Dark Paradise-e

by Carolyn LeComte

Sara Chandler has come to the big island of Hawaii to escape her troubled past and find peace in this place all the guidebooks call "Paradise." Lucas Henshaw is the first obstacle in her path to happiness. But he's not the last…

ISBN 1-59431-643-0 Romance, Mystery, Suspense

Cover art by Shelley Rodgerson

Also available in RTF and HTML formats.



Chapter 1

January

Lucas Henshaw was bullheadedness personified. Sara wondered if she could get away with tripping him, sending him face down into the dust cloud he was kicking up with his angry pacing.

But to do something so aggressive she'd need some of the spunk that had deserted her these last seven years, ever since her horror of a marriage to a controlling monster. The divorce had been final for four years; she hadn't come far in developing a spine. Her rational mind and emotional self were constantly engaged in hand-to-hand combat.

"You could lose your real estate license for this!" Lucas raged at Wade Mele. With his arms gesticulating wildly, he was creating the only breeze present on this hundred-degree day. Sara felt her own temperature rise in response to his ire. But it was fear that made her heart shudder.

A wave of frustration overwhelmed her. Was she to go through life giving into any man who intimidated her? She was so easily intimidated, too. A cross look, a harsh remark could send her scurrying, for she knew what could follow. She had learned from the best.

She couldn't take her eyes off Lucas. Every step tightened a wire around her heart, cutting into her, releasing the fear that would seep from her pores. He'd be able to smell it. He'd take advantage of it like a wild animal hunting its prey.

Lucas slammed a fist into his palm, and she flinched. Her dread fluttered inside her head like a frightened bird while familiar words thickened in her throat, choking her. Please. Stop. She fought her automatic response to run or hide. It depleted her mind's energy.

She met Wade's gaze in hopes of eliciting a helpful response. She screwed her face into a frown, but Wade looked as though he had just run from a classroom of screaming five-year-olds. His eyes shifted back and forth as though he were looking for a way out. She shook her head. It seemed like she was not the only one feeling the fiery discomfort of Lucas' behavior. She stepped back, but kept her eyes on the two men standing like fighters in their own corners, waiting for the bell to start the next round. Sara exhaled a low growl of frustration.

Wade whipped his handkerchief from his pocket and dabbed at the perspiration on his brow, suddenly appearing older than his confessed forty-two years. He seemed to wilt inside his short-sleeved white shirt as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other.

She could not remember the Hawaiian man ever appearing distressed before, not in the last four months of their search to find the perfect parcel of land for her home. But Lucas was like a wristwatch wound too tightly. One more twist and the mainspring would snap, damaging everything near it. Her insides tangled with the cold dread of déjà vu.

Her heart dipped, searching for a safe place to ride out this confrontation, since it seemed Wade may feel as intimidated as she, worried about things spiraling out of control. Sara took a step further away from Lucas. He has no control over me. I'm not married to him. He has no rights more important than mine. He's just a man, and Lucas isn't David. He couldn't be worse than David.

Lucas clenched his fists. "I thought you were a man of your word, Mele, but it seems you conveniently forget your promises when the price is right." He shot a searing glance at Sara.

She wished her eardrums would stop reverberating with his indignation. "You are the most--I don't go around throwing cash at people just to get what I want, mister!"

Lucas raised his eyebrows but did not respond to her outburst. He turned back to Wade. "This is one hell of a treacherous thing you've done. It's underhanded."

His rumbling voice was an earthquake in her head, separating her brain from the rational world. Lucas Henshaw's angry words tore at her sensibilities as effectively as the San Andreas fault tore at California.

"Nobody's gonna take this land away from me--especially not some woman." Lucas' lip curled as though the word was distasteful.

She swallowed the gasp rising in her throat. "Mr. Henshaw, how dare you insinuate my gender is somehow a detriment to my business dealings." Her voice was steady, building her confidence. "And I'll thank you to remember I'm not 'some woman'. I am the legal owner of this land." She almost smiled her satisfaction with her level-headed response.

Lucas growled, but stopped speaking. He raised his eyebrows at her.

She felt a small surge of confidence. The mind-quake eased off. Clearer paths of thought were opening up. Maybe rationality wasn't a complete loss.

"I am in the right here. I have signed all the papers and followed all the rules. Isn't that so, Wade?" Sara knit her brow, puzzled why this argument was occurring at all. She was in the right here. Why couldn't Lucas understand that? And why wasn't Wade more adamant?

"We've done everything by the book. Nice and legal." Wade shrugged.

Lucas' voice thundered with renewed fervor. "I shoulda made you sign some kind of paper, an agreement, but I trusted you to stand by your word."

Wade put his hands on his hips and shook his head.

