Rachel Carrington Read Free

returned just in time.”
    “You haven’t said why you’re here.”
    Jenny made herself comfortable on the sectional sofa. “That’s exactly what I’m going to do.” She waved a hand as Carla lifted the bottle. “I’ll skip the wine, thanks. I want a clear head when I tell you my plans.”
    “Your plans?”
    “You look like you could use a vacation. I just so happen to be headed in that direction.”

    Carla blinked at her. “What direction?”
    “Toward a vacation. Well, actually, it would be more of a working vacation. I’m doing an exposé on this nineteenth-century castle in England. I know how much you’ve always been fascinated with that culture and I thought you might like to join me in my quest.”
    Carla sat down before her legs failed her. “You have no idea how much I wish I could go.
    Unfortunately, I just don’t have the time.”
    Jenny leaned forward, her pixie face intent. “You have to make time for the things that are important to you and your health should be very important to you.”
    Carla’s eyes narrowed. “Who have you been talking to?”
    Jenny threw her hands up in the air and relented. “Okay. I give. Diane called me. She said that you have been so depressed that she’s worried about you. I’ve never been good at keeping secrets.”
    “She’s worried about me? She’s the one married to Sam O’Hara. At least I can get away from the family once in a while. She’s stuck there in the thick of things.”
    “She told me about the family reunion. Carla, if you don’t get out of here, your family is going to swallow you whole, just like one of your father’s conquests. I’m telling you that this is the perfect solution. You can take some time, clear your head and when you come back, you can put your life back in order.”
    Carla crossed slim legs and took another sip of the fruity wine. She took her time, savoring the acidic bite before responding. “My life is in order.”
    Jenny dragged her hands through her short cap of blonde curls and shook her head. “No, your life according to Sandra Morgan is in order. This can’t be what you want to do with the rest of your life.”
    “I have a job I enjoy, Jenny. Not too many people can say that.”
    “Yes, and you’ve achieved everything you told me you were going to achieve. Now what? Where do you go from here? How much longer are you going to live under your mother’s thumb, risking your father’s wrath on a daily basis? I’ve seen him mad and believe me, I don’t want to be around when the next volcano erupts.” Jenny squirmed on the leather sofa that matched the recliner that matched the entertainment center. Everything matched in Carla’s home, a perfect blend of colors and material.
    Everything in place. Not even a magazine marred the glass-topped coffee table with its intricate etched patterns.
    “I’ll have to think about it.”
    “Think quick. Our flight leaves tomorrow morning at six.”
    “Tomorrow? That doesn’t give me a whole lot of time.”
    “I didn’t want you to have time to back out.”
    Carla placed the crystal back down on the coaster and steepled her fingers, considering her friend with a shrewd eye and then, slowly, she grinned.

    * * * * *
    The heavy brocade draperies obscured the windows, blocking the sunlight and shrouding the interior room in darkness, but the housekeeper knew Sinclair Heath liked it that way. He’d been living in the darkness for so long he probably wasn’t sure he could face the light.
    Standing beside the velvet brocade settee, he cut an imposing figure in the black breeches that molded to his hard thighs. His shoulder-length black hair was tied at the nape of his neck with a slim piece of leather and broad shoulders were covered by a black waistcoat. His dark eyes stared into space, seeing nothing and Nettie’s heart hurt for him.
    “Your Grace.” She reluctantly interrupted his musings.
    Sinclair spun around, dropping his hands to his sides. “What is it,