Winter Wonders

by Delia Latham

  “What?” Winter pinned him under a sharp, narrow-eyed gaze. “You didn’t tell me Moonstone Beach is a treasure trove of jewels. What else might I find here? And what do moonstones look like, if this isn’t one of them?”

  “We should come back early one morning. That’s when you’ll find the biggest and best of them. But here, look.” He picked through a handful of sand. “The one you picked up earlier—the green one—that’s jade. This…” He held out a pea-sized, orange-hued stone. “Coral, maybe?”

  “I think that would be a safe guess.” She laughed. Who would’ve thought she could have such a great time playing in the sand? “And a moonstone?”

  “Patience, patience.” Brady looked up from beneath dark eyebrows and shot her a phony frown.

  Winter caught her breath. In the sunlight, the blue of his eyes might have been pure sapphire. Another Cambria jewel, found only in the eyes of one heavenly-handsome local minister.

  Brady let a few more handfuls of sand trickle through his fingers, dropping more pebbles into her hands as he found them. Winter now held the jade she’d picked up first, along with the pea-sized coral, a yellow-brown jasper, and a quartz.

  “Plus, look at this.” He stood, pulled her up too, and then backed her against him. Wrapping one arm around her waist, he pointed back down the beach with his free hand. “Look at the sand.”

  “O…K.” She shrugged. “It’s sand. A little darker than I’m used to seeing. Coarser too, but still…just sand. Am I missing something?”

  He didn’t answer—but he made a slow about-face, turning them to face the other direction. “Look again.”

  She gasped. “It’s a different color!” The sand was, without a doubt, lighter from this angle.

  “Like magic, huh? Actually, it only appears to change color depending on the light. Could have something to do with all the colored stones and the moonstones, I guess. Kind of a neat thing though, isn’t it?”

  “It’s amazing! I love it.” She opened her hand to reveal the small collection of treasures she’d accumulated and squinted against the sun to meet his gaze. “Will I be arrested if I take them home?”

  “You’re not the first person to want a piece of Moonstone Beach, honey. Go ahead—dig for gold in them thar grains o’ sand.”

  Winter burst out laughing, and Brady took a courtly bow. When he stood up straight again, he’d dropped the act, which Winter had thought at least better than passable, if not truly great. “Believe me, no one will miss the stones you take away from the beach, and I probably have some kind of container in my backpack. We’ll look for bigger ones before we leave.”

  She caught her bottom lip between her teeth and managed a shy smile. Good heavens! How long since she’d felt shy with anyone? And when would she stop behaving like a schoolgirl with a crush around this man? “I guess I’m a little too old to get so excited about shiny rocks.”

  “I hope you’re never too old to be excited about beauty, wherever you find it.” Brady took her hand and gently opened her fingers to reveal the rocks she held. “God made these stones…all of them, including the moonstone we’re going to find…just for you, Kalani. He knew you’d be the one to pick them up off this beach, on this day, and take them home.” He took the stones and dropped them in his shirt pocket. Then he raised her hand and pressed his lips against the sand-coated palm. “How can you not get excited about that?”

  Winter could barely draw breath. Between the wonder of what he’d said, and the too-hot-for-words pressure of his lips on her hand, the air seemed far too thin. I am excited, angel man. And not only about these pretty pebbles that—according to you—God washed up on this shore just for me.

  Brady stepped away then, and Winter pulled in a deep breath.

  “Ready for a rest?” he asked. “This is a nice spot for a break.”

  “It’s a perfect spot, and I guess I could use a little down time.” She grinned, loving the happy, carefree atmosphere between them. “It’s hard work digging up stones, you know.”

  He chuckled as he opened his backpack and pulled out a light blanket.

  “Wow! You thought of everything, didn’t you?”

  “I tried.” He winked and then scanned the area through a narrowed gaze. “Stay here. I’ll be right back.” He dashed off toward the bluffs and returned within moments holding four brick-sized rocks.

  Winter helped him spread the blanket, and he used the rocks to weight down the corners against the ever-present coastal breeze.

