Mistletoe Justice by Carol J. Post

Author:Carol J. Post
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2015-08-24T04:00:00+00:00

SEVEN

The roar of the Sea Ray’s motor filled the air as it accelerated out of the channel. Its nose rose, and it surged forward, parting the waves with little effort. Darci tipped back her head, relishing the wind in her hair and the sun on her face. Layers of tension peeled away and dropped off into the wake fanning out behind Blake’s boat.

Conner’s arm went around her, and she opened her eyes to smile at him. They were huddled together on the forward-facing part of the L-shaped seat, Hunter and Meagan at the other end. Kyle and Jayden were crowded into the corner, wearing thick orange life jackets. Blake captained the boat, with Allison in the rear-facing seat next to him. It was a tight squeeze, getting all eight of them on, but the close quarters didn’t seem to be dimming anyone’s spirits.

She released a contented sigh. This outing was just what she’d needed. Besides the desire to get away, she missed her little boy so much it hurt. Conner had protested, wanting to keep her under lock and key for the weekend, the bodyguard a short distance away. The only thing that had convinced him was the fact that she would have unofficial police escort the entire time. Hunter was armed and so was Blake, a former law enforcement officer himself.

So she was determined to relax and not let anything spoil what promised to be a wonderful day. The cold front earlier in the week had already fizzled out, leaving them with temperatures in the low seventies. Besides the perfect weather, she was surrounded by some of her favorite people.

She looked over at the boys. Kyle’s eyes shone with excitement, and a grin stretched across his face. Jayden even wore a soft half smile.

A short time later, Blake circled around to head toward Seahorse Key, where they had planned a picnic lunch. After dropping the front anchor and backing as close to shore as possible, he killed the engine and moved to the rear of the boat. Soon he and Hunter had the back anchor set on the beach. Behind them, the Seahorse Key lighthouse peeked over the tops of the trees.

Conner stepped onto the swim platform and lowered himself into the water while Darci removed Jayden’s life jacket. Kyle had peeled his off the instant the boat stopped and stood on the platform almost dancing.

Conner held up a hand. “Hold on, buddy. I’m going to help Miss Darci down first.”

After kicking off her sandals, she stepped from the platform to the first step and drew in a sharp breath. The air temperature was a comfortable seventy degrees, but almost two weeks before Christmas, the water was cold. Fortunately, it was only knee-deep. For Conner, anyway. For her it would be closer to midthigh. For the boys, wading ashore wasn’t an option, not this time of year.

She made her way down the swim ladder, Conner’s hand at her back, then planted her feet on the sandy bottom. When she reached for Jayden, he drew back.

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