Page 28 of The Cottage on Pelican Bay

Zara beamed. “The two of you are thinking about starting a family sooner rather than later?”

“Yes,” Sierra said excitedly. “Definitely sooner than we originally planned. We’ve chosen a house plan and hope that by the time we move in I’ll be pregnant.”

“That’s wonderful, Sierra.” The thought of being an aunt made Zara happy. “How soon do you think it will be before they start building your house?”

“Not sure. The builder for the development has been selected, and I understand he’ll be moving to town in a few weeks. It’s Jaye’s youngest brother, who owns a construction company.” Sierra remained silent for a moment. Then she said, “You know what I think regarding the situation with you and Saint?”

Zara lifted a brow. “No. What do you think?”

“I understand you guys wanting to keep your involvement private from prying eyes. That’s your right. However, I’m not sure that will work for long.”

“Why not?”

“Sexual chemistry is something you and Saint can’t seem to hide.”

On Saturday afternoon, Saint turned his car onto Buccaneer Lane, the scenic tree-lined road that led to the bed-and-breakfast inn, Shelby by the Sea. Although he’d been back in Catalina Cove for almost six months, it had been years since he’d been here. This place held so many fond memories for him. He couldn’t help recalling that it had been Ms. Shelby who’d given him and Brody their first summer jobs at the age of fourteen. Namely, to keep the area leading to the inn immaculate. They had no problem picking up trash and the empty wine and beer bottles. It had put coins in their pockets to play the video games at the local recreation center.

When the historic mansion came into view, he thought it was as massive, stately and majestic as ever. Even more so since Ms. Shelby’s niece, Vashti Alcindor Grisham, had resurrected the inn a few years ago. From here he could hear the sound of the ocean, which was directly behind the inn.

The twenty-guest-room mansion was built in 1905 and had been owned by the Barlowe family for generations. Some claimed the original Barlowe had been Jean LaFitte’s right-hand man, and for his loyalty LaFitte had awarded the man the land the mansion sat on.

Close to forty years ago, Hawthorn Barlowe, upon his death, being the last of the Barlowes, had bequeathed the mansion and all the land surrounding it to his loyal and trusted nurse, Ms. Shelby. With no need of a house that big, Ms. Shelby had turned it into a bed-and-breakfast inn and named it Shelby by the Sea.

Shelby by the Sea was one of the most popular places in Catalina Cove, a hallmark. It was always brimming with business, particularly newlyweds from all over the country on their honeymoon, and married couples reigniting the flame in their marriage. Even as a kid, Saint would admit he’d envisioned himself getting married here. Today he was attending the engagement party for Jaye and Velvet.

He parked behind the car he knew was Vaughn’s, which made him wonder if Zara had arrived. When he’d seen her two days ago, she’d said that she would be attending. Since he didn’t have her contact information, he had no way to check if that was still her plan.

He hated admitting it, but not having her phone number was annoying the hell out of him. He understood that she didn’t want anything other than hookups—that was how he felt as well—but that shouldn’t keep them from exchanging phone numbers.

He had intended to broach the subject with her the last time they were together, but it had slipped his mind. However, he resolved to talk to her about it, and soon.

As he walked toward the perfectly landscaped yard, he saw uniformed attendants greeting arriving guests and guiding them to a welcome table where names were checked on a list. Then they were escorted to the backyard where the outdoor festivities were being held.

Saint understood why names were being checked. This was a private affair and there were those in the cove who felt they were entitled to be invited, regardless of whether they received an invitation or not. Jaye had a long memory and anyone who’d slighted Velvet when they hadn’t known she was an heiress did not receive an invitation.

The sky was a stunning blue and the temperature was the best it’d been since spring had arrived. Jaye and Velvet had certainly picked a good weekend for their party. It was Memorial Day weekend and, as usual in the cove, school had ended yesterday. He’d heard from Jaye that Velvet had wanted to finish out the school year before celebrating their upcoming nuptials. A second engagement party would be held next month in Phoenix.

As he followed the attendant through the flower gardens, he was glad to see the huge gardenia bushes and magnolia trees were still there and more had been added. Anyone who’d known Ms. Shelby knew that gardenias and magnolias were her two favorite flowers and the older woman had planted special gardens of both on the sides of the mansion.

He had to hand it to Vashti. Not only had she restored the inn to the grandeur of yesteryears, but she had also remodeled it with all the honor and magnificence that her aunt Shelby would be proud of.

The scent of the blossoms was strong, and he was escorted toward an area where a large gazebo sat facing the ocean. When he rounded the corner, he saw the crowd of people. Some he knew and others he didn’t recognize. He had met Jaye’s father and brothers and some of his closest friends from Phoenix last month when they’d come to the cove to visit Jaye and Velvet.

A huge “Congratulations, Jaye and Velvet” streamer extended from one side of the gazebo to the other, anchored by black and gold balloons. Even the pier that led out to the beach was decorated. He accepted a drink off a passing waiter’s tray, then looked around the yard. From the sensuous stirring he felt in the pit of his stomach he knew that although he hadn’t seen her yet, Zara was here.

He’d given up trying to figure out why there was such an intense physical attraction between them. All he knew was that she could set his entire body on fire, and it would burn for days even when she wasn’t in his presence. Just from thinking about her. That was how it had been for the past two days when he’d been out of town. She had been on his mind a lot.

He scanned the crowd for her as his heart began beating faster and faster. When a group of people shifted, he saw her standing and talking with several women. Some he recognized, some he didn’t. Ashley Sullivan had walked up and was happily twirling around, proudly displaying her rounded belly, which had grown a lot since he’d last seen her.

He took a sip of his drink with his gaze trained on Zara. She looked sexy with her purple sleeveless, high-neck short dress that displayed those alluring shoulders he loved licking, and her gorgeous legs he loved caressing. She had a pair of cute black stilettos on her feet and her hair was flowing around her shoulders, just the way he liked. She had the body for that dress, all the right curves, and it looked damn good on her. Totally ravishing. One of the ladies must have said something amusing because Zara threw her head back and laughed.

He wondered how long it would take for her to feel his presence. Somehow, it seemed that she could with him, the same way he could with her. He watched and waited. The moment she began craning her neck to scan the crowded yard, he knew why.

Then their gazes met.

14

Zara was laughing. Ruthie, Velvet’s best friend from Phoenix, who was getting married next month, had just told them about some of the things that had happened at one of her bridal showers. Suddenly, quivers of intense heat raced up Zara’s spine, making every cell in her body sizzle. For her, that was a stark indication that Saint had arrived.

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