Sweet Caroline's Keeper by Beverly Barton Read Free Book Online Page B

back porch in the evenings partly because she had a great view. The waterfront footage, which was part of the five acres that had come as a package deal with the house, had been one of the reasons she had purchased the mneteenth -century ramshackle wooden structure and remodeled it four years ago. But this was one party invitation she couldn't decline. When Gavin had called to ask if he could be her escort to the birthday party Fletcher was giving for Brooke aboard his yacht, she was delighted that she wouldn't be attending the event alone. Even though she had decided not to date Gavin again, she'd thought one more date wouldn't matter. But after tonight she'd tell him that she couldn't see him again.
    When Gavin and she had boarded the Lenore, he had pulled her aside and said, "You'll be the most beautiful woman here tonight."
    Gavin was always complimenting her, saying all the things she supposed most women liked to hear, which made her wonder if Gavin's womanizer reputation wasn't well founded. They had been dating on and off for the past few months. More off than on, but that was her doing, not his. When she'd made it perfectly clear after their third date that she had no intention of hopping into bed with him, she had assumed he wouldn't be back. She'd been wrong. After that, his pursuit of her had intensified, as if he liked the challenge. Perhaps he believed he could wear her down with his gentlemanly charm. It was past time for her to be totally honest with him. She liked Gavin well enough, enjoyed his company occasionally and was inordinately flattered by his attention, but she wasn't in love with him and never would be. Call her old-fashioned, but she wanted to wait for love, wanted her first time to be with a very special man.
    Caroline strolled along the deck of the Lenore, the motor yacht Fletcher had inherited from his father. Preston had purchased the yacht new when he'd married Lenore and took her on a honeymoon cruise in the Caribbean. As a child Caroline had loved the three summer vacation trips aboard the wide-beam cruiser. Fletcher had kept the yacht in perfect condition, and the vessel maintained the original cockpit and gorgeous oak interior throughout. Below were three staterooms with their own baths and the galley up layout offered a deck-level powder room, too.
    Fletcher kept the yacht anchored at the marina and often loaned the boat to friends for excursions in the bay. Much like his father before him, Fletcher was known to be generous to those nearest and dearest to him.
    A balmy spring breeze swept across the deck, caressing Caroline's hair. As the evening had worn on, she'd grown tired of dancing, first with Gavin, then later with Fletcher and several of his friends, each progressive dance partner just a little drunker than the one before him. She had lost track of Gavin in the throng of well-wishers, about thirty minutes ago, shortly after Brooke had blown out the candles on her enormous birthday cake and ripped into the stack of elaborately decorated gifts. Caroline was more than ready to head back to St. Michaels right now and wished she could locate her date. As she had made her way along the congested deck, she had asked people she knew if they'd seen Gavin, but no one seemed to have any idea where he was. She couldn't help wondering if he'd found some willing female and was making use of one of the staterooms.
    Why on earth would you continue dating a man you thought capable of having sex with another woman while on a date with you? she asked herself. Because you didn't want to come to this party alone, that's why.
    As Caroline tried to find a less-congested area on the yacht so she could at least breathe without smelling liquor or cigarettes, her mind filled with thoughts of her own upcoming birthday. She had never had a gala celebration like the one Fletcher was hosting for Brooke, but since she'd turned thirteen, her birthdays had been special events. Made special by one person. One man.