Wandering Heart (9781101561362)
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Authors: Katherine Thomas; Spencer Kinkade,Katherine Spencer
Heart
The Angel Island Titles
THE INN AT ANGEL ISLAND
THE WEDDING PROMISE
A WANDERING HEART
The Cape Light Titles
CAPE LIGHT
HOME SONG
A GATHERING PLACE
A NEW LEAF
A CHRISTMAS PROMISE
THE CHRISTMAS ANGEL
A CHRISTMAS TO REMEMBER
A CHRISTMAS VISITOR
A CHRISTMAS STAR
A WISH FOR CHRISTMAS
ON CHRISTMAS EVE
CHRISTMAS TREASURES
Heart
An Angel Island Novel
T
HOMAS
K
INKADE
& Katherine Spencer
THE BERKLEY PUBLISHING GROUP
Published by the Penguin Group
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This book is an original publication of The Berkley Publishing Group.
P
UBLISHER’S
N
OTE
: The recipes contained in this book are to be followed exactly as written. The publisher is not responsible for your specific health or allergy needs that may require medical supervision. The publisher is not responsible for any adverse reactions to the recipes contained in this book.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.
Copyright © 2012 by The Thomas Kinkade Company and Parachute Publishing, LLC.
Jacket design by Lesley Worrell.
Jacket image:
Serenity Cove
by Thomas Kinkade, copyright © 2006 Thomas Kinkade.
Text design by Tiffany Estreicher.
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.
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FIRST EDITION
: April 2012
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Kinkade, Thomas, (date)–
A wandering heart / Thomas Kinkade and Katherine Spencer.
p. cm.
ISBN: 978-1-101-56136-2
1. Cape Light (Imaginary place)—Fiction. 2. New England—Fiction.
I. Spencer, Katherine, (date–) II. Title.
PS3561.I534W36 2012
813′.54—dc23
2011047722
PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
ALWAYS LEARNING
PEARSON
Dear Friends,
Once again it is my pleasure to welcome you to the Inn at Angel Island. I am happy to hear from so many of you that you have enjoyed your previous visits to the homey inn on quiet and peaceful Angel Island. You may find the place a little changed this time.
Liza Martin, the innkeeper, is still here managing the lovely inn where she spent so many happy summers as a child. And of course Claire North is there, as always, serving up her nourishing cooking along with her nourishing wisdom. But yet the inn is different this time. The fact is … it has been hit by a force more powerful than a hurricane. No, I don’t mean the invasion of the inn by a film crew and its glamorous stars … although that has certainly caused some excitement. But the force I am talking about is much stronger. That force is love.
A Wandering Heart shows us many kinds of love. Love for our wives and husbands, for our friends, our families, our pets, our homes, and of course, our love for God. Surely love is a blessing. Not only does love bring us happiness, but it also shines a light on our lives, reminding us that whether you are a famous movie star like Charlotte Miller, who is staying at the inn, or a self-sufficient fisherman like Colin Doyle … love will show you what is really important and meaningful in life.
A star like Charlotte Miller certainly has a life that many people envy, but she is carrying a secret that tears a hole in her heart. Audrey Gilroy, who, with her husband, runs the island’s goat farm, has little
in common with Charlotte’s high-pressure lifestyle, but she, too, feels an emptiness that holds her back from truly appreciating the many blessings of her life. But here on Angel Island, where a glimpse of the cliffs that are shaped like angel wings can be as inspiring as the nave of the grandest cathedral, miracles are known to happen. On this island where help and hope are never farther than a few doors away, it is always possible to be in touch with our faith and the most important love of all—God’s love for us, His children.
I hope you enjoy your stay at the Inn at Angel Island. We are always glad to have you back.
Share the Light,
Thomas Kinkade and Katherine Spencer
Chapter One
“T
HERE’S
a space, Liza. Look, that blue car is about to pull out.” Claire North pointed to a dark blue compact parked in front of the Cape Light post office.
