The Rosaries (Crossroads Series) by Sandra Carrington-Smith

tonight, so she decided to wait until morning. He had already made sure the locks were replaced, and she could really use a little more rest if she wanted to kick this cold. Jim came back with the tea and some toast with strawberry jam. She didn’t really feel hungry, but ate a few bites to please her husband. “I can’t believe someone broke in. That kind of scares me a little. We don’t see many break-ins in Wilmington , thank goodness.”
    “Well, don’t forget it is almost summer, Belinda; plenty of strangers in the area this time of year.”
    Belinda nodded – it was the only gesture of acknowledgement she could think of while she chewed the toast. She swallowed and took a big gulp of tea. The warm liquid felt good going down her stinging and swollen throat. “I think you are right, Jim. It really sounds like the type of petty crime committed by a tourist who was trying to get his hands on something he could sell to prolong his vacation.”
    “Yes, I think so. But tell me more about how you feel now. What’s the matter?”
    Belinda groaned. “Oh, don’t remind me…I had the worst headache and my body felt like I was hit by a truck. That’s why I closed a little earlier and came home. I stopped by the drugstore on the way and picked up a decongestant. Boy, that killed me instantly! Nothing serious though, you should go grab something to eat yourself. I bet you haven’t had dinner yet, right?”
    Jim smiled. “Woman, you know me too well; it’s a darn good thing that I wouldn’t dream of doing you wrong, or you would catch me in a heartbeat.”
    Belinda laughed, “You bet I would, so you’d better behave.” She winked at him and was pleased to see him blush.
    “You know I would never do anything to hurt you, Belinda.”
    “I know that. You couldn’t hurt a fly if it came to eat your last bite of food.”
    Jim stayed for another moment and then went to the kitchen to see if he could come up with a quick meal for himself. He moved through the house and never thought of closing the blinds. The man hiding in the shadows was very happy about that.

 
     
     
     
    Chapter Seven
     
    It was almost nine in the morning when Natalie opened her eyes. Billy was meowing madly and occasionally pawed at her face in his unique feline attempt to wake her up. She looked around the room and observed the color contrast of some of the hanging prints against the sun-washed wall, but Billy was hungry, and wouldn’t allow her to waste an extra minute indulging her artistic eye.
    She slowly got up and stumbled toward the kitchen to feed the cat and make coffee. While the coffee brewed she opened the blinds and looked outside. Mrs. Thompson, her neighbor across the street, was busy watering the flower boxes on her porch, and Ms. Nettie was furiously sweeping sand off the entrance of her Inn, getting ready for another day of hospitality.
    Natalie smiled. The scene outside was a familiar and comforting one, yet, this time of year, it was slightly different everyday thanks to the crowds of tourists floating around. She found herself laughing out loud when a particular episode popped in her mind – just a week before, one of the families staying at Miss Nettie’s place had taken advantage of the pet-friendly status, and had decided to take their pet python on vacation. Since they didn’t bother telling Miss Nettie about it, she had no idea it was a pet she was facing when she went in to bring fresh linens and found a four-foot snake greeting her from the fake tree in the left corner of the room. Obviously this family didn’t believe in keeping the snake locked up in its glass case while they went to soak in the sun and jump in the waves. The brief episode cost the family a pet deposit and Miss Nettie a close call with a heart attack. To this day, anytime she walked into any of the rooms, Ms. Nettie went in with a watchful eye, stopping briefly on the doorstep before walking in.
    A steamy snorting sound announced that coffee