and care in a tangible way. Amen.
Chapter Three
The low-battery light gave an ominous blink, and as Morgan shut down her laptop in frustration, her stomach rumbled. Again.
Her foray into Seaside to buy food had been useless, so she’d had to make do with the meager provisions in the cottage. And she was rationing those. Which wasn’t easy, since her last real meal had been a late lunch yesterday. So far, she’d eaten one can of cold soup and a few crackers, all the while thinking about the meal A.J. and Morgan had planned. The pitiful can of soup, tin of tuna and handful of crackers that remained just depressed her, so she knew she needed to do something to distract herself. Namely, more work.
Her face resolute, she moved her laptop aside, reached for her bulging briefcase, and withdrew the latest layouts and copy for an upcoming ad campaign. Looking at photos of toothpaste and reading about the merits of the product wasn’t the most exciting activity for Christmas Day, but it had to be done sooner or later. And since she had nothing else planned for the day, she might as well get it over with.
But as Morgan tried to focus on the layouts, she found her attention wandering to the scene outside the bay window. It was just as lovely in the early afternoon as it had been this morning. The view of the sea was framed by a few fir trees, and there appeared to be a small beach. The rough water was dotted with frothy whitecaps that peaked and dissolved in rapid succession, and the vast expanse of open sea was mesmerizing. She set her pen aside and propped her chin in her hand, the ad copy forgotten for the moment.
A sudden knock on the door startled her out of her reverie, and she looked toward it in surprise—and with more than a little trepidation. No one in town knew she was here except Grant Kincaid. And he was unlikely to make an appearance on a holiday, she thought wryly. In Boston, she never answered the door without having the security guard in her building screen visitors. However, she didn’t have that luxury out here. And this was a pretty isolated spot.
She reached for her cell phone, then made her way to the door and checked for a peephole. No luck. She moved to the window. A pickup truck was parked next to her sporty car, but she couldn’t get a glimpse of her visitor from this angle.
Another knock sounded, this time with a bit more force, and she moved back to the door. At least there was a chain lock. Not that that would do her much good if someone was determined to get in. But it would slow them down while she called 911.
Sliding back the chain, Morgan opened the door just enough to peer out with one eye. A man with vivid blue eyes and neatly trimmed sandy brown hair stood on the other side, dressed in a wool topcoat with a scarf wrapped around his neck. He appeared to be several inches taller than Morgan, maybe close to six feet. And he definitely did not look like a derelict.
“May I help you?” she said, her voice muffled through the door.
“I’m Grant Kincaid. May I come in?”
Morgan’s eyes widened. “Of course. Sorry for the caution, but I’m a big-city girl. I wasn’t expecting anyone today.” She slid the lock back, then moved behind the door as she opened it to give him access to the small entry area.
Stepping inside, Grant pulled off his gloves while she shut the door behind him. “Sorry to disturb you on Christmas, but…” His voice died as he turned and found himself face to face with the woman he’d seen in church. The one who had been fighting off tears, who had looked so alone and sad. Which was not at all the image he’d formed of Morgan Williams. In his mind, he’d come to think of her as cold, calculating and rather hard. This slender woman, dressed in black slacks and a soft angora sweater the exact color of her jade-green eyes, didn’t look hard at all.
But there was surprise on both sides The man with whom she shared ownership of this cottage wasn’t at all what Morgan had expected, either. For some reason she’d thought he would be older. But he looked to be only in his late thirties. And what was the reason for that odd expression on his face? As the silence lengthened, she grew uncomfortable. “Is something wrong?” she asked at last.
Grant forced himself to take a deep breath. “Sorry for staring. I was expecting a stranger, but I saw you in church this morning.”
“A rare occurrence, I assure you,” Morgan told him, feeling hot color steal up her neck. “But it is Christmas. And I didn’t have anything else to do. With the electricity out, I knew I wouldn’t get much work done today once my laptop battery died. I see you found my scarf.”
He held it out. “A fir tree out front was wearing it. The wind here can be pretty fierce.”
“So I discovered last night. Thanks for rescuing this.” She draped the black cashmere scarf over a convenient chair. “What brings you over on a holiday?” she asked, emphasizing the last word.
She was sounding more and more like the Morgan he’d dealt with before, Grant thought.
“I tried to call several times yesterday to make sure you’d arrived safely and had settled in, but you never answered. Then, when I called this morning, I discovered the phones weren’t working. I also heard the electricity was out in parts of the peninsula, and Jo’s cottage is often affected when that happens. So I just wanted to make sure you were okay.” He glanced toward the fireplace. “I laid a fire in the grate, but I see you discovered the back-up kerosene heaters. Is everything else okay?”
Morgan looked at the fireplace. She hadn’t even noticed the stacked kindling, waiting to be lit. She was touched by the thoughtful gesture—and by his visit. Even though it was Christmas, Grant had gone out of his way to check on her. For the first time since his arrival, there was genuine warmth in her voice when she replied.
“Yes, thank you. I’m sorry to have interrupted your holiday.”
“I was on my way to my sister’s, so it wasn’t a problem. Did you find the candles?” He started to pull his gloves back on.
“I didn’t even look. It was already light when the electricity went out.”
“There should be some on the bottom shelf of the credenza by the table. Let me check.”
As he moved through the living room and into the dining area, he glanced at the table. Morgan was sure his perceptive eyes missed nothing—neither the ad copy spread across the surface nor the soup, tuna and crackers. She expected him to make some comment about working on Christmas, but when he turned back to her, his question surprised her. “Is that your dinner?”
“I planned to stop on the way up and get a few things, but I left the office late and the weather turned bad, so I just kept driving. I have a couple of frozen microwave dinners, though, if the electricity ever comes back on.”
“That could take a while.”
“Well, at least I won’t have to worry about gaining weight over the holiday,” she said with a rueful smile.
“Besides, I’m sure the stores in town will be open tomorrow. I can stock up on what I need then.”
But that didn’t solve her problem today. Instead of responding, Grant turned and pulled open the door of the credenza, crouching down to check out the bottom shelf—and buy himself some time. He and Morgan might be reluctant partners with major philosophical differences, but he didn’t feel right about leaving her alone to eat tuna and a bowl of cold soup on Christmas Day. Not when Kit always made enough food for an army and would be the first
