Seaside Reunion
Authors: Irene Hannon
Tags: #Romance, #Starfish Bay, #Christian, #Harlequin, #Love Inspired
Second Chance Home
After surviving a devastating tragedy, combat reporter Nate Garrison returns to the only place that ever felt like home: Starfish Bay. But his reunion with lovely Lindsey Collier is nothing like he’d imagined. The sad-eyed widow who runs the mercantile was once the girl who made young Nate dream—of a future, of family ties and deep roots. Now Lindsey avoids love, loss…and Nate, who finally understands that God has given him a second chance. With the help of a little boy and an entire community, they just might discover faith’s true healing power.
“Are those homemade?”
Nate nodded to a plate of chocolate-chip cookies under a clear plastic dome beside the register of the Starfish Bay Mercantile.
Lindsey nodded. “Yes. This morning.”
“Did you make them from your mother’s recipe?”
Jolted, she stared at him.
The corners of his lips lifted again. “One of my happiest memories of this town is eating your mother’s chocolate-chip cookies while we watched for whales from The Point.”
Her mouth almost dropped open. She had sat with the junior version of this man eating cookies and watching for whales?
Again, she thought she detected a flash of disappointment in his eyes. But before she could be certain, he motioned toward the cookies. “I’ll take two.”
She filled his order and he quickly left. Lindsey watched until his car disappeared in the direction of the Orchid Motel.
Who
was
that guy?
And more importantly, why had he come back?
Books by Irene Hannon
Love Inspired
*
Home for the Holidays
*
A Groom of Her Own
*
A Family to Call Her Own
It Had to Be You
One Special Christmas
The Way Home
Never Say Goodbye
Crossroads
†
The Best Gift
†
Gift from the Heart
†
The Unexpected Gift
All Our Tomorrows
The Family Man
Rainbow’s End
**
From This Day Forward
**
A Dream to Share
**
Where Love Abides
Apprentice Father
††
Tides of Hope
††
The Hero Next Door
††
The Doctor’s Perfect Match
††
A Father for Zach
Child of Grace
§
Seaside Reunion
*Vows
†Sisters & Brides
**Heartland Homecoming
††Lighthouse Lane
§Starfish Bay
IRENE HANNON
writes both romance and romantic suspense and is an author of more than thirty-five novels, including the bestselling Heroes of Quantico series—
Against All Odds, An Eye For An Eye
and
In Harm’s Way.
She is a two-time winner of the RITA® Award (the “Oscar®” of romantic fiction) and a five-time finalist. Her books have also been honored with a Daphne du Maurier award, two Reviewers’ Choice awards from
RT Book Reviews
magazine and a Holt Medallion. A former corporate communications executive with a Fortune 500 company, Irene now writes full-time. She and her husband make their home in Missouri. For more information, Irene invites you to visit her website, www.irenehannon.com.
Irene Hannon
Seaside Reunion
Dear Reader,
Welcome to Love Inspired!
2012 is a very special year for us. It marks the fifteenth anniversary of Love Inspired. Hard to believe that fifteen years ago, we first began publishing our warm and wonderful inspirational romances.
Back in 1997, we offered readers three books a month. Since then we’ve expanded quite a bit! In addition to the heartwarming contemporary romances of Love Inspired, we have the exciting romantic suspenses of Love Inspired Suspense, and the adventurous historical romances of Love Inspired Historical. Whatever your reading preference, we’ve got fourteen books a month for you to choose from now!
Throughout the year we’ll be celebrating in several different ways. Look for books by bestselling authors who’ve been writing for us since the beginning, stories by brand-new authors you won’t want to miss, special miniseries in all three lines, reissues of top authors and much, much more.
This is our way of thanking you for reading Love Inspired books. We know our uplifting stories of hope, faith and love touch your hearts as much as they touch ours.
Join us in celebrating fifteen amazing years of inspirational romance!
Blessings,
Melissa Endlich and Tina James
Senior Editors of Love Inspired Books
To Tom—
With wonderful memories of our Northern California sojourn.
* * *
He will wipe every tear from their eyes,
and there shall be no more death or mourning, wailing or pain, for the old order has passed away.
