Silent Fall

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SUMMER SECRETS

    Excerpt - @ Copyright 2011 Barbara Freethy
    All Rights Reserved

    Prologue

    Ship's log, Moon Dancer, July 10
    Wind: 40 knots, gusting to 65 knots
    Sea Conditions: rough, choppy, wild
    Weather Forecast: rain, thunder, lightning

    Kate McKenna's fingers tightened around the pen in her hand as the Moon Dancer surfed up one wave and down the next. The ship's log told nothing of their real journey, revealed none of the hardships, the secrets, the heartbreak, the danger they now faced. She wanted to write it down, but she couldn't. Her father's instructions were explicit: Nothing but the facts.
    She couldn't write that she was worried, but she was. The weather was turning, the barometer dropping. A big storm was coming. If they changed course, they would lose valuable time, and her father would not consider that option. They were currently in second place   -- second place and heading straight into the fury of the sea. She could hear the winds beginning to howl. She feared there would be hell to pay this night. Everyone's nerves were on edge. Arguments could be heard in every corner of the boat. She wanted to make it all go away. She wanted to take her sisters and go home, but home was at the other end of the ocean.
    "Kate, get up here!" someone yelled.
    She ran up on deck, shocked to the core by the intensity of the storm. The spray blew so hard it almost took the skin off her face. She had to move, had to help her father reef down the sails to the storm jib. But all she could do was stare at the oncoming wave. It must be forty feet high and growing. Any second it would crash over their boat. How on earth would they survive?
    And, if they didn't, would anyone ever know the true story of their race around the world?

Chapter One

    Eight years later...

    "The wind blew and the waves crashed as the mighty dragon sank into the sea to hide in the dark depths of the ocean until the next sailor came too close to the baby dragons. The end."
    Kate McKenna smiled at the enraptured looks on the faces before her. Ranging in age from three to ten, the children sat on thick, plump cushions on the floor in a corner of her store, Fantasia. They came three times a week to hear her read stories or tell tales. At first they were chatty and restless, but once the story took hold, they were hers completely. Although it wasn't the most profitable part of her bookstore business, it was by far the most enjoyable.
    "Tell us another one," the little girl sitting next to her pleaded.
    "One more," the other children chorused.
    Kate was tempted to give in, but the clock on the wall read five minutes to six, and she was eager to close on time this Friday night. It had been a long, busy week, and she had inventory to unpack before the weekend tourist crowds descended. "That's all for today," she said, getting to her feet. Although the children protested, the group gradually drifted from the store, a few mothers making purchases on their way out the door.
    "Great story," Theresa Delantoni said. "Did you make that up as you went along, or did you read it somewhere?"
    "A little of both," Kate told her assistant. "My dad used to tell us stories about dragons that lived under the sea. One time we were sailing just outside the Caribbean, and the sea suddenly seemed to catch fire. Dragons, I thought, just like my father said. It turned out to be phosphorus algae. But my sisters and I preferred the fire-breathing dragon story."
    "A romantic at heart."
    "It's a weakness, I admit."
    "Speaking of romance..." Theresa's cheeks dimpled into an excited smile, "it's my anniversary, and I have to leave now.   I promised I wouldn't be late, because our baby sitter can only give us two hours." Theresa took her purse out of the drawer behind the counter. "I hate to leave you with all those boxes to unpack."
    "But you will." Kate followed her to the door. "Don't think twice. You deserve a night off with that darling husband of yours."
    Theresa blushed. "Thanks. After eight years of marriage and two babies who need a lot of attention, sometimes I forget how lucky I am."
    "You are lucky."
    "And you are great with kids. You should think about having some of your own."
    "It's easy to be great for an hour."
    "Brrr," Theresa said as they walked out of the store together. She stopped to zip up her sweater. "The wind is picking up."
    Â  "Out of the southwest," Kate said automatically, her experienced nautical eye