Page 5 of Finding Love

CHAPTERTWO

Brook watched the surfer and his small dog out her front window for almost ten minutes before marching across the sandy beach towards them.

Didn’t the man know there was a storm brewing? It was getting dark, and the waves had easily doubled in size in the past half hour.

The conditions out there were far too dangerous to surf right now, even for someone with his obvious talent for surfing.

She’d made it halfway across the sand before the wave took him and his dog down. She rushed the rest of the way across the sand with her eyes glued to the spot that he’d disappeared. She pulled off her shirt and shorts while she ran, prepared to dive in after him if necessary.

When she reached the edge of the water, she saw him crawl out of the waves, dragging his surfboard behind him. Her entire body relaxed.

Glancing around, she noticed the little dog had appeared about ten feet down beach and was racing towards its master, barking happily.

She stopped just shy of the man as he fell to his hands and feet, coughing and spitting out salt water and sand.

“What in the hell do you think you are doing?” she asked, her hands on her hips. She was ready to berate him further, but then he looked up at her and she quite literally lost her breath.

His rich brown hair fell forward in his eyes. It was longer than any other man’s in town. He had a short, neatly trimmed beard. Still, she could see his chiseled jawline underneath.

When his sea green eyes landed on hers, she felt her insides burst into flames.

My god. The man was beautiful.

She swallowed her next words, just as he mumbled, “Mermaid,” and passed out at her feet.

“Shit.” She knelt down beside him. Seeing a bump just behind his ear, she flipped the man over and checked for a pulse. It was strong and his breathing seemed good.

The dog rushed over and began licking the man’s face. Before she could gather the small French bulldog up, the man groaned.

Good. He hadn’t been out for long. That was a good sign. Still, she should call for an ambulance. She glanced back to where her cell phone sat in her short’s pockets, halfway across the beach.

“What?” The man groaned and grabbed his head as the dog continued to lick his face. “Willy, I’m okay,” he said, rolling slightly. He stilled when he noticed her. “You’re real?”

“Yup, and you are trespassing on my beach,” she joked.

He groaned and seemed to ignore her words while he sat up and looked around.

It was full dark now, and the only light was coming from her front porch. The clouds had blocked out the moon and stars, but there was an occasional flash of lightning that lit up the sky.

“The storm’s coming really fast,” she said, standing up. “We can wait for the ambulance inside.” She started walking towards her phone.

She was surprised at how fast the guy moved. Suddenly, he was blocking her path.

“No, I don’t need an ambulance.” He held up his hand. He held the dog in his free arm, tucked tight to his chest like a football. “I’m good.” He kicked at his surfboard leash as he walked backwards to block her. When she stopped, he leaned down and removed it from his ankle. “Please, I’m okay. Really,” he said when he straightened.

She took a deep breath, then a bolt of lightning and a loud crash of thunder less than a second later had them both jumping.

“Where are you staying?” she asked him, walking over to where her shorts, shirt, and shoes lay.

“Just down the road,” he answered quickly.

She frowned. “Where?”

He motioned. “About a mile that way.”

There was a public parking access that way and pretty much nothing else. Did he mean Edgeview? The town was in that direction but about fifteen minutes from there.

She knew it wasn’t wise to let him drive all that way, especially after hitting his head.