Page 10 (1/2)

"Maybe she already knows" His sister ullible but she wasn’t stupid

"I think she considered pawning it," Ned uessed…"

Theinto a pawnshop with her pathetic bauble produced a stab of actual pain "If she needed money, why didn’t she come to me?" Linc demanded

"You’ll have to ask her that yourself"

"I plan to" Linc wasn’t about to let this slide "What does she need money for, anyway?"

"She wants her own place, you know"

No one needed to re hi to happen now With a baby on the way, she wouldn’t be leaving the family home anytime soon

Linc liked that idea He could keep an eye on her and on the baby, too Even if he , the house was big enough for all of the male influence, and he fully intended to provide that influence

"How much farther?" Mel asked

His brother was like a kid squir "Are we there yet?" every fiveat the sky "It’s really co do"

"Did you think I hadn’t noticed?" Linc didn’t havein bad weather; it was all the other drivers who caused the problem Snow in the Seattle area was infrequent and a lot of folks didn’t kno to handle it

"Hey," Mel said as they approached the first exit for Cedar Cove "We’re here"

"Right" Not having any o, Linc took the exit

"Where to now?" Mel asked

Linc could’ve said, "Your guess is as good as uess was actually better "We’ll do what Mary Jo did," he said "We’ll chase down David’s fa to be"

Mel nodded "Whoever said the Wyse Men needed a star to guide them obviously never met the three of us"

8

Olivia couldn’t wait to see her husband For one thing, she wanted to tell hiet his advice

David Rhodes…that…that--she couldn’t think of a word that adequately described how loathsome he was She wanted him exposed Humiliated, embarrassed, punished Only the fact that Ben would be huave her pause

When Olivia pulled into her driveway on Lighthouse Road she was delighted to see that Jack was already horocery bag of last- the entrance off the kitchen

"Jack!" she called out as soon as she was inside

"What’s wrong?" Her husband met her in the kitchen and stopped short "So the muffler from around her neck "Why do you say that?" she asked, not realizing she’d been so obvious

"Your eyes are shooting sparks So, what’d I do this ti her coat on the hook along with the bright red scarf her loves in the pockets, then kissed Jack’s cheek

As she filled the electric teakettle and turned it on, Jack began to put the groceries away

"Are you ready to talk about it?" he asked cautiously

"It’s David"

"Rhodes?"

"The very one The man is lower than pond scue to Ben, his son had tried to bilk Charlotte out of several thousand dollars He’d used a ruse about needing soery his medical insurance wouldn’t cover, and if not for Justine’s intervention, Charlotte would have given him the money David Rhodes was shameless, and he’d dishonored his father’s nas from the cupboard and set thes in the pot

"No, or at least not as far as I’ he isn’t"

Jack chuckled "I couldn’t agree with you ot a clue what he’s done to upset you now"

"He got a young girl pregnant"

Jack’s eyebrows rose toward his hairline "And you know this how?"

"I o She’s young, probably twenty years younger than he is, and innocent Or she was until David got hold of her I swear that man should be shot!"

"Olivia!" He seemed shocked by her words "That doesn’t sound like you"

"Okay, that ht be drastic I’rinned

With her hands on her hips, Olivia glared at her husband "You find this a lady but I will ade to see color in your cheeks and your eyes sparkling, even if it’s with outrage" He reached for her and brought her close enough to kiss her lips, allowing his own to linger When he released her, he pressed his forehead to hers and whispered, "It’s an even greater pleasure to know all this indignation isn’t directed at me"

"I’ve never been anywhere near this upset with you, Jack Griffin"

"I beg to differ"

"When?"

"I re to kick me out"