14

No sooner were the words spoken than she gave herself a mental kick. Could she have come off more like a teenager with a crush?

Brady chuckled but slipped an arm around her waist and tugged her closer. “I kind of like the way it sounds when I say it too.” He nodded toward a set of steps leading onto the beach. “Here’s where we get off the boardwalk, m’lady.”

Within moments, they were strolling close to the water line, holding hands and laughing as they dodged the incoming waves. They had the beach almost to themselves.

While Winter wasn’t disappointed at the lack of a crowd, she was puzzled. “It’s awfully quiet. Is this normal for the time of year?”

“Pretty much. It’s busier during summer and spring, but we still get a lot of tourists in fall—and even winter, since the weather is so mild here. Winter is actually my favorite season in Cambria, and I think word is starting to get out about all the winter wildflowers and the sheer, unexpected beauty that time of year.” He bent to pick up a rock, turned it over a couple of times in his hand, and then tossed it into the water. “It’s not as quiet here as it once was, but I’m not complaining. Tourists keep Cambria on the map and go a long way toward supporting local merchants. As long as folks still love to come here, we’ll never be a ghost town.” He laughed. “What are you doing?”

While he talked, Winter had freed her hand from his and dropped to her knees, where she dug into the sand with both hands. “This sand…it’s so unusual.”

“Right. Cambria doesn’t have a lot of true, sandy beaches. The area is really rugged and rocky, but…well, that’s obvious. Still, Moonstone Beach is unique in that it has—”

“Moonstones!” Winter grinned and triumphantly held up a shiny piece of rock in a beautiful jade color. “Right?”

“Right you are. Although, the stones on this beach aren’t true, gem-quality ‘moonstones,’ like the ones in other parts of the world. Ours are some kind of quartz, I believe—chalcedony, maybe? I know next to nothing about jewelry, but word has it that the ‘moonstones’ on this beach are very similar in appearance to the original moonstone.”

“Do they shine in the moonlight or something?” Fascinated by the pebbly sand, Winter couldn’t stop digging her fingers through it, sorting through the colorful pebbles and stones.

“Actually, yes, they do.”

Brady plopped down beside her and Winter hid a grin when his fingers started dragging through the unusual sand, even as he stared out across the waves. “Legend has it that the ancient Greeks, fascinated by the stones that reflected the glow of the moon, called them ‘moonstones.’”

“And you say you know nothing about jewelry.”

A crooked grin pulled at one corner of his lips. “I don’t. But if you live in Cambria long enough, you learn a few things about a few things.”

Winter picked up a stone the size of a large marble and polished it on her jeans. “Look what a beautiful color! Not pink, and not really purple either. Moonstones are stunning, Brady.”

He laughed. “I agree, except…well, that’s not a moonstone. That’s agate.”

“What?” Winter pinned him under a sharp, narrow-eyed gaze. “You didn’t tell me Moonstone Beach is a treasure trove of jewels. What else might I find here? And what do moonstones look like, if this isn’t one of them?”

“We should come back early one morning. That’s when you’ll find the biggest and best of them. But here, look.” He picked through a handful of sand. “The one you picked up earlier—the green one—that’s jade. This…” He held out a pea-sized, orange-hued stone. “Coral, maybe?”

“I think that would be a safe guess.” She laughed. Who would’ve thought she could have such a great time playing in the sand? “And a moonstone?”

“Patience, patience.” Brady looked up from beneath dark eyebrows and shot her a phony frown.

Winter caught her breath. In the sunlight, the blue of his eyes might have been pure sapphire. Another Cambria jewel, found only in the eyes of one heavenly-handsome local minister.

Brady let a few more handfuls of sand trickle through his fingers, dropping more pebbles into her hands as he found them. Winter now held the jade she’d picked up first, along with the pea-sized coral, a yellow-brown jasper, and a quartz.

“Plus, look at this.” He stood, pulled her up too, and then backed her against him. Wrapping one arm around her waist, he pointed back down the beach with his free hand. “Look at the sand.”

“O…K.” She shrugged. “It’s sand. A little darker than I’m used to seeing. Coarser too, but still…just sand. Am I missing something?”

He didn’t answer—but he made a slow about-face, turning them to face the other direction. “Look again.”

She gasped. “It’s a different color!” The sand was, without a doubt, lighter from this angle.

“Like magic, huh? Actually, it only appears to change color depending on the light. Could have something to do with all the colored stones and the moonstones, I guess. Kind of a neat thing though, isn’t it?”

“It’s amazing! I love it.” She opened her hand to reveal the small collection of treasures she’d accumulated and squinted against the sun to meet his gaze. “Will I be arrested if I take them home?”

“You’re not the first person to want a piece of Moonstone Beach, honey. Go ahead—dig for gold in them thar grains o’ sand.”

Winter burst out laughing, and Brady took a courtly bow. When he stood up straight again, he’d dropped the act, which Winter had thought at least better than passable, if not truly great. “Believe me, no one will miss the stones you take away from the beach, and I probably have some kind of container in my backpack. We’ll look for bigger ones before we leave.”

She caught her bottom lip between her teeth and managed a shy smile. Good heavens! How long since she’d felt shy with anyone? And when would she stop behaving like a schoolgirl with a crush around this man? “I guess I’m a little too old to get so excited about shiny rocks.”

“I hope you’re never too old to be excited about beauty, wherever you find it.” Brady took her hand and gently opened her fingers to reveal the rocks she held. “God made these stones…all of them, including the moonstone we’re going to find…just for you, Kalani. He knew you’d be the one to pick them up off this beach, on this day, and take them home.” He took the stones and dropped them in his shirt pocket. Then he raised her hand and pressed his lips against the sand-coated palm. “How can you not get excited about that?”

