A Stranger in Wynnedower Read Online Free PDF Page A

felt
exposed. She was in a stranger’s house. Wasn’t it a little late to worry about
ulterior motives?
    Rachel considered it
and admitted she felt no distrust, but there was no harm in caution.
    She stacked a chair and
an end table in front of the bedroom door as a crude alarm, then plugged her
phone and charger into the bathroom outlet within easy reach.
    A hot, relaxing bath
could do amazing things for a gal at the end of a dreadful day. Rachel stayed
there, soaking her worn body and trimming her ragged fingernails, until the
water grew cold. Finally, she dried off and pulled out a pink t-shirt and
striped, lightweight cotton pajama pants. Her hair, coal black and straight,
was cut in a bob that brushed her jawline. She had only to run a comb through
it and let it dry.
    Rachel did a quick job
of making the bed, then curled up in the over-stuffed chair near the window.
She enjoyed the fresh breeze while she dialed Daisy.
    Daisy answered on the
second ring. “Rachel? How was your drive? You made it okay?”
    “It’s been crazy here,
but that’s a long story. Too long for tonight. The end result is I’m stranded.”
    “Do you need help?”
    In her head, Rachel saw
Daisy already reaching for her keys. “No, I’m fine. My car wouldn’t start. It
might be the battery. Like I know anything about cars, right? All I know is it
doesn’t work.”
    She propped her feet up
on the windowsill and rested her head back against the tapestry fabric of the
chair.
    “Could be the battery.
Possibly the alternator. Where are you? I hope you’re not standing on a
roadside?”
    “I’m at The Mansion.”
    Daisy breathed,
“Wynnedower? What’s it like? You found Jeremy?”
    “No, not yet. He was
here, but has gone somewhere.
    “You don’t sound
worried. Might be he’s with that girl he told you about.”
    “Jeremy wouldn’t take
off like that. He has too much going on in his life, too many plans. I’ll talk
to his employer tomorrow morning and if there’s no good explanation I’ll speak
to the police.”
    “The police? So you are worried.”
    “I am, of course, but
not as much. I’ve seen where he was living and met the owner. The man is rude,
but I don’t think he did anything to Jeremy.”
    “Isn’t it nice that bad
people wear signs and we don’t have to guess?”
    “Ha-ha.” Rachel shifted
in her chair. “What I mean is, most of Jeremy’s stuff is gone. As if he left.
But if someone was trying to make it look like he left when he didn’t, they’d
clear out everything, right? Plus, the owner is genuinely angry at Jeremy for
taking off without notice…not that I believe Jeremy did, but the owner
certainly does.”
    “So you met the owners?
What are they like?”
    “He. A guy named Jack
Wynne. Honestly, I can’t tell you what he’s like. He’s different, looks sort of
eccentric. Bad-tempered. On the other hand, he’s set me up here tonight very
comfortably.”
    “Oh?”
    That ‘oh’ was full of
insinuation. “It’s not like that, Daisy. In fact, all he wants is for me to stay
out of his way. He told me to lock my door and not come out until morning.”
    “What is he? A werewolf
or a vampire?” She growled in the background.
    Rachel laughed. “If you
saw him, you might lean toward werewolf. He has lots of hair. Long, dark hair
that he keeps pulled into a ponytail.”
    “Lots of hair? Is he
hairy like Beauty and the Beast hairy?”
    “ Beauty and the
Beast? Oh, please. No, not beastly at all. He has good bone structure, nice
cheek bones and a strong jaw and dark eyes that seem to swallow you up.”
    “You and bone
structure. Please. So, he’s good looking. How good looking?”
    She hesitated. “In an
aggressive sort of way. In fact, he seems familiar somehow. Not specifically
familiar, but generically familiar. Do you know what I mean?”
    “Flowing hair. Strong,
aggressive good looks. Sounds like he stepped off the cover of a romance novel.
One of those historical ones. Is he showing any