Dead Heat by Kathleen Brooks Read Free Book Online Page B

there.” Paige pointed to the tiny alley between her store and the Keeneston Historical Society. Just moments ago, all she had wanted was to get home and climb into bed. Now, she was thinking the assassin might be the better option. Nothing, absolutely nothing could terrify her more than her mother. People often thought it was the loud and rowdy Davies men that ruled the house. But it was actually her mother, Marcy Davies, all five foot seven inches of strawberry blonde hair and bright blue eyes. She was quiet, polite, and ruthless. She could screw you with a smile and you’d thank her, never realizing she had cut you down. She had once asked her mother how she could be so nice and tough at the same time. Her mother had told her to always be a lady, but when you raise five boys you learn to be tough, too.
    Cole pulled into the alley and parked next to her cheery light yellow building. She was so proud of it. She had bought the building on the courthouse steps for next to nothing and spent months installing new windows, drywall, fixtures, and restoring the hundred year old original hardwood floors. She had sewn her own curtains made from a similarly colored yellow, cornflower blue, and white striped curtains trimmed in lace. She had built display tables and made matching tablecloths. She had turned an abandoned historic house into a rejuvenated shop and home. Her heart warmed every time she pushed open her navy blue door and walked into her shop. However, this time when she pushed open the door, instead of being met with the warm ambient light from her display cases, she was met with all of her lights on and most of her family sitting on the stairs and a group of sheriff’s deputies sitting behind the sales counter.
    Before she could open her mouth, her family was up and talking at the same time. Her father, Jake Davies, and her brothers, Miles, Marshall, Cade, and Pierce all swarmed her with questions about what happened. Only her mother didn’t stand up and only her mother didn’t say a word.
    “Where’s Cy?” Paige managed to ask before her brothers and father launched into some sort of side conversation or lecture. She didn’t know what direction they were heading and thought to cut them off.
    “We found him in Switzerland. He said he can be here in a couple of days if we need him,” her father answered.
    “What is he doing in Switzerland?”
    “Who knows, but what were you doing chasing after an armed man?” Miles had his big brother lecture voice on.
    “Before you start lecturing your sister, why don’t we have her introduce us to this nice young man she’s here with?” That was so typical of her mother. She made an FBI escort home sound like a high school date.
    “Ma, this is FBI Agent Cole Parker. Cole, this is my mother, Marcy Davies.” Her mother and her stood at the same height, but that was where their similarities stopped. Her mother’s strawberry blonde hair was turning blonder with age. Only Cy had their mother’s strawberry blonde hair. Cade was dark blonde, but all of the other siblings had their father’s brown hair. Paige also inherited her father’s hazel eyes, as did all her brothers.
    Paige watched her mother smile and shake hands with Cole. “It’s nice to meet you Ma’am.”
    “It’s nice to meet you too. This is my husband, Jake Davies.” Cole shook his hand and they did the quick once over measuring each other up. This was her favorite part. Her brothers never behaved themselves when introduced to a man in Paige’s life, regardless of their relationship status. “And these are four of my five sons. I think you know the oldest, Miles, and then Marshall.”
    Miles nodded from where he stood in front of Paige with his hands on his hips. Marshall uncoiled himself from where he was sitting on the stairs and held out his hand for Cole to shake.
    “Good to see you both again,” Cole said as he shook Marshall’s hand. Paige saw him grimace and she smiled. Her brother was an