Blaze of Winter: A Loveswept Contemporary Romance (39 page)

Cole coughed into his hand. “During the scuffle that I had with Avery’s old client, Wanda MacGreeley, it must have gotten pushed under the bed. We didn’t realize it was there until after Avery got attacked and we did another sweep.”

“What matters is that you weren’t hurt and that we ended up recovering the ledger after a second search,” Val interjected.

“Yes,” Cole said. “Quite a few major drug players were listed in the book, too. It’s pretty valuable information, and we got lucky that Ms. MacGreeley grabbed it when she stole the drugs. Riley flipped pretty fast when we laid out the charges. We’ll probably be able to take down more bad guys than we thought, thanks to his testimony. And the ledger, of course.”

Avery nodded. The whole incident had been so surreal, it felt like a bad dream. She didn’t think about it much anymore, and it didn’t haunt her the way Mia’s death had. For that, she was grateful. “I had no idea what was really going on.”

Theo gave her a kiss. “Good thing.”

“Yes,” Cole piped in. “In a strange way, your ignorance saved you. You were able to stall him long enough for Theo to reach you.”

“I just wish he’d realized I truly had no idea where the book was. Then he wouldn’t even have bothered.”

“Operations like this typically tie up all loose ends. Even if the guy believed you, he probably had been ordered to kill you,” Val said.

“Can’t believe I missed all the excitement,” Seb said. “Too bad I was in New York. I could’ve helped take him down.”

“What about Wanda?” Emma asked encouragingly, trying to change the subject. “How’s she doing?”

“Better,” Avery said. “Her boyfriend came to visit. He’s been good for her and he’s going to support her efforts to get clean. I think he’s glad about the baby, too. I know better now than to try to predict whether someone’s going to make it or not,” she said, thinking of Mia, “but I
think Wanda has a real chance at FFCS. And, speaking of FFCS, I’ve decided that I’m taking a job there.”

Emma’s eyes widened. “Really, Avie? That is such great news.” She came over to give her a hug. “I’m so happy you’re staying!”

“I am, too,” Lexie called out over her shoulder. “Seb, flip this pancake for me, okay?” She handed him her spatula and rushed to Avery’s side. “So glad you’re staying,” she said, giving her a hug. Lexie’s curls bounced across Avery’s face, tickling her nose. “And that you’re marrying Theo. Now we have more than the keys to connect us.”

Avery smiled at her. “Cameron’s uncle is convinced they’re part of a set. Maybe a part of that legend. It’s strange, but wonderful.”

“We’ll have to find a place of our own,” Theo said when Lexie had returned to the stovetop. “I can’t live at the Inn forever.”

Avery poked him in his side. “I told you it’d be less expensive to rent an apartment if you were staying in Star Harbor indefinitely.”

“But then I wouldn’t have had the pleasure of getting to know you,” he retorted, giving her waist a squeeze. “C’mere. I have to show you something.” Theo pulled her up effortlessly. While everyone else in the kitchen was chatting, he led her into a small room by the side entrance to the house.

He pressed her up against a wall and captured her lips with his. “I just needed to get you alone. I’ve been dying to do this.”

Avery laughed. “We’ve only been here for an hour. And we haven’t even eaten brunch yet.”

“An hour without touching you would feel like a lifetime,” he said, skimming a hand up her side.

“You’re insatiable,” she said, grinning.

“For you, Avie. Only for you.”

Just then, a gust of wind blew under the door and swirled around her. Avery shivered and was immediately heated by Theo’s embrace. Their lips met, and she reveled in the feel of his strong, hard body. The ring was warm on her finger.

With clarity, she knew that they’d have the rest of their lives to spend learning and growing together. And that no matter how cold it got outside, she’d always have Theodore Grayson to keep her warm.

Lexie’s Coconut Cake

Cake

Ingredients:

3 cups cake flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

1¾ cups sugar

1 cup canned, sweetened cream of coconut

4 eggs

1 teaspoon almond extract

1 cup buttermilk

vegetable oil spray

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line bottoms of two 9-inch-diameter cake pans with parchment paper (Springform™ pans are easiest to use). Lightly coat parchment paper and sides of cake pans with vegetable oil spray.

Mix flour, baking powder, and salt in bowl. In another bowl, cream butter and sugar together, then add sweetened cream of coconut, eggs, and almond extract. Slowly beat in the rest of the dry ingredients and then buttermilk, each just until blended.

Divide cake batter between prepared pans, leveling batter in each pan with a spatula. Bake cakes until a cake tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 35–40 minutes. Cool cakes in pans on rack for 30 minutes, then turn cakes out onto racks to finish cooling. When fully cooled, remove parchment paper from cakes.

Frosting

Ingredients:

16 oz cream cheese

2 cups powdered sugar

½ cup canned, sweetened cream of coconut

2 teaspoons almond extract

Directions:
Beat cream cheese in blender until smooth. Add powdered sugar, sweetened cream of coconut, and almond extract, and blend until smooth.

Cake Assembly

Ingredients:

3 cups sweetened, shredded coconut

1 cup sliced almonds (toasted, if desired)

Place 1 cake layer on plate, top side down, and spread 1 cup of frosting over cake layer. Sprinkle 1 cup of shredded coconut and ½ cup sliced almonds over frosting. Place second cake layer on top of first, top side up, and spread remaining frosting over top and sides of cake. Sprinkle top of cake with remaining coconut and sliced almonds, and lightly press more onto sides.

