âDr. Crawford, weâre holding your daughter.â
Annie Crawford listened to the words, but for a long time they didnât register. The manâs deep voice continued. âThis is Lieutenant Macpherson of the twenty-third precinct. We picked up Sarah about an hour ago with a carload of teenagers and about a half ounce of marijuana.â
âIâm sorry,â Annie finally managed to say, âyou must be mistaken. My daughterâs home in bed.â
There was a polite pause. âYou may want to come down to the station. I could give you directions.â
âThat wonât be necessary. Iâll just call home and confirm that Sally is there.â Without waiting for a response, Annie hung up and then dialed her home number. The phone rang five times before Ana Lise picked it up, her Copenhagen accent heavy with sleep.
âJa, sheâs in bed, Doctor. Itâs after midnight.â Ana Lise sounded bewildered by the question.
âPlease check.â
Moments later the housekeeper returned to the phone. Her voice was no longer puzzled or sleepy. âSheâs gone. I do not understand this. She is nowhere in the apartment.â
âDamnation!â Trepidation made Annie breathless as she picked up the receiver again to dial the police station.
Dear Reader,
Maine is a place people come to for its unspoiled beauty as well as its graceful and timeless ability to heal weary souls battered by a fast-paced world.
In the innkeeping business one meets many wonderful and interesting people, and while this is a fictional story, it was born of a series of real-life encounters with people who were doing just what Lieutenant Jake Macpherson and Dr. Annie Crawfordâhero and heroine of A Full Houseâseek to do.
Lily Houghton represents all elderly people faced with losing their independence. She wants to remain on the saltwater farm she loves, but after she breaks her hip in a fall, her son decides sheâd be better off in an assisted living center, and lists her home with a local Realtor. Annie Caldwell rents it for the summer, and to find out the rest of the story, dear gentle reader, you must open the pages of this book.
If youâve never visited the grand state of Maine, by all means put it on your list. E-mail me at www.harraseeketinn.com, and Iâll help you plan a vacation youâll never forget. Iâd love to hear from you.
Sincerely,
Nadia Nichols
THERE WAS A TIME when Annie Crawford looked forward to the unknown challenges she would face at work and the split-second, life-and-death decisions she made every day. But gradually, over the years, those feelings had changed. What she thought about now when she faced another shift was how long and stressful it would be and how desperately tired she was of holding peopleâs lives in her hands.
These days, in those rare moments of quiet that sporadically punctuated her chaotic world, she dreamed of being someplace else. Someplace warm, where gentle winds blew all the clouds away. Someplace serene and peaceful, where tall grasses grew and where sometimes, in the midst of this lush green field, there grazed the most beautiful herd of wildâ
âHorses,â a manâs voice said, interrupting her reverie.
She blinked, lifted her chin out of her hand and gazed up at the broad, friendly face of the man who was lowering himself into a chair across the hospital cafeteria table from her. He was dressed in casual clothes and looked wide awake despite the lateness of the hour.
âFor one incredibly hopeful moment I thought you might have been dreaming about me,â he continued, nudging a second cup of coffee across the table toward her. âBut when I saw the sheer rhapsody of your expression, I knew it had to be that dream about the wild horses in the field of green grass.â
Annie accepted the coffee with a slow smile. âThere were five of them, and one was a jet-black stallion with a white star. Matt, what are you doing here on your night off? What time is it?â
âJust after midnight. I stopped by to check on Bonnie Mills on my way home from having a few beers at Grittyâs.â Dr. Matt Brink tasted his coffee and made a face. âSo, whatâs shaking?â
âFor a Saturday night itâs been downright boring, so I checked on her myself about an hour ago. She was sleeping like a baby.â
âStill is.â Matt grinned. âSheâs going to be walking soon, Iâd stake my job on it.â
âThatâs the kind of miracle we need more of.â Annie lifted her cup and stared at the black brew briefly before taking a sip. She also made a face and sighed. âListen, Iâve been thinkingâ¦â
âAbout the beauty of the Adirondacks in spring?â Matt asked hopefully, and Annie shook her head with a rueful laugh. Matt had been prodding her for weeks to commit to a hiking and camping trip.