Her Mother's Killer Read Free Page B

this might be her only chance to escape, she hurried into Yardley’s. Twenty minutes later, she turned down the pasta aisle and silently bemoaned their selection. For a small-town grocery store, it was well stocked, but she’d known some items would have to be shipped in. And, as she looked over the well organized pasta section, she realized she might need to do quite a bit of shopping online. As she bent to look at the lower shelves, footsteps sounded behind her.
    She turned and smiled when she saw Chase Perry, Duncan’s little brother. A couple years younger than Thea, they’d never been really good friends in high school. He’d looked her up when he moved to Georgia to attend the University of Georgia. They struck up a friendship and he’d even been out to her house a few times for dinner.
    Just an inch or two shorter than Duncan, Chase had sparkling green eyes and a constant smile. Lean, with the streamlined body of a swimmer, he rarely lacked dates, especially with his expertise at flirting. The four years he lived in Georgia, she’d never seen him with the same woman twice.
    “Thea,” he said, his voice filled with genuine surprise and delight. “I had no idea you were here. Are you in town for a visit?”
    Without waiting for her answer, he pulled her into his arms for a hug.
    “No. I assume you haven’t seen Duncan this evening.”
    He released her, but slung his arm over her shoulders in a brotherly fashion.
    “I haven’t seen Dunc in a couple of days. I’ve been out of town on business.”
    “I’m moving back.”
    His eyebrows rose to his hairline. “And?”
    “And what?”
    He rolled his eyes. “And what about Jason?”
    “Do you and Duncan ever talk?”
    “Well, not much. Like I said, someone kept me out of town last night.”
    She laughed. “I thought it was work.”
    “She was. You don’t know how much work she was. Now, tell me that you’ll go out to dinner with me tonight. Or maybe, you could cook for me.” His cheek dimpled.
    “Chase, I just got into town tonight. I’m not cooking for you.”
    “How about some Frito pie then?
    For a second, her mind didn’t adjust. “Frito pie?”
    “You know, open a small bag of Frito chips, pour the chili on, cheese on top of that.”
    “Oh, the game.” She made a face. “No way. I hate football.”
    He leaned back and gave her a look of mock horror. “I don’t think that’s allowed in Texas. I’m sure there is a state law against the hatred of football. Actually, there might some kind of fine for just saying it out loud.”
    She laughed again. “Chase, I just got back into town today. I still have some of my cookware in the car. I’m not in the mood to do something I like, let alone go to a Crocker football game.”
    Without missing a beat, he suggested, “I could help you unpack.”
    “I’m not cooking for you and that’s final.”
    He sighed. “Well, a man can dream.”
    With any other man, she would have been irritated. Chase had a way of putting people at ease. The teasing wasn’t so much sexual as it was just natural to his character.
    “So, what’s a hot commodity like you doing alone on a Friday night?”
    “Trying to convince an attractive woman to cook for me.”
    She opened her mouth to respond when a deep, rich male voice interrupted her.
    “I see you’ve already fallen into the company of unsavory characters.”
    *  *  *  *
    Duncan’s mind couldn’t function. The red haze of anger still pulsed in front of his eyes as he watched the two of them turn to face him. He couldn’t believe his little brother was putting the moves on Thea less than twenty-four hours after she arrived in town. He understood completely. Wearing a tight red sweater that accentuated the golden undertone of her skin, not to mention the generous curve of her breasts.
    “I take offense to that comment,” Chase said, but the smile belied his statement. “How’s tricks tonight, Dunc?”
    He rocked back on his heels trying his best to