Against the Tide by Melody Carlson Read Free Book Online

phone, doing a quick search for the largest hotel in town. But to her dismay, the desk clerk informed her they had no vacancies. “Really?” Megan asked. “You have nothing?”
    â€œIt’s Memorial Day weekend,” the clerk said in a tired voice. “And the weather’s pretty nice. From what I hear everyone is full up in town.”
    â€œOh.” Megan thanked her, hung up and then told Garret.
    â€œYeah, I was worried about that, too,” he said. “Even my cabins are full. And I had to turn folks away. But I do have a couple of vacant cabins that I’m still working on. I didn’t book them out because I haven’t had time to finish them yet. You could sort of camp there for the night...if you don’t mind roughing it some.”
    â€œOh...” Megan imagined a dirty old fishing cabin with a lumpy mattress, but was so tired she didn’t even care.
    â€œCome to think of it, Cabin A is nearly finished.”
    She looked at the clock, surprised to see that it was well after midnight now. “I’m so exhausted, I don’t care if the place is a mess, Garret. As long as it’s safe.” She looked over at him. “Do you think it’s safe there? At the marina?”
    â€œDon’t know why it wouldn’t be.”
    She sighed. “Yeah, but I don’t know why my dad’s house wasn’t safe, either.”
    â€œGood point.” He shook his head. “But I’m sure you’ll be safe at the marina. The cabin you’ll have is right next to mine and I’m a pretty light sleeper. Not only that, but I’ll let you have Rocky, too.”
    â€œRocky?”
    â€œMy Doberman.”
    â€œA guard dog?”
    â€œWell, he looks like a guard dog and acts like a guard dog. But he’s actually quite harmless. More of an alarm than an attack dog.” He glanced at her. “Do you like dogs?”
    â€œAbsolutely. And if you honestly don’t mind sharing him, I’d love to have Rocky stay with me tonight. That would be reassuring.”
    â€œGreat.”
    As Garret drove them toward town, Megan tried to wrap her head around all that had happened since arriving at Cape Perpetua just a few hours ago. It was mind-boggling, and frightening and unreal.
    Instead of taking the river road directly to the marina, Garret turned into town. “I’m doing a little detour,” he explained. “Just in case anyone wanted to follow us. Although I haven’t really noticed any suspicious cars.”
    She looked all around, relieved to see that the town was pretty deserted. She didn’t see a single set of headlights anywhere. Garret seemed satisfied, too, and, taking a backstreet and a couple more turns, they were soon at the marina.
    â€œHere we are,” Garret announced as he parked next to the boxy building that housed the old store where she and Dad used to buy treats for their fishing trips. “Welcome to Larsson’s Marina.” He cautiously looked all around as he helped her out. “I’ll get your bags.”
    Before long, he was opening the door of one of the small cabins alongside the river. “Like I said, it’s still a little rough.” He set her bags inside the door. “I’ll grab you some bedding and towels and stuff. But I think you’ll be okay for one night.”
    She nodded as she looked around the small space. “This will be fine,” she assured him. “I really appreciate it.”
    â€œI’ll be right back.”
    After he left she examined the cabin more carefully. With new pine floors and pine-paneled walls, the room smelled clean and fresh. The mattress on the queen-size bed was brand-new, too, still wrapped in factory plastic. The tiny bathroom, although missing a door and a coat of paint, had new fixtures, including a large mirror. But she didn’t recognize the stranger looking back at her. The pale skin, strained features, dark