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you ve probably always known that. I love it here, and I m going to be the best damn tobacco farmer this colony has ever seen. I haven t figured out how to deal with the moral issue of that yet, but I ll come up with something. And since they don t have Jack here, I m going to do some serious distilling. Don t worry about me fitting in. I blend in great. No one would ever guess I m not a colonial. I m going to keep a journal of my adventures. Maybe you ll read them some day. 380 Amber Carlton It appears to be my responsibility to continue a dynasty. Not one to shirk duty, I have graciously consented to do my part with Arleigh s full cooperation. Did I tell you how perfect she is? I wish you could meet her. Try to do without me for awhile, okay? I know you miss me, and I miss you, too, but all I have to do is look across the room, and I can see your beautiful faces. When I hug them, I m hugging you, and my love flows across the bridge of time to you. Love is not held by the boundaries of time and space. It is limitless and eternal, and my love is always with you. You can feel it, can t you? I knew you could. Hold onto it and keep me close. You three are the best sisters a guy could ever have, over and over and over. I love you. Don t wait up. I ll be late. Ryder A tear ran down her face, and Faith wiped it away absently. She reread the letter. Jesus Christ, she whispered. He s staying in that godforsaken place. Charity reached out and took the parchment from Faith s hand. She ran her fingers over the words on the page. He sounds happy. I m glad he found someone to love. It s all he ever really wanted. Hope twisted her hands together. She looked shell-shocked. Shaking, she reached out and took the page from Charity. She held it in her hands for a minute before Faith reached out and took it back. The page looked too fragile in Hope s restless hands. So what do we do now? Hope asked. I don t know, Faith said. But we ll figure it out as we go. It s not like he was much help around here anyway. She folded the parchment like a treasured heirloom and tucked it back into the pages of the Keats. She stood for a moment undecided, then walked to the bookshelf and tucked the leather volume where it belonged between the Lord Byron and the Dylan Thomas. She ran her hand over the binding and turned to her sisters. We ll wait for him, she said. He has to come home eventually, right? It s not like anyone can put up with him for very long. He s impossible. Faith reached toward the bottle on the desk. She needed something to calm her shaking hands. When she lifted it to her mouth, it felt different. She Trinity Magic 381 lowered it slowly, feeling the triangular shape, almost afraid to look. The label on the bottle said Trinity Whisky, Kendall Distillery. Well, Faith said, he solved one moral dilemma and created a whole new one. She held up the bottle, and when her sisters smiled, she tipped the bottle to her lips. Faith nearly choked when a knock sounded on the door of the cottage. It s him! Hope cried. He s back. I don t think he d knock on his own door, Miss Spock, Faith said, moving toward the door. You re the one who said this wasn t science. Don t you think he d materialize or something? Faith yanked the door open. She didn t know what she expected on the other side, but certainly not the hunk standing there. He was the most gorgeous thing she had ever seen. When she looked at that pair of blue eyes, she thought for a split second she would throw herself into his arms. She clutched the latch on the door and struggled to find some words. Hi, she squeaked. Hi, yourself, the man said. He looked like he had stepped from the pages of a romance novel. He had such a beautiful face that he had to be a model or an actor. What the hell was a man like this doing on Trinity Island? And that hair. Dark waves fell over his shoulders in a messy yet seriously seductive way. The bristly stubble on his jaw made him sexy as hell. He wore a plain white t-shirt with a pair of jeans and a leather jacket. Faith had no idea muscles could actually show through leather. The man stuffed his hand into the pocket of his jeans like he dug for his keys. When he pulled it out again, he held a penny in his hand. He flipped it through his fingers like a magician. Faith gulped. Can I help you? I hope so, the man said. I m looking for Ryder Kendall. He lives here, right? I was told to come to the stone cottage. He had an accent, the most beautiful accent she had ever heard. Irish, she thought. Right place, Faith said. But Ryder, well, he s sort of out of town. On an emergency. Oh, I m sorry, the man said. 382 Amber Carlton His voice should have been singing rock ballads on the radio. It was throaty, husky, full of quiet passion. Faith desperately tried to focus. Someone sick? he asked. What? Faith said. Sick? Oh, no, everyone s fine. Ryder s a teacher, a historian. There was a teaching emergency? the man asked. He smiled, and Faith wondered how this man could get better looking. Faith shook her head. No, well, yes, something like that. He s not here, Mr& ? He held out his hand. Flynn. Cameron Flynn. Her hand still lingered on the latch of the door and, for a split second, so fast it barely registered, Faith had an overwhelming desire to close the door on the handsome face. Instead, she opened the door wider, and the stranger stepped inside. She put her hand in his and shook, feeling the warmth and surety of his grip. He held her hand for quite a long time. Her sisters hovered behind her, listening and watching, but for some reason they were leaving her on her own to deal with the stranger. It was hell being the oldest. And you are? Cameron asked. Faith shook her head. She couldn t find any words. Did she even know any words? He released her hand, and she took a step back, trying to put [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ] |