Her Mother's Killer by Melissa Schroeder Read Free Book Online Page A

a bear hug.
    “I think that’s my cue.”
    Chris didn’t say anything, his expression darkening even more.
    “Hey, they need this, they both need to move on.”
    “She doesn’t need him here to bother her though.”
    And with that odd statement, his uncle retreated to the kitchen. Maybe Chris knew more than he did. Hell, Duncan was sure of it. But he knew his uncle had little contact with either Jed or Thea since they moved away. With a shrug, he grabbed a beer out of the cooler and headed out to talk to his best friend.
    As he stepped off the porch, Thea glanced at him, fire blazing in her eyes. Damn, she was gorgeous. He walked across the lawn, ignoring several people who hailed him, keeping his attention focused on Thea.
    When he reached them, he offered Jed a beer and he shook his head. “Nope. Not with the pain medications.” He handed it to Thea who took it and narrowed her eyes.
    “And when were you going to tell me that you called my brother?”
    He didn’t say anything and she looked at Jed. “I hope he can put you up for the night. Gwen and I don’t have the room.”
    With that she stomped off into the house. Duncan watched, enjoying the exaggerated sway of her hips. Damn, but she was even more attractive when she was pissed off at him. Which should warn him to stay away from her, but for some reason, it attracted him even more.
    Jed cleared his throat. Duncan looked over at him with a smile. “Your sister turned into a beautiful woman.”
    “A beautiful woman with a whole mess of problems.” He crossed his arms over his chest and gave him the same narrow-eyed glare his sister did. “And I’ll be damned if you add to them, not after she damned near died.”
     
     

 
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter Five
     
    Duncan’s heart stopped for a second, then beat in double time. “What?”
    “Damn, I’m tired.” Jed scrubbed his one good hand over his face.
    “I don’t care. Tell me what happened with Thea.”
    Jed sighed. “She had a wreck.”
    “I heard that. When, where, how?”
    “Right before she and Jason divorced. One car. There was something off though. Thea was convinced she’d been run off the road. Police said no. There were no signs of another car, no witnesses. Of course, they all knew Jason.”
    Her ex being Atlanta PD, that made sense. “You think he had something to do with it?”
    “Nothing I could prove, but I wouldn’t put it past the bastard.”
    “How bad was the wreck?”
    “Not bad.” He grimaced. “Slight concussion, bruised ribs, some scratches. But that wasn’t the worst of it.”
    “There is something worse than being in a wreck and getting a concussion?”
    Jed nodded. “Emotionally, she was a mess. She’d lost so much weight.” He swallowed. “She was exhausted. Burnt out is what the doctors claimed. The divorce took more out of her than anyone knew. She gave him her restaurant.”
    “He’s a cop. Why would he want it?”
    Jed shrugged and looked over at his sister who was now talking to Gwen. “She didn’t want to stay in Atlanta, and for some reason, he wanted it. I think he thought he could run it better. Why, I don’t know.”
    “So, she just handed it over?”
    Jed nodded. “I think she already knew she was coming back to Texas. She just didn’t want to mess with it anymore. She wanted out of the marriage.” He smiled evilly. “I actually think Jason thought he would get her to stay, or cause her grief over it. She barely blinked when he asked for it.”
    “But I thought she loved that place.”
    Jed shrugged, his gaze settling on Gwen. “Don’t ask me the motives of most women. I don’t know what the hell they are thinking most of the time.”
    * * * *
    “I take it Duncan called Jed,” Gwen said.
    “Freaking telling on me like I’m a little girl.”
    She took a quick swig of beer and grimaced. She didn’t even know why she was drinking the damn stuff. She didn’t like it. It was the situation. Bizarre didn’t even get close to