Winter could barely draw breath. Between the wonder of what he’d said, and the too-hot-for-words pressure of his lips on her hand, the air seemed far too thin. I am excited, angel man. And not only about these pretty pebbles that—according to you—God washed up on this shore just for me.

Brady stepped away then, and Winter pulled in a deep breath.

“Ready for a rest?” he asked. “This is a nice spot for a break.”

“It’s a perfect spot, and I guess I could use a little down time.” She grinned, loving the happy, carefree atmosphere between them. “It’s hard work digging up stones, you know.”

He chuckled as he opened his backpack and pulled out a light blanket.

“Wow! You thought of everything, didn’t you?”

“I tried.” He winked and then scanned the area through a narrowed gaze. “Stay here. I’ll be right back.” He dashed off toward the bluffs and returned within moments holding four brick-sized rocks.

Winter helped him spread the blanket, and he used the rocks to weight down the corners against the ever-present coastal breeze.

“M’lady…” He motioned her onto the blanket with an exaggerated flourish. Once she was seated, he knelt and peered inside the backpack again. “Wonder what else I could find in here?”

With an adorable grin that stole Winter’s breath and equilibrium, he produced several chunks of cheese, a number of snack crackers, a large cluster of grapes, and a couple of sweet cakes. Just when she thought the man couldn’t surprise her further, he pulled out a bottle of sparkling cider and two plastic wine glasses.

Having rendered the backpack a useless, flat bag, he settled in beside her and took her hand. “Let’s pray. Then we can enjoy this feast. Sorry it’s not fancy, but what can I say? I didn’t really plan this little excursion.”

“It’s fancy enough for me—perfect, in fact.” She squeezed the hand wrapped around her own. “Pray, angel man.”

They consumed the munchies while they chatted and then stowed their trash inside a bag Brady had brought along for that purpose. Then he leaned against a large rock and tugged on Winter’s hand. “Sit with me.”

She needed no second invitation and soon found herself tucked close against his chest, both of them facing the ocean. His long legs were stretched out on either side of her.

What happened next touched Winter in a way she couldn’t even define, because it wasn’t a momentous occurrence. Not a kiss or a touch. Nothing at all remarkable, and yet it rocked her world.

They talked. Just talked, as they looked out over the stunning view. Winter couldn’t think of a single time until now when a man took her to the beach and…talked. Getting to know each other better, discovering likes and dislikes, sharing hopes and dreams, disappointments and losses.

Winter told him what it was like to be a “military brat” in Hawaii. She talked about her rigid, militaristic father, the mother who countered that sternness with fun and hugs and lots of love. Brady spoke about his family and his childhood in a small town near Boston, and about his current life as a pastor.

Winter refused to read anything into the fact he’d skipped neatly over his teen and young adult years. Probably just happened that way. He didn’t appear to be deliberately choosing portions of his life to open up to her. And I refuse to pick apart what he does share. Not today.

Today was unspeakably beautiful… wondrous...beyond incredible. Questions and suspicions had no place in that kind of perfection, so Winter barred them from her heart and mind. She’d deal with them later. If she had to.

“Let’s go find a nice moonstone for your collection.” Brady stood and pulled her up beside him.

“Good idea.” She was more than ready to distract her mind from the direction it had taken.

They raced to outdo each other in finding the best moonstone.

Brady showed her a small one that he deemed unworthy of her collection. “See how it’s kind of clear in the middle and cloudy-white around the edges? That’s what the moonstones look like. It’s that clear center that catches the light of the moon and gives them their name.”

A half hour later, Winter’s treasure for the day included two moonstones, as well as several of the other rocks in every color except red—the one she’d most wanted to find.

Brady grinned and wiggled his eyebrows. “I guess we’ll just have to come back another day.”

“Oh, such torture!” Winter moaned. “Another day on this beach?”

Brady closed the distance between them and gathered her into his arms. “I can think of ways to make the idea less dreadful,” he murmured.

“Is that so?” Winter swayed against him, her knees weak from no more than his touch.

“Oh, yeah.” He smiled and lifted her chin with his thumb, leaving his fingers free to stroke little trails of flame against her skin. At last, he touched his lips to hers—a slow, gentle exploration that stoked a much stronger fire.

Winter placed a hand behind his neck and drew him closer, deepening the kiss. But only for a moment.

Brady took a step backward and ran a finger over her swollen lips, his eyes reflecting the effort that withdrawal had cost him. “We need to go, sweetheart. It’s time.” He scooped his backpack off the ground and slipped the straps over his shoulders.

Winter stood, swaying on unsteady legs. What had just happened?

Brady took her hand and brought it to his lips. “God knows I don’t want to stop kissing you, Winter, but—”

“Then don’t.” She gripped his fingers, desperate to be back in his arms, to let their passion carry them away somewhere even more wonderful. She tried to move closer to him, but he took a gentle yet firm hold on her arms and held her away. “Honey…please don’t.” His voice, always so smooth and pleasant, sounded ragged. “I want to give you the respect you deserve. And I have to handle this—whatever this is between us—God’s way.”

“I don’t…” She trailed off. Would she ever understand this man’s God-mentality?

“I know. You don’t understand. But you will. I’m believing you will, my love. Soon.” He reclaimed her hand and held it as they walked back to his vehicle.

Despite her confusion and the unfulfilled tingle of her senses, Winter found herself smiling. Brady hadn’t wanted to stop kissing her. She’d tuck that certainty close to her heart until next time.