door with an impatient foot and said against her ready lips, ‘It will be my pleasure to learn.’
As he carried her over the threshold of their future, Honor tipped her head back and looked up at the enormous expanse of blue.
She’d found the sky.
* * *
Back on Pulu Keeling, the spirit penunggu sighed and called off the storm spirit and reclaimed the island for her own.
Until the next sailor...
* * * * *
Keep reading for an excerpt of Single Dad's Holiday Wedding by Patricia Thayer!
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CHAPTER ONE
SHE still wasn’t sure if coming here was a good idea.
Lorelei Hutchinson drove along First Street to the downtown area of the small community of Destiny, Colorado. She reached the historic square and parked her rental car in an angled spot by a huge three-tiered fountain. The centerpiece of the brick-lined plaza was trimmed with a hedge and benches for visitors. A pathway led to a park where children were playing.
She got out, wrapped her coat sweater tighter against the cold autumn temperature and walked closer to watch the water cascade over the marble structure. After nearly twenty years many of her memories had faded, but some were just as vivid as if they’d happened yesterday.
One Christmas she remembered the fountain water was red, the giant tree decorated with multicolored lights and ornaments and everyone singing carols. She had a family then.
A rush of emotions hit her when she recalled being in this exact spot, holding her father’s hand as he took her to the park swings. One of the rare occasions she’d spent time with the man. He’d always been too busy building his empire. Too busy for his wife and daughter. So many times she had wanted just a little of his attention, his love. She never got it.
Now it was too late. Lyle Hutchinson was gone.
With a cleansing breath, she turned toward the rows of storefront buildings. She smiled. Not many towns had this step-back-into-the-nineteen-thirties look, but it seemed that Destiny was thriving.
The wind blew dried leaves as she crossed the two-lane street and strolled past Clark’s Hardware Store and Save More Pharmacy, where her mother took her for candy and ice cream cones as a child. A good memory. She sure could use some of those right now.
There was a new addition to the block, a bridal shop called Rocky Mountain Bridal Shop. She kept walking, past an antiques store toward a law office with the name Paige Keenan Larkin, Attorney at Law, stenciled on the glass.
She paused at the door to the office. This was her father’s town, not hers. Lyle Hutchinson had made sure of that. That was why she needed someone on her side. She pushed the door open and a bell tinkled as she walked into the reception area.
The light coming through the windows of the storefront office illuminated the high ceilings and hardwood floors that smelled of polish and age, but also gave off a homey feeling.
She heard the sound of high heels against the bare floors as a petite woman came down the long hall. She had dark brown hair worn in a blunt cut that brushed her shoulders. A white tailored blouse tucked into a black shirt gave her a professional look.
A bright smile appeared. “Lorelei Hutchinson? I’m Paige Larkin. Welcome home.”
* * *
After exchanging pleasantries, Lori was ushered into a small conference room to find a middle-aged man seated at the head of the table, going through a folder. No doubt, her father’s attorney.
He saw her and stood. “Lorelei Hutchinson, I’m Dennis Bradley.”
She shook his offered hand. “Mr. Bradley.”
When the lawyer phoned her last week, and told her of her father’s sudden death and that she’d been mentioned in his will, she was shocked about both. She hadn’t seen or talked with her father since she’d been seven years old.
All Lori was hoping for now was that she could come into town today, sign any papers for Lyle’s will and leave tomorrow.
The middle-aged attorney began, “First of all, Lorelei, I want to express my condolences for