And Then Came You Read Online Free Page B

a single unit to stand against all invaders. And even though it frustrated the hell out of him to be facing it, a part of him wondered what solidarity like that felt like.
    “Good advice,” Jo pointed out.
    “Okay, look.” Deliberately ignoring the other two women, Jeff stared only at Sam. “I’m staying at the Coast Inn. When you’re ready to talk, call me.”
    “Yeah,” Jo snorted. “That’ll happen.”
    “Get out of town, weasel-dog.”
    He shot a glance at Sam’s sisters. “Really good to know the Marconi girls haven’t changed any.”
    Jo and Mike looked ready to rumble, but it was Sam who answered him. “No, we haven’t. But you haven’t changed, either, Jeff. Still giving orders, expecting them to be followed.”
    “I’m not—”
    “Mike’s right. Go away.”
    Frustration simmered inside him, but there was no help for it. He wasn’t going to get anywhere with her now, and besides, he had to get back to the inn anyway. He’d already been gone longer than he’d planned.Nodding, he turned and headed for his car, parked at the curb. With every step, he felt the icy stares of three sets of eyes boring into his back—and he was grateful the Marconis weren’t armed with more than a hammer.
    Two hours later, the Marconi sisters were still arguing in circles.
    “It’s a good thing Papa’s not here,” Mike grumbled. “He’d have a stroke.”
    “Thanks,” Sam said. “That’s helpful.”
    Mike jumped up off the overstuffed sofa and stalked around the living room. “You want helpful? How about I go over to the Coast Inn and hit him with a hammer until he doesn’t move anymore?”
    “For God’s sake, Mike, sit down.” Jo sounded more resigned than angry and Sam thought that, at least, was a step in the right direction.
    “How can you and Jo both be so calm?”
    “This is
not
calm,” Sam told her younger sister. She didn’t feel calm. She felt . . . as if she were standing between two boats, with a foot in each, while trying to keep her balance during storm surf. Sooner or later, she was going to get wet. The question was, would she drown? “This is . . . hell, I don’t know what it is.” She lifted her gaze to Jo. “Can you believe this?”
    “No.” Jo scowled thoughtfully into her Diet Coke. “What’s he want from you, anyway?”
    “A divorce, apparently.” Sam shook her head and leaned back into the sofa cushion. Snatching up a pale pink throw pillow, she clutched it to her middle like a shield. “But Mike started swinging her hammer before he could tell me.”
    “Should have hit him with it,” Mike said, still radiating fury.
    “Not until we know what’s going on.” Jo’s voice was calm, cool, but her eyes flashed with indignation. “I’m guessing he’s got more divorce papers for you to sign.”
    “More divorce papers. For God’s sake, I’m
married
.” Sam still couldn’t believe it. For nine years, she’d lived her life as a divorcée. The very first divorced woman in the history of the Marconi family—as Nana had continually reminded her for the first year or so of her humiliation. The taunts had finally stopped when Sam had offered to sew a big red
D
on her clothes.
    But now what? She’d dated. She’d had sex. Okay, not a lot of sex, but
some
. Did that make her an adulterer? Great. So now the scarlet letter on her clothes would have to be the
real
scarlet letter? “This is great,” she said, “just perfect. It’s a wonder women aren’t lining up outside the house just to take their turn at having my life. It’s just so damned entertaining.”
    “So long as you’ve got your sense of humor,” Jo said.
    Sam sneered at her.
    “So what’re you gonna do?” Mike stopped pacing and dropped onto the sofa, sinking into the old, faded cushions. She propped her booted feet on the battered coffee table, scattering magazines to the floor.
    “Go talk to him, I guess.”
    “I vote a big no to that,” Mike said hotly.
    “You don’t get a vote.” Sam