Beneath Copper Falls

by Colleen Coble

  “We got to shore, then I dug us out an igloo sort of hole in the snow until an FBI chopper arrived. The paramedics warmed us both up, but you were severely hypothermic and had to be admitted. That was yesterday. Everyone has been calling to check on you.”

  “Chris told me he killed a total of six women, not counting our family. Lauri was going to be number seven. He’d planned to kill her before he killed me, but the storm messed up his plans.” Her vision blurred, and he handed her a tissue. How could a man she’d loved all her life turn out to be a monster? His handsome looks had masked such ugliness and evil.

  “I know. Bree figured it out too. Lauri was lucky.” He touched the blanket on her feet. “Need another blanket?”

  She shook her head. “I’ll have to see Chris, won’t I?”

  His expression turned fierce. “Not if you don’t want to.”

  “I don’t want to, but I know I should be Jesus with skin on for him.” She went quiet a moment. “I’m not quite sure how to even face him. He’s done so many evil things.”

  Chair legs scraped on the tile floor as he pulled his seat closer to the bed. “One of the many reasons why you’re so special.” He picked up her hand and interlaced his fingers with hers. “I was terrified when I thought I’d lost you, that Chris had already killed you. Bree and I were trapped at a bed-and-breakfast by the storm, and it was the longest night of my life. I don’t plan to let you get away.”

  “I don’t plan to leave.” There was no hurry either. They had all the time in the world to figure out where their relationship was going.

  Scars and all, his face was so handsome, so beloved. Her experience had taught her the truth of how the soul was the true repository of beauty. Unlike the Phantom who was as ugly on the inside as he was on the outside, Boone’s scars hid an astoundingly beautiful soul. She’d spent too much of her life worrying about the face she presented to the world and much too little on the character she needed to be developing every day.

  Life was short, and she intended to seize every day with both hands and live it to its fullest.

  “Kiss me,” she whispered.

  His lazy grin came along with a light in his hazel eyes. He stood and leaned over her until his breath touched her face. “That’s what I’ve been wanting to do ever since I found you.”

  His lips came down on hers, and she wrapped her arms around his neck like a drowning woman. In a world totally crazy they’d found the stuff of fairy tales. No, not fairy tales but life in all its complexities and beauty. Real life was much better than a fairy tale because they would continue to shape and mold each other. And that’s what a meaningful relationship was all about, growing together and sharing light into the world.

  Together they burned brighter. It was a wonderful reality she intended to savor as they explored the future together.

  A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR

  Dear Reader,

  What fun it is to be back in Rock Harbor! I hear from readers daily about this series so I decided to revisit the perennial favorite. I hope you’re as excited to be back as I am!

  Many of us focus on our outward appearance and what other people think of us, but the inward character we are developing is infinitely more important. And that is the hardest thing to work on when we’re constantly bombarded with things that seem to need our urgent attention.

  I’m going to work on that, and I hope Dana’s story encourages you to do the same. Let me know what you think. I love to hear from you so e-mail me anytime!

  Hugs!

  Colleen

  colleen@colleencoble.com

  DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

  We all have things we don’t like about ourselves. How do you deal with yours?

  Have you ever known someone who had to deal with a stalker? What would you do if you were faced with something like that?

  There’s something special about our home town. What do you love about yours?

  Dana wanted to make a difference. How do you try to make a difference in the lives of other people?

  Dana was so hungry for acceptance she let Garret manipulate her. Some people are good at manipulation. How do you recognize it?

  Lauri wasn’t a good judge of men. Why do you think she was so blind to Peter’s true nature?

  Do you believe true evil exists? Why or why not?

  Have you read any Rock Harbor novels before?

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  I’m so blessed to belong to the terrific HarperCollins Christian Publishing dream team! I’ve been with my great fiction team for fourteen years, and they are like family to me. I learn something new with every book, which makes writing so much fun!

  Our fiction publisher, Daisy Hutton, is a gale-force wind of fresh air. She thinks outside the box, and I love the way she empowers me and my team. The last three books have been with my terrific editor, Amanda Bostic, who really gets suspense and has been my friend from the moment I met her all those years ago. Fabulous cover guru Kristen Ingebretson works hard to create the perfect cover—and does. I have a terrific marketing team in Paul Fisher, Kristen Golden, Allison Carter, and Meghan O’Brien. My amazing fiction team also includes Becky Monds, Karli Jackson, Kim Carlton, Jodi Hughes, and Kayleigh Hines. You are all such a big part of my life. I wish I could name all the great folks at HCCP who work on selling my books through different venues. I’m truly blessed!

  Julee Schwarzburg is a dream editor to work with. She totally gets romantic suspense, and our partnership is pure joy. She brought some terrific ideas to the table with this book—as always!

  My agent, Karen Solem, has helped shape my career in many ways, and that includes kicking an idea to the curb when necessary. We just celebrated fifteen years together! And my critique partner of seventeen years, Denise Hunter, is the best sounding board ever. Thanks, friends!