  “M’lady…” He motioned her onto the blanket with an exaggerated flourish. Once she was seated, he knelt and peered inside the backpack again. “Wonder what else I could find in here?”

  With an adorable grin that stole Winter’s breath and equilibrium, he produced several chunks of cheese, a number of snack crackers, a large cluster of grapes, and a couple of sweet cakes. Just when she thought the man couldn’t surprise her further, he pulled out a bottle of sparkling cider and two plastic wine glasses.

  Having rendered the backpack a useless, flat bag, he settled in beside her and took her hand. “Let’s pray. Then we can enjoy this feast. Sorry it’s not fancy, but what can I say? I didn’t really plan this little excursion.”

  “It’s fancy enough for me—perfect, in fact.” She squeezed the hand wrapped around her own. “Pray, angel man.”

  They consumed the munchies while they chatted and then stowed their trash inside a bag Brady had brought along for that purpose. Then he leaned against a large rock and tugged on Winter’s hand. “Sit with me.”

  She needed no second invitation and soon found herself tucked close against his chest, both of them facing the ocean. His long legs were stretched out on either side of her.

  What happened next touched Winter in a way she couldn’t even define, because it wasn’t a momentous occurrence. Not a kiss or a touch. Nothing at all remarkable, and yet it rocked her world.

  They talked. Just talked, as they looked out over the stunning view. Winter couldn’t think of a single time until now when a man took her to the beach and…talked. Getting to know each other better, discovering likes and dislikes, sharing hopes and dreams, disappointments and losses.

  Winter told him what it was like to be a “military brat” in Hawaii. She talked about her rigid, militaristic father, the mother who countered that sternness with fun and hugs and lots of love. Brady spoke about his family and his childhood in a small town near Boston, and about his current life as a pastor.

  Winter refused to read anything into the fact he’d skipped neatly over his teen and young adult years. Probably just happened that way. He didn’t appear to be deliberately choosing portions of his life to open up to her. And I refuse to pick apart what he does share. Not today.

  Today was unspeakably beautiful… wondrous...beyond incredible. Questions and suspicions had no place in that kind of perfection, so Winter barred them from her heart and mind. She’d deal with them later. If she had to.

  “Let’s go find a nice moonstone for your collection.” Brady stood and pulled her up beside him.

  “Good idea.” She was more than ready to distract her mind from the direction it had taken.

  They raced to outdo each other in finding the best moonstone.

  Brady showed her a small one that he deemed unworthy of her collection. “See how it’s kind of clear in the middle and cloudy-white around the edges? That’s what the moonstones look like. It’s that clear center that catches the light of the moon and gives them their name.”

  A half hour later, Winter’s treasure for the day included two moonstones, as well as several of the other rocks in every color except red—the one she’d most wanted to find.

  Brady grinned and wiggled his eyebrows. “I guess we’ll just have to come back another day.”

  “Oh, such torture!” Winter moaned. “Another day on this beach?”

  Brady closed the distance between them and gathered her into his arms. “I can think of ways to make the idea less dreadful,” h
e murmured.

  “Is that so?” Winter swayed against him, her knees weak from no more than his touch.

  “Oh, yeah.” He smiled and lifted her chin with his thumb, leaving his fingers free to stroke little trails of flame against her skin. At last, he touched his lips to hers—a slow, gentle exploration that stoked a much stronger fire.

  Winter placed a hand behind his neck and drew him closer, deepening the kiss. But only for a moment.

  Brady took a step backward and ran a finger over her swollen lips, his eyes reflecting the effort that withdrawal had cost him. “We need to go, sweetheart. It’s time.” He scooped his backpack off the ground and slipped the straps over his shoulders.

  Winter stood, swaying on unsteady legs. What had just happened?

  Brady took her hand and brought it to his lips. “God knows I don’t want to stop kissing you, Winter, but—”

  “Then don’t.” She gripped his fingers, desperate to be back in his arms, to let their passion carry them away somewhere even more wonderful. She tried to move closer to him, but he took a gentle yet firm hold on her arms and held her away. “Honey…please don’t.” His voice, always so smooth and pleasant, sounded ragged. “I want to give you the respect you deserve. And I have to handle this—whatever this is between us—God’s way.”

