LITMIR.BIZ

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than a little sorry for her. She’d met her match when dueling with his mother’s acid tongue. Though he had to admire the way she’d hung on to her composure. The fourteen-year-old kid he remembered would have instantly retaliated with a barrage of insults.

      Remembering that last encounter in the halls of Burke Senior High, he twisted his mouth in a wry smile. He kind of missed that hot-tempered, spunky attitude of hers. Though her green eyes still sparkled with fire when she was mad.

      “Pretentious little brat,” Darlene sputtered. “Did you see the way she looked at me? I prefer to be called Anne. The Parkers think they’re all so superior. Not that she has anything to preen about. Little wonder her boyfriend dumped her at the altar, if she patronized him the way she does everyone else. She deserves what she gets, that’s what I say.”

      “Mother,” Brad said mildly, “I’m really not interested in anything that is remotely connected to the Parkers, so why don’t we just change the subject.”

      Darlene sniffed. “Well, you should be. It was the Parkers who put your father into an early grave.”

      He felt the familiar stab of pain at the mention of his dad, and he made an effort to keep his tone even, “Dad died because his heart couldn’t handle the stress of running the resort. You know that as well as I do.”

      “He died,” Darlene said deliberately, “because he killed himself trying to hold on to that stupid piece of property rather than allow it to be sold back to the Parkers. He’d turn over in his grave if he knew it was shut down.”

      “The Coldwater Spa was operating at a loss for the last few years. It was just a matter of time before he closed it down.”

      “The right person could have made it profitable again.”

      He knew what she was getting at, and he knew where that topic would lead. He’d fought with his father often enough over his decision to go to law school instead of taking over the management of the resort. He wasn’t about to fight with his mother over it, too.

      “Well, it’s closed down now,” he said cheerfully, “so let’s just stop worrying about it and enjoy this weekend.”

      He might have known she wouldn’t let it go that easily.

      “If your father hadn’t stipulated in his will that the land had to stay in the family,” Darlene said, as they crossed the lobby together, “we could have asked a good price for Coldwater and been rid of it. If it hadn’t been for the Parkers and that ridiculous feud, we wouldn’t be stuck with it.”

      “You can’t blame everything on the Parkers.” Brad paused at the entrance to the dining room. “We’ll enjoy the weekend a lot more if you just forget about the feud and the Parkers. Pretend they’re not here.”

      Darlene sniffed. “That’s going to be a little difficult considering the entire mob is here. I don’t know how you can be so calm about it. After all, if it hadn’t been for that family, you would probably have had a better relationship with your father.”

      Brad winced. It was a low blow, and there was just no answer to that. Wishing he were anywhere else but at Mountview Ski Lodge that weekend, he escorted his mother into the dining room.

      A few yards away, Anne sat at a long table at the far end of the room, next to one of the tall windows overlooking the slopes. She’d always loved the rustic atmosphere of the lodge, with its wide, natural beams and cathedral ceilings. Logs crackled and spat in the huge stone fireplace just feet away, and she could feel the heat from the hungry flames as she looked around the table at her family.

      It was so good to be with them all again, though she missed her grandma Nellie. She smiled at Grandpa James, who sat next to her. She couldn’t resist giving him a hug. “How are you doing, Grandpa?”

      His pale gray eyes peered at her over the top of his glasses. “I’d feel a damn sight better if it was colder.”

      She was immediately concerned. “Are you too hot? Would you like to move? I’m sure they’ll be happy to set up another table further away from the fire.”

      He shook his head. “I’m fine. It’s the snow I’m worried about.” He nodded at the window. “Looks a little mushy to me.”

      Paul, who was sitting on the other side of him, gave him a nudge with his elbow. “You planning on skiing with us, Gramps?”

      Grandpa James shook his head. “Got too much respect for my old bones.” He gave Paul a stern look. “Stay off that mountain, sonny, if you value your skin.” He glanced around the table. “That goes for all of you. Not safe out there. Temperature’s rising. Take my word for it.”

      Paul laughed. At twenty-four he was a carbon copy of their father, except his dark blond hair showed no signs of the thinning that plagued Dan Parker. Paul had inherited his father’s broad shoulders and chunky build, and was supremely confident of his immortality. “You worry too much, Gramps. We’re all fantastic skiers. After all, we’ve been doing it since we were old enough to walk.”

      Grandpa scowled at him. “Don’t mess with Mother Nature, boy. You’ll find out she has a mean hand.”

      “Oh, for heaven’s sake, Father, stop treating them all as if they were still toddlers.” Carol Parker, an attractive woman from whom Anne had inherited her thick hair and green eyes, gazed fondly at her four children. “Though sometimes I have to admit, it’s hard for me to realize you are all so grown-up. Especially now that we’re all together again.” She reached out and lightly pressed Anne’s hand. “I’m so glad you’re coming back to Grand Springs, darling. We’ve missed you.”

      “I’ve missed you all, too.” Anne sipped at her iced tea before adding casually, “I bumped into the Irvings in the foyer.”

      Her father groaned. “Oh, no, don’t tell me that awful woman is here. You didn’t speak to her, did you? She gives the place a bad name. I suppose she’s got that scheming son of hers with her? She never goes anywhere without him now that Wally’s gone.”

      “Now, Dan, let’s not let those dreadful people spoil our weekend.” Carol looked hopefully at Anne for support. “The best thing to do is completely ignore them. Pretend we don’t see them.”

      “I couldn’t agree more.” Secretly Anne thought that might be impossible, considering the lodge wasn’t that big.

      “Well, I’m glad Brad Irving’s here,” Sharon said, smirking at Elise. “I think he’s positively awesome looking.”

      “The sexiest man in town, that’s for sure.” Elise flicked her long blond hair over her shoulder with a careless hand. “I wouldn’t mind spending a night with him, I can tell you.”

      “That’s enough, girls,” Carol warned mildly. “You know how talk like that irritates your father.”

      “The man’s a damn crook,” Dan muttered. “How can you two talk like that about a man whose family stole your heritage? If it wasn’t for the Irvings, we’d still own that damn land, and I wouldn’t have to face bankruptcy to keep you two in college.”

      Sharon’s face burned as she reached for her water glass. Elise lifted her chin, and Anne knew her youngest sister was going to argue. She should have kept her mouth shut about seeing Brad and his mother, she thought, cursing herself for starting a familiar argument.

      “Well, it’s not worth much now,” Elise said, with a hint of defiance. “Now that they’ve closed down the spa it’s just empty buildings sitting there doing nothing.”

      “It’s still good land.” Dan set his fork down on his plate with a clatter. “I’m damn sure I could find something to do with it. Trust that thieving lawyer to let it go to waste. Too damn busy cheating people out of their hard-earned money, that’s his problem.”

      “Now, dear, let’s just forget about it, shall we?” Carol looked pleadingly at her husband. “I really would like to enjoy this weekend

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