The Edge of Eternity. Amanda Stevens

      

      He still had the power to take her breath away

      It wasn’t fair, Elizabeth thought fleetingly. It wasn’t fair that after everything they’d been through, after all the grief and hurt and bitterness of the past eighteen months, he still had the power to take her breath away.

      “Elizabeth! What are you—what brings you by here?”

      He chose his words carefully around her, for so long, she wondered if either of them even knew how to relax anymore.

      Coming over to stand behind his desk, his gray eyes raked her curiously. And no wonder. She hadn’t been in his office in over a year. Not since before the accident.

      “I decided to drop by and see if you have dinner plans.”

      He lifted a brow as he regarded her across the expanse of the desk. For the longest moment he said nothing and Elizabeth rushed to explain. “There’s…something I need to talk to you about.”

      “I see.” His gaze flickered, but she didn’t have a clue what he was thinking. He seemed so remote, so cold. Nothing at all like the man who had barely let her out of bed on their honeymoon.

      She didn’t want to remember their honeymoon now. Or the night they’d made their precious son…. She couldn’t do what she had to….

      The Edge of Eternity

      Amanda Stevens

       www.millsandboon.co.uk

      ABOUT THE AUTHOR

      Amanda Stevens is the bestselling author of over thirty novels of romantic suspense. In addition to being a Romance Writers of America RITA^® Award finalist, she is also the recipient of awards in Career Achievement in Romantic/Mystery and Career Achievement in Romantic/Suspense from Romantic Times magazine. She currently resides in Texas. To find out more about past, present and future projects, please visit her Web site at www.amandastevens.com.

      CAST OF CHARACTERS

      Elizabeth Blackstone—Haunted by her son’s death, she becomes vulnerable to an evil seduction. The only one who can save her is the man she turned away from.

      Paul Blackstone—A weekend trip to save his marriage becomes a battle to save his wife’s soul.

      Roland Latimer—Is he a ghost trapped in the mists of Fernhaven…or a figment of Elizabeth’s imagination?

      Frankie Novak—Elizabeth’s business partner has secrets of her own she must hide.

      Nina Wilson—A woman who insists that she and Paul are meant to be together.

      Dr. Julian Summers—Has he formed an unnatural attachment to his patient?

      Zoë Lindstrom—Is she truly a psychic with the ability to “hear” messages from beyond, or merely a clever shyster?

      Contents

      Chapter One

      Chapter Two

      Chapter Three

      Chapter Four

      Chapter Five

      Chapter Six

      Chapter Seven

      Chapter Eight

      Chapter Nine

      Chapter Ten

      Chapter Eleven

      Chapter Twelve

      Chapter Thirteen

      Chapter Fourteen

      Chapter Fifteen

      Chapter One

      After weeks of gloomy weather, the sun finally broke over the Olympic Mountains and danced in flames across the steely waters of Puget Sound. There was even a rainbow arching like a mystical doorway over the bay. It was one of those golden, fleeting days that Seattleites celebrate and revere, and it was in that moment of sparkling sunlight and glimmering rainbows that Elizabeth Blackstone decided to divorce her husband.

      “How do you think he’ll take it?” her friend and business partner, Frankie Novak, asked, concerned. To take advantage of the glorious weather, they’d strolled from their shop in Pioneer Square to a trendy new restaurant on the waterfront that Frankie had been dying to try. Instead of being seated at one of the coveted tables with a view, however, they’d been led to what Frankie called the second-tier seating area. The tables along the windows overlooking the bay were reserved for the business moguls and the high-tech movers and shakers that dominated Seattle’s economy. An unknown fashion designer and a struggling entrepreneur hardly rated first-tier seating in the city’s hottest new restaurant.

      “It won’t come as that much of a surprise,” Elizabeth said in answer to Frankie’s question. “We may still live in the same house, but we’ve been separated for months. Things haven’t been the same since…” Say it, a little voice commanded. Say his name.

      Frankie reached over and put her hand over Elizabeth’s. “I know. But divorce is never easy, especially after everything else you’ve been through. Aren’t you…” Now it was Frankie who trailed off uncomfortably.

      “Aren’t I what?”

      Frankie shrugged. “You and Paul have been married forever. Aren’t you afraid of being alone?”

      But I’m already alone, Elizabeth wanted to tell her. Living by herself couldn’t possibly be as lonely as living with a man who no longer loved her. Paul still cared for her in his own way, she supposed, but the passion and closeness had long since been spent.

      “I’ll survive,” she said numbly. She always did. Somehow.

      Frankie stabbed a prawn in her spinach salad and took a moment to savor the seafood morsel. “Still, you have to wonder what he’s going to say, don’t you?”

      “I don’t expect he’ll say much of anything.” Elizabeth toyed with her pear salad. “He’ll probably move out and then he’ll have his lawyer contact my lawyer to negotiate an equitable distribution of the assets.”

      “Are you so sure it will be all that equitable?”

      Elizabeth glanced up. “What do you mean?”

      “Paul has a lot more to lose in a divorce settlement than you do. He’s a rich man, at least on paper. Financial and real-estate holdings, investment deals, retirement and savings accounts, 401(k)s…you think he’s going to want to split all that evenly with you?” Frankie leaned forward. “Look, I know he’s basically a good guy, but divorce can bring out the worst in people. Especially greed. Believe me, I know. My poor sister got taken to the cleaners when she and her husband split up.” Frankie grimaced as she picked up her wineglass. “You need to look out for your own best interests. Take my advice and hire yourself a shark. Because I’ll bet you anything he will.”

      “You’re assuming that I want half of everything,” Elizabeth said with a scowl. “I don’t. I’ll take the condo, and he can have the lake house. We’ll each keep our cars, split the savings and the rest is his.”

      “And you think he’ll go for that?”

      “Why wouldn’t he? It’s more than fair.”

      “Fair has nothing to do with it. He’s a man, so his ego is going to get all tangled up in the negotiations, particularly if he doesn’t want this divorce. All I’m saying is that you have to protect yourself.” Frankie sipped her wine. “What about the shop?”

      “What about it?”

      “Need I remind you that it was Paul who bailed us out last year when we were having cash-flow problems after the Nordstrom deal put us in a bind? What if he decides to call