“But I’d have fall maintenance, tree planting. I’d have—”
“We’d wait, take a honeymoon in the winter. Slow season. We can go to Aruba.”
She had to laugh. “That’s pretty damn clever of you.”
“I’m not stupid either. Life stopped, Darby,” he told her, and traced a finger over the tattoo on the back of her neck. “Let’s not waste a minute of it now that it started again.”
“You saved my life with a baseball. I want that ball. I want to put it in a display box, keep it in the office I’m going to make out of one of the spare rooms. Once I decide which one suits me best.”
She framed his face. “Look at us. Black eyes and bruises. We’re a freaking set. Labor Day weekend.” She touched her lips lightly to his. “Deal.”
“You can seal a deal better than that.”
“I’m not finished yet,” she said, pressing a hand to his chest to hold him off. “If we’re serious about making a family, about having kids, one of us has to learn to cook.”
He eyed her. “We can flip for it. Say, heads I learn, tails you learn.”
“Rock, paper, scissors.”
“Two out of three.”
“You’re on.”
After, when she laid her head on his shoulder, he told himself learning to cook couldn’t be that hard.
“One night a week is pizza night,” he decided. “Frozen or delivery.”
“That goes without saying.” She pressed a kiss to his cheek.
Together, the dog snoring at their feet, they sat in the quiet, watched the sun set over the western hills and light its fire over the water.
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Sacred Sins
Brazen Virtue
Sweet Revenge
Public Secrets
Genuine Lies
Carnal Innocence
Divine Evil
Honest Illusions
Private Scandals
Hidden Riches
True Betrayals
Montana Sky
Sanctuary
Homeport
The Reef
River’s End
Carolina Moon
The Villa
Midnight Bayou
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Blue Smoke
Angels Fall
High Noon
Tribute
Black Hills
The Search
Chasing Fire
The Witness
Whiskey Beach
The Collector
Tonight and Always
The Liar
The Obsession
Come Sundown
Shelter in Place
Under Currents
ANTHOLOGIES
Irish Born Trilogy
BORN IN FIRE
BORN IN ICE
BORN IN SHAME
Dream Trilogy
DARING TO DREAM
HOLDING THE DREAM
FINDING THE DREAM
Chesapeake Bay Saga
SEA SWIFT
RISING TIDES
INNER HARBOR
CHESAPEAKE BLUE
Gallaghers of Ardmore Trilogy
JEWELS OF THE SUN
TEARS OF THE MOON
HEART OF THE SEA
Three Sisters Island Trilogy
DANCE UPON THE AIR
HEAVEN AND EARTH
FACE THE FIRE
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KEY OF LIGHT
KEY OF KNOWLEDGE
KEY OF VALOR
In the Garden Trilogy
BLUE DAHLIA
BLACK ROSE
RED LILY
Circle Trilogy
MORRIGAN’S CROSS
DANCE OF THE GODS
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THE HOLLOW
THE PAGAN STONE
Bride Quartet
VISION IN WHITE
BED OF ROSES
SAVOR THE MOMENT
HAPPY EVER AFTER
The Inn BoonsBoro Trilogy
THE NEXT ALWAYS
THE LAST BOYFRIEND
THE PERFECT HOPE
The Cousins O’Dwyer Trilogy
DARK WITCH
SHADOW SPELL
BLOOD MAGICK
The Guardians Trilogy
STARS OF FORTUNE
BAY OF SIGHS
ISLAND OF GLASS
Chronicles of the One
YEAR ONE
OF BLOOD AND BONE
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THE PLAYBOY PRINCE
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The Donovan Legacy
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THE LAST HONEST WOMAN
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SKIN DEEP
WITHOUT A TRACE
Night Tales
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THE PERFECT NEIGHBOR
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ONE MAN’S ART
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REBELLION/IN FROM THE COLD
FOR NOW, FOREVER
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SUZANNA’S SURRENDER
MEGAN’S MATE
COURTING CATHERINE
A MAN FOR AMANDA
FOR THE LOVE OF LILAH
Irish Legacy
IRISH ROSE
IRISH REBEL
IRISH THOROUGHBRED
BEST LAID PLANS
LOVING JACK
LAWLESS
SUMMER LOVE
BOUNDARY LINES
DUAL IMAGE
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
THE LAW IS A LADY
LOCAL HERO
THIS MAGIC MOMENT
THE NAME OF THE GAME
PARTNERS
TEMPTATION
THE WELCOMING
OPPOSITES ATTRACT
TIME WAS
TIMES CHANGE
GABRIEL’S ANGEL
HOLIDAY WISHES
THE HEART’S VICTORY
THE RIGHT PATH
RULES OF THE GAME
SEARCH FOR LOVE
BLITHE IMAGES
FROM THIS DAY
SONG OF THE WEST
ISLAND OF FLOWERS
HER MOTHER’S KEEPER
UNTAMED
SULLIVAN’S WOMAN
LESS OF A STRANGER
REFLECTIONS
DANCE OF DREAMS
STORM WARNING
ONCE MORE WITH FEELING
ENDINGS AND BEGINNINGS
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Nora Roberts & J. D. Robb
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IMMORTAL IN DEATH
RAPTURE IN DEATH
CEREMONY IN DEATH
VENGEANCE IN DEATH
HOLIDAY IN DEATH
CONSPIRACY IN DEATH
LOYALTY IN DEATH
WITNESS IN DEATH
JUDGMENT IN DEATH
BETRAYAL IN DEATH
SEDUCTION IN DEATH
REUNION IN DEATH
PURITY IN DEATH
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APPRENTICE IN DEATH
ECHOES IN DEATH
SECRETS IN DEATH
DARK IN DEATH
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THE OFFICIAL NORA ROBERTS COMPANION
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Nora Roberts is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than two hundred novels, including Shelter in Place, Year One, Come Sundown, and many more. She is also the author of the bestselling In Death series, written under the pen name J. D. Robb. There are more than 500 million copies of her books in print. You can sign up for email updates here.
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CONTENTS
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Part One: The Cruelty of Lies
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Part Two: Homecomings
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Part Three: From Roots to Blooming
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Part Four: Healing Truths
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Also by Nora Roberts
About the Author
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
UNDER CURRENTS Copyright © 2019 by Nora Roberts. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Publishing Group, 120 Broadway, New York, N.Y. 10271.
www.stmartins.com
Cover designed by Ervin Serrano
Cover photographs: lake © iStock/wmaster890; skyline © iStockAppalachianViews; grass © iStock/rvimages
Library of Congress has cataloged the print edition as follows:
Names: Roberts, Nora, author.
Title: Under currents / Nora Roberts.
Description: First edition. | New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2019.
Identifiers: LCCN 2018055444 | ISBN 9781250207098 (hardcover) | ISBN 9781250246776 (international, sold outside the U.S., subject to rights availability) | ISBN 9781250213273 (ebook)
Classification: LCC PS3568.O243 U48 2019|DDC 813 /.54—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018055444
eISBN 9781250213273
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First U.S. Edition: July 2019
First International Edition: July 2019