—
Revelation
21:4
Contents
Chapter One
T
he bell over the front door of Starfish Bay Mercantile jingled, alerting Lindsey Collier to the arrival of a customer. Putting aside the town council meeting agenda she’d been perusing, she looked up with a smile. But her usual cheery greeting died in her throat.
The man who’d just stepped into the store was a stranger. A scruffy one.
And she didn’t trust strangers.
Especially scruffy ones.
She gave the tall, lean, mid-thirtyish man a rapid scan. His dark brown hair needed a trim, his cobalt eyes were bloodshot, and his worn jeans and faded black T-shirt looked as if they’d been slept in—for several nights.
Standing slowly, she kept her eye on him as she edged toward the silent panic button—and the drawer that held her compact Beretta. “Can I help you?”
The man looked her way. For a long moment he studied her, faint furrows etching his brow. As if he were assessing her—or the security in the store.
Both were formidable—but she hoped she wouldn’t have to prove that.
Swallowing past the fear congealing in her throat, she wrapped her fingers around the handle of the drawer and eased it open.
He cocked his head and squinted at her. “Lindsey Callahan?”
Her hand froze. She took another look at the stranger. Nothing about him was familiar, yet he knew her maiden name. “Have we met?”
The barest hint of a smile played at his lips. “A long time ago. Nate Garrison.”
He didn’t approach her, or extend his hand. That was good. She didn’t want to be rude if she did happen to know this stranger, but neither did she intend to let her fingers stray far from the panic button—or the gun.
“I’m sorry…the name isn’t ringing any bells.”
He shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans, a muted flash of disappointment echoing in the depths of his eyes. “You might remember me better as Nathaniel.”
Nathaniel.
The image of a pale little boy with light brown hair and thick, always-smudged glasses flickered across her mind. But he’d come and gone quickly in her life, and she’d only been…what? Eight? Nine? She hadn’t thought of him in years.
Her hand hovered over the gun. “You lived here once, right?”
“For a short time.” He shifted around to survey the store. “This place hasn’t changed much in twenty-five years.”
“It hasn’t changed much since 1936, when my grandfather opened it. We like it that way.”
At her defensive tone, he swung back toward her. “I wasn’t being critical. It’s nice to know some things stay the same.”
“Very few.” She withdrew her hand from her security cache. But she left the drawer open. “So are you passing through?”
“No.” He moved closer, hands still in pockets. “I’ll be around a while. I stopped here to pick up some food and see if I could get a recommendation for a place to stay.”
She narrowed her eyes. “If you’re looking for work, there isn’t much to be had except at the fishing camps, and as far as I know, neither of them are hiring. Tourism in northern California has been down all season.”
“I didn’t come here for a job.”
Then what
did
you come for?
The question hung between them, unasked and unanswered.
When the silence lengthened, she gave him another once-over. No pricey accommodations for this guy. “There’s a low-key bed and breakfast a couple of streets over. Or the Orchid Motel, on the north end of town. I expect there are some houses and apartments available by the month, too. Depends on how long you’re planning to stay.”
“I have no idea. But I don’t want to commit to a monthly rental. And I’m not a B&B kind of guy. Is the motel clean?”
“Eat-off-the-floor. Two older sisters from Georgia bought it about a dozen years ago, and they hate dirt. The attached café is excellent, too. They’re both great cooks.”
“Sold.” He smiled, and as the angular lines of his face softened, an odd—and unwelcome—tingle zipped up her spine.
She broke eye contact on the pretext of checking her watch. “You might need a snack to tide you over. The café won’t be open again until five. And for future reference, breakfast is seven to nine. Lunch, eleven to one. Dinner, five to seven. Closed on Sundays. Like clockwork.”
“Thanks. I’ll remember.” He ambled over to the refrigerated case, inspected the display, and pulled out a can of soda and a prepackaged deli sandwich. On his way back to the counter, he snagged a cellophane-wrapped brownie—but he held it back as she rang up his purchases. “Are those homemade?” He nodded to a plate of chocolate chip cookies under a clear plastic dome beside the register.
“Yes. This morning.”
“Did you make them?”
She shifted under his scrutiny. “Yes.”