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and his wife trying to get her real estate business off the ground, it was a place she wanted to avoid. Lucas was the obvious choice. Okay, so maybe not the obvious choice, but one she definitely favored. Just thinking about him brought a rush of heat to her body.
    Amazingly enough, she’d felt no shame or uneasiness when she awoke naked in his arms on the boat, almost like they’d done it for years. They’d held each other and talked quietly, sharing stories and thoughts.
    The boat rocked gently as Tessa drew circles on his chest with her fingertip. “Do you miss not seeing your sons?”
    He shifted, looked down at her. “Every day. We used to be so close when they were younger. The three of us spent many a weekend on this boat. Lots of good memories.”
    “Didn’t Patty go, too?”
    His hand stilled where he played with her hair. “No.”
    Just as she thought he wasn’t going to say anything more, he continued. “It didn’t take us long to figure out we’d married the wrong person. If it wasn’t for the twins, we would have called it quits early on. But we both wanted the boys to be raised by two parents. We called a kind of truce. It worked for a lot of years.”
    Tessa sat up. “I’m so sorry. I don’t know why, but I just assumed you were happy all those years.”
    He pulled her back down and kissed her softly. “I’m happy now. That’s what counts.”
    She didn’t share the horror story of her marriage.
    As the sun bid its goodbye, they showered together, dressed, and headed back to shore. Comfortable silence had filled the air as Lucas drove her home, where he’d walked her to the door and gave her a gentle kiss good night. Despite the nap on the boat, she’d slept like a baby that night—better than she had in years.
    She sighed. Ruminating wasn’t getting her home. She took out her cell phone and pushed the speed dial.
    “Raven.” His clipped tone startled her.
    “Lucas?”
    “Hey babe, I was about to call you.” His voice, deep and sensual sent another wave of heat through her body.
    “My car won’t start .”
    “Where are you?” His tone held a degree of both warmth and concern.
    “In the parking lot behind the store. I keep trying to start it, but it doesn’t even turn over. I don’t know what’s wrong with it. The car was fine this morning when I parked it.”
    “Do me a favor and go back into the store and lock the doors.”
    “Why?”
    “For my own peace of mind, okay, sweetheart? I’ll be right there.”
    Before she could protest he disconnected. Why should she go back into the store? He’d only scold her if she didn’t, so she locked the car and returned to the store, turning on the lights she’d just put out.
    The old journal from Lucas’ attic rested on the counter right where she’d left it. Might as well keep busy by reading. She took out her glasses and opened the cover.
    As she turned the brittle pages, her heart rate sped up. The journal had a great deal of information on a woman’s life, but strange comments were interspersed throughout. The writer referred more than once to a curse and a doll. She sat back and stared across the room.
    The doll? She shivered and rubbed her arms. Ignoring the temptation to close the book, she read on.
    ****
    Lucas frowned as he drove to Tessa’s store. He didn’t like this one bit. Call it his OSBI background or pure gut instinct, but the break-in at the store and now the car suddenly dying made him uneasy. Although he’d assured Tessa the break-in was kids, there was no way kids could have come and gone without leaving some type of evidence behind. Since Dean Phillips still hadn’t been heard from, Lucas' senses remained on high alert. He flipped open his cell and pushed a button. “You hear any more about Phillips?”
    “Good evening, Lucas, nice to hear from you,” the familiar voice rang with derision.
    “Sorry, Bran, this thing has me on edge.”
    “So it appears. And no, he still hasn’t reported in. He