Two Hearts Unbroken

by Tamara Ferguson

  Beth peeked through the windshield excitedly as they drove through the center of town. She glanced at Kyle in the rear-view mirror—his deep blue eyes were as big as saucers as he stared at the Christmas decorations lining the streets. It was two weeks before Christmas, and an awful time of the year for the car plant to be closing, she thought for about the millionth time since it’d been announced. But at least the long-time employees had been offered early retirement benefits, along with decent compensation packages.

  She’d only seen pictures of the house she’d bought online. She’d depended on her cousin, Cal, who’d checked it out thoroughly beforehand. Callahan Construction had been working on the demolition work for the past four months, so that Beth would be able to complete the finish work on her own. She’d learned a lot about remodeling from all the work she’d done on her house in Bloomington, since purchasing it twelve years ago. Hopefully the house in Bloomington would sell—cause she really needed the proceeds to complete all the projects that needed to be competed in this house. It was four times the size of the house she’d owned in Illinois! But she hadn’t been able to resist—the price was a steal, according to Cal. Although her former home was located in, what was considered, a prime area of Bloomington, the real estate market just wasn’t what it used to be, because of the economy.

  Beth glanced at her watch. Even though she had the address logged into her GPS, she was still supposed to meet Cal at his office in about an hour—so he’d be able to take her directly to the house and show her around. Maybe she’d give him a call to see if he was already waiting? But looking back at Kyle, who was obviously content, she decided to take a drive around the lake instead.

  Crystal Rock was her mother’s home town. But once the family had moved from Bloomington to Arizona, her mom and dad and two younger sisters hadn’t visited here much. Since Beth had remained in Bloomington after graduating from Illinois State, she’d never made it back here at all. The members of each branch of the family had still managed to remain close though, and Beth’s cousins had flown out several times to Phoenix, where her parents had continued to reside, even after they’d retired.

  It was kind of amazing she still remembered the direction toward the lake, Beth thought, as she followed the access road leading out to Dragonfly Pointe. The last time she’d been here was back in the eighties, when she’d been around sixteen-years old.

  Oh, my God, she thought, stretching up in her seat as she and Kyle drove by the Dragonfly Pointe Inn. Beth stared in shock through the passenger window. It was everything that she’d heard it would be, but more. The last time she’d been in Crystal Rock, the inn had been about one quarter of the size it was now. And it’d been falling apart—nearly ready for demolition.

  The Dragonfly Pointe Inn rose majestically above the lake, amidst a backdrop of towering pines. Now, with its columns and crisp white siding, it looked stately—magnificent, really.

  Turning her attention back on the road, Beth managed to jerk the wheel of the SUV just in time. She’d come only inches away from running down a floppy-eared dog, as he wandered down the edge of the road. “Damn,” she muttered under her breath. He looked to be a Bassett hound—well, partly, anyway. As he scrambled over the blacktop, his leash was held onto by a jogger, who was running beside the dog on the gravel.

  When she began to slow down, the man lifted his hand in acknowledgement, while continuing to keep pace with the dog.

  Relieved, Beth blew out a long, deep breath as she kept on driving. Hopefully, she was going in the right direction? Yeah, she was, she discovered, because soon she was pulling the SUV off the road and into the parking lot of the deserted Dragonfly Pointe Beach.

  She’d always loved this place—Beth had lots of great memories from spending summers here with her cousins. And despite the fact that she’d never actually lived here, the town of Crystal Rock had been the only place in her entire life that’d ever felt like home.

  She turned to Kyle—who was looking hopeful, with his endearing smile and big blue eyes. Now, he was twenty-years old, but he’d always been a handful—especially once he’d outgrown her by several inches. He’d had some behavior problems associated with puberty. But Beth considered herself fortunate compared to some of the other parents she’d met. Many of Kyle’s classmates had much more severe problems than he’d had. Kyle’s temper had always been relatively manageable—even though she’d eventually broken down, and put him on medication during his teenage years, for the sake of his teachers and caregivers.

