Beach Winds
Page 26
His arms were strong around her. His dreamy blue eyes, eyes the fresh blue of robin’s eggs, held her own.
“You’re trying to distract me, aren’t you? Why not just tell me? Admit it, you aren’t a handyman. That’s not how you earn your living.”
“At first I was curious about you, and concerned about Will, but even that doesn’t explain why I painted that house. I don’t paint houses. I hate house painting.”
“But you did.”
“Exactly. Why is that?”
“How do I know?” She frowned.
“And I kept coming back. Why is that?”
“You are infuriating. You don’t know how to have a simple, civil conversation.”
“Why, Fran? Why did I keep coming back?”
“Because of me.”
He dropped a kiss lightly between her eyes. “Because of you. You fascinated me in some way that I don’t fully understand. Fate, I guess.”
“Fascinated?” She started to frown, but couldn’t. The touch of his kiss remained.
“What? You don’t like that word?”
“It’s a lovely word, but it’s past tense.”
In response, he picked her up and set her on the railing, then leaned forward so that their eyes were almost level.
“So, if I’m not an official, bona fide handyman, aren’t you curious about what I do for a living?”
“You’re a caretaker.” Was he going to be sensitive about it? She touched his cheek. “And you’ve been recovering from the bike accident. If you don’t mind, I would like to say that you need a larger place if you’re going to give Megan a fulltime home. You are going to do that, right?”
“Yes. I’m going to come to an arrangement with Diane. Something that benefits Megan more than the two of us. But I already have a larger house. I moved to the garage apartment after the divorce and the wreck. It was easier to manage on my own, without stairs, plus the big house had a lot of memories.”
“You own that house? You aren’t the caretaker?”
“Yes and yes. The marina down by the bridge, that’s mine. Frankly, I lost interest for a while…lost interest in almost everything, but I’ve been going over there in the afternoons working my way back into it. Good thing, too, with the warmer weather coming fast.” His voice softened, dropping as he spoke.
Fran had leaned toward him as his words grew fainter. Brian took advantage of the proximity and kissed her.
Chapter Thirty
Frannie leaned her head against his rough cheek. The clean scent of the breeze fresh off the ocean seemed to promise good things. Not cold, this was a spring breeze whose warm touch made winter an already fading memory.
“I feel drained, but in a good way.” She draped her arms over Brian’s shoulders. “I’m ready for whatever comes.”
“How about lunch?”
“Lunch?” Trust a guy to think of food.
He looked at his watch. “It’s lunchtime.”
“Hard to believe. It’s been a long morning. I’m not hungry. Too much emotion, I guess. I could stay right here with you and watch the ocean indefinitely.”
“Not even a cup of tea? The kind you like? What did you call it? Chai?”
He was sweet to remember, even if he remembered incorrectly.
“Maybe in a little while.”
He kissed her temple. “You have things to do.”
“Like what?”
“Have you forgotten your uncle? You’re overdue for a visit.”
She sighed. “Yes, you’re right. I have a lot to tell him, and a lot to thank him for. A lot to thank you for, too.” Her peripheral vision caught a glimpse of movement from the direction of the house. She started to turn that way, but Brian stopped her with a gentle hand to her cheek.
“Not so fast. I’ll collect my thank you now.”
She smiled and leaned forward with the intention of kissing him, but movement again caught her attention and she turned toward the porch.
“What’s all that?”
Even from that distance, she could see people on her porch, but they were hard to make out because of the noon shade and the porch railing. A woman was standing and she was easier to identify.
Frannie grabbed Brian’s arms. “What’s Janet doing here?”
“Ouch. Your fingernails.” But instead of drawing away, he slid his hands around her waist. “Looks like you have a couple of visitors. What are you waiting for?” He lifted her from the railing and, after a long, slow hug, he returned her to her feet.
Now she saw a hand, that dear, frail hand, waving.
She whispered, “You brought him home?”
“For an afternoon visit, that’s all for now. A friend has an ambulance service. He coordinated it. I think, however, that we need to move forward with plans for the ramps and wider doorways. Looks like he might be needing them soon.”
She placed her hand on his cheek, but couldn’t find the words to express what she felt. She shook her head as hot tears filled her eyes.
“Fran? You okay?”
She nodded.
Brian touched a finger to her lips. With a grin, he said, “You can thank me later.”
Frannie took his hand. Together they hurried along the crossover, past the dunes and the rustling grasses, to welcome Uncle Will back to his home, his Captain’s Walk.
THE END
To my readers…
You’ve just read Beach Winds and I hope you enjoyed Frannie and Brian’s story. If you haven’t already read Beach Rental, I hope you will. Emerald Isle, North Carolina is a very special place to me, and the characters in both of these books continue to dwell there—at least in my heart.
I have strong family ties and deep roots in North Carolina and Virginia. Kincaid’s Hope and A Stranger in Wynnedower are set in rural Virginia. If you enjoyed Beach Winds, you might like Beach Rental, Kincaid’s Hope and A Stranger in Wynnedower.
