Read Paradise Found for Free Online Page A

said, munching around the edges of her second.
    The older woman looked up from her plate and murmured, “Thank you.”
    Sara went back to eating her food. It was the third attempt she'd made in the past fifteen minutes to start a conversation with the woman, and she'd gotten no more than a mumbled thank you or an ungracious grunt. Adam tried to cover up Rosa's rudeness by filling in the long gaps between Sara's questions and Rosa's answers. Even Rex kept the conversation going to avoid embarrassing Sara. Only Matthew remained silent.
    He sat at the round cherry table, eating with such grace and precision, one would never have guessed he was blind. Sara tried not to stare, but she couldn't help sneaking glances in his direction, waiting for a piece of food to miss his mouth. It never happened. She was the one losing shreds of lettuce and tomato from the bottom of her wrap.
    She stole another glance. The Pittsburgh Pirate ball cap was gone. So was the stubble on his face. He looked showered and fresh, his chestnut hair still wet and combed straight back, curling toward the nape of his tanned neck. He still wore dark sunglasses, which made her think of Jessie's comment about his eyes. Those beautiful silver eyes. Looking at you, into you, through you. Why had he opted for sunglasses when his eyes, sightless or not, were such a huge attraction? Maybe they’d been damaged during the accident. Or maybe he didn't want everyone staring at him, speculating. Pitying.
    “How about seeing the sights after dinner, Sara?” Adam asked. “Rex is a great tour guide. He knows all the hot spots and need-to-see places around here.”
    “Sounds like fun,” she said, “Would you mind, Rex?”
    Rex shook his head and grinned. “Not at all. Did I tell you I was a tour guide?”
    “Yes, you did. Among other things.”
    “That's right. I can do just about anything, and if I can't I know where to find somebody who can.”
    “Isn't that the truth? And then you talk my brother into hiring them,” Adam said in a dry voice.
    “Matt's a great boss. Everybody loves him,” Rex said.
    Adam shot him a quick look. “And why shouldn't they? He pays them—”
    “Adam,” Matt cut in, his deep voice filling the room. “I really don't think Sara wants to hear about it.”
    Oh, but she did want to hear about it. All of it. She wanted to know about the kind of people Rex brought to him, wanted to know about their jobs and even what they got paid. Adam had implied his brother was generous, too generous, in his hiring and with his wallet. But that didn't fit the picture she had of Matthew Brandon and it certainly didn’t match the one she'd read about in all the tabloids and magazines.
    She was beginning to wonder if the Matthew Brandon the media was obsessed with and the man sitting across from her was the same person. Or was one nothing more than an image? Which one? The man was like one of those funky puzzles with extra pieces—just when you thought you had the perimeter worked out, you realized you didn't. The rest of the meal passed in relative silence with the exchange of benign comments and small talk. Matthew Brandon might be a shell of his former charming self, but he still commanded respect and he'd sent the message that intimate conversations were off limits.
    Rex was the first to rise from the table. “If you'll excuse me, I'll get the car ready,” he said. “Thanks, Rosa.” He winked at her. “It was too good, as usual.”
    Adam rose next. “Sara, are you ready?”
    “Sure,” she said, dabbing her mouth with her napkin. She glanced at Matt as she rose. He made no effort to get up, his strong arms resting on either side of the ornate chair. “Matt?” she asked. “Are you ready?”
    He inclined his head in her direction, a hint of a smile on his lips. “Ready for what?”
    The silkiness in his voice rolled over her and her stomach jumped. She should not have eaten that second enchilada.
    “Sara?”
    There it was again. That