Healing Trace by Debra Kayn Read Free Book Online Page A

money to pay for Katie's way
home.
    "Dammit." She stomped her
foot. "Dammit!"
    "Hey…" Brody leaned
against the wall in the archway leading to the dining room. "What
happened?"
    She shook her head. "I don't
like dealing with the insurance company about my car. You know how they have to
have everything written in stone." And, a monthly check. How could I be
so stupid?
    "If you need any help. Devon's
great with that sort of stuff." Brody motioned her to follow him. "We
want to talk with you for a moment, if you have the time."
    She pointed behind her toward
Trace's wing of the house. "Let me check with Trace, and make sure he
doesn't need me right away."
    "He's not in there. He went
outside." Brody walked over and grabbed her hand. "He'll be fine for
five minutes."
    She followed him down the hall.
"I told Trace yesterday that going out to the stables is out of the
question, until his next doctor's appointment. He kept trying to convince me he
was up to the long walk. He's not attempting to do something he shouldn't be
doing, is he?"
    "Nope. He's meditating, and
not moving a muscle." He opened the door that led into Devon's part of the
house.
    Past the door, she entered a large
sitting area. The flash of red against black took her by surprise. Devon had
red throw pillows, red vases, and even red braided rugs against a dark wood
floor scattered around his area. She closed her mouth and blinked. The décor
was opposite of what she imagined Devon would enjoy. He was quieter than the
others, and always seemed deep in thought pouring through the record books
every evening.
    Brody pulled her into another room
where houseplants took up every square inch of space. Devon stood with his back
toward her. She pulled away from Brody, stepping farther into the room. Devon
had created an inside jungle that made the outside of the house with all the
flowers pale compared to his wing of the house.
    Grow lights hung along the ceiling,
and pots lined the walls. She swiveled. Vines anchored along the edge of the
walls held the many trails of leaves and it wouldn't have surprised her if a
butterfly or two fluttered past.
    "I've never seen anything like
this. It's incredible." She shook her head in amazement.
    Brody chuckled. "It's
something else, isn't it?"
    Devon turned and smiled. "Good
you're here. I'm in need of a woman, and you were the first one who popped into
my head."
    "Lucky me." She laughed.
"Unless you'd like me to run around the ranch doing trivial things just to
get me out of your hair. In which case, Trace thinks that's his job for me
today."
    "Ah…he's being an idiot again,
huh?" Devon pulled her closer. "Never fear, I only need your womanly
expertise."
    She gazed down at the small table.
"Okay."
    "I need you to tell me which
flower a lady would enjoy receiving the most." Devon picked up a lovely
white bloom she didn't recognize.
    She stepped closer and inspected
each choice laid out before her. Then she leaned closer and inhaled the scents.
"This one."
    The deep purple star shaped blossom
was the smallest out of the bunch, but the fragrance had her thinking of the
aroma of Trace's hair when he'd let her braid it. She picked the flower up by
the stem, turned around, and held her choice out to Devon.
    "This one would impress any
woman," she said.
    "Damn. I was wrong." Devon
scratched his head. "I thought you'd go for the red rose. I thought all
women liked roses, no matter what the color."
    "She didn't pick the one I
would have chosen either." Brody chuckled. "I thought she'd go for
the one with the huge yellow blossom."
    Devon blew out his breath and gave
her a half hug. "Thanks. You might have saved my life."
    She grinned. Each of the men at one
time or another had shown her affection, but none of them made her knees weak
and her pulse thrum the way Trace did simply by being in the same room as her.
    "I'm glad I could help."
She backed away to the door. "Good luck, Devon. I hope she likes your
surprise."
    He winked. "Me too."
    She