Free Stranded With Her Ex by Jill Sorenson

and supine, basking on the flat rocks along the shore. Much of the island’s perimeter was sheer cliff, and they weren’t the most graceful climbers. They needed haul-outs for easy access to and from the water.
    “And that’s Dead Man’s Beach.”
    Next to the cove, there were more sea lions, sunbathing on an inviting stretch of pale yellow sand. The small beach was edged by steep rock on three sides, which probably made it hard to get to, except via watercraft. During high tide, any boat stranded there would be dashed against the rocks by pounding surf.
    Hence, the name.
    Daniela pictured the light keeper’s wife, lying wet and motionless on the sand, her white skirts tangled around her legs, face gray. As she blinked that disturbing image away, another came to mind. “Where was the skinned pup found?”
    “On the north side,” Elizabeth answered, gesturing in the general direction. “Jason has been doing some routine checks of the area, but we’re supposed to avoid it.”
    “The boogeyman lives there,” Taryn said, rolling her eyes.
    “It’s well off the beaten path, anyway,” Elizabeth said.
    Daniela nodded, wondering what kind of sick person would kill a baby seal. Skinning had been illegal in this country for years, and this was an incredibly inconvenient place to commit a crime. Who could have done it, and where had they gone? Even if the island had a secret stowaway, no one could survive here without shelter.
    She moved her eyes beyond the shore, staring out at the endless sea. A few hundred yards from the beach, there was a nice-looking break, creating a curling barrel of water that stretched far and wide.
    “The Perfect Wave,” Taryn said with reverence.
    “Jason wants to ride it,” Elizabeth added.
    “No,” Daniela breathed, dragging her gaze away from the shoreline. “You must be joking.”
    Elizabeth arched a brow at Sean, who was standing near them. Every day during shark season, one of the researchers kept an eye on the water. He’d been there since sunup. “Who do you think gave him the idea?”
    He took the binoculars away from his eyes. “He won’t do it.”
    Daniela’s stomach clenched at the thought of anyone paddling out into these waters. “You two have discussed this?”
    “Yeah, we’ve discussed it,” he said, growing defensive. “Every surfer who’s seen that wave has talked about riding it. That’s all it is. Big talk.”
    The women exchanged a glance, conveying a silent message about male stupidity.
    “I surf,” Taryn pointed out, “and I’ve never once considered getting in the water here. It’s suicide.”
    Elizabeth and Daniela turned to stare at Sean.
    “What are you looking at me for? I wouldn’t go out there, either. Jason is the maniac who wants to do it.”
    “You haven’t discouraged him,” Elizabeth said quietly.
    His eyes darkened. “He isn’t serious.”
    “And if he is?”
    “Then you can discourage him,” he said, putting the binoculars back up to his face. “You’re good at it.”
    Daniela sucked in a sharp breath, stifling the urge to apologize for Sean’s rudeness. He wasn’t usually so brusque with women. His handsome face and friendly demeanor had attracted a legion of adoring females.
    She hadn’t thought him capable of being standoffish.
    Taryn shot him a dirty look. “You’re grouchy this morning. Did you get up on the wrong side of the bed, or what?”
    He let the binoculars drop a few inches, glancing at Daniela, then quickly away. “Jason couldn’t surf that wave without help. Someone would have to take him out there in the whaler, and I would never do it.” His gaze met Elizabeth’s. “Is that better?”
    “Much,” she said, but her smile was chilly.
    Well. There was no love lost between these two.
    Taryn wrinkled her nose and moved on. “The bird-watching blind is closer, so we’ll go there first,” she said, gesturing toward a small outbuilding on the west side of the island. “Elizabeth can tell us all