Kona Winds by Janet Dailey Read Free Book Online Page A

her hands were full of packages.
    "Thanks again." Julie smiled. The acknowledging nod of his head was courteous and nothing more as he returned to the car.
    "Ruel?" Debbie called from her bedroom.
    "It's me—Julie."
    "You're back already!" came the loud reply.
    It was silly to keep shouting back and forth. Julie walked to the girl's bedroom and appeared in the doorway before answering. "I'm back already."
    "You certainly have an armload of souvenirs there," Debbie observed. "Did you find anything for your landlady?"
    "I think so." Julie set her packages on a chair and opened one. She had mentioned to Debbie about Mrs. Kelly, her penchant for old movies and her Hollywood idea of Hawaii. "Do you suppose she'll like this?"
    From the bag, she shook out a muu-muu. The flowered material was predominantly scarlet with a splash of orange and yellow. She held it up in front of her for Debbie to see.
    "The color is all wrong. Much too bright," Ruel commented from the doorway.
    Julie pivoted correcting quickly, "It isn't for me."
    "It's for her landlady, Mrs. Kelly," Debbie added.
    "Do you hate her that much?" A brow lifted in mocking inquiry.
    "No," Julie denied that and glanced at the audaciously bold material. "I think this is what she would expect."
    "Yes," Debbie agreed. "It's exactly the kind of thing Dorothy Lamour would wear," she said and giggled.
    Ruel glanced from one to the other. "This must be a private joke."
    It was, and Julie didn't feel like explaining it to him. She folded the long dress and returned it to its bag. Immediately she began gathering the rest of her packages as Debbie responded to his comment.
    "It is kind of a private joke, but you might not appreciate the humor." With amazing tact, Debbie changed the subject. "I thought I heard your car drive in just before Julie arrived."
    "I did. I gave her a ride from the highway."
    "At least you didn't have to climb our miniature Matterhorn," Debbie teased.
    "That's what I thought," Julie agreed with the sentiment. "I'll take these things upstairs to my room. Talk to you later, Debbie."
    "Okay."
    Ruel stepped to one side to let Julie past. The touch of his gaze made her skin prickle. It was an odd sensation that didn't go away until she was in her room.
    Wearing a wrap around skirt and a shell pink blouse over her swimsuit, Julie attended Sunday service the next day at one of the little churches along the highway. Afterward she took the bus to Sunset Beach where there were as many sightseers as surfers. One group was on the sand dunes watching, the other was bobbing in the ocean with their brightly colored surfboards.
    She slipped off her sandals and walked barefoot on the sandy beach. A short distance from the sightseers, she took her towel from the beach bag and spread it over the sand, anchoring it from the tugging tradewinds with her shoes and suntan lotion. After removing her blouse and skirt, she folded them neatly and stowed them in the beach bag, then stretching her long legs on the towel, she began applying the sunscreen to her exposed skin. Luckily she tanned easily, but she knew about the deceptive tropic sun of the islands and didn't want to risk a burn.
    Leaning back on her elbows, she watched the surfers. The waves seemed awesome when compared with the California surf she knew. Here, they looked as if they were ten feet high. A surfer on a red board caught her eye as she watched him catch an immense loft of water. He rode the wave, twisting and balancing. Julie held her breath when she saw the water gyrating around him, but he came skimming out, crouched on his board.
    In absolute triumph, the surfer rode the wave into shore, milking the last curve out of the wave before it carried him to the beach. Breathless, ecstatic, he picked up his board and looked back at the ocean that he had succeeded in conquering this time. Julie couldn't resist applauding. It had been a magnificent ride. He turned, sun-tanned and golden, and flashed that happy, triumphant