Read Online The Storm and the Darkness by Sarah M. Cradit - Free Book Online

cat– but Cocoa had some recovery ahead of her. It had been a week since she took Cocoa to Jon’s office, and Ana wasn’t sure if she would ever see the little kitty again.  
    Then today, she accidentally broke the power cord to the fridge and spoiled nearly everything inside. For the first time, Alex did not answer her phone call when she reached out for help and advice.
    If she was looking for signs telling her to go home, they were all around her. Frustrated and feeling hopeless, she threw her hands up in the air in submission. She snatched up the book she was reading and went out to the porch in hopes that reading would clear her head.

Chapter Nine: Finnegan

    Finn knew he was tempting fate with his continued jaunts to sea. The weather was going to change soon, possibly that very day, and the experienced fishermen had given up back in October. But Finn kept watching as their food storage dwindled. There were days where all of it went to sale. He was starting to question the business arrangement he had made with Anders Cartwright–the Portland business mogul who had been the first to get Finn St. Andrews to sign on the dotted line–but he knew his father would have been proud that Finn managed to turn a less than academic endeavor into a successful business.
    He locked up the boathouse. Instinctively, he looked east toward the Deschanel house and, as usual, Ana was there. He smiled and waved, and she did the same in return.
    Today , he thought. I’ll do it today. After I shower. Every time Finn had resolved to do it his nerves had gotten the best of him. Looking at the sky, he knew time was running out. He didn’t know why he was jittery about the whole thing; it was very unlike him. I’m acting like Jon for god’s sake.
    Finn started back toward the house, when he noticed that she had put her book down and was jogging toward him, tripping slightly over rocks on her way over. He thought to go help her, but both his hands were full, and before he knew it she was standing right in front of him.
    Blue , he thought. Her eyes are blue .
    She was even lovelier than she had appeared from afar. Her red hair sparkled and cracked in the setting sunlight, and she was brushing it from her pale face as the wind fought with her. She had a splash of freckles over her tiny nose, and her lips were full and pale, not much darker than her skin. She pulled her cardigan sweater tightly over her thin frame. He could not help but notice how the hem of her sweater flared just around the hips, and her arms, folded against the cold, did nothing to hide the fullness higher up.
    "I'm sorry, I was just wondering if you knew when the last ferry to town leaves?” Ana asked. She had her book in her arms, which were crossed tightly over her chest. He couldn’t help wondering if she realized a jacket would be more appropriate for November in Maine.
    "Six, so you just missed it," Finn said amiably. "And unfortunately, there might not be another one for a while, depending on how bad this storm is."
    "How bad do you think it will be?"  
    "If you ask the weatherman, he will say a few inches, and then over in a few days.”
    "I'm asking you." Her eyes watched him closely.
    Finn laughed. "Well," he said, "I think we might be here for a few weeks before things clear up and get back to normal. But I am no meteorologist."
    "Even in New Orleans, they're no better than I am at predicting anything," she teased lightly, but then almost instantly frowned. She looked distraught. "And the stores close so early on the island…” She sighed. "Well, I suppose canned food is still food."
    When he gave her a strange look, she added, "I did something...kind of stupid." Ana squeezed the book tighter, but didn't look shy or uncomfortable so much as cold and distressed. He sensed a change in the air, as she began her confession. "So...Alex gave me a list of things to do to ‘winter proof’ the house. The power cord for the refrigerator was older and I accidentally