  “I don’t…” She trailed off. Would she ever understand this man’s God-mentality?

  “I know. You don’t understand. But you will. I’m believing you will, my love. Soon.” He reclaimed her hand and held it as they walked back to his vehicle.

  Despite her confusion and the unfulfilled tingle of her senses, Winter found herself smiling. Brady hadn’t wanted to stop kissing her. She’d tuck that certainty close to her heart until next time.

  15

  Aside from a couple of lunches with Brady, who was busy building the gazebo for Miss Angie’s Christmas party, Winter spent the next week researching. The following week she dedicated to soul-searching. What was she doing…really? Why was she still in Cambria?

  Honesty forced her to admit to stalling. So far she’d looked at this story through a hazy window that revealed just enough to make her want to turn and run the other direction. This assignment should have been wrapped up, tied up, topped with a pretty bow and delivered to Jeremy by now. Winter’s dogged determination—which her colleagues called “scary aggression”—had yet to come into play on this story because something told her she wouldn’t like what she saw if she gave that imaginary cloudy pane of glass a streak-free shine.

  Nor would she like herself, and that bothered her intensely.

  Even more troublesome was the certain knowledge that tying up this investigation would steal something vitally important from her. Something she loved and wouldn’t want to lose.

  On her deck while taking a much-needed break, Winter heaved a sigh as her father’s voice echoed in her mind. Stop pussy-footing around the truth, girl. Face the fear that’s holding you back. Take the thing by the throat and destroy it, before it destroys you.

  But facing this fear meant using the hypothetical glass cleaner on that imaginary window. Yet every instinct screamed a warning to leave it alone. What she revealed would destroy her…because it would destroy Brady.

  He was the treasure she couldn’t bear to lose.

  “Winter, is that you? Kai?”

  She blinked, startled from her reverie, and then stood to peer over the rail. On the lawn below, Miss Angie stared up at the deck, one hand over her eyes like a visor despite the huge floppy hat on her head.

  “Hey, Miss Angie.”

  “Winter, dear!” The older woman’s soft, warm laughter ignited a pleasant tingle somewhere in Winter’s psyche. Not exactly a shiver—the word held vaguely sinister connotations, and Miss Angie’s sweet laughter was anything but sinister. But still…something. Some kind of soul magic that always made her think of angels singing and birds trilling a joyous symphony.

  “All I could see were feet.” Miss Angie never got loud about anything, but she was clearly amused. “Neither toes nor soles offered a hint as to whether it was you or Kai up there.”

  It was Winter’s turn to laugh. “Well, we are twins, so I suppose our feet might bear some resemblance too. But I’ll let you in on a secret: Kai has hairy toes. I don’t.”

  “I’m glad to hear that. How sad it would be to know your beauty was marred by icky, hairy toes.” A mock shudder shook the woman’s tall, slender form. “Such an unpleasant image to get in one’s head. Winter, dear, I don’t suppose you’d want to escort an old lady on a walk around the grounds, would you?”

  “I’d love to!” Maybe it would get her mind off the horrid investigation that refused to be completed. “Give me half a shake to grab my sandals. I’ll be right down.”

  “I’ll wait right here.”

  Winter dashed into the house and slid her feet into the sandals she’d left beside the sofa, where Kai sat staring at his cell phone. “I’m going to walk with Miss Angie.”

  “Right. See ya.” He didn’t even look up.

  At the door, Winter stopped and tiptoed to stand behind her brother. She peered over his shoulder and grinned. “Who’re you texting?”

  He slid the phone between the sofa cushions. “None’ya. Thought you were going downstairs?”

  “Oh, I am.” Winter grinned. She knew full well who Kai was texting. “Tell Julia I said hey.”

  Kai chuckled. “Go away, pest.”

  Her brother’s quiet excitement about whatever was going on between him and the pretty doctor created an echo in Winter, and she was laughing as she hurried downstairs.

