Free Divided Hearts by Susan R. Hughes

seeming to swell against her with each rise and fall of his chest, gentle as the waves that ripped in the bay below. “You’re very talented.”
    “Thank you.”
    “I didn’t know you’d brought supplies.”
    “It’s just a pad and pencil I keep in the car, in case I come upon something I’d like to sketch,” Faye explained, exhaling at last. “I just wanted to try to capture the feel of this place.” To take it home with me, she added silently. “I thought I saw something splashing around out there. I wish I could get a little closer, to see what it is.”
    “You can,” he said casually. “On my boat.”
    She looked up at him with surprise. “You have a boat?”
    He grinned mischievously, brows twitching upward. “My third book went into a fourth printing.”
    Faye felt a smile spread across her own face. “Could we really?”
    “Of course. It’s just about time for Hannah’s nap. We could take a little cruise around.”
    Though her heart leapt with anticipation, Faye hesitated a moment. Obviously Mary would have to stay here with Hannah, meaning Faye and Simon would be alone on this outing.
    Then again, what could happen during an hour on the open water in the middle of the day? And simply gazing out at the pristine bay had brought her such a warm sense of contentment and creative inspiration—she simply could not resist the chance to immerse herself in the scene.
    “Twist my arm, Simon Blake,” Faye said giddily, rising from her chair, all hesitation swept aside by the prospect of this next adventure.

     
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter Six
     
    “So this is Secret Cove,” Faye said dreamily. Following Simon along the dock, she turned her head to gaze out at the placid sheltered harbor around them. A sheet of vivid blue water fringed with dense forest, dotted here and there with cottages set among the tress, the gently curving inlet felt like a place that only a small number of fortunate souls might be privy to.
    “Watch your step.” Simon’s hand curved firmly around Faye’s elbow and held her in place, preventing her from striding headlong off the side of the dock and into the water.
    “Thanks,” she said sheepishly, glancing down at the dark ripples below, warmth creeping into her face as she took a few steps back from the edge. “Gotta watch where I’m going,”
    “Not to worry, I’ve got life jackets aboard in case of further distraction.” Simon regarded her with a half-smile of amusement, loosening his hold as he guided her toward a sleek thirty-seven-foot sailboat, pearly white with rich teak trim. “Well, here she is.”
    “You named your boat after your niece,” Faye said, reading the words Sienna Rose stenciled on the hull. “I think it’s sweet.”
    “Yeah, well, I bought the boat just after Sienna was born. With her dad being away so much, I helped look after her quite a bit; she’s always been rather special to me.”
    The sentiment both surprised and moved Faye. Hearing the warmth in his voice, she could sense what Hannah must mean to him, even in the short time they’d known one another.
    “Shall we board?” Offering Faye his hand, Simon helped her step up into the cockpit, following her aboard after unmooring the boat. Faye took a seat on the bench behind the hatch, feeling her heart begin to patter in anticipation as he started the motor. She’d travelled on plenty of ferries, but never on a sailboat this size. Growing up, from shore she had watched the small boats glide through English Bay, their clean white sails slanting in the wind, and often wished herself aboard and free to roam as far as she pleased.
    In the calm, clear weather Simon steered the boat easily past a group of tiny wooded islands and into the open water of the strait, where he cut the motor and Faye helped him raise the sails. As the wind carried them, a flock of herring gulls wheeled across the pale sky above, their plaintive cries piercing the air. Though the sun warmed Faye’s face, the