Jury of His Peers (Debbie Macomber Classics) by Debbie Macomber

Author:Debbie Macomber [Macomber, Debbie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Published: 2021-05-03T18:30:00+00:00

* * *

—

Oregon’s Highway 101 stretched along four hundred miles of spectacular open coastline. With her love of the ocean, Caroline had made several weekend jaunts to the area. She never tired of walking the miles of smooth beaches, clam-digging, beachcombing, and doing nothing but admiring the breathtaking beauty of the unspoiled scenery.

“We’ll need to stop in Seaside,” she informed him once they crossed the Columbia River at Astoria.

“Why Seaside?”

“Historians agree that the Lewis and Clark Trail ended on the beaches there.”

“I don’t need a history lesson. Unless it’s important, I think we should press on.”

From the minute they’d left the beach house that morning, he had seemed intent on making this trip a marathon undertaking. He didn’t want to travel the freeway, and, to be honest, she was pleased. The coastline made for far more fascinating travel, and she had several favorite spots along the way.

“It’s not an earth-shattering reason,” she concluded, disappointment coating her tongue. “But Seaside has wonderful saltwater taffy, and I’d like to get a box for my mother. Taffy’s her favorite, and she likes Seaside’s the best, so—”

“All right. We’ll make a quick stop,” he agreed.

“Thanks.” Sighing, she smoothed her palms down the front of her dark raspberry shorts. She couldn’t understand Ted. His moods kept swinging back and forth. Last night he’d been good-natured and patient. This morning he was behaving as if they were fleeing a Mafia gang hot on their tail.

When they reached Seaside, he parked along the beachside promenade and cut the engine. “I’ll wait here.”

“In the car?” she asked disbelievingly. “But it’s a gorgeous day. I thought you’d like to get something to eat and walk along the beach.”

“I’m not hungry.”

Glaring at him, she climbed out of the car and closed the door with unnecessary force. Maybe he wasn’t hungry, but she was. They’d stopped for coffee and donuts at a gas station hours earlier, and that hadn’t been enough to keep her happy. Fine! He could sit in the car if he liked, but she wasn’t going to let his foul mood ruin her day. Every stride filled with purpose, she walked to the end of the street near the turnaround and bought a large box of candy for her mother. A vendor was selling popcorn, and she purchased a bag and carried it down the concrete stairs to the sandy beach below.

Ted found her fifteen minutes later, sitting on a log and munching on her unconventional meal. “I’ve been looking all over for you,” he said accusingly.

“Sorry.” She offered some popcorn in appeasement, but she had no real regrets. “I got carried away. It really is lovely here, isn’t it?”

“Yes.” But he sounded preoccupied and impatient. “Are you ready to leave now?”

“I suppose.”

Back on the highway, he turned and gave her a disgruntled look. “Is there any other place you’d like to stop?”

“Yes—two. Cannon Beach and Tillamook.”

“Caroline, this isn’t a stroll down memory lane. You must have seen these sights a hundred times. We’re in a hurry.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.