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He didn’t knohat to make of her She was all of five foot tild red curls that squiggled and zigzagged like hieroglyphs Her figure was slender, dressed neatly in a white tee and jeans

The face, half-hidden by those rampant curls, was pretty and fine-featured, her skin pale except for the fever-colored flush on her cheeks And her eyes--dark and heavy-lashed, the color of bittersweet chocolate She ree, the funny, interesting ones he would stay up half the night and talk with, but never date He had dated the trophies instead, the ones that other guys had envied hiht have missed out on

"Can I talk to you so ie said lightly "Stop by whenever" She nudged the shell across the counter "Why don’t you take this hoain"

"Hey, you guys!" A smooth, sunny voice cairlfriend from Seattle She was smart, beautiful, and one of the nicest people Mark had ever known You could take Shelby anywhere, in any kind of company, and she would find a way to fit in

Shelby approached the blond hair behind one ear She was dressed in khaki capris, a neat white shirt, and ballet flats, with no adorns "Sorry I was a fewin the shop a couple doors down, but it didn’t work out I see you got soirl nodded, silent as usual

With a mixture of worry and wry a to talk in front of Shelby Should he say anything about what had just happened? No, that ht put pressure on Holly Best to leave it alone, stay loose

Glancing at their surroundings, Shelby said, "What a great little shop Next tis forto be here before we know it" She curled her hand around Mark’s arht, we should probably go now"

"Sure thing" Mark took the bag from the counter, and reached for the shell in Holly’s hand "Want htly, wanting to carry it herself

"Okay," Mark said, "but try not to drop it" Looking back at the little redhead behind the counter, he saw that she was reorganizing the pens in the cup by the register, straightening a row of tiny stuffed aniht cah the s and struck the brilliant red in her curls

"Bye," he said "And thanks"

Maggie Conroy gave hi in his direction Which was how he knew that she’d been set as thoroughly off balance as he had

After dropping Shelby off at the airport, with its single strip of runway, Mark took Holly back home to Rainshadow Vineyard It was about five and a half miles from Friday Harbor, on the southwest part of the island at False Bay You had to drive with care on Sunday to avoid people on bicycles or horses Black-tailed deer, tarass and blackberry bramble to saunter across the roads at their leisure

Mark left the s of his pickup open, letting the ocean-softened air flow into the vehicle "Do you see that?" He pointed to a bald eagle soaring overhead

"Uh-huh"

"Do you see what he’s carrying in his talons?"

"A fish?"

"Probably Either he pulled it from the water, or stole it fro it?" Holly’s voice was hesitant, as if she, too, was surprised to be hearing herself talk

"Maybe to the nest Male eagles take care of the chicks, just like the females do"

Holly received this information with a prosaic nod From what she knew of the world, this was entirely plausible