Under the Boardwalk (27 page)

~END~

Spend
Christmas in Pajaro Bay
:

Ashby Drew took the flyer the teenager handed her and looked for a place to sit in the crowd on the beach. The long walk from the bus station down to the oceanfront had tired her more than she expected. She hadn't gotten much exercise in a 6x8 cell.

The beach held quite a crowd for such a tiny coastal town. If this year was anything like it used to be when she lived here, everyone in the village had shown up.

A woman with curly red hair carrying a ginger-haired baby in a front carrier waved to her.

Ashby looked around, but didn't see anyone else the woman could be waving to.

"Yeah, you," the redhead said. "Have a seat."

Ashby sat down on the folding chair next to her.

"I've been new, too," the woman said.

Ashby started to correct her, but then just said, "thanks."

The woman nestled the baby closer, and he sighed in his sleep. He was comfy in his baby blue carrier, his little sailor hat shading his face from the brilliant sunshine. Ashby felt tears sting her eyes. Must be the brightness of the sun. Or something else. After all, it had been nine years, ten months and eighteen days since she'd last been this close to a baby.

"He's dressed for the occasion," the woman said. "Perfect fall day on the California coast, isn't it?"

Ashby nodded. She had dreamed of this kind of day for so long. The women's prison in the Central Valley was stale and dark, hot in summer and cold in winter.

A day like this was a gift, with the sky a rich blue, the sun already warming the sand under their feet, and the breeze wafting the tang of ocean air gently toward them. It was a dream. A dream needing only one more wish fulfilled to make it perfect.

She uncrumpled the flyer in her hand and looked at it.
Official Kick-Off to Pajaro Bay's Christmas Season: The Cowabunga Kid and Canine Surfing Event, Hosted by Santa. Saturday, 9:30 a.m. to Whenever. Followed by beach picnic and pie-eating contest.

Farther down the beach the driftwood campfires for the hot dog roasting were already going strong. The sharp smell of the smoke mingled with the sea air, and she was suddenly far away, with Xander O'Keeffe whispering to her by a long-ago campfire. The memory was so vivid she could feel his breath against her ear, and she had to focus hard on the flyer to bring herself back to the present.

Then she noticed what had been right in front of her all the time. The flyer was in bright, happy colors, with a photo of a grinning little black-and-white dog balanced on the front of a pink surfboard, surrounded by frothy white surf.

And on the back of the board stood a girl. A girl with a grin as big as the dog's. Even in the still picture Ashby could see the high energy in the kid, the excitement in her eyes as she perched effortlessly atop the longboard. The girl had long golden hair in twin braids brushing her shoulders, and a tan that spoke of too many days at the beach without enough sunscreen. She wore a pink-flowered bikini like a second skin.

Ashby caressed the caption under the picture with one finger:
National Youth Champion Ria O'Keeffe will be special guest at this youth surfing event.

National Youth Champion.

Ashby rested her palm on the photograph. To be a national champion youth surfer was quite an achievement for a little girl who was only nine years, ten months and eighteen days old....

Christmas in Pajaro Bay
, a full-length romantic mystery, will be available this winter.

(Yes, Pajaro Bay folks, that friendly redhead is Camilla Stewart-Knight from
The Honeymoon Cottage
and that's her new baby with Ryan! You'll see more of them in the Christmas novel, as well as Hallie & Kyle from
Under the Boardwalk
, and Lori and Matt from
Shadow's Lady
. But
Christmas in Pajaro Bay
is mainly about newspaper editor Alec O'Keeffe, his daughter Ria, and Ria's long-lost mom, Ashby Drew. Can they become a family at last, or will the danger from Ashby's past keep them apart?)

Send an email to
[email protected]
if you'd like to know when the next Pajaro Bay story is released (and get first notice of free book giveaways and contests).

~*~

A Note about Carousels

Marcus Charles Illions was a real person. His Illions Supreme carousel is considered by many to be the epitome of the carousel carver's art. In reality, there were only three Supreme carousels ever produced (only one, last displayed in Pomona, California, has survived the ravages of time). Pajaro Bay's fictional fourth Supreme carousel, with its signature "flower horse," is based on the Pomona carousel. To learn more about the history of carousels and the artists who created them, I recommend:

Art of the Carousel
by Charlotte Dinger

Painted Ponies: American Carousel Art
by William Manns (that's the Illions rose horse on the cover)

Gilded Lions and Jeweled Horses
by Murray Zimiles

~*~

Recipe

A recipe from each Pajaro Bay book is posted on Barb's website. Featured recipe from
Under the Boardwalk
is
Huevos Ranchero, Madrigal Style
. Go to
http://www.BarbaraCoolLee.com
to try it yourself.

~*~

Charities

10% of the proceeds from every Pajaro Bay novel is donated to charities whose work is connected to the topic of the book. The following charities will receive quarterly donations from sales of
Under the Boardwalk
:

Foster Care to Success (
http://www.fc2success.org
), providing college funds and support for foster kids. Many people don't realize how many foster kids "age out" of the system without ever being adopted. These resilient young people need support and encouragement to continue their educations so they can succeed in life.

Santa Cruz Mission Park & Castro Adobe (
http://www.thatsmypark.org/projects/castro-adobe/
and
http://www.thatsmypark.org/projects/santa-cruz-mission/
). The Castro Adobe is the model for the fictional Madrigal Rancho, and is being restored by volunteers interested in preserving California's past for future generations.

Thank you for supporting these organizations through your purchase of Pajaro Bay stories. You can find links to all the charities receiving donations from Pajaro Bay by visiting
http://www.BarbaraCoolLee.com
.

~*~

And, finally, Thank You

I know you have a lot of choices of books to read, and I appreciate you giving
Under the Boardwalk
a try. Thanks so much!

I really appreciate honest reviews from readers. If you have a couple of minutes, I would love it if you'd rate and review
Under the Boardwalk
at
Amazon.com
,
Goodreads.com
, or any other site you use to find new books and authors. That really helps me improve my writing, and of course it helps other readers to find my books, too!

Thanks again.

~Barb

Table of Contents

Section 1