"I've known you a long time, Wade. You knew I'd give you a down payment, soon as I could raise it."

"Have you come up with it yet?" Wade stared squarely at Lucas' face. He rubbed his palms on the sides of his spotless khaki Bermuda shorts.

"I'm working on it. I'll have it soon." He lifted his cap and ran his wrist across his forehead. He replaced his hat with an extra pull on the brim.

"Lucas, we had no deal, not even a handshake--which wouldn't hold up in court, anyway." Sara felt encouraged by that statement. No deal. Not ever.

"Miss Chandler has every right to purchase this property. I know you're disappointed, but she has given me a substantial deposit and signed--"

"I don't care if she left her first-born with you, she can't have this land. End of discussion."

"Mr. Henshaw." Both faces turned in her direction. She squared her shoulders, trying to shore up her nerve, but didn't want to further agitate the man. She rued the fact she was born with mushy insides. "I'm sorry you're disappointed but you have shown me nothing that proves you are entitled to this land."

Lucas folded his arms tightly across his chest and looked up to the sky.

She shifted her gaze to Wade who continued to blot at his face; she wasn't sure all his perspiration was due to the intense heat of the day. She wished he'd defend her with the same level of enthusiasm he had when he described the property to her the first time.

She'd fallen in love with it; the place had already taken over her artist's soul. She had worked with an architect and developed plans for an estate that would make the most of the natural beauty here. Her studio would open to a view of the hills on one side, and the Pacific on another. There would be a lot of glass, natural light. The scent of the wild orchids would drift into her dreams at night.

Like Georgia O'Keefe, the flora would become the essence of her work, her self. The volcano, Kiluea, on the south side of the island had already imparted a soul to her brush. Peace and change. Two life forces. She knew there was no limit to the inspiration she'd find here, and no doubt she belonged here.

This was the first time she had ever owned land in her own name. The deed was her declaration of independence.

Her gaze shot over to Lucas when he tossed a rock over the edge of the hill. He seemed to be venting some ire, but at least he wasn't throwing rocks at her. She looked at him with her artist's eye for detail. He reminded her of Clint Eastwood in his early days. In his cut-offs, tee shirt, and work boots, he looked carved from a redwood. The sun-drenched streaks in his brown hair made it obvious he spent a lot of time outdoors. Under other circumstances she may have wanted him to pose for one of her "Americana" portraits. She could picture him in Stetson and gun belt. Rugged, weather beaten, a throwback to the American West, though she was glad he wasn't currently carrying any firearms.

He turned a stony face in her direction. "You know, I may not have the papers, or the written legal right to this land, but there's still a thing called "ethics" that I believe in." His voice was calm, but his words held a cold edge. The honey-brown eyes tossed a glare her way that was anything but sweet.

"There's another lot, down the road. Spectacular view, same acreage…"

Lucas' cold stare, a golden glint from a stalking tiger's eyes, froze the words in her throat.

"Lady, why don't you buy that other lot, the one just down the road with the spectacular view and the same amount of acreage? What business have you got, grabbing land out from under native Hawaiians?"

REVIEWS

Dark Paradise captivated me. The plot is made of first rate romance and suspense. The tension slowly builds to a crescendo ending. Carolyn LeComte is a talented author. She developed characters with depth. I felt as though I knew Lucas and Sara. Grace and Caleb added extra dimension to the plot. I will be watching for more books by Carolyn LeComte.

Reviewed by Debra Gaynor for ReviewYourBook.com

My Review: This is a good, solid, very entertaining romantic suspense story. There is a lot to recommend it with shades of Jane Eyre and Sleeping with the Enemy tossed in the mix of a convincing character study of a woman coming back from the edge of insanity following an abusive three-year marriage. Sara is an artist torn between her desire for a new life and constant threats to her safety in a series of escalating attacks, first on her home, and then a horrifying physical one from an unknown assailant.

Lucas, who badly wants her property, is also a credible hero with his dark mood swings and secretive machinations. This is nicely shaded by his love for his damaged daughter, Emmy. Sara's bonding with Emmy comes across as natural and I enjoyed all the details of their art classes and the other characters her work brings into Sara's new life.

My only quibbles are that I never felt I was in Hawaii. The author references the dazzling Kilauea, the world's most active volcano, which Sara is apparently able to see from her newly purchased property. Yet, there are no descriptions of it or anything else on the Big Island at all. I felt as an artist, Sara would surely have a rich eye for such detail.

None of the locals spoke like Hawaiians. The colloquialisms do not ring true of the islands. I felt many times we were in the oft-mentioned Texas. Some research and some good editing would have helped this tale, which is otherwise well told and does lure the reader to keep reading…

Rated four delightful divas by A.J. Llewellyn!