Free Promise Cove (A Pelican Pointe Novel Book 1) by Vickie McKeehan Page A

ain in this lifetim e . A nd if he w a l k ed a w a y now k n o w i n g wha t J or d a n w as g o i n g throug h alone , h e w as sure Sco t t might never s t op hara ss i n g him.
    N o doubt a bout i t , he felt trapped be t ween a promi s e that had n ’t meant a n y thi n g and his g uil t y conscienc e . H e cr a wled from behind the wheel of the S U V , mut t e r i n g s om e thi n g that s ounded like, “ T h an k s Sco t t. I ’ m s t uck here and s omethi n g t el l s me y ou ’ re lo v i n g eve r y minu t e of it . ”
    F eeli n g p i s s ed off at the whole s it u ation, he w a l k ed through the double doo r s of F er g u s o n ’ s w ith an atti t ud e . Loo k i n g around the s t ore he sp o tt ed the hard w are s e c tion and dug through the shelv e s until he found se veral bo x e s of nuts and bolts he thought he could u s e .
    H e then followed the signs for cus t omer pic k up t o the back coun t e r , only t o find he had t o w ait his t urn behind five other peopl e . There w as one lone man behind the coun t er t r y i n g t o t a ke care of eve r y on e —and at a s n ail ’ s pace no l es s. B ut he got in line behind a little old l ady w ith blue hai r , who as it t urned ou t , w as n ’t pic k i n g up a n y thi n g at all, but r a ther w an t ed sp r i n g p l anti n g ti p s on what k inds of perenn i a l s th r ived best in this zon e . Af t er s t andi n g behind her for t en minu t es, N ick suspec t ed she w an t ed nothi n g more than t o h a ve s omeone l i s t en while she ber a t ed her l a z y , good-for-nothi n g e x cu s e for a s on-in- l a w .
    B y the time a baldi n g , ove r weight man in his l a t e fo r ti e s finally gree t ed him from behind the reg i s t e r , N ick w as loo k i n g for a fi gh t.
    “ I need t o pick up floo r i n g for J or d an P hilli p s . ”
    The man shook his head and did n ’t even bother t o s t ut t er when he said, “So r r y , mis t e r , but that f l oo r i n g ’ s not goi n g a n y where until I get s ome money on the account. I t’ s w a y past du e . I ’ve been patient up t o no w , but I ’ve got t o h a ve p a yment on her account before I let her h a ve the floo r i n g . I ’ m not in bu s ine s s t o g ive a w a y m y i n ven t o r y . ”
    “ H ow a bout if I speak t o the owne r , M r . F er g u s on?” Through Sco t t ’ s d es c r iptions of the t own, N ick felt as if he k new the t ownspeople well enough t o ask for him by nam e .
    “ Y ou ’ re loo k i n g at him . ”
    N ick ra is ed an e y ebrow in disbelief. So much for Sco t t ’ s mis g uided a ss e s sment of the c it i zens of P elican P oin te . “ S he nee ds tha t ti l e . ”
    B ut F er g u s on w as s t eadfast. “So r r y . ”
    J ust as o b stina t e, N ick poin t ed ou t , “ Y ou k now her husband died in I raq, r ight?”
    F er g u s on shook his head def i antl y . “ F or his count r y and all that. L oo k , I ’ve car r ied the account for well over s i x months. T h at ’ s more than m o st would d o . I can only be chari ta ble for s o lo n g , I ’ve got a bu s ine s s t o r un, bil l s of m y own t o p a y . ”
    “ H ow much w ill it ta ke t o b r i n g her account current?”
    “ I ’ll need at least t wen t y percent of the ba l anc e . ”
    N ick reached for h i s w a lle t , pulled out h i s credit card. So much for bei n g a re t u rni n g w ar vet and getti n g help from the good people of P elican P o in te . H e had t o fight the urge t o t ell off the baldi n g g asb a g . A s he handed off the credit card s omethi n g occurred t o him though. H e lowered h i s v o ice when he demanded, “ I do n ’t w ant y ou hassli n g J or d an a bout p a y i n g on her account e ve r y time she w a l k s in t o the s t or e . F rom now on, y ou ta lk t o me a bout i t . G o t that?”
    W hen the man looked e ven more shee pi sh, it only made N ick more de t ermined. “ I f I fi n d ou t y ou ’ v e bugged he r , I ’ll come