  I’m so grateful for my husband, Dave, who carts me around from city to city, washes towels, and chases down dinner without complaint. My kids—Dave, Kara (and now Donna and Mark)—love and support me in every way possible, and my little granddaughter Alexa makes every day a joy. She’s talking like a grown-up now, and having her spend the night is more fun than I can tell you. And as I write this, my little grandson, Elijah, was born five weeks ago. I’m totally obsessed with his cuteness. ☺ Exciting times!

  Most important, I give my thanks to God, who has opened such amazing doors for me and makes the journey a golden one.

  GET SWEPT UP IN THIS EXCERPT FROM HAVEN OF SWANS!

  Night crept over the hills, smothering the landscape in a cocoon of darkness that would hide him in a few minutes. He’d abandoned his real name for one more fitting of his strength and intellect. Gideon was what he called himself when clouds hid the moon and the shadows gathered. Gideon, the Destroyer of Evil.

  Before the moonlight could fade completely, he flipped down the sun visor and stared into the face of his wife, Miranda—a photo of her as she had once been.

  As she would be again.

  The blare of a horn startled him, and he slapped the visor back into place as a gray SUV careened past where his car sat on the narrow shoulder. The vehicle splashed water from a mud puddle over his car. He bit back an expletive, knowing such words ill befit a man of his intellect. He twisted the key and heard the car engine purr to life. Easing onto the road, he hunched over the wheel and stared into the fog. The turnoff to the lake was just ahead. No car lights illuminated the road ahead or behind. He turned the vehicle onto the muddy track and rolled down the window to let in the fresh scent of the water. The lane was meant for tractors, and visitors rarely trespassed. The owners would never even know he’d been here.

  The lake reflected the golden orb of the moon. He parked and turned off the car. The cacophony of crickets and tree frogs paused, then started up again as he stepped into the mud and went around to the trunk. The lid sprang open at his touch, and he looked down into the woman’s face. As with the others, preludes to the grand finale, he’d stripped her of beauty. This one would neve
r lash a man with her tongue again.

  Securing the gray wool blanket around the body, he hauled it out and dumped it on the ground. He tucked a partial peanut butter sandwich under the sinner’s blouse. He took hold of the end of the blanket and pulled the bundle down to the water.

  Reaching the small pier, he paused and listened, then stepped onto the rickety boards. The body slid easily across the worn wood. Once he reached the end of the dock, he dropped the end of the blanket and settled onto the weather-scoured boards to wait. He pulled his GPS from his pocket and noted the coordinates. Close enough. He didn’t plan to go far from shore.

  A hint of pine mingled on the night air with the scent of water. The chilly night began to creep into his bones. Loons called, and he straightened and stood to stamp his feet.

  Then the angels came.

  Gideon held his breath as they glided into the shaft of moonlight. Silent and beautiful, they moved as one along the placid surface of the water. He counted one, two, ten. The largest one’s wings spanned at least eight feet.

  He shoved the body into the bottom of a small boat, where it lay amid the flotsam of tackle boxes, tarps, and fishing poles. Gideon hurried to the shore, where he gathered rocks in a bucket. Carrying his burden, he went back to the boat and set the bucket into the boat as well. The boat tipped when he stepped in, but he was quick on his feet and moved to the center, where he settled onto the seat.

  Years of use had worn the oars smooth, and they fit into his palms as if they’d been carved for his hands. His muscles flexed, and he dipped the oars into the water. The boat moved smoothly through the ripples. They barely noticed his approach. Their voices raised the hair on his arms and back.

  About five feet from them, he laid the oars back against the sides of the boat, then crouched beside the body. Opening the blanket, he piled rocks from the bucket inside, then tied the ends with the rope he’d brought.

  They moved around him. One bent her neck and looked at him. Some-thing about the way she held her head made him catch his breath. She glided nearer. They would wait with him, patient, long-suffering, until he secured the ultimate prize. Then one rose into the air. The others soared heavenward as well, and he was left alone with a single feather wafting toward him on the shifting fog. He caught it in his hand and brought it to his face. He brushed it over his lips like a kiss. A benediction.

  His gaze lit on the body. Frowning, he put the feather in his pocket. He balled his fists, then stooped and heaved the bundle over the side. The water rippled, then closed over the space. He turned around and began to row back to shore.

  The house was quiet when he got home. He peeked in on his daughter, Odette. Seventeen years old with a soul as old as Moses, she slept with one hand on her cheek. So innocent the sight made his heart swell in his chest.

  What would happen to her if he were caught?

  His lip curled. They weren’t smart enough to find him. Besides, he was surrounded by a mantle of protection. He was invincible as long as his angels stayed with him. Pressing a kiss on his daughter’s hair, he went down the hall to his office and entered, shutting the door. The computer screen lit as soon as he lifted the laptop’s lid. He launched the browser and went to the geocaching site.

  After he put in the GPS coordinates, he typed:

  ABOMINATIONS WILL FIND YOU.

  The adventure continues in Haven of Swans!

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Colleen Coble is a USA Today bestselling author and RITA finalist best known for her romantic suspense novels, including Tidewater Inn, Rosemary Cottage, and the Mercy Falls, Lonestar, and Rock Harbor series.

  Visit her website at www.colleencoble.com.

  Twitter: @colleencoble

  Facebook: colleencoblebooks