Meant for Her Read Online Free Page A

than one, Jared.  Do you know anything else about this message? Sometimes it’s the littlest thing that helps break a code.”
    Hank thought for a minute, wondering what might be relevant. “The only other thing in the safe deposit box was a sheet of paper that said Julie X. Trueblood.  I already tracked her down. Looks like she’s his daughter, going by her mother’s maiden name.”
    “Okay. I’ll see what I can find out.”
     ~~~
    Julie wrapped the sky blue terry bathrobe around her warm, damp body and walked out of the bathroom, a cloud of steam following her into the much cooler bedroom. Her wet hair was piled on her head and wrapped in a pale yellow towel, just like the one she used to dry herself off out of the shower. Gwen had a masterful understanding of creature comforts, and Julie smelled of mint and rosemary from the decadent shampoo, soap and lotions her aunt provided.
    Warm hardwood floors gave way to plush carpeting beneath her feet as Julie made her way to the window seat and sat down on its edge. She took in the familiar view below, the landscape’s pristine blanket of snow shining bright in the late morning sunshine. A gently sloping yard bowed before rolling hills in the distance, and the horizon spoke of mountains tinted purple by the tilt of the earth itself.
    Julie leaned forward and pressed her forehead to the cold glass, allowing her eyes to close in recognition of the peace she felt in this place.
    This room had been hers when she lived with Gwen, and she acknowledged it for the haven that it was both then and now. It was ironic to be comforted by these walls after years of avoiding the solace they so freely afforded. Julie had not been here once in the time since college.
    Vermont reminded Julie of the darkest time in her life—her own despair over her father’s disappearance. Here lay the ashes from which she had risen like a phoenix, and only another fire could have brought her back again. In this place she was the daughter of a traitor, stalked by the media and villainized by the Navy officers who continued to interrogate Julie long after her father escaped their influence.
    Her return to Vermont had been determined the moment Hark Jared set foot in her office. Last night, Gwen listened intently as Julie told her about the fire that killed her father. She thought of it now, picturing the scene as if she witnessed its deadly fingers reaching to destroy her ultimate hope—that her father would some day return to her and to his rightful place in her life.
    Opening her eyes, Julie was surprised to realize that there were no tears on her face, as if the well of grief had simply gone dry from her great gulps at its waters in the last two days. She touched her cheeks with her hands and marveled at their normal texture, dry and soft.
    The reality that life continues despite tragedy was both an odd comfort and a bad joke that rubbed at her and made her chafe on a spot that was already raw.
    Julie had stumbled into bed last night after talking to Gwen until the wee hours of the morning. Now she looked around the familiar room and saw it had been transformed. The antique furniture that had been painted a bold coral when Julie lived here now matched the pale yellow of the fluffy towel on her head. Bed linens of turquoise and bright yellow toile seemed to hum in their bold contrast to the muted blue of the walls. A bulky duvet was wrapped in a lemony fabric that felt like the softest bunny, and the pineapples atop the four posts of the bed had been gloriously decorated in hammered gold and blue glass.
    Walking to the bed, she again sank into its inviting depths. She pulled the duvet over her robed body and closed her eyes, wishing for the sleep that she suspected would not come.
    She willed her mind to think of something else. An image of the sexy Navy officer filled her head. Hank Jared. Even his name was sexy. She remembered what he smelled like—pungent soap and something exquisitely male. Her