Rose Quartz Read Free Page A

Home, there was no place like it. A tiny voice she really didn’t want to hear added a caveat, Except perhaps a small horse ranch in Wisconsin . She shook her head. Don ’ t go there .
    She took a sip of wine and closed her eyes as the cool effervescent liquid ran down the back of her throat. “Um, this is more like it.”
    She leaned her head back on the couch. “So what did you do while I was away, beside harass George? You really need to stop that, Puss–Puss. George is our friend.”
    The big cat swished his tail from side to side. A sign that he was not pleased with the comment, but he kept eating.
    “Truth’s truth. Let me tell you about my trip, at least the most intriguing part of it.” She leaned forward. Adrenaline pumped through her, overriding the tiredness caused by a transatlantic flight and the tension of a stalker. “I found the power amulet and met the woman who wears it, forging another link in the sisterhood. Her name is Sabina. She’s probably a year or two younger than Maureen and looks straight out of a Shakespearean play. Long, thick brunette hair, dark, limpid eyes, slender but voluptuous and carries herself like a queen.”
    As fast as the adrenaline rush came, it disappeared. She yawned so wide her jaws nearly split then pushed herself off the couch. “Gods, I’m tired. Let’s go to bed.” Carrying her wineglass, she started toward the stairs.
    Puss–Puss went trotting by her, his tail straight in the air. He plopped down at the top of the stairs, wrapped his tail around his body and sat sphinxlike, looking down at her.
    With one hose-encased foot on the step, she stopped and snapped her fingers. “I forgot to let George know about the man following me. I don’t want to be responsible for him getting his head bashed in.”
    She walked to the foyer and pushed the intercom button mounted on the wall.
    “Yes, Ms. Bella?” George’s voice echoed hollowly through the speaker.
    She leaned forward and spoke into the intercom, “It’s probably nothing to worry about but I think I was being followed tonight. Just be on the alert for strangers, okay?”
    “Of course, Ms. Bella. I’ll keep a sharp eye out and I’ll let Bobby know as well. Don’t you worry about a thing.”
    Bella’s shoulders shook with silent laughter. Bobby was even older than George. “Thanks, George, I appreciate it. I’ll rest better knowing you’re on duty.” She could picture his chest swelling like a bantam rooster. Bless his heart.
    “No problem, Ms. Bella. You get a good night’s sleep, you hear?”
    “Thanks, George.” She clicked off the intercom and headed up the stairs to her bedroom.
    She sat the wine on the bedside table, stripped and pulled an oversized tee shirt over her head then plopped down on the bed. Snuggling under the sheet and fluffy coverlet, she sighed with pleasure, happy to be in her own bed after a month out of the country.
    The sweet scent of lavender from her silk sheets teased and relaxed her as she reached up and switched off the light. Puss–Puss hopped on the bed and curled up beside her.
    Just as she closed her eyes the phone rang. Sticking her hand out from the cover, she groped for it. “Hello.”
    “Ms. Tremaine?”
    “Yes.”
    “This is Judy. You exchanged clothes with me in the diner.”
    Bella jerked upright, tumbling the coverlet and sheet around her waist. She pushed her hair out of her eyes. “Are you all right?”
    “Yes. Just wanted to let you know Rhonda and I are both fine. Your plan worked like a charm. A sedan followed my taxi. When I got back to the diner, I got out and let him get a good look at me under the street lamp. Rhonda joined me. The sedan crawled by with the driver staring holes in me. Gave me the creeps. Then he took off and we came home. You be careful. Your ex doesn’t look like a nice person.”
    “My what? Oh my ex.” For a moment there she’d forgotten her story. “You’re sure he didn’t follow you home?”
    “Positive. We