Tide Will Tell (Islands of Intrigue: San Juans)

By Lesley Ann McDaniel

ISLANDS OF INTRIGUE: SAN JUANS

Christian Romantic Suspense

The Unrelenting Tide
– Lynnette Bonner

BOOK ONE

Tide Will Tell
– Lesley Ann McDaniel

BOOK TWO

Deceptive Tide
– Janalyn Voigt

BOOK THREE

Coming Summer 2015

Other books by Lesley Ann McDaniel

Montana Hearts series
(Heartsong Presents)

Christian Romance

Lights, Cowboy, Action

Book 1

Big Sky Bachelor

Book 2

Rocky Mountain Romance

Book 3

Madison Falls series

Christian Romantic Suspense

Saving Grace

Book 1

Find out more at
lesleyannmcdaniel.com

Tide Will Tell

ISLANDS OF INTRIGUE: SAN JUANS, Book 2 Copyright © 2014 by Lesley Ann McDaniel. All rights reserved.

Cover design by Lynnette Bonner of Indie Cover Design www.indiecoverdesign.com

images ©

www.dreamstime.com, File: #M1248748

www.fotolia.com, File: #23488527_XL

www.peopleimages.com, File: #ID48633

Scripture taken from
The Message
. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.

ISBN: 978-1499669244

Tide Will Tell
is a work of fiction. References to real people, events, establishments, organizations, or locales are intended only to provide a sense of authenticity and are used fictitiously. All other characters, incidents, and dialogue are drawn from the author’s imagination.

Printed in the U.S.A.

Psalm 138:7

When I walk into the thick of trouble,

keep me alive in the angry turmoil.

With one hand

strike my foes,

With your other hand

save me.

Finish what you started in me, God.

Your love is eternal—don’t quit on me now.

Chapter 1

An assault of whirring, clicking cameras met Kate Jennings’ limo the instant it exited the ferry. Despite the darkened car windows that concealed her, she slunk lower into the backseat, reassuring herself that the huge sunglasses she’d bought at the airport would adequately mask her features. Chase had warned that a few reporters might greet her on the island, but she hadn’t expected this kind of frenzy.

Panic surged. The last thing she needed was to have her face flashed all over the news. Why hadn’t she thought this through?

Massive lights and mics on poles swayed like a nightmarish forest, moving along with the vehicle as it rolled forward and eased around a curve in the road. Couldn’t the driver just gun it? For a split second, she regretted coming here. What had she been thinking, agreeing to marry someone with whom the media had such an insatiable fascination?

“Kate! Look this way.” A deep voice carried above the others even through the rolled-up windows of the car. “Aren’t you scared of him? Come on, admit it!”

Scared?
A shiver clambered down her spine at the implication. Shuddering, she lowered her chin and brought her hands to her cheeks. The only thing she had to be scared of was having a clear image of her face land on the evening news or the front page of a major newspaper. The suggestion that she should be afraid of Chase was comical in contrast to the disaster these troublemakers outside her car could initiate without even realizing it.

“Did he do it, Kate?” A man with a microphone jogged alongside the car, shouting. “What’s he told you?”

A dull ache thumped at her temples. As the driver managed at last to pick up speed and pull away from the pressing crowd, Kate spoke, more to herself than to him. “It’s a circus out there.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

She looked at his eyes in the rearview mirror. “Has it always been like this…since…you know?”

“Only at first.” The car veered out onto the road and the commotion faded into the distance. “It had all but died down. You coming out here put fresh wind in their sails. They’re here now because of you.”

“Because of
me?
” A sick feeling churned in the pit of her stomach. “That’s ridiculous. I didn’t do anything.”

“No, ma’am.” His tone remained noncommittal.

“And how do they even know about me?”

“It’s a small community, ma’am. People talk, and…” His apologetic gaze met hers for just a moment. “It’s made the national news.”

“Right.” She knew that. But they’d been so careful. “You haven’t seen any close-ups of my face, have you?”

“Only shots taken from a distance, ma’am. The press has honored Mr. Cole’s request for your privacy.”

So far, anyway.
The adrenaline completed its trek through her system, leaving her drained and trembling. “They can’t get near the house, can they?”

“Mr. Cole’s property is gated. The media knows not to trespass.”

