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poke him in
the chest. Hard.
    “You
will stay and help this young woman, Colin Daniels. This community is going to
welcome her with open arms or so help me God, you’re all going to answer to
me.”
    Colin
was shocked by her vehemence. Jocelyn could be stern, but she almost never lost
her cool.
    “What
happened to her?”
    “The
gunshots? I have no idea, and she doesn’t seem to be the type to share. What I
do know is that after what happened with her mother, she deserves all the goodwill
we can muster.”
    She
rolled her eyes impatiently at Colin’s blank look.
    “You
were away from Bright’s Ferry too long. Do you remember Fran’s daughter,
Laura?”
    “Not
really.”
    “You
were barely a teenager when it all happened. Years ago, after Frannie’s husband
passed away, Laura married Phil McCann and moved to Boston. She never liked it
here, and they only brought Evie back to visit Fran once a year or so, under
duress. Phil was an alcoholic and from what Fran said, Laura was miserable from
day one, but too proud to admit she’d made a mistake. So she started popping
pills to cope, and it just got worse from there – paranoia, rages. I remember
seeing Evie when she was about five – underfed, scared of her own shadow. What
a travesty.”
    “So
then what happened?”
    “When
Evie was seven, Laura brought her to stay with Fran, and said that she wanted
to get into rehab. Phil was cheating on her, and she wanted to make a new life
for the two of them. Frannie was so relieved.”
    Jocelyn
wiped away a tear, and Colin started forward, but stopped as Jocelyn held up a
hand.
    “Laura
left Evie with Fran to go take care of some things and the rest – well, it was
all in the papers. She caught Phil and his mistress in that crappy motel across
the bay and put a couple of bullets in them before turning the gun on herself. Phil
survived, that bastard, and came back for Evie. And Frannie never saw her
again. She sent money and letters, but who knows if Evie ever got them, or what
kind of a life she had after that. Fran even consulted a lawyer, but there was
nothing she could do. She never really forgave herself.”
    Colin
ignored her sputtering and wrapped the doctor in a hug. She caved and patted
him on the back.
    “Your
charms don’t work on me, Colin Daniels,” she said, watery, “Save it for the
pretty young things.”
    She
pulled back, but narrowed her eyes at him.
    “Be
nice to Evie Asher, but keep your hands to yourself, got it? She doesn’t need
to be added to your list of playthings. That girl deserves more than a quick
fuck in the front of your pickup.”
    Colin
could feel the heat rising in his cheeks, but nodded. No matter how delicious
and lickable Evie looked in or out of her clothes, she clearly was not
easygoing or casual, eager and/or grateful for a roll in the sheets. She came
with epic amounts of baggage, and it only took one afternoon for him to see
that he would be smart to keep far, far away. Evie Asher was trouble.
     

CHAPTER THREE
     
    THE
EARLY MORNING SUNLIGHT streaming through the window was a surprise, and Evie
squinted at the unfamiliar surroundings for a moment before memory came
flooding back – the storm, the doctor, and the too-attractive-for-his-own-good
mayor who had lifted her like she weighed nothing and tucked her into bed with
strong, warm hands.
    None
of that, she
reminded herself.
    Evie
pushed back the quilt and carefully sat up, taking stock of her injuries. Her
shoulder was stiff, but not terrible, and her side throbbed, but the pain
wasn’t unmanageable. She found that someone had thoughtfully set a bottle of
ibuprofen next to the bed with a glass of water, and gratefully gulped two as
she looked around the room – heartlessly bare save for the night stand and the
bed, the guest room was still pretty, with blue patterned wallpaper dappled
with lovely morning light. Through the windows, a magnificent view of the bay
stretched out far below. Evie pulled herself to her