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

opened her mouth to correct Meral, but hesitated. She wasn’t sure what to say to Meral’s innuendos. Protesting that there was nothing between them would make things even more awkward. She had no idea how to act or respond.

Meral filled the silence with her exuberance. “But this will be so much fun!”

Could Meral be so incredibly clueless?

Stella appeared and showed Colin to his quarters down the hall. Jewel slipped back into her own room and let the bag slide to the floor. She was staying after all.

Now, where could she hide a diamond worth a fortune?

They traveled from Mountain Cove, heading north a short distance to stop and anchor for the night at an isolated cove off a nearby island. From there, they could watch for whales and sea lions. Maybe do some fishing. Buck claimed he was looking forward to catching halibut with Colin.

At dinner that evening they were served on the deck outside, under the stars. This time of year in southeast Alaska, the sunrise and sunset, as well as the weather, was more like that in the lower forty-eight.

A gorgeous night in a beautiful, secluded cove. Colin had to fight hard against relaxing into this dream vacation. It would be easy to imagine or pretend he was here with Jewel for personal reasons. That could be dangerous on too many levels, and if his hunch was right, cost their lives. That sober reminder kept him focused and on task.

Meral and Buck laughed, and the conversation was stimulating, but never veering too close to personal topics for any in the group, which was just as well. Colin didn’t want to answer questions about his life before Mountain Cove. Interesting to think they each had secrets—pasts they weren’t willing to share. Yet the conversation never ran out. Buck was intelligent and an eloquent conversationalist, knowledgeable on more subjects than most people Colin had met. Which would make him a great con artist.

Buck grinned at Meral, his gaze flicking to Jewel and back.

A memory flashed. Something at the edge of Colin’s mind. Why couldn’t he remember? He’d gone through photos of past investigations and had come up empty.

It would come to him, but would it come too late?

Jewel excused herself and left the table, promising to return in a minute or two.

While she was gone, Buck turned his attention on Colin.

“So tell me, Chief...er... Colin. How did you get away from town with a killer on the loose?” Buck asked. “I mean, Jewel’s here with us and obviously safe, so why would they let you leave in the middle of an investigation? It’s hard to imagine that the police chief would be assigned to bodyguard duty in these circumstances. Unless...oh, I know—” Buck snapped his fingers “—you assigned yourself.”

Have a care now how you answer. How much should he reveal?

Meral put her hand on Buck’s cheek and forced his face toward hers. “Now you leave him alone,” she said, but Buck’s gaze never left Colin’s. It was clear the man had not been happy to see him. Didn’t want him on the boat. Why not?

“The mayor trusts me to follow my instincts,” Colin said. That should be answer enough.

And then a slight curve came to Buck’s lips—that smirk again. A challenge?

A tingling sensation crawled over Colin. He knew that smirk. What good was he if he couldn’t remember?

He’d been right to resign from his job and come, of that he had no doubt. When he’d walked into the hall and caught that feral look in Buck’s eyes as the man had looked at Jewel, he’d known.

Maybe on this yacht Jewel would finally tell him what she hadn’t been willing to share so far. But he had to keep his heart out of it and use his head at all times.

He thought back to the cell phone call he’d received from the mayor right before boarding the yacht.

“Chief Winters, I don’t accept your resignation.”

“Excuse me?”

“I know what I said in the heat of the moment, but despite our recent troubles, I don’t believe we’ll find a better man for the job. So I’m going to give you the time away you need. I’ll hold down the fort while you’re gone, so to speak. I’m not sure whether to tell the boys you’re on a covert mission or that you’ve taken some time, but just do me one favor.”

“What’s that?”

“Get this guy, Colin. You return with our murderer, and that’ll save me a lot of explaining.”

Jewel returned, and they finished the rest of the dinner talking about the Alaska scenery.

Stella approached the table and removed their plates, then Meral and Buck excused themselves to go for a walk on the deck.

Colin was left alone with Jewel at the table. A candle burned in the center. While planning ahead for this adventure, he’d known he would be thrust into a romantic setting, and this certainly fit the bill. He just had to remember that it was set against a murderous backdrop. Still, no matter how he mentally prepared himself, he hadn’t fully grasped how much being here with Jewel would impact him. Jewel, with her ash-blond hair and striking, lovely hazel-green eyes that shined with a soft inner light had Colin struggling to breathe.

Being here with her like this without reaching over and grabbing her hand, touching her face, reaching out to hold her, might be the most difficult thing Colin had ever done. Jewel was so beautiful. If they let their hearts have free rein, she could be all he wanted. He never doubted that.

But danger lurked on the yacht with them. Whether that danger had anything to do with Jewel’s attacker remained to be seen. But he could feel it, sense it. Now that he let himself feel again and listen to his instincts, that danger reading was off the charts.

Focus, man. Focus.

He cleared his throat and tensed, forcing a harsh expression that felt completely wrong for the moment. “Now that we have a moment alone, I want to thank