Blind Run by Patricia Lewin Read Free Book Online Page A

for a photo-shop envelope of pictures she’d always meant to put in an album. Now, she never would. She couldn’t handle having them around where she could look at them, where they’d be a constant reminder of the child she’d lost.
    As she lifted the envelope, something dropped to the bottom of the box. Stunned, she stared down at the heavy silver band. She’d forgotten it was here, that she’d saved it, storing it with her memories of Nicky. Slowly, she set down the pictures and picked up the ring.
    Ethan’s ring.
    It, too, had the power to inflict pain. She remembered the first time he’d put it on her finger. It had been a beautiful April day, and they’d known each other less than a month. They’d taken a picnic lunch to the hill country west of Austin, and in a field of bluebonnets, they’d made love for the first time.
    Later, on their way home, they’d stopped at an arts and crafts fair in Fredericksburg and held hands as they wandered among the booths. She didn’t remember what had attracted them to the display of silver and turquoise trinkets. On a woven mat before an old man, the inexpensive items were no different from a dozen other similar collections. But as Ethan crouched down to look, the stranger had pulled a small leather pouch from inside his shirt and offered it to them. The bag contained two matching silver rings, beautifully and intricately carved. Ethan had bought them on the spot and slipped one on her finger.
    The memory brought fresh tears to her eyes.
    It had been a foolish and spontaneously wonderful gesture. And so like Ethan. He’d never been one for planning or scheduling, whereas she’d always lived by the rules.
    Before she’d met him, her life had been predictable. She’d had her whole future mapped out. She’d been twenty-five and almost finished with medical school. Another few years and she’d set up her practice. Then Ethan had exploded into her life, changing everything.
    He’d been unlike anyone she’d ever met, handsome and charming on the surface, while possessing an underlying wildness that reminded her of leather jackets and motorcycles. She’d never stood a chance.
    It was funny that a woman who’d grown up following the straight and narrow could fall so hard. But she had, and for the first time in her life she’d wanted something other than a career in medicine. She’d wanted Ethan Decker.
    Holding the ring up in the light, she looked at the inscription.
    Forever and Always. Ethan.
    But it had been a lie. When she’d needed him most, Ethan had deserted her. They’d buried their son on a bright Texas morning, and by nightfall, Ethan was gone. The tears came hot and unbidden now, temporarily blinding her. But this time, it was anger that spurred them on.
    Charles was right. She had to get on with her life. Their lives. She’d been holding on to the past just as she’d held on to this tiny circle of silver. No more. Clutching the ring, she headed for the front of the condo.
    She’d loved Ethan unconditionally, but he’d betrayed her and their son’s memory the day he walked out on her. Turning off the alarm, she left the apartment and walked down the hall to the utility room. Inside, with her hand on the trash chute handle, she hesitated.
    Ethan’s ring.
    Then, before she could change her mind, she opened the lid and dropped the ring, hearing the ping of metal against metal as it fell twelve stories to the Dumpster in the basement.
    By his own choice, Ethan had ceased to be a part of her life. It was time she accepted it.

CHAPTER FOUR
    DANNY WATCHED the hawk soaring above the desert.
    He’d seen lots of birds before; blue herons and osprey were common in the San Juans, and the bald eagles used the islands as a breeding ground. But something about the solitary hawk, searching for his next meal, made Danny realize just how far he was from home. For a moment, he wished he could take back the last three days and return to Haven Island. Then he remembered