All Is Bright
A
LSO BY
C
OLLEEN
C
OBLE
S
UNSET
C
OVE N
OVELS
The Inn at Ocean's Edge
Mermaid Moon (Available
January 2016)
H
OPE
B
EACH NOVELS
Tidewater Inn
Rosemary Cottage
Seagrass Pier
U
NDER
T
EXAS
S
TARS NOVELS
Blue Moon Promise
Safe in His Arms
T
HE
M
ERCY
F
ALLS SERIES
The Lightkeeper's Daughter
The Lightkeeper's Bride
The Lightkeeper's Ball
L
ONESTAR NOVELS
Lonestar Sanctuary
Lonestar Secrets
Lonestar Homecoming
Lonestar Angel
All Is Calm: A Lonestar
Christmas Novella (e-book only)
T
HE
R
OCK
H
ARBOR SERIES
Without a Trace
Beyond a Doubt
Into the Deep
Cry in the Night
Silent Night: A Rock Harbor
Christmas Novella (e-book only)
T
HE
A
LOHA
R
EEF SERIES
Distant Echoes
Black Sands
Dangerous Depths
Midnight Sea
Holy Night: An Aloha Reef
Christmas Novella (e-book only)
Alaska Twilight
Fire Dancer
Abomination
Anathema
Butterfly Palace
N
OVELLAS INCLUDED IN
:
Smitten
Secretly Smitten
Smitten Book Club
O
THER
N
OVELLAS
Bluebonnet Bride
© 2015 by Colleen Coble
All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meansâelectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or otherâexcept for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Thomas Nelson. Thomas Nelson is a registered trademark of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Inc.
Thomas Nelson titles may be purchased in bulk for educational, business, fund-raising, or sales promotional use. For information, please e-mail [email protected]
Publisher's Note: This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author's imagination or used fictitiously. All characters are fictional, and any similarity to people living or dead is purely coincidental.
ISBN: 978-1-4016-8998-8 (eBook)
C
ONTENTS
D
ELILAH
C
ARTER
'
S BREATH PLUMED IN THE FROSTY AIR AS
she cranked up the heater and turned her gray Toyota away from Tidewater Inn. The sun setting over the back of the inn would make a pretty postcard. Delilah had worked here for ten years, and she loved it as if she owned it. It was the only real home she'd had as an adult, and she never wanted to live anywhere else than her little suite on the third floor.
As she drove toward Hope Beach, she lowered the window and waved at Amy and Curtis Ireland putting their surfing equipment in the back of their truck. They waved back as she passed. Only those two would be crazy enough to brave December water temperatures. Even the Outer Banks was chilly this time of year. The temperature was forty-five and was expected to fall to thirty-six tonight.
Curtis's aunt must be watching the kids. Amy was the local midwife, and she'd married one of the local Coast Guard men. They were raising Curtis's niece, and they'd adopted a little girl six months ago.
Delilah's phone rang through the navigation system on the dash, and she hit the button to answer the call from Elin Summerall. “You just can't stand it, can you? I'm on my way to town to get the decorations. Everything is under control. The bride is not supposed to be stressed before the wedding. Relax.”
“Easy for you to say.” Elin's voice held an edge of strain. “The dress doesn't fit and will have to be taken in. The wedding is only a week away, and there is so much to do! Why on earth did I ever think a Christmas wedding was a good idea?” “Have you been dieting?” Delilah adopted a stern tone. “With your heart transplant, you have to make sure you're eating well.”
“I'm eating way too much! With so many showers and Christmas parties, I've gained five pounds. The bridal shop must have misgauged the sizing. I'll have to find a seamstress.”
Delilah grinned at her friend's wheedling tone. “You know perfectly well I used to work for a bridal shop in Richmond way back when. I'll do it for you.”
“You're a doll, Delilah. Is there anything you can't do? You run the inn with your hands tied behind your back, soothe guests, cook like Julia Child, and keep us all in line.”
“Flattery will get you everywhere. Go get a massage or something and calm down. Talk to you later.” She ended the call.
Night had quickly fallen even though it was only six. A guest at the inn with car trouble had delayed her, but her friend who ran the craft store had agreed to meet her after
hours. Delilah spared a glance at the lovely ocean, ten feet below the road.
She glanced in the rearview mirror. A black truck was bearing down on her. With no lights, it was coming fast, and she veered a bit to the side of the road to let it pass.
She gripped the steering wheel and kept glancing in the rearview mirror. The truck's visor was down, obscuring the person's face in the dim twilight. It was a man though, and he sat so tall in the seat that she could see just a bit of a scruffy jaw.
She tapped her brakes just a bit to warn him to slow down, but he edged even closer. She was afraid he would ram her. What on earth? A big curve lay just ahead, and she would have to somehow make the turn without ending up in the ocean's pounding waves. Her throat closed as she saw the curve grow nearer. Easing off the gas pedal, she tapped her brakes again.
Before she could register the increase in its speed, the truck's huge chrome bumper struck her from behind. Her car fishtailed as it entered the curve, then the tires tried and failed to find purchase in the shoulder's soft gravel.
The view of the ocean grew larger in her windshield, and she fought with the wheel to steady the car. It quit careening and began to straighten, but before she could breathe a sigh of relief, another impact rattled her teeth and pushed her car to the edge.
It's going over the side.
She grabbed the handle and gave it a yank, then pushed the door open enough so she could roll outâtoo late. Her car left the pavement and she caught a glimpse of movement as it
sailed over the edge of the hillside and down the steep slope toward the sea.
She abandoned the idea of trying to get out and steered the car as best as she could to keep it from rolling over. The car plunged into the ocean and a great plume of water washed over her windshield. The water immediately poured in her partially open door, and she held her breath as panic froze her in place.
Just like last time. If she didn't get out, she would drown just like her parents.
Terror bubbled in her chest, and her fists battered at the window. The water was deep here and so cold that it numbed her limbs. A scream formed in her throat, and she realized she was struggling to get out with her seat belt still fastened. She released it and reached for the handle. She pushed hard to try to open the door far enough to get out, but the force of the water gushing inside held it in place.
She reached for the window control and ran the window down. Water pounded her face, and she took a last deep breath before submerging so she could escape through the window.
As the vehicle dived for the bottom, the strong ocean current tugged at her coat, and she unzipped it so she could swim better. It was so dark she couldn't tell which direction led to the surface.
Then her feet touched sand, and she pushed off and swam for the surface. Spots danced in her eyes, and she wanted so badly to draw in air. Her vision was nearly gone by the time her head broke the surface and she managed to pull in oxygen.
She dog-paddled a moment until welcome air cleared her head. Lights from passing cars and a few houses oriented her to the shoreline, but she was too exhausted to do anything but bob in the waves. By the time she could summon enough determination to swim, the riptide had carried her past her car and farther out to sea.
Her muscles ached from the frigid water and the tension. Kicking off her shoes, she struck out for shore, but her tired body didn't want to cooperate. The cold numbed her mind, too, and she found it hard to focus.
No!
She wouldn't give up. She'd beaten death once, and she could do it again.
She gritted her teeth and started to swim, but a big wave grabbed her and shoved her under again. Then a hard hand yanked on her arm. The dark figure pulled her toward the top, and her head broke the surface.
She blinked water out of her eyes and saw Amy swimming toward her too. Curtis had hold of one arm, and Amy took the other as they headed for the shore without speaking. Delilah couldn't have told them what happened if her life depended on it. Moments later, she lay gasping and shuddering on the shore.
Someone had tried to kill her.