Liza Martin had noticed it, too. She hit the brakes and flipped on the turn signal, then waited to pull in.
“Finally,” she said. “I thought we were going to have to turn around and go back to Angel Island. What in the world is going on around here?”
“Main Street does seem crowded for a Monday,” Claire observed. “Maybe it’s just summer people.”
“I guess,” Liza answered as she steered her SUV into the parking space.
The town of Cape Light and nearby Angel Island, where Liza ran an inn—with Claire’s indispensable assistance—entertained their fair share of tourists. But this amount of traffic and lack of parking spaces seemed unusual, even for August. Though Liza and Claire
usually came into Cape Light once a week to shop and pick up supplies for the inn, Liza had never seen the town so crowded.
Maybe the quiet, off-the-beaten-track town had been included on some New England bus tour route? Liza thought she wouldn’t mind a few buses driving over the bridge and steering in her direction. Rainy weeks in July had washed away most of the inn’s advance reservations.
“I wish a few summer people would drive out to the island and fill our driveway with cars. Plenty of parking spaces there. Maybe I should leave some brochures around.”
“Couldn’t hurt,” Claire agreed. She picked up her shopping bags from the backseat and Liza put a few coins in the meter.
Claire was wearing one of her typical summer outfits—a sleeveless cotton blouse, very neatly ironed, and a long cotton skirt with a pattern of small flowers, loose fitting and falling below her knees. Her sandals, with thick rubber soles and crisscross straps around her feet, were neat and practical. The same went for her hair, which was pinned up in its usual style, parted in the middle and coiled in a bun at her nape, emphasizing her round face and pale blue eyes. Her long hair had once been blond but was now a shade of golden gray.
Claire had very smooth skin, almost wrinkle free, and Liza thought Claire was a pretty woman for her age, which she guessed to be in her late fifties or early sixties. She would never say. It was one of the many mysteries about Claire North. As honest and plain-spoken as Claire was, she could also be quite elusive.
The two women headed down the street toward the harbor. The sky was low and hazy, the heavy air hinting at more rain in the forecast. Liza’s cotton sundress stuck to her skin in an instant.
“First stop, hardware store?” Claire asked.
“I think so. Let’s see … we need a doorknob for the upstairs bathroom, and I have to pick up the new window shutters.”
Liza walked along, staring down at her list, and suddenly heard quick footsteps behind her. A distinct bump nearly knocked her off her feet but luckily Claire grabbed her arm before she lost her balance completely.
“Whoops, sorry, ladies. Didn’t even see you there.”
Before Liza could respond, the culprit sprinted by. But she easily recognized him. Charlie Bates, owner of the Clam Box Diner, still wearing his apron and a Red Sox baseball cap.
Liza and Claire stood side by side and watched him jog down the street. “What in the world has gotten into him?” Claire murmured.
“Maybe there’s a big sale on clams going on at the dock,” Liza joked. “Charlie must go through bushels every week.”
Before Claire could answer, more people rushed out of the Clam Box. Liza recognized one of them as Sophie Potter, the woman who owned the orchard outside of town. She didn’t recognize Sophie’s companion, also a senior, her arm looped in Sophie’s as they walked along rather briskly for their age. They were headed for the harbor and chatting excitedly every step of the way.
Liza and Claire stepped back to keep from being mowed down again.
“Kitchen fire?” Claire asked.
“No chance. Charlie would be in there, beating down the flames with his own apron. I don’t think they’re running from something in the diner,” Liza speculated. “I think they’re running toward something at the harbor.”
“Yes, of course. That makes sense,” Claire agreed.
Liza glanced across the street and noticed more people hurriedly
leaving shops and offices, heading toward the harbor and village green.
They had walked down another block and stood in front of Harbor Hardware. Claire tried the door but it was locked. They both saw the note taped to the glass at the same time. Claire read it aloud, “‘Be back in fifteen. Frank.’”