  Ah, what the heck? It was a crisp cool day, and a little fresh air would be good for them both after the long drive. Why not just go for a short walk along the beach?

  She bundled herself up into her winter coat, and slipped her earmuffs over her ears. Hopping out from the van, she slid open the passenger door behind her. “Put your coat back on, sweetie,” she said.

  Kyle grinned, as he slipped into his coat, and pulled his hat on over his head.

  Reaching over, she yanked the stocking cap down completely over his ears, before zipping up his coat to his chin. Pulling his hood over his head, she tied it securely.

  Kyle was definitely excited, and he began to giggle.

  Probably because he was already thinking about when he was going to be able to sneak that hood off from his head, Beth thought, grinning and reaching for Kyle’s hand.

  As they headed toward the beach, peaceful contentment invaded her senses once she and Kyle began making their way across the crunchy sand. The air was crisp, but Beth had been told that it wasn’t nearly as cold as it usually was at this time of the year, because Cal and his crew had been able to work around the clock at her new house. Normally, the lake would’ve begun icing up at this time of the year, but with the breeze blowing in across the lake, choppy waves crashed over the sand.

  When she let loose of Kyle’s hand, he began running immediately beside the edge of the water. Obviously delighted, he laughed harder, and harder still, as he rushed down the length of the beach.

  Yep, this place still seemed magical, Beth thought, closing her eyes. The soothing sound of the pounding waves, along with the haunting squalling of the gulls, infused her senses. She breathed in the crisp cool air—it smelled so fresh! Tipping her face into the sun, she felt exactly like she’d felt when she’d been a kid, vacationing here—happy and at peace.

  All of sudden, someone grunted out loudly, and soon, the next moan that Beth heard was accompanied by a long, soulful howl. Opening her eyes, she spun around and searched the vast expanse of beach.

  Finally, she spotted him. “Kyle—what’ve you done?” Covering her mouth with her hand in horror, Beth began running across the sand, rushing over as quickly as she could to Kyle.

  Apparently, he’d tackled someone. Kyle sat up, giggling, on top of a flat, prone body. A stranger was lying beneath him, leveled on the sand.

  The man’s faithful friend was obviously alarmed, because he began cleaning the man’s face frantically with his tongue.

  Damn it, she inwardly swore. It was the same dog she’d nearly run down in the SUV, only a few minutes ago.

  An Excerpt

  A KISS UPON A STAR

  Daydreams & Dragonflies

  Sweet Romance 1

  AMAZON

  #1 International Hot New Release

  #1 International Bestseller

  2017 IAN BOOK OF THE YEAR FINALIST

  Prologue

  “Daydreams and dragonflies? You haven’t changed at all Trish.”

  Ten-year old Emily Richardson grimaced, hearing the mocking tone in her mother’s voice as she reprimanded Aunt Trish, for slacking off with Emily’s voice lessons during Christmas break.

  Emily couldn’t wait for the weeks her mother would take off on her mini-vacations and leave her to stay indefinitely with her aunt. This past summer had been more fun than she could ever remember.

  “Emily’s only ten years old. She needs to enjoy her childhood.” Trish berated Emily’s mom in a dis
approving voice. “All these crazy plans you have for her are for your benefit, not for hers.”

  Oh, no. What if her mom decided not to let Emily visit her aunt anymore? Besides performing on stage, her vacations here in Crystal Rock were the only other times she looked forward to. On rainy days after Emily had finished singing scales and warming up while practicing with the piano, she and Aunt Trish would travel around the countryside searching for cool antiques and collectibles in her aunt’s pickup. Other days they would fish, or go on picnics at the beach, where her aunt would bring along her guitar and Emily would get a little more training in.

  Emily would always remember their sunset outing at the Dragonfly Pointe Bay, where her aunt had shown Emily the hordes of dragonflies and damselflies hovering over the water. It had been like magic, and one of the most beautiful sights Emily had ever seen.

