Read Promise Cove (A Pelican Pointe Novel Book 1) for Free Online

in t ed out the g ar a ge apa r tment earlie r , they b y pa s s ed that and c r o s s ed a g ra s s y cou r t y ard. The quad included an ou t door eati n g area s et up w ith s e ve r al t eak ta bl e s a l l spo r ti n g a v a r ie t y of colo rf ul umbrel l as. F lower be d s f il led w ith an a s s o r tment of moonbeam cor e o psi s, d a y l i li e s, l an k y bromel i a d s, and pu r ple peoni e s lined the w a l k w a y s, bu r sti n g w ith color and f r a g ranc e . T h e p l ace looke d l i k e a s na p sh ot ou t o f a g arde n m a g a zin e .
    “ H o w ma n y a c r e s ? ” N ic k aske d t r y i n g t o tak e i n the p i c t ur e s qu e s e t t i n g .

“ F if t een , ” she ad v is ed, as she continued down a we l l-wo r n path, past bl oss om- l aden do g woo d s and m a g nol i as, sh r ub v in e s f il led w ith plump w i ld b l ackbe r r i e s and str a wbe r r i e s j u st be g inni n g t o r ipen. J or d an led the w a y fo l lo w i n g an o ther tra i l through the g rove of c y pr es s tre e s before reachi n g the cliff where they be g an their d e s cent down t o the cove and the beach.
    The h i ke do w n the s ide of the cliff w as s t eep and in t imi da t in g but the s t e p s bu i lt in t o the s ide of the slope made the climb do w n much ea s ie r .
    A s they s t a r t ed do w n, a little pa n g hit J or d a n ’ s hea r t when she remembered how lo n g it had ta ken Sc o t t t o bu i ld the wooden s t e p s in t o the s ide of the rough t e r rai n . H e ’ d spent months on the proje c t be f ore addi n g the iron- p ipe ra i li n g j u st wee k s before h i s unit had been ca l led up t o le a ve for I raq. O ver her shoulde r , she reminded N ic k , “ Be sure t o hold on t o the ra i li n g . The fo o ti n g here i s t ougher than it loo k s and e ven the m o st s ea s oned h i ker can s ome t im e s get a little w i nded . ” S he hoped he w a s n ’t insul t ed by the reminde r .
    B u t sh e ha d n o s o one r g o t t e n th e wor d s ou t tha n she g l anced back and n o ticed he looked as if he might be h a v i n g s ome s o r t of panic at t ac k . H i s face had t u r ned a c l am m y g r a y as bea d s of pe r s p ir a tion fo r med on h i s forehead. “ Y ou o k a y?”
    “ I ’ m f i ne , ” he who o shed ou t .
    W hen she reached the l ast s t e p , J or d an jumped on t o the lo o s e, sandy so i l and looked back at N ic k , who s t ood on the l a s t s t e p a littl e breathl e s s.
    L i ke a bubbly t our g uide, J or d an hit the high p o ints, an x ious t o show off what the p l ace offered. S he spread her a r ms out and said, “ N ick H a r r i s meet T h e C ove, fo r t y y ar d s of p r i stine p r i v a t e beach hidden a w a y f rom public acc es s that no o ther hou s e in the area of f e r s. T h i s p l ace i s ideal for su r f i n g , whal e w a t chi n g , p i c nic k i n g . W ha t w it h s i x g u e s t rooms, which i s more than m o st B & B s offe r , and w ith beach acc es s, s omethi n g e ven s ome of the l arger h o t e l s in S an t a C r uz do n ’t of f e r , I should n ’t h a ve a problem kee p i n g th i s p l ace f u l l du r i n g the summe r . A t least that ’ s what I ’ m ho p i n g . ”
    S he s t ood w at chi n g him w a l k up and do w n the stre t ch of sand near the w at e r . A little ne r vo u s, she went on, “ T h a t ’ s r os ema r y and s a ge y ou s me l l alo n g w ith M on t erey p in e . The tra i l i s lined w ith the s t uff. I t g ro w s w i ld here alo n g w ith plen t y of g i n ge r , beach g ra s s and alfalfa. Ther e ’ s a tide pool, a l l k in d s of cool rock fo r m ations in the area . ” B ut as J or d an went on w ith her p i t ch it appeared as though N ick w a s n ’t l i s t eni n g but t r y i n g t o recover f rom the climb do w n. Reli e ved that he did n ’t s eem t o be as pale as before, she went on de t e r mined t o g ive him the f u l l treatmen t . “Sc o tt p l anned t o of f