Kane by Jennifer Blake Read Free Book Online Page A

the truck tire fell into a pothole with a bounce that made her bite her tongue. By the time the pain subsided enough for her to talk, she caught the glint of a large body of water through the trees.
    â€œHorseshoe Lake,” Kane said as he brought the truck to a stop.
    She sat for long moments, looking out over the water that sparkled under the sun as if millions of fairy lights were concealed beneath the surface. Trees hungwith gray streamers of Spanish moss lined the shore and also straggled into the lake as though going wading. More edged the surrounding horizon like dark lace. The water was the color of strong tea, and cloud puffs drifting in the sky overhead were reflected on the opaque surface with a surround of blue. It was quiet, so quiet the only sounds were the wind in the trees, birdcalls, and the soft, regular slap of breeze-driven waves at the water’s edge.
    Regina opened the truck door and got out. Watching where she was stepping on the damp ground with its dew-laden grass, she moved toward the water’s edge. Behind her, the other door slammed as Kane followed.
    â€œIt looks murky,” Regina said when he came to stand at her shoulder, “like something primeval might rise up out of the depths.”
    â€œDripping muddy slime and water lilies?” he asked, slanting a smile down at her. “You’ve seen too many swamp-thing movies. But there is a swamp beyond the lake, several thousand acres of marsh and snaking waterways where you can get lost and might never be found again.”
    â€œYou’ve been there? In the swamp, I mean?”
    â€œPlayed there every summer as a kid.”
    â€œWhy on earth would you do that?” She barely concealed a shudder.
    â€œThe fun of it. Something to do. A cousin and I pooled our money and bought a secondhand aluminum boat and an old outboard motor. Sometimes Luke and I were gone for days at a time.”
    Glancing at him, she tried to feature the boyhood he described. It was so different from anything she had known that he might have been talking about life onanother planet. At the same time, she didn’t doubt what he’d said. In the bright daylight that exposed the strong bones of his face and crescent-shaped scar beside his mouth, he appeared rugged and capable of anything he cared to tackle. He was also rather imposing.
    In an effort to regain her equilibrium, she said, “I imagine the police didn’t think it much fun when they had to call out the search-and-rescue teams.”
    â€œNever happened. Luke and I always found our way home again.”
    â€œAnd your parents didn’t mind?”
    â€œMy parents were dead, and my aunt Vivian who took care of me seemed to think knocking around in the swamp was better than a lot of things I could’ve been doing. Luke’s folks never worried much about anything until something happened, but especially not about the backcountry—he has a real sixth sense where it’s concerned. Nobody knows it better.”
    â€œNot even you?” she asked dryly.
    Kane smiled without rancor. “I don’t hold a candle to Luke. His ancestors have lived around the lake for centuries, even when it was still an oxbow turn in the Mississippi River. He has a Native American branch to his family tree from a long way back. Tunica and Natchez.”
    â€œSeriously?”
    â€œIt isn’t that unusual around here.”
    Again, she had to fight that sense of being in foreign territory. The lifestyle he described and the close relationship with his cousin were unknown quantities. They were also appealing, however, perhaps because of their strangeness.
    As she tried to picture it, she said, “This cousin lived nearby?”
    â€œJust down the road. Still does, for that matter.”
    Surprise for her interest lurked in his dark blue gaze. Noting it, Regina felt wariness trickle down her spine. Turning back to the lake, she said, “I believe your grandfather