by Sophie Moss
She shook her head, watching him stroll through the crowd, towering over most of the islanders except Dominic, whose smile instantly faded when he spotted Sam.
“What are you doing here?” He demanded, his hand tightening on Tara’s.
“I wanted to give you something,” Sam explained, stopping in front of them. He handed the envelope to Tara. “A wedding present, apparently. Congratulations.”
Tara accepted the envelope, glancing up at Dominic’s hardening jaw. “This is a… surprise.”
“Open it,” Sam urged.
Sliding a finger into the paper, she ripped it open and peered inside. When she spotted the check in her name, and the amount beside it, she shoved it back at him. “I can’t take this.”
“Why not?”
“Because I can’t—won’t—take money from you.”
“It’s not my money.”
“Whose is it?”
“It’s his.”
Tara shook her head, pushing it back at him again. “I don’t want his money.”
“I read in the papers that you didn’t take anything in the divorce,” Sam said, searching her defiant face. “Is that true?”
Tara lifted her chin. “It’s true.”
“But don’t you think you deserve… something?”
“I have everything I need.”
“Tara,” Sam said, lowering his voice. “This was the money he paid me to find you.”
Tara swallowed, shaking her head. “I still don’t want it.”
Sam gently pushed her hand—the one holding the envelope out to him—back down to her side. “It’s yours.”
“I don’t want it,” she repeated.
“Then don’t take it for yourself. Put it toward your practice.” He gestured to the beginnings of the foundation at their feet. “Buy a boat so you can visit the other islands. Buy a bunch of medicine wholesale and pass out samples to the families who can’t afford treatment. I’m not leaving the island with that check.”
“Sam—”
“It’s yours, Tara. Take it.”
She opened her mouth to protest, but he turned his back on her and strode away, out of the crowd of islanders, his gaze settling on Glenna.
“I don’t understand,” Glenna said, shaking her head as he walked slowly back over to where she was standing. “He went to jail. How did he pay you?”
“He didn’t.”
“Then what was…?” Her voice trailed off as she stared at him. “That was yours?”
He nodded.
“How did you…?”
He lifted a shoulder. “I had my eye on a place in the Bahamas a few months ago. I’d already put in a down payment but I changed my mind at the last minute and found another buyer.” He nodded back toward the envelope, smiling. “It was a really nice place.”
Glenna let out a long breath. “So… will you still move there? To the Bahamas?”
“I don’t think so.” He dipped his hands in his pocket. “The weather’s nice. And the water—the water’s a lot warmer than it is here. But…” He smiled.
“But… what?” Glenna felt a small tremor race through her when she gazed up into those twinkling eyes. “What are you going to do?”
“I’ve rented a piece of land.”
“A piece of land?”
Sam nodded. “I’ve been thinking of getting into farming.”
“Farming?” Glenna’s eyebrows snapped together. “What kind of farming?”
“Sheep farming.”
“Sheep farming?”
Sam nodded. “Brennan Lockley’s taking me on as his apprentice.”
Glenna choked on her champagne.
Sam grinned down at her. “He said he could use a hand.”
A gentle tugging on the hem of her skirt had Glenna tearing her eyes from Sam’s face. She looked down into Kelsey’s blue eyes.
“Do you know where Caitlin is?”
Glenna struggled to form the words. “I think she went home to grab her camera.”
“So, she’ll be right back?”
“Yes, I think she just…” Glenna trailed off as a low whistle ripped through the crowd. She lifted her eyes and to the sound and spotted Caitlin walking out of the house across the street. She’d taken off the sweater she’d been wearing all day and underneath was the dress. The black dress Glenna had given her. And instead of the clogs, she wore heels. Red heels. Killer heels. And a smile so wide, so wicked, it could stop a dead man in his tracks.
Glenna searched the crowd for Liam, and burst out laughing as he glanced up, caught sight of Caitlin, and dumped a beer all over his lap.
This was going to be fun.
THE END
About the Author
Sophie Moss lives in Washington, DC, where she is currently at work on her next novel, The Selkie Enchantress. Caitlin and Liam’s story, the second in the Seal Island Trilogy, will be released summer 2012. When she’s not writing, she can be found tending a small sliver of garden outside her DC home. She has a strange knack for finding four-leaf clovers and writes best while sipping a Guinness. She loves to hear from her readers.
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://sophiemosswrites.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/@SMossWrites