
wa
nt to b
e
.
F
or
m
e
, this is
m
y
h
ea
v
e
n
.
”
H
e
look
e
d ov
e
r
a
t h
er
.
“
Y
our
g
ra
nd
p
are
nts
w
er
e
e
x
t
ra
o
r
din
a
r
y
p
e
opl
e
.
T
h
e
y
wa
nt
y
ou h
a
p
p
y
,
Ke
e
g
a
n
.
”

She
h
ea
v
e
d out n
e
r
vous
f
r
ust
ra
tion.
“
I
s
a
w
y
ou in to
w
n.
I
t
fr
e
a
k
e
d me
out.
A
nd
y
o
u
’
ve b
ee
n b
u
g
g
i
n
g
Co
r
d.
A
nd
y
o
u
’
r
e
c
omi
n
g
a
nd
g
oi
n
g the
oth
e
r
ni
g
ht
s
ca
r
e
d the
cra
p out
o
f
both of us—”
She
ra
n out of
st
ea
m
a
nd
f
in
a
l
l
y
blu
r
t
e
d out,
“Y
ou s
a
v
e
d Co
r
d
fr
om
k
illing
hims
e
lf
Ne
w
Yea
r
’
s
D
a
y
, didn
’
t
y
ou?
T
he
g
un
j
a
mm
e
d b
e
c
a
use
of
som
e
thing
y
ou did.
T
h
a
t
’
s the
on
l
y
e
x
pl
a
n
a
tion.”

“N
ot mu
c
h di
ff
e
re
nt th
a
n
y
ou s
a
vi
n
g
him
fr
om d
r
o
w
nin
g
.
I
s it
?
”

“
B
ut th
a
t
’
s…how
did
y
o
u do som
e
thing
like
th
a
t?
G
hosts
are
n
’
t
c
o
r
po
r
e
a
l.
Cont
ra
r
y
to popul
a
r
b
e
li
e
f
or
u
r
b
a
n l
e
g
e
nd,
g
hosts
c
a
n
’
t m
a
n
e
u
v
e
r
thin
g
s
ar
ound.”