Free Stranger on the Shore by Carol Duncan Perry Page B

been summoned.
    "He was visiting the barn cat's new family and fell asleep in the hay," Sarah said, welcoming the respite granted by his neutral comment. "He had no idea of the commotion he was causing."
    "That sounds—" Jordan hesitated. A boy visiting a new batch of kittens sounded logical to him. Why hadn't the mother thought to look there before pushing the panic button? He wasn't going to ask. The boy's mother was Sarah's friend. Criticizing her probably wouldn't earn him any brownie points.
    "You're right, it was a logical place to look," Sarah said, just as if he had spoken aloud. Did she realize what she was doing?
    "I think Millie panicked because Jerry disappeared right after two strangers stopped by the farm house. The last time she saw him, he was talking to them."
    No, apparently she wasn't aware she was reading his mind. It could be simple coincidence, but twice? "Well, I'm glad he wasn't hurt," Jordan said. "But surely strangers aren't all that threatening—especially in the summertime, with the tourists and all."
    "That's true. Eureka Springs draws a lot of tourists this time of the year," she continued. "So does Beaver Lake. But Shelton Valley is a bit off the beaten path."
    Jordan forced himself to return his attention to the road. One look into the blue pools of her eyes and he found himself fighting for control of his senses. His hands tightened on the steering wheel. Keep it light, he told himself. Keep her talking.
    "You know, Sarah, one thing puzzles me. How did you become the owner of Monte Ne?" His voice was cautious as he probed the parameters of what she might consider either a fair question or an invasion into her private affairs.
    He waited a moment. Then when he failed to detect any signs of resistance, he continued. "Even before you were born, all that remained of the old resort was its name on the country plot. Yet your name was on practically every Monte Ne deed I inspected."
    Sarah welcomed the question, glad to be on familiar ground. She'd seen the barely concealed spark of personal interest in his eyes and known she wasn't able to deal with it. Keep him interested in Monte Ne, she told herself. After all, that was the reason he was here.
    It was an inheritance, and it isn't strange, not if you understand hill folks," she explained, yielding to the skill of his gentle questioning. "I ended up owning Monte Ne because my great-grandfather Wilson didn't cotton to outsiders."
    Jordan's voice also echoed the results of the lightened atmosphere. "Somehow I get the idea that 'cotton to' doesn't exactly say it all." The tiny laugh lines around his eyes creased as he grinned. "Are you going to tell me the story?"
    Sarah smiled back.
    Her heart-stopping smile pulled the breath from his body.
    "I knew you were perceptive," she told him. "Of course, I'm going to tell you. I'm just trying to decide which story to give you, the official account or the unexpurgated version?"
    "Ah," Jordan said, still grinning. "I'm willing to bet your respect for the true and complete version of history will win."
    Sarah felt her eyes widen in surprise. After such a short acquaintance, could he really read her that completely? "How did you know?"
    "Let's just say I hope you never play poker," he said in a lighthearted voice that suddenly reflected his mood. When she failed to respond immediately to his comment, he lifted one hand from the steering wheel, reached across the seat and touched her hand with a quick, light stroke of his fingers.
    "So, what did Great-grandfather Wilson have to do with Monte Ne?"
    "Nothing," Sarah said, striving to deny the effect his touch had on her heartbeat. "Absolutely nothing. At least not at first. You see, he was one of those hill men who accepted change slowly. He didn't like strangers, and certainly not the idea of outsiders owning a part of his Ozarks. Over the years most of the locals were won over to the idea of Monte Ne. They enjoyed the entertainments it offered, and I guess they