Jekyll Island: A Paranormal Mystery (Taryn's Camera Book 5) by Rebecca Patrick-Howard

swore it. She was already venturing farther and farther every day and that had to be worth something, right?
    When she reached a rise, she clamored upwards and huffed and puffed until she reached the top and then Taryn stopped in her tracks, her mouth slackening.
    It was quite possibly the most beautiful sight she’d ever seen.
    Before her the white sandy beach stretched on for what looked like miles without a single soul in view. There were no children on picnic blankets, no coolers filled with soft drinks and sandwiches, no shirtless fishermen with tanned skin and dirty hats…nothing but her and the water.
    The dunes rose up around here, some of them flanked with poles that documented sea turtle eggs. Signs were posted to keep off the dunes, but they were the only signs of human activity. Wherever the other vehicles’ occupants were, she couldn’t see them. She had the entire place to herself.
    Shaking with happiness, Taryn flew down the embankment like a little girl, losing her sandals along the way. By the time she reached the water’s edge her eyes were burning brightly and her cheeks hurt from the force of her wide grin. With her feet planted firmly in the water, she closed her eyes and let the ocean lap at her ankles, shifting the sand beneath her feet and digging her deeper and deeper into the earth. The winds were night and somewhere above her a kingfisher squawked in unsteady flight. She ignored it.
    When she nearly lost her balance, Taryn walked along the water’s edge, kicking at the crystal clear waves as they broke on the shore. There were sand dollars in abundance on the ground–the first time she’d ever seen any outside of a tourist shop. She was squatting down to collect one when a voice called out from behind her.
    “Taryn!”
    Startled, she turned around, annoyed at having her peace interrupted. She softened when she saw David’s long black hair and tanned arms swinging in the sun.
    Yeah, well, I guess he can come here too , she thought wryly.
    “It’s the best place on the island, isn’t it?” he asked as he drew nearer.
    “So far,” she agreed. “I can’t believe nobody’s here.”
    “Yeah, well, it seems to be off the beaten path,” he shrugged. “I’ve been coming out here about every day. Sometimes I run into people from the Sea Turtle Center, checking on the eggs.”
    “So what are you up to today?” Since her peace was broken she figured she might as well enjoy the company. In fact, now that he was close to her, she felt her blood bubbling.
    Stop it , she commanded herself. He’s just a man and you’ve already got a very nice one.
    “I have a meeting with the site manager over at the hotel in about two hours,” he replied. “I’ve gone over my notes so many times that I’m starting to forget them. I needed to get out for awhile.”
    “I understand,” Taryn laughed. “Sometimes I also have to get out of my head to work.”
    “So how’s the painting going?”
    “It’s going…” she answered slowly.
    She was aching to tell someone about Adena Cottage, about Ivy House, and about her dreams and what had gone on after the ghost hunters’ meeting. So far Matt had been too busy to invest much time in her ramblings but she understood. He was in the middle of a big project himself and couldn’t just tear himself away to listen to her.
    “Anything wrong?” The look of concern on David’s face boosted her spirits, but there was no way she was going to unleash all her thoughts on a perfect stranger.
    “Oh, it’s fine. I just didn’t sleep well last night. Bad dream,” she added casually.
    David bowed his head and looked like the weight of the world was on his shoulders. “Yes, I’ve been having them since arriving on the island myself. I assumed it was because I am Creek, and it was the Creeks who settled the island for many years.”
    “So you have a connection to it?” she asked.
    David smiled. “Yes. So what about you? What’s your connection to