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
From The Award-Winning
Tales of The Dragonfly
In Flight
(Tales of The Dragonfly Book II)
Romantic Suspense By Tamara Ferguson
Pinnacle Book Achievement Award Winner
National Indie Excellence Awards Romance Finalist
Readers’ Favorite International Book Awards WINNER
Tales of the Dragonfly
In Tandem
Kindle & Paperback
Tales of the Dragonfly
In Flight
Kindle & Paperback
CHAPTER ONE
Saturday, June 4, 1988
The golden orb of the descending sun spun out radiant iridescent beams of light, firing the sky ablaze atop the tranquil sparkling waters of Crystal Rock Lake.
Sam Danielson and Penny Wentworth strolled leisurel
y under the very arbor where Jake Loughlin and Danielle Reardon had been married earlier that day. Framed by the backdrop of the picturesque Dragonfly Pointe Inn, they both stood mesmerized as they gazed at the glorious sunset from their perch above the steep rocky shore.
Under the dense shade of the towering white pines, the waterfall spilling wistfully into the lake nearby sounded peaceful and comforting, and added to the enchantment of their surroundings. Providing ambiance for wedding festivities, sparkling miniature lights shimmered overhead and around the inviting wrapped porch of the inn. With glowing radiance fading into dusk, at that moment, the atmosphere surrounding the inn exuded a mysteriously magical quality.
Still somewhat nervous, pulling her sunglasses from her purse and quickly sliding them over her eyes, Penny snuck a peek at the chiseled profile of the handsome man standing beside her. Once finished with his task of ushering guests in and out of their seats, before and after the wedding, Sam had escorted Penny through the reception line to congratulate Jake and Danielle, the new owners of the Dragonfly Pointe Inn. Despite nine months of chaos and construction on Dragonfly Pointe, they’d managed to pull off an impressive wedding ceremony and celebration.
Although Sam had remained by her side throughout the entire day, this was actually the first chance they’d had to be alone.
Penny sighed. Regrettably, she was pretty sure that’d been Danielle’s idea for Sam to keep her company today.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Turning away from the glorious sunset with his mouth tipped up into an appreciative smile, Sam was obviously focusing his eyes on her.
She nodded her agreement rather numbly.
Unreal. To be here with Sam.
The obsession of every single one of her teenage fantasies.
Amazingly, up until she’d met Sam, Penny’s heart had remained relatively intact. With her family transplanted from state to state because of her father’s calling as a minister, she’d been especially depressed when she’d been forced to relocate from Minnesota to Crystal Rock, only a few months shy of her eighth grade graduation.
“Remember the first time we met?”
His voice sent shivers down her spine. Startled to realize that Sam’s thoughts must’ve been echoing hers, she laughed softly. “You almost ran me down.”
While babysitting for a young couple the summer she’d arrived in town, Penny had been maneuvering the little girl’s stroller along the sidewalk. Sam had been driving his turquoise-blue Comet rather recklessly down the usually deserted, dead-end street. Fortunately, he’d been able to pull his car to a screeching halt before turning into his driveway.
Sam grimaced. “I loved driving that car. Every time I had a chance to crank up the speed, I would. But I was damned lucky that I was able to stop just in time that day. I could’ve killed the two of you.”
Sam had rushed from his car to apologize, most definitely stunned by his own negligence. Suddenly, his voice had cut off into a stammer when he’d glanced up from the baby at her. After a long quiet moment, Sam had finally smiled, gazing deeply into her eyes.
And time had stood still.
Along with the beat of her heart.
Just like that, she’d fallen for Sam.
Sure, he was great-looking. At eighteen, Sam was tall and beautifully built with broad shoulders and narrow hips. His job as head lifeguard at the Dragonfly Pointe Beach had left his handsome face deeply tanned; accentuating the crinkles at the corners of his eyes when he’d smiled.
And she’d melted, gazing into those eyes, the color of creamy dark chocolate.
Penny had spent the entire summer babysitting newborn, Sophia Barelli, whose home just happened to be immediately across the street from the Danielson’s.
So it was pretty hard not to be aware of Sam.
While other kids his age were either enjoying summer on the lake or cruising around the countryside, barely escaping trouble, Sam was handling the maintenance and upkeep of their home for his mother. Apparently, around five years earlier, Sam’s father had tragically passed away.
After hanging out that summer with a few new friends at the Dragonfly Pointe Beach, Penny had instantly recognized that Sam was not only well-liked, but tremendously respected. As the head lifeguard, he’d been wholly attentive to his job.
She’d had such a crush on him.