Coconut cake can be prepared up to 1 day ahead. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before serving.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Major thanks go to my family and friends, who supported me through this whole endeavor, particularly to Jonathan and to Jennifer, who kept me afloat. Thank you also to Jen, Sacha, and Caroline, who gave me invaluable insight into the practice of social work; Vandana, for being my oncology expert; and Ned, for answering all my questions about the Episcopal Church. Many, many thanks go to my incredible editors, Angela Polidoro and Sue Grimshaw, without whom Star Harbor would not live and breathe. Finally, a heartfelt thanks to my agent, Nalini Akolekar, for her amazing guidance and tell-it-like it is attitude.

About the Author

PHOTO: TIM HERBY

A New England native and former attorney, Elisabeth Barrett was inspired to write the Star Harbor series by her summers spent living and working on Cape Cod and Martha’s Vineyard. Currently, she lives in the San Francisco Bay area with her husband and three children. When she is not writing, Elisabeth loves baking, choral singing, and hiking.

www.elisabethbarrett.com
.

THE EDITOR’S CORNER

Welcome to Loveswept!

Summer’s over and the days are starting to get shorter and cooler. If you’re missing summer’s warmth, turn up the heat with our new Loveswept releases.

Coming out next month: Linda Cajio’s super-sexy
NIGHTS IN WHITE SATIN
, Karen Leabo’s moving and tender
LANA’S LAWMAN
, and three more fantastic books from Donna Kauffman:
MIDNIGHT HEAT, BORN TO BE WILD
and
SURRENDER THE DARK
.

If you love romance … then you’re ready to be
Loveswept
!

Gina Wachtel

Associate Publisher

P.S. Watch for these terrific Loveswept titles coming soon: In November, we have six more exhilarating reads for you: Adrienne Staff’s irresistible
PARADISE CAFÉ
, Linda Cajio’s playful and sexy
THE PERFECT CATCH
, Debra Dixon’s sensual
DOC HOLIDAY
, Samantha Kane’s brilliant
THE DEVIL’S THIEF
, and two more enthralling titles from Donna Kauffman:
TEASE ME
, and
BAYOU HEAT
. And December brings these fantastic releases: Juliet Rosetti’s charming
ESCAPE DIARIES
, Juliana Garnett’s enchanting medieval
THE MAGIC
, and four more breathtaking stories from Donna Kauffman’s:
BOUNTY HUNTER, TANGO IN PRADISE, ILLEGAL MOTION
and
BLACK SATIN
.

Don’t miss any of these extraordinary reads. I promise that you’ll fall in love and treasure these stories for years to come.…

Read on for excerpts from more
Loveswept
titles …

Read on for an excerpt from Elisabeth Barrett’s

Deep Autumn Heat

CHAPTER 1

“Any local worth his salt knows what time the fishing starts in Star Harbor,” a large, handsome, dangerous-looking man with raven-black hair intoned in a deadpan. “And it ain’t eight-thirty.”

After listening to this blatant insult, Sebastian Grayson, world traveler and master chef, fought the urge to throttle the man who was now reeling in his line. Throttle him, or toss his own tackle box off Mutterman’s Pier and crawl back into his tiny berth on Val’s boat. Of course, both would require energy, so he let exhaustion win out. Pulling his leather jacket more tightly around his tired, aching body, Seb leaned back on a pylon and closed his eyes, breathing in the familiar tang of salt water and wet wood. The cold, foggy air rushing into his lungs was helping to wake him up some, but he’d still kill for a latte.

Cole’s wisecrack had definitely hit a nerve. Just like his brother, Seb was Star Harbor born and bred, and even though he hadn’t lived in town for the last decade, it didn’t mean he’d lost his “local” status. He’d been on this pier a thousand times. The clang of the buoys in the harbor, the strain and creak of the boats at their moorings, and the cries of the seabirds searching for their morning meal were all imprinted on his brain. The images of his three brothers were imprinted there, too, each of them in his favorite spot along the wharf, just as they were now.

Val, the oldest, stood against the far pylon, his lean, wiry frame concealed by an oversized fisherman’s jacket, longish black hair curled at his nape. Cole, second in age, was seated with his broad back up against another pylon, his eyes covered by mirrored sunglasses. Theo, Seb’s twin, had one long leg folded against his chest as he leaned on a bench, his rod in one hand and a book of Whitman poems in the other. Theo’s green eyes were the exact mirror of his own, and right now they were crinkled in mirth.

The Grayson brothers, Star Harbor’s former resident bad boys, were back in town and
ready for business.

That is, after Sebastian got his coffee.

Farther down the wharf, a few older men who’d cast their lures at the crack of dawn were silently packing up to leave, their thick jackets buttoned up against the early autumn chill as they gathered their morning’s catch. Each of Seb’s brothers had already caught a few fish large enough to keep—striped bass and mackerel, mostly. If Seb had been out here fishing at five-thirty like they’d been, he’d have something to show for his efforts, too.

“Sleep well, princess?” Cole asked, his deep voice cutting through the mist. Theo snickered softly from behind his book.

“Mmm,” Seb grunted. He tried to ignore them but he knew it was futile. His brothers were dead set on giving him hell for sleeping late. Cole pushed his sunglasses up on his head, revealing deep blue eyes. Funny, he didn’t remember his brother looking so hardened. Ever since Cole had returned from Afghanistan where his Special Forces unit had been stationed, he’d been on edge. Seb was glad Cole had left his job as a cop in Boston to become the sheriff of Star Harbor. Maybe being back in their small hometown would do him good.