There was no missing the sheer terror on his face. She dropped her shoes and ran toward him. “Can I help?”
“My daughter.” He raked his hand through his hair. “She’s missing. She’s eight.”
“How long?”
His gaze continued to scan the beach and water. “Couple minutes. I had a woman check the bathroom, and Hailey’s not in there.”
“Does she have a favorite place to go?”
His expression cleared and he nodded. “Of course. The turtle nest! She probably didn’t wait for me.”
He still seemed panicked even after such a reasonable explanation, but she chalked it up to an overly protective father. “I’ll be glad to help you find her.”
He set off at a fast clip, and she followed across the soft sand. It was none of her business, really, but she had to make sure the little girl was all right. His long legs ate up the distance, but she had no trouble keeping up.
The Sea Islands of Georgia were known for loggerhead turtle nesting sites, and residents made huge efforts to protect them. The thought of seeing a nest after all these years made her pick up the pace. They went up a dune and down the other side near a clump of sea grass, and she spotted a young girl on her knees.
“There she is. Thank you, Lord.” He stopped a few feet away. “Hailey, you scared me to death. You know better than to run off.”
The girl didn’t take her gaze from the turtle nest containing dozens of squirming black hatchlings. “They aren’t getting out, Dad. I think we need to scoop some sand away.”
“Yeah.” The man squatted beside her and brushed the sand away.
The sea turtle “boil” was always mesmerizing to Torie. All those squirming black flippers held her in place. The hatchlings began to squirm out of the hole and their flippers scissored back and forth to propel them across the sand toward the sea.
The girl stood and walked beside the babies. “There are seagulls around. Pelicans too. I got here just in time to save the babies.”
A lot of nests were logged and checked daily, but Torie found no glimpse of yellow rope or signs here, which wasn’t too surprising. In good years Jekyll Island would have six hundred nests, and if the mother had come ashore just before a rain, her tracks would have been washed away.
Torie moved closer and shooed away a pelican. The last time she’d seen this sight she’d been with her best friend Lisbeth. Lisbeth had worn the same mesmerized expression as was on Hailey’s face. It had been a perfect day of sun and sand, togetherness and giggling.
And it would never come again.
She bit her lip and exhaled. These trips back through memory lane weren’t helping. She had to focus on the task at hand.
The man turned back to face her. “Thanks for your help. I’m sorry to bother you.”
“I’m glad she’s okay.” She extended her hand. “Torie Berg.”
His big hand closed around hers. “Joe Abbott. Vacationing?”
She shook her head. “Just moved here. I’ll be working in IT at the Club Hotel.”
“You’ll like it here.”
“Daddy trains sea lions to keep bad guys away,” Hailey said.
Torie already liked the little girl. “How interesting. I’ve heard of the military using dolphins for defense, but I didn’t know about sea lions.” Hailey stepped close to Torie, close enough for Torie to smell the fresh scent of her shampoo.
“Simon is really cool,” Hailey said. “He’s Daddy’s favorite, but he’s not fully trained yet.”
Joe fixed his daughter with a stern look. “It’s a good thing I’m not a spy or something. Hailey would give away all the secrets.”
What was bugging him? Torie moved away a few feet. A couple more minutes and she could mount her bike and get out of here.
Chapter 2
Joe wasn’t used to being at nearly eye level with a woman. She was what—six or six one? And she didn’t slouch as if ashamed of her height. The way she wore her long hair in a kind of braided crown was unusual too. The sea breeze had teased a few dark-brown strands loose, and they blew across her face with its planes and angles. She wasn’t beautiful in the conventional sense but striking like an intriguing painting, especially with the fading sun casting shadows across her face. Her arresting features would draw the attention of men and women alike.
Her gaze remained on the hatchlings still making for the water with every ounce of their strength. They moved fast for such small creatures.
He wanted a little more information about Ms. Berg. “So, Ms. Berg, you just got here today?”
She smiled and nodded. “Call me Torie. I dropped my shoes and ran when I heard the panic in your voice.” Her gaze tracked the baby turtles still struggling toward the waves.
He and Hailey followed her. Not many people would get involved so quickly. It wasn’t like he’d shouted for help. “You must be intuitive.”
Those deep-brown eyes went guarded. “People have mentioned that before, but I don’t know about that. How long have you lived here, Joe?”
“Three years. Since Hailey was five.”
“Does your wife work for the Navy too?”
“She’s dead.” He let her know with a clipped tone that he didn’t welcome any questions about his wife.
He squatted in the sand and watched the hatchlings leave their distinctive tracks through the sand as they headed for the haven of the Atlantic Ocean. “Jekyll Island’s history is interesting. During World War II after the millionaires vacated the place to stay safe, the Coast Guard patrolled here in case of an attack by a submarine or U-boat. A guardsman saw turtle tracks and roused the caretaker to tell him an enemy tank was ashore. It was only a loggerhead laying eggs. I’ll bet the residents had a good laugh about that.”
She smiled, and her gaze went back to his daughter. “Hailey seems smitten with them. Has she always loved them?”
“From the first moment she saw a clutch of eggs.”
“I’ve been watching the news ever since I knew I was coming here, and I saw a hotel employee died a few days ago.”
Strange comment out of the blue. “Yeah, a drowning.”
“Lisbeth Nelson?”
He nodded. “She was a nice lady and kind to Hailey.” Why had he admitted that? It wasn’t relevant, and he wasn’t in the habit of engaging in idle gossip.
She brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes. “I heard there was some question over whether it was an accidental drowning or murder.”
He raised his brows. “Who would have told you something like that? I found her on the beach with seaweed in her hair. The police are waiting on the autopsy to come back, but the cause of death doesn’t seem to be in question. I have to say, your interest seems a little macabre.”
She looked down, and the sunset gilded her hair. “Just trying to figure things out in my new home.”
Why did she seem so interested in the drowning of a stranger? Did she know the Nelson woman? He opened his mouth to ask, but Hailey stood and waved her hands.
“Get away, gulls!” she shouted.
Four gulls were dive-bombing the hatchlings, and Joe leaped forward as one had a turtle in its beak. He grabbed the bird by the wing, and it dropped the hatchling, then gave an indignant squawk before it flew away. The other gulls kept circling, and Torie went into the fray with waving hands too.