Morning
sunlight peeked above the trees and sparkled upon Sand Lake. Samantha Murray
adjusted her sail as it billowed in the wind. Her little boat glided across the
smooth water. The breeze lifted her hair, and she smiled. What a wonderful way
to begin the day. Except for a couple of fishing boats, she had the lake to
herself.
Sam
headed toward the south shore and home. Nestled in the trees, the two-story
wood-framed house sat high on the hill. With four bedrooms and two screened-in
porches, it had been home to the Murrays since the turn of the nineteenth
century.
The
distant hum of a motorboat broke the peaceful silence. As the sound got closer,
Samantha glanced over her shoulder and frowned. A speedboat, seeming to fly
over the water, bore down on her at full throttle.
The boat
passed close to her, its wake rocking Samantha’s sailboat so hard she started
to slide off the flat, shallow deck.
“Hey!”
she called as she hung half-in and half-out of the water.
“Damn,”
Samantha cursed as she attempted to keep the boat upright. When she finally
managed to right the boat and climb back on, the speedboat had turned and
headed back toward her.
“What is
the matter with you?” she shouted before the driver said a word. She brushed
long strands of soaking wet hair from her face. “Didn’t you see me? How fast
were you going anyway? You know there are rules on this lake about endangering
others.”
When he
pulled closer to her and removed his sunglasses, Samantha’s anger turned into
shock. Was her imagination playing tricks? Could Zack Hunter actually be
sitting in front of her? She blinked, but he didn’t disappear.
His eyes
opened wide before a smile slowly spread across his face. “Samantha.”
With her
mind a jumble of emotions and her stomach taking a nosedive, she was incapable
of speech.
“Hey,
hi, sorry about the wake. The throttle stuck, and the steering wheel jerked
left. Umm, anyway, how’re you doing?” He grinned. “Remember me?”
Remember
him? Was he serious? A girl usually doesn’t forget the guy she surrendered her
virginity to. She studied his face, the killer smile that turned her knees to
Jello, cornflower blue eyes she’d seen deepen with passion, the firm lips that
kissed her senseless, and the low sexy voice that murmured words of love. What
she didn’t see was guilt or regret for walking away and leaving her with a
broken heart.
“I’m
sorry. You do look kind of familiar.” His brow furrowed, and he cocked his
head. His evident confusion gave her some satisfaction. Good, the arrogant
ass is wondering if I’m serious.
