Free Blood Ties by Judith E. French Page B

Buck took insect spray and two
bottles of beer from his saddlebag. "The beers were
cold when I put them in there."
    Abbie chuckled as he produced apples for the
horses. "Nice touch."
    "They've been patient. They deserve a reward."
    He washed the apple bits and juice from his hands
in the bay and then returned to sit beside her on the
beach. The moon had come up over the water and it
cast a ribbon of silver over the waves.
    "Do you do this for all your hot dates?" she asked.
    "Nope. Consider yourself special. I don't usually
pick up young ladies on Tawes."
    "No?"
    He chuckled. "It's a small island, and it could get
uncomfortable-"

    "If you love'em and leave'em?"
    "Something like that."
    "The island has its own rules; it's not really part of the
twenty-first century." He scuffed the damp sand with a
bare foot. "Somehow I don't believe it ever will be."
    "You can't stop change."
    "It won't come easy here."
    "It didn't come easy in Oklahoma either. Not with
the tribal people. But you can't live in the past."
    "That sounds funny, coming from a woman who
makes her living by studying the past." He caught her
hand in his and held it.
    Another small bubble of happiness rose in her
chest. She liked Buck. She really did, but she had to
keep reminding herself that they both knew the rules.
This was fun, nothing more. "You've never been
tempted to find an island girl, build your own little
hideaway, and continue the tradition?"
    "Me? No, not yet. The Davis men don't settle down
until they have to. Nate married at thirty, and he broke
the record." He unfolded her hand and massaged her
fingers, one after another. It felt wonderful. "You have
nice hands," he said. "Strong hands for a woman."
    "I think that's a compliment."
    "It is." He took a sip of beer. "I want you to be careful out there at the site."
    "Why? I can swim. If the mosquitoes don't eat me
alive, what's-"
    "Can't say, really. just. . ." He shook his head.
"Something about that Gilbert boy's drowning doesn't
sit right. He's a Deal Island kid; he could swim like an
eel before he could walk."
    She looked up into Buck's face. His features seemed
more rugged in the moonlight, almost Indian. "He
might have gotten a cramp."
    Buck nodded. "True enough."

    "You don't sound convinced." She got to her feet
and brushed the sand off the back of her shorts.
    He got up and collected the horses. "I'd best get you
back to Emma's. If you mean to fly up to the city in the
morning, you'll need your beauty rest." He led the
black horse over and held the stirrup for her. Just be
careful. Keep an eye out."
    "I always do."
    "I mean it. There's something about that marsh that
worries me. I don't want anyone else getting hurt, especially not you."
    "I'm not helpless," she said. "My father insisted that I
study self-defense when I was a teenager. I stayed with it
until I reached the level of black belt, and I've got a wallful of trophies that I won in statewide competitions."
    "That's good, but don't let it make you cocky. Don't
take unnecessary chances. I've found it's always better
to avoid trouble than to get out of it."
    "I'd agree with that," she replied, "but I've traveled
extensively since I was fourteen-Athens, Lima, Delhi,
Marrakech, even Ankara. So far, I've never found myself in a situation that I couldn't handle."
    "There's always a first time, Abbie. Remember that.
Nothing in this world is as certain as coming up
against somebody or something tougher than you."

     

"I'm hoping to see Irene this afternoon." Karen
pushed the briefcase containing the Irish artifacts farther under the table with the toe of her sneaker and
glanced at the menu. She and Abbie were seated in
Vin's, a popular pub at the Philadelphia airport that
served authentic Delhi dishes as well as South Philly
favorites.
    The flight up from Tawes had been uneventful.
Karen was planning on taking the train into the city
and stopping in Mt. Airy long enough to shower and
change