watch anymore, he closed his eyes and slept.
Lauren leaned over and placed a noisy kiss on top of the cat’s head and laughed when he glared at her in return. She hated to admit it, but she was glad for Marsh’s company—even if he did keep to himself most of the time. The cottage was even more isolated and quiet than she’d imagined it would be. Especially when she wasn’t able to go outside. Oh, well. That meant there was plenty of time to read some of the old paperback novels from Aunt Cora’s bookshelf.
Lauren didn’t tell her mother about her injury, it would only worry her. She did call and invite her parents to the cottage, but her mother declined. Lauren didn’t let herself be disappointed. It wasn’t like she’d expected her parents to drop everything and visit her. Her father would probably go into anaphylactic shock if he ventured any more than two miles away from his country club. And there were no trendy coffee shops or designer stores in Hayley’s Point for her mother. It was for the best. Alicia never appreciated the beauty of the refuge like Lauren and Aunt Cora. They would probably just end up arguing about Daniel anyway.
Lauren spotted a black phoebe outside the window and scribbled the name on her life list. With so much time on her hands, her thoughts wandered next door to the mansion. There was no tall, handsome hockey player on her life list.
Hockey Player: Native to North America and Europe. Attracted to ice covered surfaces and frozen ponds. Can be found worldwide, with concentrations in Russia, Finland, Sweden, Canada and the United States. Highly skilled skaters who are fearless and extremely competitive. Known by the sound of tapping their sticks on the boards, skates cutting through the ice, and chirping at their competitors.
Lauren set aside her birding journal and smiled to herself. She was grateful for her neighbor’s rescue even if it was slightly peculiar. His strength had caught her off guard just as much as his eyes had.
Who was he anyway? Why didn’t he play hockey anymore? Why were his eyes so haunted? There were a lot of mysteries surrounding her neighbor and she could tell he guarded his secrets closely.
At least the mystery of the reappearing yellow dog had been solved. The answer to his origin had been staring her right in the face all along. Sometimes the answers you were looking for were right there in front of you the whole time and for some reason you chose to look past them.
Lauren took a couple more pain killers and looked around the cottage. This was the first time she’d experienced anything close to boredom since coming here and the realization was unsettling. Then Lauren remembered her aunt’s diary and slid it out from the thick manila envelope that Mr. Templeton had given it to her in. Since she couldn’t walk the trail, she decided to take the opportunity to read through the worn pages of her aunt’s journal. She propped some pillows behind her back and sat on the bed with her foot elevated just like the not-a-hockey player and not-a-doctor neighbor had told her to.
The diary was a leather-bound book that was soft and worn with age. Some of the pages fell out from the binding and Lauren carefully held them in place. It seemed intrusive to read her aunt’s personal thoughts, but Aunt Cora had wanted her to have the diary and had gone to great lengths to make sure Lauren received it. Now was as good a time as any to look through it and she needed something to do besides think about her neighbor.
Out of nowhere, Marsh jumped up onto the bed. Lauren kept still, careful not to scare him away. He must’ve liked the feel of the quilt beneath his feet because he immediately started purring and making mittens. She smiled as he marched in place in a trance-like state. She reached her hand out and scratched his cheek. “You’re not so bad, are you?” His purring became louder and he rubbed his head against her outstretched fingers. “I knew
Lauren leaned over and placed a noisy kiss on top of the cat’s head and laughed when he glared at her in return. She hated to admit it, but she was glad for Marsh’s company—even if he did keep to himself most of the time. The cottage was even more isolated and quiet than she’d imagined it would be. Especially when she wasn’t able to go outside. Oh, well. That meant there was plenty of time to read some of the old paperback novels from Aunt Cora’s bookshelf.
Lauren didn’t tell her mother about her injury, it would only worry her. She did call and invite her parents to the cottage, but her mother declined. Lauren didn’t let herself be disappointed. It wasn’t like she’d expected her parents to drop everything and visit her. Her father would probably go into anaphylactic shock if he ventured any more than two miles away from his country club. And there were no trendy coffee shops or designer stores in Hayley’s Point for her mother. It was for the best. Alicia never appreciated the beauty of the refuge like Lauren and Aunt Cora. They would probably just end up arguing about Daniel anyway.
Lauren spotted a black phoebe outside the window and scribbled the name on her life list. With so much time on her hands, her thoughts wandered next door to the mansion. There was no tall, handsome hockey player on her life list.
Hockey Player: Native to North America and Europe. Attracted to ice covered surfaces and frozen ponds. Can be found worldwide, with concentrations in Russia, Finland, Sweden, Canada and the United States. Highly skilled skaters who are fearless and extremely competitive. Known by the sound of tapping their sticks on the boards, skates cutting through the ice, and chirping at their competitors.
Lauren set aside her birding journal and smiled to herself. She was grateful for her neighbor’s rescue even if it was slightly peculiar. His strength had caught her off guard just as much as his eyes had.
Who was he anyway? Why didn’t he play hockey anymore? Why were his eyes so haunted? There were a lot of mysteries surrounding her neighbor and she could tell he guarded his secrets closely.
At least the mystery of the reappearing yellow dog had been solved. The answer to his origin had been staring her right in the face all along. Sometimes the answers you were looking for were right there in front of you the whole time and for some reason you chose to look past them.
Lauren took a couple more pain killers and looked around the cottage. This was the first time she’d experienced anything close to boredom since coming here and the realization was unsettling. Then Lauren remembered her aunt’s diary and slid it out from the thick manila envelope that Mr. Templeton had given it to her in. Since she couldn’t walk the trail, she decided to take the opportunity to read through the worn pages of her aunt’s journal. She propped some pillows behind her back and sat on the bed with her foot elevated just like the not-a-hockey player and not-a-doctor neighbor had told her to.
The diary was a leather-bound book that was soft and worn with age. Some of the pages fell out from the binding and Lauren carefully held them in place. It seemed intrusive to read her aunt’s personal thoughts, but Aunt Cora had wanted her to have the diary and had gone to great lengths to make sure Lauren received it. Now was as good a time as any to look through it and she needed something to do besides think about her neighbor.
Out of nowhere, Marsh jumped up onto the bed. Lauren kept still, careful not to scare him away. He must’ve liked the feel of the quilt beneath his feet because he immediately started purring and making mittens. She smiled as he marched in place in a trance-like state. She reached her hand out and scratched his cheek. “You’re not so bad, are you?” His purring became louder and he rubbed his head against her outstretched fingers. “I knew
Similar Books