And then, that August, tragedy had struck Crystal Rock. A six-year old girl was brutally assaulted and murdered at Dragonfly Pointe. An ongoing investigation was initiated, and business at the Dragonfly Inn began to decline. It’d only been three short months since Penny and her family had arrived in town.
Penny cleared her throat. “That ended up being an awful summer.”
Sam frowned, and slanted her a side glance. “That’s for sure—in more ways than one. The Dragonfly Inn fell into a decline, and Crystal Rock practically turned into a ghost town after that little girl’s murder.”
Despite the upheaval in the community, one week later, school had still begun. Penny hadn’t been sure what to expect when she’d entered Crystal Rock High that fall as a freshman. Although, as a senior, Sam had been much older than her, building up foolish hopes, Penny had obviously misinterpreted his interest in her over the summer.
She’d been so sure he’d been hitting on her.
And in one single day, she’d suddenly realized her romantic expectations had been totally misguided. Penny had been heartbroken when she’d noticed Diane Malloy, a popular senior and cheerleader, all over Sam.
But, surprisingly, even though he’d remained slightly distant during that first week of school, Sam had continued to single Penny out. So it’d been difficult setting aside her fantasies.
Until the following weekend, that is, Sunday night at dusk. Penny and her mother were cleaning out the cabins from the previous week’s summer camp activities, at the deserted Crystal Rock Campgrounds. With a large trash bag in hand, Penny had been circling the picnic area and scoping out the beach, searching for missed debris.
They hadn’t noticed her. Obviously unaware of the vehicles belonging to the clean-up crew that were parked in the recreational center parking lot, Sam and Diane were half-naked on the tiny isolated beach, a longstanding make-out place for local teenagers.
Stupidly, the discovery of Sam’s extra-curricular activities hadn’t completely discouraged her, though. After all, Penny had found out that Sam had no steady girlfriend.
It’d taken another glimpse of Sam, in action again, with a different female at the same beach only a few weeks later.
Almost twenty-three years ago, berating herself at her own stupidity, she’d finally accepted the obvious. With every girl at school throwing herself at him, why would Sam have been interested in her, a short, skinny freshman?
Apparently more mature than his peers, in public, Sam had appeared polite, yet remained isolated.
He’d definitely hidden a dark side.
What was it about Sam that’d made her forget her strict and proper upbringing? As a teenager, she should’ve been shocked when she’d found him, twice, on the verge of having sex with two different women. But, instead, she’d been jealous.
As well as confused. Had she only just imagined Sam’s interest? It’d been an enormous effort attempting to subdue her disappointment and heartache.
And who had she been fooling? Even if Sam had been the type of guy her father had approved of, her father, being obsessively overprotective, would never have actually let her go out with him. Even at eighteen, when she’d eventually acquired a steady boyfriend, she’d snuck around with Jason rather than risk her father’s disapproval.
Penny shook her head, snapping back to the present. What was wrong with her? How stupid was she—to keep on dwelling on the past? How could Sam’s obvious rejection of her as a teenager still hurt so much now? She sighed, resignedly. After all, over these past several years, she’d learned the hard way that there was no such thing as happily ever after.
With these still startlingly s
ensitive thoughts in her mind, turning away from Sam, Penny attempted to blink back her tears. “You’ve got a lot of friends here. You don’t have to stay with me for the rest of the night, you know.”
Glancing at her face and quickly gathering her mood, Sam frowned, as his cheerfulness abruptly vanished. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize...
Studying Sam, she was somewhat surprised to observe a pained, fleeting glimpse of dejection cross over his face. Turning away stiffly, he determinedly strode back toward the inn.
Like a hurt little boy.
Suddenly panicking, Penny quickly reigned in her self-control. “Sam,” she called out. “I only meant that you don’t need to stay with me, just because Danny asked you to.”
Sam turned back, and his eyes met hers. “Asked me to?” With a brow raised, he studied her face, somehow reassured. Unhurriedly, he strolled back, confronting her face to face. “Didn’t Danny say anything?”
“About what?”
“That I wanted to be with you. That’s why she sat us together for dinner. You acted like you didn’t mind me tagging along all day, so I thought you knew.” Noticing the subtle trace of tears covering her cheeks, reaching over, Sam gently raised the sunglasses covering her eyes to the top of her head. Hypnotically, his fingers soothed her brow while his hands framed her face. “What’s wrong, Penny?” he questioned softly.
“Oh. I think I’m just a little tired and I’ve had a lot more champagne than I’m accustomed to. The flowers were a lot of work. And this is the first time I’ve been away from my son, for more than a night, since...I don’t remember when,” Penny responded, dazedly.
That Unforgettable Kiss Page 26