FAR TOO QUICKLY for Tanya Todd’s liking, the view from the deck of the ferry filled with Templeton Cove’s shoreline. The beach glimmered beneath the ripples of heat rising from its sands, causing specks to sparkle like diamonds...yet Tanya had no idea if Templeton would offer her riches or rejection. At least, she wouldn’t until she stepped from the boat and waited for the residents’ reaction to her return. Exhaling a shaky breath, she raised her hand to the crown of her wide-brimmed straw hat, closed her eyes and lifted her face to the heat of the midday sun.
Her heart pounded with each crash of the water against the boat, her nerves hitching higher with every jerk and dip. There was no use in denying why she was aboard the ferry, or even why she’d decided to return to the place she once fled; she was running home with more than one job to do. The days ahead would be tough, and even though weakness threatened inside her, she would triumph for both her and her sister.
She dropped her chin and opened her eyes.
The deep blue sea stretched far ahead, white froth rising on the waves as the ferry’s bow sliced through the ocean. Templeton was beautiful. A place where many found salvation and security. A homeland where the residents gathered in solidarity, in celebration or crisis. A place Tanya once found suffocating, limiting...downright nauseating.
Now, in her failure and shame, the Cove was the place she hoped would offer peace to her heart and mind. She would start over from the mess she’d made of her life—and see justice served to a man who had run free for far too long.
Anger and determination rose and Tanya pushed away from the railing. Sliding on her oversize sunglasses, she strode along the wooden planks. The sidelong glances of men and women alike didn’t go unnoticed, reminding her once again how difficult the road ahead might be once the ferry sailed into port.
Sliding off her sunglasses, Tanya carefully climbed down the steel steps onto the lower deck. The space was dense with men, women and children clamoring toward the locker area, eager to reclaim their luggage and start their vacation, or return to their families. Lowering her eyes, Tanya shouldered her way through the crowd to her locker.
Her fingers trembled around the key as she pushed it into the lock and opened the door. She pulled on the sports bag that contained the remaining things that hadn’t been shipped to Templeton a month before.
“Damn it. Come on.” She heaved and tugged some more, but the bag refused to budge. Exasperation broke out in cold perspiration on her brow. “For goodness’ sake—”
“Excuse me, do you need some help with that?”
Tanya snapped her head around and met the dark brown stare of Templeton’s token millionaire and all-round good guy, Jay Garrett.
His eyes widened. “Tanya. My God.”
Heat warmed her cheeks and Tanya forced a laugh. “Jay, fancy seeing you here.”
As Templeton’s premier entrepreneur, Jay’s travel to and from the Cove had always been frequent, but why did he have to be aboard the ferry today of all days?
He gave her a hesitant smile. “Is it really that much of a surprise?”
She dropped her hands from the bag, fondness for him replacing her previous shock. “No, that was my pathetic attempt at ironic wit. Clearly, I need more practice.” She tilted her head toward her bag and grimaced. “Could you...”
“Of course.” He gave the bag a sharp tug and it came free. “There you go.”
“Thanks.”
He pulled it from her reach and winked. “Allow me. Shall we go up? The boat’s about to dock.”
Nerves rippled through Tanya’s stomach but she forced a smile. “Sure.”
His eyes flickered with a flash of concern before he nodded toward the stairwell. “After you.”
Pushing up the fallen strap of her sundress, Tanya took a deep breath and stepped ahead of him. With Jay’s curiosity burning into her back, the line of people in front of her was a welcome distraction. Sooner or later, he would ask her why she’d returned...and then the lies would begin. She wasn’t ready to share her reasons with anyone. At least, not yet.
Tanya stepped forward as the line shuffled toward the exit, and sent up a silent prayer for God to forgive her secrecy and, at the same time, grant her the strength to persuade Templeton’s people to welcome her home.
Gripping the banister, she climbed the stairs. Nowhere other than Templeton could give her the grounding she needed...or be a better place to start her investigations into the whereabouts of her sister’s molester.
When Tanya stepped onto the upper deck, the sun was fierce after the shadow of the lower deck and she slipped her sunglasses back on before turning to Jay. “Thanks for the help with my bag.”
He stared at her, his brow creased. “How long are you staying?”
Tanya faced the ferry terminal that approached at a terrifying speed. “A while.”
“A while? As in weeks?”
“Maybe more.”
“Tanya?”
Tanya took a breath and turned. “What?”
He hooked a finger over the nosepiece of her glasses and eased them down her nose slightly. “Does Liam know you’re back?”
Surprise jolted through her. “No. Why?”
He dropped his finger from her glasses and lifted an eyebrow. “You haven’t told him...haven’t warned him?”
“Warned him?” She jabbed her glasses back onto her face, huffing out a laugh. “You make me sound like the Creature from the Black Lagoon.”
He didn’t return her laugh. “Liam’s quite the man around town now. One of the county’s top criminal lawyers, in fact.”
Pride washed through her and she smiled. “I know.”
His gaze softened. “Been keeping tabs on him, huh?”
Yes, but I’m not about to admit that to anyone, including you. “I’m happy for him. I’m sure my coming back won’t immediately fill him with happiness, but in time—”
“He’ll get used to the idea?”
She frowned. “I hope we’ll be friends.”
Jay glanced toward the terminal. “He pretty much keeps to himself these days. Much to the annoyance of more than a few women in town.”
She followed his gaze, fighting her nerves as her stomach lurched. “Well, Liam’s personal and professional lives are none of my concern. It’s a free country, Jay. If I want to come back here, no one can stop me.”
If the protectiveness in Jay’s eyes was anything to go by, his friendship with Liam had grown since she’d last been at the Cove. She swallowed. What else had changed? Had Liam?
Jay studied her a moment longer before lifting his shoulders. “Fair enough, but if you’ve come back to the place that never seemed good enough for you, I hope you’re going to at least try to build some bridges.”