Blaze of Winter: A Loveswept Contemporary Romance by Elisabeth Barrett Read Free Book Online

giving them leave to loot and plunder at will.”
    “Whether it was legal or not doesn’t make it right.”
    “That’s a different matter. But like it or not, those who operated within the confines of the law were allowed to do everything that pirates did.” He smiled again. “Pirates have gotten abad rap these days. They’re either portrayed as cutthroat or farcical. What many people don’t realize is that pirates operated under their own code of conduct. They were, in essence, the freest men alive, unfettered by country, king, or government.”
    “But their code of conduct wasn’t honorable,” Avery protested.
    “To them, it was.”
    “Well, if you’re dead set on pirates, you should write a book about the legend that everyone talks about around here—you know, that ship that sank in Vineyard Sound?”
    “You mean the legend of the Siren Lorelei . I remember the stories my dad used to tell me. I think the ship wrecked in the early 1700s. That would be the perfect time frame for my next book,” he mused, leaning forward in his seat and taking her hand. It was small, cool, and smooth, and he could feel her pulse ticking in her wrist. “I’ve thought about it, but until now, I hadn’t realized how ideal that particular story would be. Coming back to Star Harbor has been good for me.”
    She blushed, a slow creep of red from her cheeks that bloomed outward. Her pulse rate sped up just enough for him to notice. Though he could sense her reluctance, the way she responded to him was intoxicating. The fact that she couldn’t help it made it all the sweeter. Though he knew he should step back, slow down, he couldn’t bring himself to do it. “And now it’s your turn to tell me about yourself.”
    Avery stiffened, and then lowered her eyes. She tugged her hand away from him. “You’ve caught me at a strange time in my life. What do you want to know?” she asked warily.
    Sorry she’d shut down again, and even sorrier that she’d removed her hand from his, Theo leaned back in his seat. “What you’re doing in Star Harbor would be a nice start.”
    She blinked and looked up, pausing for a few moments before speaking, as if weighing how much she wanted to tell him. “I’m trying to figure out what I want,” she said slowly.
    Now that sure sounded familiar. “What is it that you’re looking for?”
    Avery met his gaze, an unreadable expression on her lovely face. He stared back, trying to figure out what was going on in her mind.
    “Hot chocolate,” Lexie said, interrupting them as she placed a steaming ceramic cup in front of Avery. “Food’s almost ready.”
    Theo forced himself not to groan at Lexie’s untimely intrusion. Avery had been about to talk—he was sure of it—but the spell was broken. He let her take a sip of the chocolate, enjoying the way she sighed a little after swallowing the hot beverage, and patiently waited for her to continue.
    Finally, after a long stretch of silence, she spoke. “I’m taking a break from work right now,” she said quietly. “Some stuff happened before I left. The timing worked out, so I came here to help out Kate and lend a hand at the Inn, and she and Emma encouraged me to stay.”
    “What kind of stuff?”
    “I misjudged a situation and things ended badly.” There was a little hitch in her voice.
    “Was there a guy involved?” A tight knot formed in his chest.
    She shook her head. “No guy. I’m a social worker. I deal—dealt—mostly with substance abuse cases. The situation I’m referring to happened with a client of mine. A client I thought I was helping.” The tightness in his chest abated somewhat. Though he was glad a man wasn’t the cause of her anguish, he was sorry for her pain. She couldn’t disguise it; her eyes had turned a deeper blue, filled with emotion.
    “I’m sure you were helping.”
    “I tried. I thought we’d developed a good relationship. Built up trust. She’d been honest with me, at least, at first. But as it