Deadly Masquerade by Sandra Julian Barker

Author:Sandra Julian Barker [Barker, Sandra Julian]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2015-01-21T05:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

The full moon cut a silver path across the dark ocean and stars shone like tiny diamonds sprinkled across a velvet sky. Sara leaned back against the rough wooden railing along the steps of her parent's deck and closed her eyes. Waves slapped against the sand with a deep, steady beat. The sound calmed her restless spirit and lulled the voices warring with one another in her head.

Stepping off the porch onto the sand she walked toward the water. Cool sand was soft under her bare feet. An ever-present wind blew off the ocean ruffling her short hair and bringing with it the tangy salt smell of the sea.

It was only a short distance from her parent's home to the water’s edge. Sara covered the space with slow steps and stood with her feet in the wet sand along the shore. Seawater swirled around her ankles as waves spilled up onto the sand. When the ocean pulled the wave back into its depths, frothy bubbles remained along the water's path, clinging to her feet and ankles until another wave rushed up and washed them away.

Sara was glad she had talked her parents into going to the movies. After they’d eaten birthday cake and her mother opened her gifts, they’d urged Sara to come with them. When she refused, saying she was too tired for a movie tonight, they had insisted they didn't want to leave her alone. She was still not sure how she had managed, but after much discussion, she’d finally persuaded them to go without her.

In the mood she was in right now, Sara didn't feel she was fit company for anyone. She needed time to think, to sort out her feelings and find out what was important to her in life.

Ever since the day she met Eric, her thoughts had been thrown into turmoil. How could two days spent with a man she’d never known before affect her so much? Sara kicked at an incoming wave and sent a shower of salty droplets into the air. It didn't make sense...or did it?

All her preconceived ideas about what she wanted or did not want in a man had suddenly become questionable. Eric had made her feel more alive in their brief time together than Allan had in ten months. But then, there was really no comparison. One was like the sun and moon, the ocean and the plains, all wrapped up together, while the other was like thin light on a cloudy day or a puddle after a rainstorm.

A bitter smile touched her lips. Well, that comparison alone should tell her something about her feelings for Eric. The ocean compared to a puddle! Honestly! But there was something about Eric...something that was hard to forget...hard to shake.

No, she told herself, she was not in love with Eric. No one could fall in love that quickly, but there was that glimmer on the horizon. There was that feeling when she looked at him and her heartbeat quickened, that told her if she allowed herself, love might slip in, whether she wanted it to or not.

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