LITMIR.BIZ

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was a lucky man. He loved his wife and his family. He’d been blessed with a great life running the inn for the past thirty-plus years. Mostly he enjoyed people and prided himself on being able to read body language.

      For example, Jace and Lori had been dancing around each other all night. Not too close, but never out of eye sight. And the looks shared between them … oh, my.

      Claire came down the steps and toward him, slipping into his arms. “I got the girls settled down for now, but I have a feeling they’re plotting against me.”

      He kissed her cheek. “Not those little angels.”

      She smiled. “Seems you thought the same about your daughters, too.”

      “They are angels.” He thought about the years raising his girls. And the grandchildren. “And we’re truly blessed.” He glanced out to see the lonely-looking woman on the porch. Not everyone was as lucky.

      Lori watched from the inn’s porch as Jace walked to his truck. He was strong and a little cocky. She had to like that about him. She also liked the way he interacted with his daughter. Clearly they loved each other. What about his ex-wife? She seemed to have moved on, in Europe. Who broke it off? She couldn’t help but wonder what woman in her right mind would leave a man like Jace Yeager. She straightened. There could be a lot of reasons. Reasons she didn’t need to think about. Even though she’d seen his intensity over the project, she’d also seen the gentleness in those work-roughened hands when he touched his daughter.

      She shivered. One thing was, he wasn’t going to be put off about the project. And she couldn’t wait for this mess to be settled. Then she could put her past behind her and move on.

      She walked inside and up to the second floor. Overhead she heard the muffled voices of the kids. Her room was at the front of the house. A large canopy bed had an overstuffed print comforter opposite a brick fireplace. She took out her cell phone and checked her messages. Two missed calls.

      Fear hit her as she listened to the message from Gina. She could hear the panic in her half sister’s voice, but it had been like that since childhood.

      Lori’s mother had remarried shortly after moving to Colorado Springs. Not her best idea, losing Lyle’s alimony, but Jocelyn was the type of woman who needed a man. She just hadn’t been good at picking the right ones. Her short union with Dave Williams had produced a daughter, Regina. Lori had been the one who raised her, until big sister had gone off to college.

      Without Lori around, and given the neglect of their mother, Gina had run wild and ended up pregnant and married to her boyfriend, Eric Lowell, at barely eighteen. Except for Gina’s son, Zack, her life had been a mess ever since. It became worse when her husband became abusive, though the marriage ended with the man going to jail. Now Lori was tangled up in this mess, too.

      She punched in the number. “Gina, what happened?”

      “Oh, Lori, I think Eric found us.”

      Over a year ago, Lori had moved her sister into her apartment while Eric served a jail sentence for drug possession and spousal abuse. This hadn’t been the first time he’d smacked Gina around, but the first conviction. That was the reason they’d planned to move out of state when Lori had been notified about Lyle’s death.

      “No, Gina, he doesn’t get out until the first of the month.”

      “Maybe he got an early release.”

      “Detective Rogers would have called you. You still have a few weeks.”

      “What about you? Are you flying home soon?”

      She knew this delay would worry Gina more. “I can’t yet. I still need to meet with the lawyer tomorrow.”

      She heard a sigh. “I’m sorry, Lori. You’ve done so much for us. You have a life of your own.”

      “No, Gina. You’re my sister. Zack is my nephew. I told you, I won’t let Eric hurt you again. But I still need a day or so to get things straightened out. Then hopefully we’ll have some money to start over and get away from Eric.” She prayed that her father had left her something. Since their mother had died a few years ago, there wasn’t anything holding them in Colorado Springs. They could go anywhere. “Think about where you and Zack want to move to.” Preferably somewhere they needed a second grade teacher.

      “No, you decide, Lori. We’ll go anywhere you want. We just can’t stay here. I won’t survive it.”

      Lori could hear the fear in her voice. “I promise I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you safe. Now go get some sleep and give my special guy a kiss from me.”

      Lori hung up the phone and hoped everything she said was true. Unlike Lyle Hutchinson, she didn’t walk away from family.

      The next morning, Lori was up early. She was used to being at school ahead of her students to plan the day. Not anymore. Not since she’d gotten her pink slip at the start of the school year. She’d been told it was because of cutbacks and low enrollment, but she wondered if it was due to the trouble Eric had caused her at the upscale private school where she taught.

      No, she couldn’t think about that now. She needed to have a clear head for the meeting. Was Lyle Hutchinson as wealthy as people said? Normally she wouldn’t care, but it could help both her and Gina relocate to another part of the country. Somewhere Gina could raise Zack without the fear of her ex-husband coming after her again. Enough money so Lori had time to find a job.

      She drove her car to the end of First Street. A six-foot, wrought-iron fence circled the property that had belonged to the Hutchinsons for over the past hundred years. Her heart raced as she raised her eyes and saw the majestic, three-story white house perched on the hilltop surrounded by trees. Memories bombarded her as she eased past the stone pillars at the gate entrance. The gold plaque read Hutchinson House.

      She drove along the hedge-lined circular drive toward the house. She looked over the vast manicured lawn and remembered running through the thick grass, and a swing hanging from a tree out back. She parked in front of the house behind a familiar truck of Jace Yeager. Oh, no. Was the man following her?

      Then she saw him standing on the porch leaning against the ornate wrought-iron railing. He was dressed in jeans and a denim shirt and heavy work boots. Without any effort, this man managed to conjure up all sorts of fantasies that had nothing to do with business.

      She pulled herself out of her daydream. What was he doing here?

      He came down the steps to meet her.

      She got out of her car. “Jace, is there a problem?”

      He raised a hand in defense. “Mr. Bradley called me this morning. Said he needed me here for after the reading.”

      Lori was confused. “Why?”

      “I hope it’s to tell me it’s a go-ahead on the Mountain Heritage project.”

      They started up the steps when she saw a man in a khaki work uniform come around the side porch. He looked to be in his late sixties, maybe seventies. When he got closer she saw something familiar.

      “Uncle Charlie?”

      The man’s weathered face brightened as he smiled. “You remember me, Miss Lorelei?”

      “Of course I do. You built me my tree swing.” She felt tears sting her eyes. “You let me help plant flowers, too.”

      He nodded and gripped her hands in his. “That was a lot of years ago, missy. You were a tiny bit of a thing.” His tired eyes locked on hers. “You’ve turned into a beautiful young lady.” His grip tightened. “I’m so sorry about your father.”

      Before Lori could say anything more, another car pulled up. Paige Larkin stepped out of her SUV. Briefcase in hand, she walked up the steps toward them.

      They shook hands and Paige spoke briefly to Charlie before the man walked off. Paige turned to Jace. “So you’ve been summoned, too.”

      “I

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