Feehan ChristineLover Beware 01Feehan ChristineMagic in the Wind.docx

1、Feehan Christine Lover Beware 01 Feehan Christine Magic in the WindMagic in the WindCHRISTINE FEEHANFor my sisters. Thank you for the magic and the love that has always been in my life.Chapte r 1SARAHS BACK. SARAHS come home. The whisper was overly loud and tinged with something close to fear. Or re

2、spect. Damon Wilder couldnt decide which. Hed been hearing the same small-town gossip for several hours and it was always said in the same hushed tones. He hated to admit to curiosity and he wasnt about to stoop to asking, not after he had made such a point of insisting on absolute privacy since he

3、arrived last month.As he walked down the quaint narrow sidewalk made of wood, the wind seemed to whisper, Sarahs back. He heard it as he passed the gas station and burly Jeff Dockins waved to him. He heard it as he lingered in the small bakery. Sarah. The name shouldnt carry mystery, but it did.He h

4、ad no idea who Sarah was, but she commanded such interest and awe from the townspeople he found himself totally intrigued. He knew from experience the people in the sleepy little coastal town were not easily impressed. No amount of money, fame, or title earned one deference. Everyone was treated the

5、 same, from the poorest to the richest, and there seemed to be no prejudice against religion or any other pref-4 CHRISTINE FEEHANcrences. It was why he had chosen the town. A man could be anybody here and no one cared.All day he had heard the whispers. Hed never once caught a glimpse of the mysterio

6、us Sarah. But hed heard shed once climbed the sheer cliffs above the sea to rescue a dog. An impossible task. Hed seen those crumbling cliffs and no one could climb them. He found himself smiling at the idea of anyone attempting such an impossible feat, and few things amused him or intrigued him.The

7、 only grocery store was in the center of town and most of the gossip originated there and then spread like wildfire. Damon decided he needed a few things before he went home. He hadnt been in the store for more than two minutes when he heard it again. Sarahs back. The same hushed whisper, the same a

8、we and respect.Inez Nelson, owner of the grocery store, held court, spilling out gossip as she normally did, instead of ringing up the groceries on the cash register. It usually drove him crazy to have to wait, but this time he lingered by the bread rack in the hope of learning more of the mysteriou

9、s Sarah who had finally returned.Are you sure, Inez? Trudy Garret asked, dragging her four-year-old closer to her and nearly strangling the child with her hug. Are her sisters back, too?Oh, Im certain, all right. She came right into the store as real as you please and bought a ton of groceries. She

10、was back at the cliff house, she said. She didnt say anything about the others, but if one shows up the others arent far behind.Trudy Garret looked around, lowered her voice another octave. Was she still. Sarah?Damon rolled his eyes. Everyone always annoyed the hell out of him. He thought moving to

11、a small town would allow him to find a way to get along to some extent but people were just plain idiots. Of course Sarah was still Sarah. Who the hell else would she be? Sarah was probably the only one with a brain within a fifty-mile radius so they thought she was different.What could it mean? Tru

12、dy asked. Sarah only comes back when something is going to happen.I asked her if everything was all right and she just smiled in that way she has and said yes. You wouldnt want me toMagic in the Wind 5pry into Sarahs business, now would you, dear, Inez said piously.Damon let his breath out in a hiss

13、ing rush of impatience. Inez made it her lifes work to pry into everyones business. Why should the absent Sarah be excluded?Last time she was here Dockins nearly died, do you remember that? Trudy asked. He fell from his roof and Sarah just happened to be walking by and. She trailed off and glanced a

14、round the store and lowered her voice to a conspirators whisper. Old Mars at the fruit stand said Penny told him Sarah .Trudy, dear, you know Mars is totally unreliable in the things he says. Hes a dear, sweet man, but he sometimes makes things up, Inez pointed out.Old man Mars was crotchety, mean,

15、and known to throw fruit at cars if he was in a foul enough mood. Damon waited for lightning to strike Inez for her blatant lie, but nothing happened. The worst of it was, Damon wanted to know what old Mars had said about Sarah, even if it was a blatant lie. And that really irritated him.Trudy leane

16、d even closer, looked melodramatically to the right and left without even noticing he was there. Damon sighed heavily, wanting to shake the woman. Do you remember the time little Paul Baily fell into that blowhole?I remember that, now that you say. He was wedged in so tight and no one could get to h