“Good.” Twisting around, she took a reassuring glance through the rear window. “I just want to be left alone.”

“You’ve come to the right place.” He looked at her in the mirror, his eyes smiling slightly. “Shaw Island’s residents are known for keeping a low profile.”

“Perfect.” Removing the glasses, she rubbed the bridge of her nose. “I want to keep my profile so low not even a snake will take notice.”

He chuckled lightly and focused on the road ahead.

Forcing a calm breath, Kate placed the glasses in her Chloe handbag and smoothed the crisp cream linen skirt Chase had bought for her in California. She admired the stylish peach top and matching pumps that were so unlike anything she ever would have picked out for herself. How lucky could she get, having Chase now to direct her sense of style.

Pressing into the plush seat, she took in the passing beauty of the island. Since she’d hardly given any thought at all to what it would be like to live in the Pacific Northwest, its magnificence came as a pleasant surprise.

The sun danced happily through trees that appeared a vivid emerald even through the tinted glass. Coming from a place that felt grimy and overpopulated, the abundance of pure nature here could easily overwhelm.

Chase had told her that the ten square miles that made up Shaw Island held a population of only a little over two hundred people, most of whom liked to keep to themselves. With no real tourist amenities and a business district that amounted to a general store and a post office, it sounded like the epitome of lush seclusion.

It was truly a world away from the Tenderloin in San Francisco, earning it points in its favor right off the bat. Of course, California had its share of plusses, but staying there had not been an option.

Guilt cramped her stomach at the thought of the mess she had made of her life, and of the people she’d abandoned.
Poor Dakota.
She gulped back tears at the thought of his innocent face. Her leaving must have broken his heart.

She lowered her lids as if ending one scene in a movie to begin another. There were enough other people who cared about Dakota and would see to his needs. She had to believe that. Her eyelids lifted, but tears threatened. If Dakota were capable of fully comprehending the situation, he would know that leaving had been her only choice. Either leave or wind up dead.

Still, it weighed on her that she hadn’t been able to say goodbye or to offer any sort of explanation. Now she just had to close the door on the past and appreciate that fate had intervened, bringing Chase into her life at just the right time.

Glancing down at the impossibly huge diamond on her finger, she brightened. Chase was everything she could ever want. Handsome, smart, funny. So what if he was thirty years older than her? That was a bonus in her book. Not to mention that he was
rich
. Rich beyond belief, with no problem lavishing his wealth on her in every way imaginable.

True, there was the issue of his recent past that had put him—and by association
her
— in the limelight, but that was just a natural byproduct of his being so wealthy. The public would always be hungry for scandal, whether real or imagined. As long as she took care to maintain her new look—especially keeping the dark roots at bay— and didn’t let the cameras get too close, she could ride this out with ease. This was child’s play compared to what she had already survived.

Gazing out the window, she watched a sailboat glide across the gray-green bay. That reminded her of another bonus. Chase owned a yacht. A
yacht!
She could scarcely believe it. She tipped her head back, picturing long days luxuriating on the deck of his…
their
boat, without a care in the world. Her troubles were truly over. Well,
almost
at least.

She rolled the tension out of her shoulders. Yes, the notoriety was easy to overlook when everything else about the man was just so perfect. Some women would have a problem with a fiancé who traveled half the time for business, but not Kate. She would enjoy having time to herself in his secluded house on this practically private island. This place was a gift.

As the summer sun sparkled through the trees, reality held her in its grasp.
Finally
. Her new home. And now she had nothing to do for the next week but plan the wedding.
I’m amazingly lucky
.

The road followed the gentle curve of the bay, then straightened and moved inland. Now trees and green fields swathed them on both sides. Kate sighed. This island felt like a dream. Nothing bad could happen to her here. The paparazzi would soon tire of trying to scare up a story. She and Chase would get on with their lives in this stunning paradise where no evil could touch them. Life would be good.

The car slowed, and Kate’s stomach buckled. They had to be nearly there.

As they took a severe right off the main road, a thicket of trees next to the passenger side of the car fluttered in the afternoon breeze, its branches reaching out as if trying to disengage from the tangle. A smile reached Kate’s lips as she thought of Audrey Jr., the man-eating plant in
The Little Shop of Horrors
, one of her favorite old movies.