6. Carrie #2
Together they dragged the unconscious man into the lee of the shed, where the storm’s rage dulled to a roar. Matt pulled his flashlight from his coat and shone it on the figure.
And shook his head at the man that lay in front of him, deathly pale and unconscious.
“Why would anyone risk being out in this storm?” Matt demanded, anger sharpening his voice.
“Because he’s a complete idiot,” Andy muttered. Then his voice tightened as he pointed. “His leg. Look.” He shuddered. “That’s a lot of blood.”
Matt angled the beam lower. The man’s sweatpants were soaked with blood. A deep gash ran across his thigh. His leg lay at an awkward angle.
Matt dropped to his knees, ripping the wet fabric wider. “I’m no doctor, but that’s bad. The leg might be broken. The gash is deep, but luckily there is no bone through the skin.”
Andy turned pale and looked away. “Sorry. I can’t stand the sight of blood.”
“Not many can.” Matt worked quickly, tearing more of the sweatpants and binding the wound tight. “We need a tourniquet.”
Andy yanked his belt free and thrust it at Matt. “Here.”
“Thanks.” Matt looped the belt above the wound and cinched it tight. The bleeding slowed. He exhaled. “That’ll hold. But we need to move him. Get him back to the house.”
Andy looked toward the seething blackness. “How? In this?”
“Carefully.” Matt braced himself. “I’ll sling him over my shoulder.”
Andy shook his head. “Don’t we need to keep his leg elevated?”
Matt gave him a grim smile. “We’ll have to take our chances.”
He hefted the man onto his shoulder. The weight nearly drove him to his knees, but he locked his jaw and adjusted his grip. “Let’s go.”
The storm fought them every step, but Matt pushed forward, following the faint glow of the lantern Andy carried as they made their way back toward the house, with the dogs keeping pace at his side.
CARRIE
The door creaked wider. A shadow slipped inside, hunched over like a comic villain tiptoeing into a place they shouldn’t be. He had a balaclava on.
Carrie’s pulse roared in her ears.
The figure crossed the room and crouched by the bed, shoving at it as he moved it. I didn’t look under the bed. The thought rushed to her mind as another one hit her, and the person straightened. Her eyes widened. That can’t be Oscar! The person was stockier and maybe slightly taller.
Carrie’s breath steadied. She forced her pulse to slow down and stepped from the shadows, taser raised.
“Stop.”
The figure spun. In the dim light from the window, she saw the gleam of a blade in his hand. A balaclava covered his face, leaving only the whites of his eyes.
Her mind snapped back to another night, only that time Carrie was staring down the barrel of a gun, and a sickening lurch of fear rose in her gut that sparked anger over being made to feel afraid and helpless. NO. Not again. Not this time. I’m not a victim.
Before he could come at her, Carrie lunged, jamming the taser into his side. Electricity crackled, blue-white and violent.
The man’s body convulsed. His knife clattered to the floor. He crumpled, a heavy thud shaking the floorboards.
Carrie stood over him, chest heaving, taser still buzzing in her trembling grip.
MATT
Matt staggered through the front door, drenched, muscles burning. He laid the unconscious man on the sofa. Andy slammed the door, locking it against the storm after the dogs tumbled inside, soaked and panting, shaking water across the foyer.
“I’ll get Carrie,” Matt said, breathless. “She’ll know where Lori keeps the first aid kit.”
“I’ll get the fire going again,” Andy called, already fumbling with the lantern and kindling.
Matt pounded up the stairs, taking them two at a time. His heart thudded harder than the storm outside.
At Carrie’s door, he froze, hearing a strange sound—the sharp crackle of electricity, followed by a groan, then a thud like someone falling.
“Carrie!” Matt shouted, slamming the door open.
She spun toward him, taser still clutched in her hand, her face pale, eyes wide. The taser clattered to the floor as she flew into his arms, trembling, her body shaking against his chest.
“What on earth happened?” Matt demanded, holding her tight.
“I was searching the room,” she gasped, words tumbling over each other. “I heard footsteps. At first, I thought it was Oscar. But it wasn’t. He had a knife. I—I used the taser.”
“It’s not Oscar.” Matt’s stomach dropped. “Oscar’s downstairs. Knocked out. The stupid kid ran outside, probably trying to create a diversion, and knocked himself out. Andy found him.”
Carrie pulled back, her face stricken. She looked down at the unconscious figure on the floor.
“If Oscar’s downstairs…” Carrie’s voice was soft. “Then who is that?” She pointed to the man on the bedroom floor.
Matt released her reluctantly, then stepped forward. He hooked a hand into the balaclava and yanked it free.
Carrie gasped.
Matt’s breath hissed out between his teeth.
“Ian Marshall?” they said together.
END OF BOOK THREE
Take me to Book 4 of Lost Love Cove!
Lost Love Cove (Sunset Keys Romance Series Book 4)
She came to the cove to escape her past. He came to rebuild his future. Neither expected to find the one thing they’d both given up on—love.
After a near-fatal shooting and a broken heart, sixty-year-old police captain Carrie Ware heads to Florida’s dreamy Sunset Keys to regroup. Swapping homes with her childhood best friend for the summer, she hopes Lost Love Cove will offer the peace her soul desperately needs.
But peace is hard to find next door to Matt Parker.
At sixty-five, Matt is a gruff, grieving widower with a hammer in one hand and a broken past in the other. He's not just rebuilding a house—he’s rebuilding a life. The last thing he expects is to clash with his new neighbor… or feel anything again.
When an unexpected land dispute unearths whispers of fraud, missing heirs, and old betrayals, Carrie’s instincts kick in—and so does her heart.
As the mystery deepens and danger creeps closer, Carrie and Matt must decide if they’re ready to let go of their ghosts and trust the tide that brought them together.
Set against a lush, coastal backdrop where the sea carries secrets and legends promise redemption, Lost Love Cove is an uplifting later-in-life romance with a light twist of mystery and magic.
Fans of heartfelt second chances, seaside legends, and clean, sweet romance with a touch of mystery will fall in love with Sunset Keys. Don’t just read the legend—live it.
Grab your copy ofLost Love Covenow and discover why love always returns to the cove.
Take me to Book 4!