The Best of Me by Tina Wainscott

Author:Tina Wainscott
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2013-05-14T16:00:00+00:00

9

THE SUNSET PAINTED the sky shades of crimson and purple. All of those colors were reflected in the ocean, made into a living thing as the surface undulated with the earth’s rhythms. Lucy took a deep breath, drawing it in, wanting to hold the sense of peace inside herself forever. She quietly unlocked the gate and slipped inside.

It was a minute before she heard the music, but she knew she’d unconsciously felt it from the beginning. Chris was only a silhouette against the sky as he sat by Liberty’s pool playing his guitar.

She stood there for a long time absorbing a scene that would live in her heart for the rest of her life. She collected the smells, the sounds and every color to paint her mental snapshot.

His back was toward her as he played a song she didn’t recognize at first, but touched her all the same. With every strum of his fingers against the strings, she felt the music sink deeper into her soul. It was as though Chris and Liberty were in a glass globe, something precious and not quite real.

Liberty was the only audience Chris was aware of. He was only a few inches away from Chris, and he seemed just as mesmerized as she felt. She watched, feeling as though her heart bobbed along with the swells beyond, lifting up to tighten her chest. Chris’s damp curls moved slightly over his tan skin as he softly sang the words to Crosby, Stills and Nash’s “The Southern Cross.”

At that moment, Chris and Liberty were of the same species, and she was the outsider. She was experiencing the rare privilege of watching an exquisite moment of nature, of communication, trust and friendship. She had been drawn into their world, touched by them and by Chris’s mission to save the dolphins.

Her heart tightened again, dazzled by the diamonds of the sunset sparkling over the water, and by Chris himself. He was a loner, at one only with the ocean and the dolphins. No one else had truly touched his heart. Perhaps no one had been allowed close enough to see how touching his heart was like trying to find buried treasure…illusive, hard work, and heartbreaking. Certainly dangerous for a woman like herself to even be thinking about.

But she was thinking about it.

Chris finished the song, but he plucked at one string, letting the note hang in the air like a fine mist. Liberty moved closer still. Her fingers touched her lips, holding back the sound that wanted to escape. But it was Liberty who gave her away. He caught the movement and turned toward her. Chris turned also.

“Now you’re the one sneaking up on people.”

She could only nod. Then her senses gained foothold and she shook her head. “I didn’t mean to sneak up on you. I’m sorry.”

“No problem.”

He set the guitar down and stood. She moved away, not trusting herself to be near him.

“Are you all right, Lucy?”

She looked everywhere but at him, not wanting him to read anything in her eyes.

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