Mountain Secrets by Elizabeth Goddard (good books to read for teens txt) 📕

their bags and lugged everything up the gangplank. Jewel stared at the luxury cruiser yacht. Arm in arm, Meral and Buck followed the crew.

“Come on, Jewel!” Meral yelled over her shoulder.

Jewel’s throat went dry.

What am I doing? Was she getting on this boat with a killer? Jewel felt like the absolute worst kind of traitor to think these awful thoughts. Meral was giddy with excitement and looked much younger than her years. Jewel should be happy for Meral.

Instead, she felt seasick and she hadn’t even boarded the yacht. She was leaving her self-proclaimed protector behind. Yet, she wasn’t truly alone.

God had been her refuge and would continue to be. And she had let Colin go, what small part of him she had held on to in her heart. She had no right to think about him or hang on to him when she simply wasn’t willing to risk that much.

Tears threatened, burning her eyes and throat.

But she focused on the yacht in front of her and this new adventure, praying it wouldn’t be deadly. A piece of her hoped this trip would force the truth—good or bad—to come out and she would at last be free from the threats on her life.

Finally, Jewel followed her sister and Buck onto the boat, where Stella, carrying Jewel’s luggage, showed Jewel to her quarters. Jewel trailed her, containing her gasp at the spacious room, though she shouldn’t have been surprised. Stella set Jewel’s luggage next to the king-size bed covered in an elegant seashell spread in shades of teal.

Stella held out her hand. “Can I take your bag?”

Jewel tugged it closer. “Uh, no. I can unpack my things, thank you.” She forced a smile and tried to relax.

Stella never lost her bright smile and went around the expansive stateroom explaining all the amenities like a well-practiced tour guide. The woman was in her mid to late twenties, slender and athletic, and a full head taller than Jewel. Her warm brown hair was secured in a ponytail and hidden beneath a white cap.

She stood at another door. “And in here, you’ll find a full bath with a large shower.”

“Thank you, Stella. I appreciate you showing me around.”

She clasped her hands in front of her. “Will there be anything else?”

“No. I’ll unpack my things and freshen up for dinner. When do we leave?”

“In half an hour or less, when everyone is settled in.”

Once alone, Jewel paced the luxurious room, feeling completely out of place, though she’d grown up in an old-money family and shouldn’t have felt uncomfortable. Had she been away from it all so long that she felt out of place here?

But one thing was certain. Meral hadn’t been disinherited—at least not yet—if chartering a private yacht for a few days was nothing to her. Or maybe Buck, who could have his own money, had paid for it. Jewel didn’t know a thing about him, and maybe that was what disturbed her the most.

But after the life Jewel had lived in Alaska, which consisted of hard work to earn a living and make ends meet, Jewel found this kind of wealth difficult to handle.

It didn’t feel right. She didn’t belong here. Jewel grabbed her bag. Forget her luggage. Easier to sneak off without it. Loathing herself for her indecision, loathing herself for doing this to Meral, she stepped into the hallway. Quietly, she shut the door behind her.

Then froze.

Buck stood at the other end of the hall in a wide stance.

He didn’t smile or speak.

He just stood there and stared at her. She should move or say something, but she felt the urge to turn and run. The skin on the back of her neck crawled, and she had the keen sense that Buck would react like a rabid dog at the prospect of a chase.

No. She couldn’t run.

Meral stepped from a room and leaned against Buck, who hugged her to him, but his eyes were slow to pull from Jewel.

After planting a kiss on his lips, Meral laughed and pulled away, only now noticing Jewel. Her smile dropped. “Jewel, what’s the matter? Why don’t you get settled in your room?”

Oh, how did Jewel tell her sister there was no way she could stay? Her heart crashed against her ribcage.

Suddenly, Meral’s eyes focused beyond Jewel’s shoulder. Buck’s eyes narrowed.

“I finally made it,” a familiar voice spoke from behind. “Thought I was going to miss the boat.”

Colin.

Jewel whipped around. Chief Colin Winters confidently strode toward her. Her heart bounced around at the sight of him. At the relief that he was here. He was dressed in a casual polo shirt and jeans and carried a duffel bag and jacket slung over his shoulder. He’d always looked good—authoritative and powerful—in his police attire. But now Colin was not the law. He was just a man and not just any man. A slow hum started in her stomach. She couldn’t find the words to greet him.

“What are you doing here?” Buck asked.

Jewel almost opened her mouth to ask the same question, but without missing a beat, Colin answered, “Jewel invited me. Didn’t she tell you?”

Buck laughed.

Meral gave him a jab. “Shush. Well, we’re delighted to have you, Chief Winters.”

“Colin. It’s just Colin. I’m not on duty now.”

A million questions ran through Jewel’s mind. Like how had he swung this? Would Meral and Buck make him pay for the ride? Would that clean out the man’s savings? But it didn’t matter. Jewel wanted to run into his arms like Meral had done with Buck, but she and Colin weren’t in that kind of relationship.

There was a question in his eyes.

Would she play along?

Yes. Yes, she would definitely play along. “I’m sorry, Meral. With everything going on, it must have slipped my mind. But remember, he promised not to leave my side until this was over.”

Meral giggled. “Yes, but the whole purpose of the trip was to keep you safe. You don’t need a protector here. Uh-huh. I’m on to you two. You can’t fool me for a minute.”

Jewel