What Tomorrow Brings (Florida Keys Series) by Cyndi Raye Read Free Book Online Page A

trash that’s why he left her Mom. Kids were so cruel and she’d rather stay home and read borrowed library books than hang around them. It was a lonely childhood but perhaps they did her a favor because she was laughing all the way to the bank now. She was proud of what she accomplished. She was proud of her Mom too. Kate was the best example of a single mother accomplishing the impossible.
    Maggie hugged herself tighter. Many times she thought about showing the world who was behind those best sellers just so she could show those old childhood schoolmates that she wasn’t trash. But then she realized they were just kids too back then and her privacy meant more to Maggie than anything else. She was happy doing what she loved. She shivered. She’d be happier if Jake would come rescue her. He was going to owe her big time for this!

Chapter Five
    “Maggie! Maggie!” She heard the deep voice shouting her name before she even heard the sound of the boat. Finally! He was out there somewhere calling for her. Maggie crawled to the entrance on her knees and peeked out of her little safe house, the rain still coming down in droves. She slung the bag that held her laptop over her shoulder but left the other things behind and started running toward the beach. The rain felt like pelts hitting her but she didn’t care, she was getting off this island! It was darker now and she could see the beam of light he was waving around.
    “Jake,” she shouted. “Jake!” She ran towards the light. “Where have you been, I’ve been scared to death!”
    “I’m so sorry Maggie.” He wrapped his arm around her and squeezed tight and then drug her towards his boat, trying to shield her from the pellets of rain crashing against them. “Come on, let’s get out of here.” Maggie let him guide her to the boat, she couldn’t breath, couldn’t think, just put one step in front of the other treading water, letting Jake guide the way. In what seemed like forever and yet in reality not more than a few moments, she found the first step and hoisted herself on board, Jake right behind.
     
    He led her towards the steps and ordered, “Go on below and dry off. There’s a bathroom down there. I’m going to get us back.” He was gasping for air but pushed her forward. Maggie didn’t argue, she went down into the lower part of the boat through a tiny door to find a dry area where she could finally see. The lower deck was all lit up so she made her way past a leather couch and small kitchen area to the bathroom where she opened the cabinet to find a few towels. The boat juked a bit and then seemed to rock back and forth as Jake headed towards the mainland. They weren’t that far from land, just far enough away that she had been stranded. She was so grateful to soon be back to her little bungalow. Jake Hatfield was not going to get away with treating her this way!
    She dried off her face and rubbed her hair dry, then noticed blood on her shirt where Jake had hugged her? What in the world? Then her gaze rested on a pile of bloody towels on the floor. “What is this?” Bending down, she noticed Jake’s white t shirt he had worn earlier today. He was hurt? He was driving the boat and he could be hurt! She turned and flung the towel into the sink as she raced back up to the deck.
    “Jake, what’s wrong? I saw...Oh Jake, what happened?” She gasped at the site of him, steering the boat into the canal with one hand holding his side while blood seeped through his shirt. His whole right side was covered in blood. It suddenly occurred to her that Jake came back for her when he had been hurt all along. They were so intent on getting off the island that she hadn’t noticed.
    She ran to his side because he looked like he was ready to topple over. “Let me help you, Jake, please!” she cried. He looked at her with desolate smoky eyes and grinned the best he could. He looked exhausted.
    “OK Maggie, I’m bringing the rig in. When I do, grab the rope