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

at her side, with a curious, mischievous half smile for Jewel.

“Buck, I’m ready to head back to the yacht.”

“Yes, my sweet.” He kissed Meral’s head, but where she couldn’t see he had a cruel, mocking expression on his face. Even if he wasn’t guilty, he was still a creep.

“We’ll pack Colin’s and Jewel’s things, and the staff can drop them here.”

“Are you sure?” Buck set the coffees on the table and turned her to look him in the face. “After all, I went to a lot of trouble to find her and arrange this wedding gift for you. I’d hate for you to regret this decision later. Once we cross this bridge, I’m not sure we’ll be turning back.”

“I’m sure. Don’t worry. It’s not your fault that your gift of a jewel turned out to be a fake.”

Acrid. Who could have thought the woman could be so acerbic to her sister?

Colin could hardly stand to watch the scene unfolding before his eyes. On the one hand, he would be glad to see Meral and Buck gone and out of Jewel’s life. Maybe that would end the attacks. He just wanted to get Jewel somewhere safe. But on the other hand, seeing her hurting about undid him. And he still believed Buck was responsible for the death of one of his officers. He needed to catch Buck when the man made a mistake. Colin needed evidence to make his arrest.

He’d heard the mayor loud and clear.

If he was going to come back, he needed to return with the bad guy. He was on the case of his life and career. It all surrounded a woman he cared deeply about. And he couldn’t seem to see a way to get Jewel to safety while still catching the criminal.

As Buck ushered Meral out of the visitor center, Jewel pressed her face into her hands, her shoulders shaking. That had been one very public scene. Colin moved next to her and sat down. He held his hand above her back, her shoulder, hesitating, wanting to comfort her, but fearing his growing emotional attachment to this woman.

This is about her. Not you.

Colin pressed his hand on her shoulder and squeezed. He leaned in close to whisper. But what could he say to her when she was hurting like this?

His heart pricked. Anger tangled up with feelings so deep he couldn’t fathom them. He wanted to run after Meral and stop her from going away like this, but he knew there was nothing he could say. If Meral wouldn’t listen to Jewel, then she certainly wouldn’t listen to him.

“Jewel,” he said gently in her ear. People were still staring. He had to get her somewhere private.

This was a woman who had left behind family and wealth to move to a harsh land for the man she loved, and then had learned to run her business on the edge of the wilderness on her own after her husband was gone. Jewel could have gone back home, but she’d chosen to stay. She’d been so strong for so very long.

And now she appeared broken.

Reconnecting with her family had ended in heartache, after all.

Jewel sat up straight and wiped her eyes. Drew in a breath and looked at him. Though the grief he saw there was a punch in his gut, he recognized her determination had returned.

Attagirl.

She stood then and waited for him to join her.

“I have to go back to the yacht.”

“What? After all that, you want to go back? You can’t be serious.”

“Dead serious.”

Time for Colin to stop coddling. Time for him to make his own demands. “No.”

She stood and attempted to walk by him. He grabbed her arm and swung her around, keeping his grip gentle but implacable, ushering her toward the restaurant at the back. Leaning in as they walked, he spoke in her ear. “Listen to me.” He kept his voice low. “You can’t go back to the boat.”

“You can’t stop me.”

Finding a booth in the corner, Colin practically forced her in.

“You know I can use those self-defense techniques you taught me on you, right?” she said.

Colin slid in next to her, blocking her exit. “Then why didn’t you?”

“Why are you doing this?” Her eyes pleaded. “I have to go before they leave.”

Colin needed to keep her here long enough to miss the boat, but her pleas tugged at his heart. “This is life-and-death, Jewel.”

Something he couldn’t read flashed in her eyes, and she backed against the wall.

“What do you mean?”

“I think you know what I mean.” Time to ask those hard questions and get answers. “Your sister’s husband is a dangerous man. And I think you know that, too.”

THIRTEEN

Trapped.

She was jammed against the wall in the booth. The yacht would leave without her unless she headed to the dock soon. But Colin clearly wouldn’t let her go until he’d gotten some answers, and he was right. So right. Right that Buck was dangerous, right that she knew it and right that it was a matter of life-and-death. She shouldn’t go back, except she’d left something there. How did she make him understand?

His actions should incense her, but deep down she recognized how much he cared about her. His nearness and her predicament had her heart beating erratically. She’d done well to try to protect it, but the recent threats on her life made her vulnerable. She was too busy trying to stay alive and trying to keep Meral safe, too, and she’d let down her guard.

Protectiveness poured off this man, who had her cornered, and his stark blue eyes took her in as though trying to soak her up. A warm shiver ran over her. Jewel had never thought she could love someone like she had loved Silas. And maybe she couldn’t. She was a different person now than she’d been twenty years ago, and that giddy love-conquers-all optimism had worn away. But could she be ready for a new kind of love?

With Colin’s sturdy form blocking her way—protecting her—maybe it