Free Mistletoe Mine by Emily March

members ever since, but she supplemented her income by baking breads and desserts for a number of the businesses in town. She knew her way around a cake of yeast. She dipped her head in regal acceptance of her daughter’s compliment, then tore off a piece of roll and popped it into her mouth. Sweet flavor exploded on her tongue. “Yum, this is good. Could use a tiny bit more vanilla, though, I think.”
    The two women shared a grin, then polished off their breakfast. Moments later, tote bags stuffed with necessities of a day on the water in hand, they exited their suite. Seeing that the tour company van had yet to arrive, Sarah lamented, “I could have had my ten minutes, after all.”
    “Oh, stop it. I’m too excited to listen to you whine. Aren’t you excited?”
    “Yes, I’m excited.” Sarah threaded her arm through Lori’s and squeezed. She was excited. The tour’s itinerary sounded divine. First, the catamaran would sail to a cay famous for its protected sandy lagoon, gorgeous beach, and migratory bird population. Then while Sarah snorkeled—she’d never learned to dive—Lori, who’d earned her certification while away at college, would join other tour members in a drift dive along the reef. Following a gourmet lunch and some beach time, they’d sail to the Outer Barrier Reef for more snorkeling for Sarah and a wall dive for Lori.
    Diving the Great Barrier Reef. Wow . As a passenger van sporting the Adventures in Paradise Tours logo pulled into the resort’s circular drive, Sarah couldn’t help but think of Cam. She seldom allowed her mind to go there, but today, as their daughter was about to fulfill one of those Lover’s Leap dreams, she couldn’t hold back the memories.
    Cameron Daniel Murphy. In so many ways, he’d been born a troubled soul. His mother had been a Cavanaugh, the darling daughter of the town’s leading family until she’d rebelled against her parents by marrying the town scoundrel, Brian Murphy. They’d disowned her, disinherited her, moved away from Eternity Springs, and died in a plane crash shortly before Cassie gave birth to Cam.
    Cassie and Brian Murphy had struggled to make ends meet, and when Cassie showed up a time or two with bruises on her face, it set tongues wagging, but no one stepped in to help. Cassie died when Cam was eight years old, and Brian Murphy surrendered to alcoholism like his father had before him. It surprised no one. After all, he was a Murphy.
    Cam had never stood a chance in Eternity Springs. For as long as Sarah could remember, Eternity Springs had waited with bated breath for the Murphy curse to show itself in Cam. They didn’t have to wait very long. Cam first ran afoul of the law when he spray-painted threats on the courthouse wall when he was nine, and for the next few years, he was in trouble more often than he was out of it.
    But my, oh, my, he’d done it for her—long before she even knew what “it” was. As a young man he’d been as wild and beautiful as the cougars that prowled the surrounding forests. In the end, he’d proved to be much more dangerous.
    Their relationship had begun innocently enough when Cam had come to her rescue up on Murphy Mountain. On a Saturday in the spring of their freshman year, while on a camping trip with kids from church, a mix-up in car assignments and an afternoon nap in the sunshine had left Sarah stranded. While she hiked down the mountain, Cam drove past on his motorcycle. When he stopped and offered to help, she hesitated. He was too young to have his driver’s license, and she knew her parents would kill her if she rode with him—especially on a motorcycle. But her feet hurt and the forbidden thrill beckoned. They’d taken the long way home.
    Cam Murphy had charmed her that afternoon, and the relationship that developed between the two teenagers over the next year had remained a secret pleasure. To this day, most people in Eternity Springs believed the lie about Lori’s paternity that she’d