Novels by Susana

Vicky stopped and looked back, doubt still in her eyes.If he wouldn't give her a baby, what other way out could there be?Drawing on what he remembered from his first life, Jasper spoke earnestly.“You're still young. You don't have to spend the rest of your life trapped here.”“I've heard there's work in Orea City. I'll pay your fare. You could get a factory job and earn at least sixty or seventy dollars a month.”He grew more animated as he spoke. “There's a whole world beyond this island, Vicky. You have no idea what's out there. If you're willing to leave, there's no telling what you could do with your life.”Jasper had thought about leaving too. But he had no money to get started, and that wasn't his only reason for staying.In his first life, he'd lost all contact with his family. Now that he had another chance, he wanted to be close to them and his friends. Investments could wait a few years, until he'd saved enough to make them worthwhile.Vicky had nothing like that holding

A tear-streaked face looked up at him from outside the window.Vicky.Her face was red and visibly swollen.Jasper stared for a moment, then his expression hardened.“What are you doing here?”If anyone caught her at his window at this hour, there would be hell to pay.She wore a thin undershirt, cut low over her full breasts. Loose strands of hair fell across her face. In the moonlight, she looked painfully vulnerable.Memories of his first life rose unbidden.When he'd first moved in with the Hunnams, he'd been miserable with guilt and resentment, never comfortable in their home. To escape the awkwardness, he'd left before dawn every day to look for work. But each night, he still had to come back.For those first few years, Matthew and Tim had sat through every meal with dark, sullen faces. Vicky had watched every word and gesture. The tension in that house had been suffocating.Only at night, after she'd settled Tim in bed and joined Jasper in their room, had they been able to brea

That evening, Kate did something almost unheard of: she bought two pounds of pork.She hadn't sold the shellfish she'd gathered that day either. Instead, she'd cooked everything, filling the table with dishes.For families on the coast, pork was a rare treat. Most wouldn't spend money on it unless there was a holiday to celebrate.Drawn by the smell, Jasper came hurrying out of his room, his face still swollen and bruised.“Pork, Mom? Now I've seen everything. You actually opened your wallet!”Kate swatted the back of his head. “Cheeky brat. Is that any way to talk to your mother?”Then her expression softened. “Are you still hurting?”Jasper grinned. “I'm in agony. I'll need two helpings tonight. And I'm taking a few days off. Nathan can go out with Dad.”His joking finally put her mind at ease. “Sounds like you'll live.”“Mom, Jasper was incredible!” Anne said proudly. “You should've seen him. He took on all three of them by himself. Even Nathan got scared!”“Of course he did. Who d

Seeing his brother and sister ready to defend him, Jasper felt a rush of affection.Then he caught a sudden movement and shoved Anne aside.Dick's punch missed her.Anne stumbled back, white-faced with shock.“You were going to hit my sister, you bastard?” Jasper's anger flared. “Have you got no fucking shame?”Kyle started forward too, furious, but Kate caught his arm.“Leave it to the boys. You're too old to get in the middle of that.”She glared at the three brothers, her teeth clenched. “Just wait till I get my hands on Adeline. I'll claw that bitch's face off!”With that, she stormed out of the yard.The fight was already in full swing.Years at sea had made Austin's sons strong, but Nathan was bigger than any of them. And Jasper had a lifetime of anger and resentment to unleash.Even outnumbered three to two, the brothers were getting the better of their attackers.“You don't touch my family! You don't come to our house looking for trouble! I'll fucking kill you!”Jasper's blows

Even Adeline Pelphrey wasn't brazen enough to walk away with so many people watching.She stalked back to Jasper and dumped her bucket at his feet. Crabs scattered across the ground.“So you caught a boatload of yellow croaker. What's so special about that?”She glared at him, her eyes full of spite. “Keep going out in that rotten wooden boat. One of these days a wave will take you, and you'll drown!”The faces around her hardened.In a fishing village, there were few worse things you could wish on someone. Several people immediately spoke up against her.Kyle's expression darkened too. “Adeline, your husband and sons go out to sea. How can you say something like that?”She was about to answer when Jasper gave a cold laugh.“I'm going to drown, am I? Sorry to disappoint you, but I'll be getting a steel boat and building a new house within three months.”He hesitated, then added, “You should go home and have someone check your own boat. You might find trouble closer to home than you th

Kyle stared at the yellow croakers filling the boat. His lips moved, but for a long moment he couldn’t get a word out.Jasper hadn’t expected such a valuable catch either. He recovered first, picked up the biggest fish, and held it in front of his father.“Well, Dad? I win, don’t I?”Kyle came to his senses and snatched the fish from him, turning it over in his hands in disbelief.“Yellow croaker… They really are yellow croakers! But what’s a whole school doing here?”He couldn’t make sense of it. They weren’t far from the docks; on a clear night, you could even see the lights. These waters rarely yielded anything but cheap little fish. He had never heard of anyone finding a single yellow croaker here, let alone an entire school.“Jasper, how did you know there were fish down there?”Jasper gave an awkward chuckle. “Maybe… Our Lady, Star of the Sea, was looking out for us.”Coastal families, especially those who made their living fishing, were deeply devoted to her. That explanation w