  “I do love your beautiful smile.” Miss Angie linked her arm through Winter’s and nodded toward the wooded area south of the lodge. “Let’s walk through there, shall we? I want to show you something.”

  “All right.” Winter suppressed a shudder. The trees were beautiful to look at from a distance, but her skin crawled at the thought of being in the middle of them. She did not like creepy-crawlies—bugs, beetles, spiders of any kind, or—heaven forbid!—snakes. Those woods were certain to be full of them.

  Miss Angie used her free hand to give Winter’s a gentle pat. “Don’t worry, dear. Nothing in these woods will harm you.”

  How did she know what I was thinking? Soul magic again? But Winter didn’t believe in magic. So what was it about the gracious woman at her side? She wasn’t just a sweet lady who owned Paradise Pines Lodge—or managed it. Miss Angie was unlike anyone Winter had ever known. There was about her an aura of innocence and purity.

  Brady would probably say it was something divine.

  “I’d love to know what lies behind those lovely eyes of yours.” Miss Angie gave Winter’s arm a squeeze. “What are you thinking about, child?”

  “You really want to know?”

  “I did ask...”

  “That’s true. Well, I was thinking that you’re much more than meets the eye. You’re beautiful and sweet, but you’re so much more than that.” She chuckled, a little embarrassed at her outburst. “You’re kind of angelic, Miss Angie.”

  Soft laughter wrapped itself around Winter’s heart like a soft, warm glove on a cold day. “You think so?”

  “I do. For real.”

  “Well, it’s true that there is usually more to a person than meets the eye. But…angelic?” Miss Angie gave Winter’s hand another squeeze and then stopped walking. “Oh, here we are. I wanted you to see this.”

  Enchanted by her companion, Winter hadn’t noticed they’d walked out of the tree cover and into a pretty clearing marred by a litter of something that stole the breath from her lungs. Across the expanse of wildflower-dotted grass, pieces of the broken C-Cove Flying Taxi lay scattered like castoff clothing in an otherwise pristine room.

  As her gaze roamed the wreckage, Winter’s heartbeat raced. The simple fact that she and her brother had fallen out of the sky had been reason enough to believe they’d had the narrowest of narrow escapes. But seeing what was left of
their transportation brought on a breath-robbing panic. How had she and Kai survived?

  One crumpled wing, bent into a battered “U” shape, cradled the broken tailpiece. The mangled cockpit lay canted to one side, and jagged shards of glass gripped the shattered windshield like stubborn tentacles. Other, smaller parts created a confetti of airplane pieces Winter didn’t recognize.

  “Where’s the rest of it?” Her voice sounded small, even in the hushed glade.

  “Here and there,” Miss Angie said. “Somewhere across the miles your flying chariot covered during its ungraceful descent.”

  Winter stepped close to peer in through what should have been the windshield. Kai’s license hung askew from the clip on which her brother had kept it displayed. How pitiable it seemed, dangling there like a manifesto of failure. She reached in and took the plastic-framed document. Kai would be glad to have it. Stepping back, she let her gaze travel the length and breadth of the clearing. The area nestled into the woods, peaceful and serene, only weeks after having its solitude violently invaded by a flying monster. The unsightly pieces of metal and glass hunkered like ugly scars against the backdrop of glorious, gorgeous nature.

  “There, there, dear…don’t cry. It’s all over, and you and Kai are both safe and sound. I brought you here so you would understand what a miracle that is.”

  Winter hadn’t known she wept until Miss Angie spoke, and then she found the flood of tears would not be dammed. “How is it even possible that we’re both ‘safe and sound’?” She hitched in a breath. “Why would God waste a miracle on my brother and me? We’re not even Christians.”

  Miss Angie slipped an arm around her waist. “With God, all things are possible. And know this, child…miracles are never wasted. Our Father had a reason for bringing you here to Paradise Pines. And He brought you here alive, which means He has something left for each of you to do.” She brushed a strand of damp hair off Winter’s face. “Rather than wondering how, perhaps you should ask yourself why.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “Of all the places your plane might have gone down—including somewhere in the depths of the ocean—you wound up here, in Cambria. Do you really believe that happened by coincidence?”