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Uck Aunt Marian had apparently been old-school
Next to the kitchen was a door leading to what Abby could only surmise was the basement Abby put her hand on the latch but then drew it back as a cold feeling skittered down her spine She’d leave exploring for another time She had visions of the basement in Gram’s old house—stone walls, damp and cold, and the dreaded spiders She hated them with a passion, evendown in the basement for a simple jar of jelly had felt like a penance
The uneasy feeling she’d had touching the door was even stronger as she crossed the hall, pausing to look up the grand staircase She shivered, cold again, as her gaze settled on the upper landing Abby knew she was being ridiculous, but so about the staircase unnerved her and made the little hairs on the back of her neck rise with apprehension She shook her head and tried to laugh, the soundthere Maybe the queer sensation was sie and, well, quiet Everything echoed, even the sound of her breathing It wasn’t the sort of house , withdresses For the popping of cha canapés off silver platters
Shaking off the heavy feeling, she entered the roo as her ht
Tattered or not, the old rooany cases on each wall crammed full of old books, their spines faded and dusty Their dark width was broken only by the dirt-s into what had to be an added-on sun porch at the back of the house The drapes were faded and dirty but had once been a marvelous wine-and-tan-striped brocade
She stepped into the center of the room, coorgeous rolltop desk and a sewing table next to a pair of stuffed ar on the sa roooldeny yellow, like burnt sugar The color set off hite trim and wainscot The dark cherry hardwood floor was utterly stunning—or had been It was quite scarred after years of use But in its heyday …
It was the first rooine herself curled up in one of those chairs with a Jane Austen novel and a pot of tea, a fire blazing in the fireplace …
She turned herself around in a circle, gave a huge, contented sigh, and choked on a puff of dust stirred up by her movement
The romanticishing as she doubled over, effectively raising an even bigger cloud She was a fool to let herself be seduced, even for a moment
The coughing fit eased and she gasped for air, holding herself very, very still to keep fro this place had been locked up, but Marian’s lawyer had rilect she’d witnessed just on the first floor, she’d guess it was closer to “several” rather than “a few”
But despite the dirt and grilorious She could alar sled with the scent of leather and paper and ink She closed her eyes, ilory days Another time and place
She opened her eyes, watched a mouse scurry into the corner and raised an eyebrow Rodents and God knehat else were not rohed In reality she knew that this was just a roo and find the na in and out of Jewell Cove within a few days Her first order of business was going to be looking into contractors And to do that she was going to need either the yellow pages or an Internet connection—neither of which could be found at her current location
A crash followed by the sound offrohts and sent her rushing to the front door with her heart pounding Judging by the frustrated, not pained, language—which she had to adured whatever was happening outside wasn’t an eency, and at a particularly creative curse couldn’t help but choke back a giggle Still chuckling, she threw open the door
Theblack eyes andas it curled around his collar He looked like a lumberjack, if that luazine His jeans were faded but clean, and he wore a white button-down shirt rolled up over tanned and htly out of place against his rugged good looks Abby wasn’t rowth of stubble frae was so co hot and forbidden wound its way through her abdoht but couldn’t seeue