I love to connect with my readers. Are you on Facebook or Twitter? Do you enjoy Goodreads? Find me on Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, and on Amazon. Join my newsletter list! You can sign up at my website.
Thanks for reading Beach Winds. Here’s additional information about my other books ~
Beach Rental
RT Book Reviews - September 2012 - 4.5 stars TOP PICK
“No author can even come close to capturing the awe-inspiring essence of the North Carolina coast like Greene. Her debut novel seamlessly combines hope, love and faith, like the female equivalent of Nicholas Sparks. …you’ll hear the gulls overhead and the waves crashing onto shore.”
Brief Description:
On the Crystal Coast of North Carolina, in the small town of Emerald Isle…
Juli Cooke, hard-working and getting nowhere fast, marries a dying man, Ben Bradshaw, for a financial settlement, not expecting he will set her on a journey of hope and love. The journey brings her to Luke Winters, a local art dealer, but Luke resents the woman who married his sick friend and warns her not to hurt Ben—and he’s watching to make sure she doesn’t.
Until Ben dies and the stakes change.
Framed by the timelessness of the Atlantic Ocean and the brilliant blue of the beach sky, Juli struggles against her past, the opposition of Ben’s and Luke’s families, and even the living reminder of her marriage—to build a future with hope and perhaps to find the love of her life—if she can survive the danger from her past.
Kincaid’s Hope
RT Book Reviews - August 2012 - 4 STARS
“A quiet, backwater town is the setting for intrigue, deception and betrayal in this exceptional sophomore offering. Greene’s ability to pull the reader into the story and emotionally invest them in the characters makes this book a great read.”
Jane Austen “Book Maven” - May 2012 - 5 STARS
“This is a unique modern-day romantic suspense novel, with eerie gothic tones—a well-played combination, expertly woven into the storyline.”
Brief Description:
Beth Kincaid left her hot
temper and unhappy childhood behind and created a life in the city free from untidy emotionalism, but even a tidy life has danger, especially when it falls apart.
In the midst of her personal disasters, Beth is called back to her hometown of Preston, a small town in southwestern Virginia, to settle her guardian’s estate. There, she runs smack into the mess she’d left behind a decade earlier: her alcoholic father, the long-ago sweetheart, Michael, and the poor opinion of almost everyone in town.
As she sorts through her guardian’s possessions, Beth discovers that the woman who saved her and raised her had secrets, and the truths revealed begin to chip away at her self-imposed control.
Michael is warmly attentive and Stephen, her ex-fiancé, follows her to Preston to win her back, but it is the man she doesn’t know who could forever end Beth’s chance to build a better, truer life.
A Stranger in Wynnedower
Romancing-The-Book-Blog.com - June 2013
“Shades of Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase! Shades of the evil Mrs. Danvers in Rebecca! Shades of Jane Eyre and locked rooms and mysterious shadows and the glowering Mr. Rochester!
A good mystery sans shock-value language and with just the right dash of romance is hard to find-but you’ll find it in A Stranger in Wynnedower. If you’ve read any of the above-mentioned books and loved them as this reviewer has done, you’ll buy into Grace Greene’s romantic suspense from beginning to end. Favorite Quote: He cast those dark, yet warm eyes upon her and reeled her in over a plate of ravioli. ~ An enjoyable read; I recommend it.”
Brief Description:
Love and suspense with a dash of Southern Gothic…
Rachel Sevier, a thirty-two year old inventory specialist, travels to Wynnedower Mansion in Virginia to find her brother who has stopped returning her calls. Instead, she finds Jack Wynne, the mansion’s bad-tempered owner. He isn’t happy to meet her. When her brother took off without notice, he left Jack in a lurch.
Jack has his own plans. He’s tired of being responsible for everyone and everything. He wants to shake those obligations, including the old mansion. The last thing he needs is another complication, but he allows Rachel to stay while she waits for her brother to return.
At Wynnedower, Rachel becomes curious about the house and its owner. If rumors are true, the means to save Wynnedower Mansion from demolition are hidden within its walls, but the other inhabitants of Wynnedower have agendas, too. Not only may Wynnedower’s treasure be stolen, but also the life of its arrogant master, unless she can save them.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to acknowledge Kim Jacobs and her talented crew at Turquoise Morning Press, most especially my editor, Jacquie Daher. Jacquie—Thanks for your skill and perseverance.
My love and thanks to my family. My gratitude and praise to God.
ABOUT GRACE GREENE
Grace Greene writes stories with love, suspense and inspiration ~ always with a strong heroine at its heart.
A Virginia native, Grace lives in central Virginia. Stay current with Grace’s releases and appearances and contact her here.
Books by Grace Greene
Beach Rental
Beach Winds
Kincaid’s Hope
A Stranger in Wynnedower
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published by Turquoise Morning Press:
Amie Denman, author of Will Work for Love and Blue Bottle Beach
Linda Rettstatt, author of Act of Contrition and Unconditional
Margaret Ethridge, author of Commitment and Contentment
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