  “She should be daydreaming and playing with friends. The least you could do is allow her to go to school instead of having a tutor. She’s missing out on so much by being isolated from kids her own age. She thrives on hanging out with people. Aw, Sis—you ought to see how much she enjoys it when I have company over for dinner or cookouts.”

  “That’s not what’s important,” her mother hissed. “Just because you gave up on your own chance to have it all, doesn’t mean I’m about to miss out on mine.”

  “Yeah, but it’s your daughter’s success you’re capitalizing on—not yours.” Emily’s aunt said quietly. “I’ve been happy here in Crystal Rock. It didn’t take me long to realize that life on the road, and even in the limelight, wasn’t for me.”

  “To quit like that at the height of your success.” Her mom snorted. “Totally stupid!”

  Emily couldn’t stand it anymore. She hated it when her mom argued with her aunt. Although she appreciated her aunt’s attempts to talk to her mom on her behalf, Emily was pretty sure nothing would ever change her mother’s determination to make Emily a star.

  Emily approached the hall closet and, pulling out her heavy winter coat from inside she was relieved to find her hat and gloves still stuffed within the pockets. Making her way quietly toward the back door, she snatched her boots from the floor and snuck outside. Taking a moment to slip on her boots over her shoes, Emily bundled up tightly in her coat before walking down the steps from the porch.

  She looked right and then left. It was late afternoon and it was beginning to snow. Dragonfly Pointe, that’s where she would go, she decided heading towards the nature trail running beside the lake.

  Aunt Trish had told her the owner of the Dragonfly Pointe Inn had created this extended trail long before the housing development had been there. Thanks to her aunt, Emily had been able to ride a bike along the path and had even learned how to rollerblade this past summer.

  Emily began trudging through the snow and after walking about fifteen more minutes along the snow coated trail, she arrived at the Dragonfly Pointe Inn. It seemed to be packed for the holidays she thought, staring through the solarium glass where a Christmas party for a bunch of kids appeared to be going on. A couple of the kids were in wheelchairs while another large boy was hopping up and down.

  These must be the kids from Crystal Visions, Emily figured. Her aunt had told her about the school for kids with disabilities that’d just opened up in Crystal Rock.

  Emily’s heart sunk. Something else she wouldn’t be able to do was to go along with her aunt to Crystal Visions and help with whatever she volunteered for like Emily had promised. Christmas was in two weeks. Now that her mom was here and fighting with her aunt, Emily and her mom would more than likely go home to California instead of sticking around for the holidays.

  After watching a few of the kids opening their gifts for a few more minutes, Emily continued along the path toward the beach.

  Oh wow she thought, approaching her destination—something must be going on. There was a bunch of vehicles parked in the lot.

  Noticing the concession stand was open, Emily dug through her coat pocket for change. Pulling out a roll of one dollar bills, she grinned. Her aunt insisted on giving her an allowance for all the chores she helped out with even though Emily had told her she didn’t have to. Emily loved vacuuming and washing dishes and even doing the laundry, but she was secretly thrilled about the fact she was earning money all on her own.

  Trudging up to the concession stand, she stood in line for a few minutes finally ordering hot chocolate. There were a lot of people standing around, mostly families it looked like, and when one of the men glanced at his watch and began walking through the parking lot with a kid who was apparently his son, Emily decided to follow them and see what was going on.

  A few minutes later, she was surprised to discover that everyone was heading toward an ice rink cleared atop the Dragonfly Pointe Bay. One area was roped off on the opposite side of the shore, and it looked like it was open to the public, while a larger section of ice was polished off nearby and there were bleachers overlooking the rink.

  A hockey game, Emily realized, noticing a group of teenage boys standing on the ice wearing bulky pads and uniforms. She’d never seen a real-life hockey game before. In fact, she’d never been to a basketball, football or baseball game either. Her mom had never seen much value in sports.

  There was a bonfire blazing near the edge of the ice, and after warming herself by the fire, Emily decided to take a seat in the stands and watch a little of the game.

