Promise Cove (A Pelican Pointe Novel Book 1) (13 page)

D
u
r
i
n
g
their
time
t
o
gether
in
I
ra
q
,
Sc
o
t
t
had
forced countl
e
s
s
ph
o
t
o
g
r
a
phs
f
rom
home
on
N
ic
k
,
whether
he
w
an
t
ed
t
o
look
at
them
or
n
ot
.
N
o
w
,
s
n
a
p
sh
o
ts
of
th
i
s
woman, th
i
s
ch
i
ld
fl
ickere
d
throug
h
h
i
s
hea
d
i
n
r
a
p
i
d
-
f
i
re
succ
ess
io
n
.
H
e
realized,
the
ph
o
t
o
s
had
n
’t
done
either
of
them
j
u
s
t
ic
e
. The
b
a
b
y
,
no
lo
n
ger
an
infan
t
,
had
g
ro
w
n.
T
h
e
woma
n
had
fea
t
ur
e
s
he
did
n
’t
reca
l
l
f
rom
p
i
c
t
ur
e
s,
which
t
old
him
how little
at
t
ention
he
had
paid
t
o
them
at
the
tim
e
.
H
e
ce
r
t
ainly had
n
o
t remembered
J
or
d
a
n
’
s
w
a
r
m
e
xpr
ess
ive,
b
ig
bro
w
n e
y
e
s.
Or
her
lo
n
g
na
r
row
face
w
ith
the
high
cheekbon
e
s.
Or that
s
weethea
r
t-shaped
mout
h
. Or
th
os
e lo
n
g
le
g
s in
a pair of
jean
sho
r
ts.

A
nd
sh
e
’
d
l
o
st
weigh
t
.

N
ick
s
t
ood
back
lo
n
g
enough
t
o
let
her
go
through
the
r
i
t
ua
l
s
of calmi
n
g
the b
a
b
y
.
B
ut once he
felt it
w
as o
k
a
y
t
o proceed,
he
approached
b
o
th
w
ith
cau
t
io
n
.
“
A
re
y
ou
o
k
a
y?”

S
niffli
n
g
,
c
ud
d
li
n
g
the
ch
i
ld,
J
or
d
an
s
t
ared
at
the
st
r
a
n
ger as
if
h
e
’
d
l
o
st
h
i
s
mind.
“
D
o
I
look
o
k
a
y?
T
h
ey
should
n
’t
rent that
thi
n
g
w
ithout
de
t
a
i
led
inst
r
u
c
tions
on
how
t
o
keep
it under
control
.
”

I
n
s
p
i
te
o
f
he
r
mel
t
do
w
n
,
N
ic
k
could
n
’
t
hel
p
but
chuckl
e
a
t
he
r
wor
d
s
.
W
i
s
el
y
though
,
h
e
hi
d
h
i
s
s
mir
k
by leani
ng
do
w
n
to
chec
k
th
e
d
am
a
g
e
to
th
e
wood-splin
t
ered porc
h
ra
i
li
n
g
.

“T
hat
’
s
j
u
s
t
on
e
mor
e
thi
n
g
I
’
l
l
h
a
v
e
t
o
f
i
x
,
”
she
s
obbed.
“
I
’
l
l
n
e
ver
get
th
i
s
p
l
ace
ready
t
o
open
.
”
T
u
r
ni
n
g
t
o
N
ic
k
,
her shoulde
r
s
slumped.
S
he
s
ighed.
“
I
f
y
ou
’
re
loo
k
i
n
g
for
a
p
l
ace
t
o
s
t
a
y
,
we
are
n
’t
open
y
e
t
.
”
H
er
earlier
mo
r
ni
n
g
o
p
tim
i
s
m and
pep
ta
l
k
forg
o
tt
en,
she
g
roaned,
“
L
oo
k
s
l
i
ke
we
m
a
y n
e
ver
b
e
.
”

H
ow
t
o
proceed,
he
wondered
before
t
a
k
i
n
g
a
lo
n
g
look around
at
the
p
i
c
t
ur
e
s
que
su
r
roundi
n
g
s,
th
os
e
huge
c
y
pr
e
s
s tre
e
s
g
uardi
n
g
the
hou
s
e,
their
peeli
n
g
branch
e
s
s
w
a
y
i
n
g
in the
s
oft
breeze
f
rom
the
ocean.
Y
ou
could
s
me
l
l
the
w
a
t
er
f
rom
her
e
.
H
e
breathed
in
the
f
r
e
sh
air
he
a
v
y
w
ith
s
ome ind
i
sti
n
g
u
i
sh
a
ble
s
weet
m
i
x
t
ure
f
rom
the
bloomi
n
g
bu
d
s lini
n
g
the
r
e
st
of
the
w
a
l
k
w
a
y
.
W
ithout
thin
k
i
n
g
,
w
ithout preamble,
he
heard
him
s
elf
slide
out
the
wor
d
s,
“
M
u
r
p
h
y
at the
s
t
ore
said
y
ou
might
need
help
out
her
e
.
”