More Than Paradise by Jennifer Fulton Read Free Book Online Page A

“You’re saying my sister might die?”
    “I’m saying it would be wise to prepare yourself for the worst, but hope for the best. It’s too soon to make precise determinations.
    However, there has been additional brain damage. Emma is in a coma.”
    “Tell me what the options are.” Ash knew she sounded frantic, but she couldn’t hide her distress. “I don’t care if it’s a long shot. If there are trial drugs and the side effects aren’t terrible, I’ll sign off on that.
    Anything.”
    “We’re doing all we can, Ms. Evans. Maybe one day, a long time from now, new treatments will emerge from Þ elds like stem cell research and we won’t use the word ‘irreversible’ anymore.”
    • 42 •

    MORE THAN PARADISE
    “She’s been through so much.” Ash spoke her thoughts aloud.
    “She doesn’t deserve this.”
    The doctor’s calm brown eyes met hers. “You know, a lot of people discard a family member like Emma. They give up. Your sister may not be able to show you how much you matter, but trust me, she always responds to you. Even unconscious, she may still do so.”
    “I’ll never give up on her,” Ash said emphatically. “I love her and I know who she was…is…inside.”
    Dr. Winterton rose. “We’ll talk some more about her condition, but Þ rst let’s take a walk so you can see how she’s doing.”
    v
    The sign on the terminal said Port Moresby. Jackson International Air ort. Out on the tarmac, Charlotte waited in the stiß ing heat with the other unfortunates who’d disembarked from the bumpy ß ight across the Coral Sea. She wasn’t sure why the gantries weren’t being used, or why everyone was being forced to stand out in the blazing sun, but she knew enough about her destination to understand that the mores of Western civilization did not apply in Papua New Guinea.
    Thank goodness Tamsin had decided to stay in Australia for two more weeks instead of coming with her to explore a little of this remarkable land before the expedition was due to depart. To Charlotte’s surprise, her best friend seemed to be thriving among the laid-back, unpretentious Australians. They’d met a lesbian couple at Ayers Rock who had invited them to visit and really meant it. So, after their travels in the outback, they’d headed for Sydney and soon found themselves enjoying poolside barbecues with some of the friendliest people Charlotte had ever met.
    No one there knew who Tamsin or her father were, and Charlotte told her to just be herself. When she was asked what she did for a living, she said she was a professional shopper, which, as Charlotte pointed out, was almost the truth. She was always shopping for her father and various pals of his in television. Last year she’d even house-hunted for one couple. And every time Charlotte wanted to buy a gift for someone difÞ cult, she always asked Tamsin’s help.
    The Australians seemed to Þ nd the whole idea hilarious, and this put Tamsin at ease. She could tell stories about stores she knew well and show-business people she’d met without having to explain how
    • 43 •

    JENNIFER FULTON
    she really came to be rubbing shoulders with the rich and famous.
    Charlotte had left her planning a beach party with their hosts, excited that a woman she’d met at a neighbor’s potluck was going to come.
    Charlotte had also met Tamsin’s lust object, a no-nonsense equine veterinarian who made beautiful blown-glass pieces as a hobby.
    Rowena Knox struck her instantly as the kind of person who would never have materialistic motives for anything. And she was hot. Tamsin had been completely giddy after they met and Charlotte found it hard not to be carried away herself. The last thing she’d expected to happen on their vacation was that Tamsin might meet someone. But as they’d lain awake on Charlotte’s last night in Sydney, Tamsin couldn’t talk about anything else.
    “You just don’t know what’s around the corner,” she sighed. “This was meant to