At Hidden Falls (Angel's Bay Novel) by Barbara Freethy Read Free Book Online Page B

are not happy with the fact that I kept Annie’s secret.”
    “You did what you had to do.”
    “Do you think so?” she couldn’t help asking. “I want to believe that, but then again, Annie is missing, and her baby doesn’t have his mother. I hope I didn’t make a mistake.”
    “We’ll find Annie. In the meantime, it looks like you’re the babysitter.”
    “Me and my mother. Not exactly the dream team.”
    “I think Andrew wants to be on your team, as well.”
    She saw the question in his eyes. “I’m sure Andrew feels partly to blame for Annie’s turmoil. He put a lot of pressure on her to consider adoption. I don’t really know why.”
    “Maybe because it gave him a reason to be close to you,” Joe suggested.
    His words surprised her. “I’m sure that had nothing to do with it.”
    “Are you?” He tipped his head and walked down the front steps.
    Charlotte was still trying to come up with an answer when he got into his truck and drove away.
    The headlights blinded her. Isabella squinted against the brightness. The car was coming straight toward her. She could see two people in the front. They were arguing or struggling or something. . .
    She hit the brakes, clinging to the wheel, praying the skid would stop, but she was flying . . . and then he was there, yelling at her. She couldn’t hear the words; she could just see the fear in his eyes.
    She tried to move, but something was holding her down—the airbag?
    But she wasn’t on the cliff anymore. And he was in the shadows. He was turning away from her, going in another direction, but he didn’t know what was coming. She had to get him before—
    Isabella woke up with a start, sweating and shaking.
    The past, the present, and the future were all mixing together now.
    Why?
    Because of Nick Hartley?
    Was he really the man in her dreams? Or had she put his face on that shadowy figure because he’d rescued her? When he’d first appeared in the rain, she’d been dazed and confused. Had her mind played tricks on her?
    Turning on her side, she stared at the digital clock. It was seven A.M. She’d actually managed to sleep a few hours, though every muscle in her body ached. She sat up and stretched, swinging her legs over the side of the bed. The swelling in her wrist had gone down, but it was still tender to the touch. Getting out of bed, she walked to the window, shivering in the cool morning air. She pulled the curtain to the side and was amazed by the view.
    Beyond the back deck, there was nothing but ocean and a clear blue sky—no trace of yesterday’s storm. She could see a few boats out on the water, but otherwise the horizon was wide open. No wonder Joe loved this place. It was a far cry from the L.A. streets where they’d grown up.
    The smell of coffee drew her out of her room. Joe was already up, leaning against the counter and reading the newspaper while he sipped from a mug.
    “I thought you’d sleep in,” he said, concern in his eyes.
    “I don’t sleep very well these days,” she said as she grabbed a mug and filled it with coffee.
    “How’s the head?”
    “Achy, along with all the muscles in my body. But when I think of the alternative—”
    “Don’t.” He nodded toward a bag on the counter. “Charlotte sent you some clothes.”
    She was surprised and touched. “That was nice of her. Now I’ll have something to wear when I go shopping today.” She sat on a stool and sipped her coffee. “So what was the drama last night?”
    “The teenager I was telling you about has disappeared, leaving her baby behind. It looks like she ran away. Hopefully, she’ll change her mind and come back.”
    “Charlotte is taking care of the baby?”
    “Along with her mother. They took Annie in several months ago, supporting her through the pregnancy. Now they’ve been left with her baby. I’m sure they didn’t see that coming.”
    “Charlotte seems like a very generous person.” She gave him a thoughtful look. “You like her,