A Deadly Love Read Online Free

sheets were cool and crisp against her skin.
    She drifted in a haze, her pain numbed by the pills and the comfort of being in her grandmother’s house. Thoughts of Dillon stole through her mind. She pictured his concerned golden eyes staring into hers, and her lips curved. Warmth spread, easing the physical aches. Dulling the pain in her heart.

Chapter Two
    “Do those papers make sense to you?” June asked. She hovered beside Brooke’s chair, frowning at the bank documents spread across the dining room table.
    Brooke planted her elbows on the polished oak surface, closed her eyes, and rubbed her temples. If the numbers on the bank statement didn’t give her a headache, her grandmother’s oversized, tie-dyed T-shirt would. “Your checking account is overdrawn. I thought you said money was automatically transferred from your investment account every month.”
    “The deposits have been getting smaller and smaller.” June plucked at her long, cotton skirt. “I don’t know why. Eli always handled our finances. Before he died he told me he invested the money from the sale of the company, and I wouldn’t have to worry about a thing.”
    “Gramps sold his half of Big Timber Logging to Dillon a few months before he died, right?”
    She nodded. “He didn’t want the burden of managing the company placed on me. Since Ardelle and Matthew weren’t interested in running Big Timber, it made sense to let Dillon buy him out.”
    Brooke pictured her parents in their loafers and blazers, walking hand in hand across the U.C. Berkeley campus where they taught. “No, Mom and Dad wouldn’t know what to do with Big Timber.”
    “And James is busy with his oceanography research in Monterey, and Neila is still in law school.”
    She winced. Her siblings, at least, had legitimate excuses for their negligence. “I, on the other hand, was too selfishly absorbed in my relationship with Gavin to be of any use.”
    June squeezed her shoulder. “Your grandpa never expected you to take up a career in logging.”
    “Why not? I’ve tried everything else.”
    “Someday soon you’ll discover your true passion.”
    “Well it certainly isn’t accounting, but from the looks of these reports, Grandpa’s investments aren’t doing very well. They took a huge hit when the bottom fell out of the stock market, and they haven’t recovered the way they should have.”
    “What does that mean?” June asked, her voice quavering.
    “It means we should start by getting some advice on reinvesting your capital while you still have something to invest. Secondly, you need income to live on.”
    Her blue eyes widened behind the silver frames of her reading glasses. “Am I going to have to work in the Thrift-Mart in Crescent City greeting people the way those other senior citizens do?”
    Brooke choked on her coffee and lowered the cup to the table. “I don’t think you’ll have to resort to that. At least I hope not.”
    Her grandmother sighed. “That’s a relief. I’m not overly fond of the Thrift-Mart store, though they do get a nice selection of potted flowers in the spring.”
    She scooped the papers into a neat stack. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to mail these to Dad. He’ll know what to do about your investments. Then I’m going to transfer some money into your account to cover the checks you wrote last week. But first I’d like to discuss an idea of mine.”
    Tears filled June’s eyes. “I knew I could count on you, honey. By all means, send those awful papers to Matthew, and tell me your idea.”
    Brooke took a deep breath. “What do you think of turning your house into a bed and breakfast? I did a little research, and it looks like the chamber of commerce is really pushing to increase the local tourist trade. I called the owner of the Woodvale Inn before I left San Francisco. He said they’re always full during the summer, and the spring and fall seasons are picking up. I think we could make a success of it.”
    June