Chain of Love by Anne Stuart Read Free Book Online Page B

her.
    “Damn it, Georgia,” she whispered, “I won’t let you do that to me anymore. It wasn’t my fault.”
    “What wasn’t your fault, darling?” Travis’s slightly husky voice startled her into another polite curse. Reluctantly she turned to
    face him, wondering for not the first time how someone so endowed with physical charms and financial well-being could be so unpleasant. Her brother was
    just above medium height, with the same dark, wavy hair that Meg had, warm brown eyes, a beautiful nose and well-modeled lips. Unfortunately those lips
    were permanently carved in a sneer, and the brown eyes frequently glittered with malice.
    “None of your business, Travis,” she replied pleasantly enough.
    “You should be used to your sister by now, Cathy,” Travis purred. “She still hasn’t recovered from the fact that Father
    couldn’t care less whether she lived or died, and he thinks the sun rises and sets with you. Added to that the fact that you’re far lovelier
    than she could ever hope to be, along with being seventeen years younger, and I think you can understand her irritable mood. She’s usually much
    better when she’s warned you’re coming.”
    “I’m hardly lovelier than Georgia, Travis, and if you’ve been telling her so I wish you’d stop. Everyone knows that Georgia is the
    beauty of the family, and will be when she’s eighty.”
    “All those people don’t know my hermitlike youngest sister,” Travis said smoothly. “What brings you down here?”
    “I wanted to see how Pops was doing.”
    A frown creased his brow. “Don’t you think we’re capable of taking decent care of him, Cathy? Or are you expecting—”
    “Travis, I just wanted to visit with him.” Cathy interrupted him with a patience that was rapidly wearing thin. It was no wonder she avoided
    this place like the plague. “How is he?”
    “Up to his ears in intrigue,” Travis snapped, obviously nettled.
    “By the way, who was that driving away as I arrived? In the green BMW?” she inquired casually, following him into the house toward her
    father’s library, the only place he could still call his own in a house filled with visiting children.
    “No one you know, little sister. Some business acquaintance of his, part of his hush-hush plan. Don’t bother asking—even you won’t
    get any further with him on this one.”
    “I have no intention of cross-examining him about his business. I doubt it would be all that exciting once I found out, anyway,” she replied,
    stopping outside the paneled door to the library.
    “Will we be seeing you at dinner, Cathy mine?”
    A bitter smile lit her pale face. “Not likely. For some reason my family destroys my appetite.”
    “You don’t look as if you’ve had much appetite recently, anyway,” her brother observed sweetly.
    “You know what they say, darling,” she shot back. “A woman can’t be too thin or too rich.”
    “And you know, from your experience with Greg Danville, that both of those things aren’t true.”
    Cathy recoiled as if from a physical blow. “How do you know about Greg Danville?” she demanded hoarsely.
    “You should know by now, dear Cathy, that nothing stays a secret in this family.” Travis was unmoved by the reaction he had caused.
    “Does Pops know about it?”
    “Who do you think told me?” he purred. “Have you forgotten that Father employs a veritable army of private investigators?”
    Slowly Cathy withdrew her hand from the antique brass doorknob, noticing with absent fascination that her slender, ringless hand was trembling slightly.
    “Good-bye, Travis,” she said coolly, and turning on her heel, she strode out of the house without a backward glance. Travis’s light,
    malicious voice floated to her.
    “What shall I tell your dear Pops?”
    She paused for only a moment at the front door. “I’m certain you’ll think of something,” she replied without bothering to turn
    around. A moment later she was in her car, speeding