Chasing Shadows by Ashley Townsend Read Free Book Online Page A

olive-toned shoulders.
    “I thought I heard voices,” she said, her voice sounding smooth and cultured. She smiled at them, but Sarah didn’t find anything welcoming in the woman’s gaze, except, of course, when she looked at Will. Her expression was vaguely amused as she smiled at him, and her gaze was a little too bold and possessive for Sarah’s liking.
    “I didn’t expect to see you knocking on my door today, William,” she said, her smile almost catlike.
    Will’s expression remained blank. “I’d hoped you would never expect me to knock on your door, Jade.” His voice was not impolite, but Sarah thought she detected an edge to his words.
    The woman he’d called Jade laughed lightly, though it sounded more like a practiced sound than an expression of genuine pleasure.
    “One day soon,” she said mysteriously. She eyed Sarah openly, who felt extremely uncomfortable beneath her scrutiny. “I can see why you aren’t coming to see me today, though I believe I am far more entertaining. Pray, what is your name, pet?”
    Sarah stared back at the rude woman, silently refusing to give her name, and received a patronizing smile in response. When she remained silent, Will placed his hands on her shoulders. “We really have to be going,” he said, not unkindly, as he pushed Sarah past the dilapidated house. Sarah was so startled by the sudden action that she could do nothing but stumble ahead and try to keep sure footing as he pushed her along with his firm hold. She felt a little deflated with the knowledge that Will and Jade knew each other, and he hadn’t bothered to introduce Sarah. Maybe she wasn’t as important to him as she had hoped.   
    She glanced over her shoulder to see the woman watching their departure from her crooked doorstep. She caught Jade’s eye and quickly turned her face forward, not liking what she saw in the woman’s tight expression.
    Will let his grip on her shoulders fall away, though he kept a hand at her back to keep her moving. Though he did his best to shield her body with his own against the brutal wind, Sarah still gasped as the cold wind rammed into her, nearly knocking her off her feet. They hurried through town, and he released her to struggle with the livery door. Sarah fought to keep her feet on the ground as her dress and cape whipped madly about her legs.
    He managed to open the door and motioned her in first. She ducked inside, and he quickly followed, pulling the horses and wagon into the building. He allowed the wind to blow the door closed behind him with a bang as he untied the animals from the wagon. The horses danced around nervously, and Will let them to trot toward the back of the building, where they couldn’t do any harm.
    “It wasn’t that bad when we left,” Sarah said, still trying to catch her breath from their fight against the weather outside. She combed her fingers through her hair to lessen the snarls the wind had created. Robert must have left, because the building was soundless except for the horses’ quiet shuffling in their stalls in the back.
    “A storm is coming in,” Will replied dully, raking a hand back through his own tousled waves. His dark eyes searched her face for a moment, and then he shook his head. “You shouldn’t have been down there.”
    “What? You mean that street?” She shrugged nonchalantly, as if the whole episode was no big deal. However, the eerily silent street and the encounter with Jade had disquieted her. She had actually been greatly relieved when Will came to her rescue.
    He moved away from the door and took a step toward her, his face serious and stern, square jaw set. Sarah recognized that look and knew he was about to tell her not to do something. She automatically stiffened in response to the warning that was about to come. 
    “I don’t ever want you going down there. It isn’t safe for you to be wandering there alone.”
    Sarah raised a brow in question. “Why is that?”
    The muscle in his jaw