Full Bloom by Jayne Ann Krentz Read Free Book Online Page A

even let him in the house, much less let me go out with him."
    "How did we get off on the subject of Bobby Hadley?" her mother wanted to know. "I was talking about Morrell. You must understand, dear, that we simply couldn't allow you to get any more involved with Damon Morrell. I hope Jacob had a nice long talk with you on the drive back to Seattle last night. He's always so good at making people see reason."
    "I hate to tell you this, but I dozed most of the way. Jacob's a good driver. Since I didn't have to worry about watching the road, I napped."
    "Emily, what's the matter with you? You've become increasingly stubborn and difficult during the past couple of years. Ever since your grandmother died and you opened that shop, you've been changing. I don't know what's gotten into you."
    "Maybe the problem is that I'm no longer a little girl, Mom."
    "I will assume that you've still got enough sense to be reasonable about this situation with Damon Morrell," Catherine said frostily. "I will also assume that you will be attending your father's birthday party in two weeks."
    "That's a big assumption."
    "Emily!"
    "Oh, stop worrying. Of course I'll be at the party. I wouldn't want you to send Jacob Stone out to collect me, would I?"
    "I don't know what you have against Jacob. He's always been such a good, reliable employee," Catherine said in exasperation. "So loyal. We were very sorry to lose him two months ago. Drake will certainly miss him. He had come to rely on him just as Giff had."
    "I'm sure Drake will find a replacement," Emily said without a lot of concern.
    "Never mind. About your father's birthday party. It will be formal, as always."
    "You mean I can't show up in jeans?"
    "Lately your sense of humor has become very strange, Emily. Goodbye, dear. See you in a couple of weeks." Catherine's motherly instincts kicked in somewhat belatedly. "And don't waste your energy pining over Damon Morrell. He certainly isn't worth any tears."
    "I'll keep that in mind," Emily said dryly. She replaced the receiver with an annoyed crash.
    "Well?" Diane asked chattily as she began arranging flowers in the display refrigerator. "What did Mom want?"
    "She was just checking to make sure I had been properly brought to heel last night at the family conference."
    Diane arched her brows. "And have you?"
    "Well, I've certainly lost what little interest I had in Damon, but I'll be darned if I'll let Jacob or the family know that, at least not for a while. Won't do them any harm to sweat it out a bit."
    Diane peered at her through a twisting mass of greenery. "You are annoyed with that bunch, aren't you?"
    "Very." Emily paused. "But maybe not so much with Jacob as I am with my family."
    "Why not? Seems to me he did the dirty work this time around."
    Emily made a face. "He always does the dirty work. He's good at it. But part of me feels sort of sympathetic."
    "Sympathetic!"
    "I know. It's hard to explain. It's just that, deep down, he's a decent man and he's always acted out of loyalty to my family and to the firm. He really did believe he was acting in my best interests this time around."
    "You're making excuses for him, Emily. Why?"
    "How should I know?" Emily admitted with a groan. "Maybe it's because I've never forgotten the way I felt five years ago when I was sitting in that cabin with that maniac and Jacob Stone came through the window. You can find a lot of excuses for a man who once came to your rescue in a big way."
    "Yeah," agreed Diane thoughtfully. "You can."
THREE
    « ^ »
    O n Monday morning Emily was in the middle of experimenting with a deceptively simple design using three magnificent daisies and a spray of myrtle when she again allowed herself to think about Jacob Stone. She had been thinking about him on and off since Saturday. The truth was, she couldn't get him out of her mind. There was no getting around the fact that she was secretly disappointed he hadn't reappeared on Sunday.
    She also wondered what her father would say if he