Page 5 of Unexpected Entanglement

But his eyes closed, and he went limp.

“Dad!” Rowan checked his breath, then his pulse with trembling fingers. None. She quickly laid her father’s head back on the ground and tried remembering the steps of CPR she’d learned years ago.

Oh god, what am I supposed to do?

Rowan called out a command to her phone, “Call Kieran!”

As the phone rang, she tilted her father’s head back to open his airway. Pinching his nostrils shut, she gave him her breath.

Pick up, pick up, pick up!

The sound of a siren echoed over the soft surf hitting the rocks on the shore and the phone calling her brother. Rowan continued breathing for her father, hoping she bought him enough time until the EMT arrived.

two

The Bright Head Farm & Inn, Vinalhaven Island, Maine—June, eight months later

Rowan gazed out the large windows of the inn’s library, but she wasn’t seeing the beautiful view in front of her. She was numb with disbelief.

She’d been filling up the library’s new built-in shelves with an extensive selection of books when she answered the estate lawyer’s phone call. She’d imagined the future guests of the Bright Head Farm & Inn borrowing the popular cozy mysteries or thrillers she’d selected. Or, if they preferred, there were also a healthy number of romance novels from the sweet to the spicier kind. There were many reading and entertainment options for children and teenagers of all ages, including board and card games. She’d thought of everything guests might need in case indoor recreation was called for.

Though the future of the inn might be in jeopardy as she listened to the lawyer on the phone.

“Do you understand what I have explained, Miss Kelly?” Miss Clark asked.

Rowan finally found her voice, though what came out sounded more like a croak. “No, Miss Clark. I’ve allocated most of the funds for the staff I’m supposed to hire and the final preparations for the inn. We are already behind schedule as it is. Now you’retelling me I can’t access the funds my father left us unless all trustees consent to the fund appropriation? I don’t know how we can continue to the next phase.”

“My advice is to postpone the next phase until we can resolve the issue with the third trustee,” Miss Clark stated.

The next phase was the soft opening of the inn for the rest of the high season. But first, she had to prepare for her cousin Meredith’s wedding in two weeks. So Miss Clark’s informing Rowan that she and Kieran couldn’t withdraw money from the Bright Head trust fund threw a wrench in her plan.

“And when can we resolve this?” Rowan almost screeched in her frustration.

“We are doing our best to reach Miss Allen,” Miss Clark replied.

It had been months since the reading of her father’s will. The passing of the Bright Head estate’s ownership to his children had been expected, but when the lawyer had read the third name—Rae Allen—Kieran had stood up and left the room without a word, while Rowan had sat there and prevented the lawyer from calling Kieran back.

Her father’s last words had echoed in her head: “Find Rae.”

It’d taken Kieran and her some time to digest the new reality, but they’d eventually accepted it, albeit, in Kieran’s case, somewhat begrudgingly.

“She hasn’t responded to the letters?” Rowan asked. “Can’t you call her?”

“We are doing everything we can. Given the nature of Miss Allen’s profession, it is possible she isn’t in the country and hasn’t received her mail yet.”

“Then be more creative. This is the twenty-first century, Miss Clark. There are other ways to reach a person besides the mail and telephone,” Rowan rebuked.

“We’ll try different avenues. I’ll update you as soon as I hear from Miss Allen,” Miss Clark assured, then said goodbye.

Rowan looked at the cellphone in her hand in utter disbelief. She heaved a long sigh and shook her head, willing the headache to disappear. She had a full day ahead of her. She couldn’t let the call plague the rest of her day.

She was adding “research Rae’s sites” to her already long to-do list when she heard the front door open. She left the library and found Kieran taking space in the lobby. She’d alwaysenvied his six-foot-five-inch frame. Not that she wanted to be that tall, but if he could share some of his height, she would take a few inches to add to her five-foot-five.

“Hey,” Rowan greeted.

Kieran handed her a pile of envelopes. “I brought your mail.”

“Thanks.” She started skimming through them.

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