  Seeing the players whizz back and forth scrambling for the puck, she lost track of time. This was so exciting, she thought, continuing to follow the moves of one teenage boy who was tall, thin and graceful like a dancer on the ice.

  Emily took a moment to look around and sighed contentedly. The backdrop was beautiful with icicles hanging from the surrounding trees, and it reminded Emily of a crystal palace.

  This was the same magical place where she and Aunt Trish had seen all the dragonflies this past summer, Emily finally realized as she sat watching the skaters.

  And just like that it was over. There’d been a couple of breaks, and Emily had scrambled over to the bonfire both times and warmed herself up before returning to the stands to sit back down. The crowd had cheered and booed, and Emily had watched the entire event in amazement.

  The home team of Crystal Rock had won, according to the man whose voice echoed from a makeshift loudspeaker set up near the top of the stands.

  All of sudden when the lights went dim, Emily knew it had to be late. Her mother would kill her. She’d never gone off like this on her own before.

  Oh, no, she thought suddenly, what if her mom blamed Aunt Trish for Emily’s disappearance too?

  Apparently noticing her sitting alone in the stands, the same teenage boy Emily had been watching earlier broke away from his teammates and began to approach. His skates were slung over his left shoulder, along with his stick, and he was carrying a large duffel bag in his right hand.

  “Hi. I noticed you were sitting here by yourself. Are your parents coming to pick you up? It’s nearly ten o’clock you know.”

  Emily just sat there with her mouth gaped open. This was the first time she’d seen his face without his helmet. He was so cute! He had wavy brownish-blonde hair, and a perfect face with such pretty blue eyes.

  He grinned when she didn’t answer right away. “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah, I’m fine,” she finally managed. “But then again, maybe not,” she muttered. “My mom’s probably ready to kill me. We’re staying with my aunt, and I went for a walk and I ended up here.”

  “Ah. No worries, I can find a way get you back to your aunt’s pretty quickly. So, what’s your name?” he asked.

  “Emily.”

  “Well, Emily. I’m Tim. Are you carrying a phone?”

  She grimaced. “No.”

  “Do you know your aunt’s phone number?”

  Emily nodded her head up and down.

  He pulled out a cell phone from the side pocket of his bag. Opening it up, he plugged in the numbers as
she recited them. When the call went through, he handed the phone over to Emily.

  “Aunt Trish?” Emily responded to her aunt’s quick hello.

  “Emily,” Aunt Trish answered, sounding greatly relieved “I’ve been so worried. We’ve been scouring the area and we were just about ready to call the police. Oh Sweetie, you can’t leave the house without letting me know. You’ve never done anything like this before.”

  “I know. I’m sorry,” Emily answered.

  Emily could hear her mother on the rampage in the background. Emily had screwed up royally this time. Now she probably wouldn’t be able to visit her aunt for a very long time.

  “Um, here, Aunt Trish. This is Tim. He’s going to bring me home in a minute.” She handed the phone back to Tim.

  “Hello, I’m Tim Atkinson. Emily’s here at Dragonfly Pointe. My dad will be here in a few minutes to pick me up from the hockey game and we can drop her off on our way home. Can I get your address?”

  Emily tugged at Tim’s sleeve. “I can show you. She lives down in the subdivision at the other end of the point.”

  He winked at Emily before continuing to talk with her aunt on the phone. “Okay. She’ll be home in about fifteen minutes.” Snapping shut the phone, he slipped it back into his bag.

  “Ready?”

  She nodded yes. “Can I help you with any of your stuff?”

  He grinned, handing over his stick. “I’m always tripping over it, walking up the trail with my bag.”

  Emily smiled shyly and began making her way along the path when he motioned for her to go first.

  Sure enough, when they reached the roadway that led to the parking lot belonging to the beach, Tim’s dad was there waiting in a truck. A happy looking brown-colored dog was sitting in the front seat beside him, with his tongue hanging out.