17、im, hed slipped down so far. The tide was coming in.I was there, Inez, I saw her get him out. Trudy straightened up. Penny said shed heard from her hairdresser that Sarah was working for a secret agency and she was sent to some foreign country undercover to assassinate the leader of a terrorist grou

18、p.Oh, I dont think so, Trudy. Sarah wouldnt kill anything. The store owners hands fluttered to her throat in protest. I just cant imagine.Damon had had enough of gossip. If they werent going to say anything worth hearing, he was going to get the hell out of there before Inez turned her spotlight on

19、him. He plunked his groceries down on the counter and looked as bored as he could manage. Im in a hurry, Inez, he said, hoping to fa-6 CHRISTINE FEEHANcilitate matters and avoid Inezs usual attempts at matchmaking.Why, Damon Wilder, how lovely to sec you. Have you met Trudy Garret? Trudy is a wonder

20、ful woman, a native of our town. She works over at the Salt Bar and Grill. Have you been there to eat yet? The salmon is very good.So Ive heard, he muttered, barely glancing at Trudy to acknowledge the introduction. It didnt matter. Theyd all made up their minds about him, making up the history he r

21、efused to provide. He felt a little sorry for the returning Sarah. They were making up things about her as well. You might tell me about that beautiful old house on the cliffs, he said, shocking himself. Shocking Inez. He never gave anyone an opening for conversation. He wanted to be left alone. Dam

22、n Sarah for being so mysterious.Inez looked as if she might faint and for once she was speechless.You must know the one Im talking about, Damon persisted, in spite of himself. Three stories, balconies everywhere, a round turret. Its grown over quite wild around the house, but theres a path leading t

23、o the old lighthouse. I was walking up there and with all the wild growth, I expected the house to be in bad shape, dilapidated like most of the abandoned homes around here, but it was in beautiful condition. Id like to know what preservatives were used.“Thats private property, Mr. Wilder, Inez said

24、. “The house has been in the same family for well over a hundred years. I dont know what they use in the paint, but it does weather well. No one lurks around that house. Inez was definitely issuing a reprimand to him.I was hardly lurking, Inez, he said, exasperated. As you well know, the sea salt is

25、 hard on the paint and wood of the houses. That house is in remarkable condition. In fact, it looks newly built. Im curious as to what was used. Id like to preserve my house in the same way. He made an effort to sound reasonable instead of annoyed. Im a bit of a chemist and I cant figure out what wo

26、uld keep a house so pristine over the years. Theres no sign of damage from the sea, from age, or even insects. Remarkable.Inez pursed her lips, always a bad sign. Well, Im certain I have no idea. Her voice was stiff, as if she were highlyMagic in the Wind 7offended. She rang up his groceries in rema

27、rkable time without saying another word.Damon gathered the bags into one arm, his expression daring Inez to ask him if he needed help. Leaning heavily on his cane, he turned to Trudy. “The hairdressers dog walker told the street cleaner that he saw Sarah walk on water.Trudys eyes widened in shock, b

28、ut there was belief on her face. Inez made some kind of noise he couldnt identify. Disgusted, Damon turned on his heel and stalked out. Ever since the first whisper of Sarahs name he had been unsettled. Disturbed. Agitated. There was something unfamiliar growing inside of him. Anticipation? Exciteme

29、nt? That was ridiculous. He muttered a curse under his breath at the absent Sarah.He wanted to be left alone, didnt he? He had no interest in the woman the townspeople gossiped about. Sarah might not walk on water but her house was a mystery. He saw no reason why he shouldnt pay her a neighborly vis

30、it and ask what preservatives were used in the wood to achieve the nearly impossible results.Damon Wilder was a man driven to the edge of sanity. Moving to this tiny town on the coast was his last effort to hang onto life. He had no idea how he was going to do it, or why he had chosen this particula

31、r town with all its resident eccentrics, but he had been drawn here. Nothing else would do. He had stepped on the rich soil and knew either this place would be home or he had none. It was hell trying to fit in, but the sea soothed him and the long walks over million-year-old rocks and cliffs occupie

32、d his mind.Damon took his time putting his groceries away. The knowledge that this town, this place, was his last stand had been so strong he had actually purchased a house. His home was one of the few things that gave him pleasure. He loved working on it. He loved the wood. He could lose himself in the artistry of reshaping a room to suit his exact needs. For hours at a time the work occupied him such that nothing else could invade his brain and he was at peace for a time.He sta