Four Weeks Read Online Free PDF Page A

summer job to her. It was a chance to prove she could succeed and face challenges. So many times she'd accepted new positions with great expectations. In the past year and a half she'd been the manager of a small dress shop, a baker's assistant, and a preschool teacher's aide.
    Since graduating from high school, she'd had so many first days she could barely remember them all. Each new job had seemed like a welcome chance to achieve the dream she believed in. But sooner or later the shine wore off and her disillusions were exposed. Each time she put in her two-week notice, she'd promised herself that the next job would be the one that made all her dreams come true.
    Maybe she was chasing rainbows, but she had to keep searching. All she wanted was to be on her own, to be happy. She just needed the right job to start her up the career ladder. With hard work she'd get to the top and earn the things being up there had to offer.
    After all, that's why she'd struggled through those business courses in community college. Her career was supposed to bring new excitement and fulfillment. Not disappointment and frustration.
    The gulls flew off as a couple strolled along the beach. The woman had her pants rolled up to her knees while the man walked higher up on the shore. The intimate music of their laughter drifted up to Louise and she flushed. Longing tugged at her heart.
    It wasn't that she wanted a relationship. She was restless, that's all. She needed something to occupy her time. Something to put her energy into. Something she always looked for when she started a new job.
    The couple strolled out of view and she frowned. This time she'd done more than start a new job. She'd packed up and left home, insisting to friends and family that this time she'd stay on no matter what.
    Going back home was out of the question. She couldn't face their knowing stares and probing questions. They wouldn't understand that the position no longer existed. They'd just know she'd failed again. Worse than facing them was admitting to herself she'd never make her dreams come true.
    No, she couldn't go home. She had to find a way to convince Trent to keep the stable. Even that idea had problems. Seeing him every day and pretending she wasn't attracted to him might be the biggest challenge of her life.
    How could someone she'd just met have such an effect on her? She wasn't totally inexperienced with men, but she'd never reacted to a man so quickly. Then again, she'd never met a wealthy businessman before. The guys back home were definitely not in the same league as Trent Parker.
    Could she convince him to keep the stable? She couldn't really argue about its current profit making status. During the time she'd been there she hadn't seen one customer. Guessing from the condition of the barn and surrounding yard, no money had been put into Hawk's in quite a while.
    Why had Trent's father bought the place?
    Another unanswered question followed close behind. Why was Trent on the island if his father had just passed away? Shouldn't he be with his family? He didn't seem to be acting the way she imagined a man would shortly after his father's death. Maybe he was still in shock. After all, Mr. Parker's death had been sudden.
    She mulled that over. What did she really know about the business she'd come to manage? With regret she had to admit that accepting the position and dashing away from home may not have been the mature move she'd thought it was. She'd put herself right in the middle of a group of strangers and working at a place she knew nothing about.
    Too late now, here I am .
    Anxious and still full of questions, Louise pushed herself away from the window. She hefted her duffel bag onto the bed, unzipped it and started lifting her T-shirts off the top.
    The doubtful image Mrs. Lovell had cast at the worn bag brought a private smile to Louise's lips. She set the shirts aside and wiggled her fingers around inside the bag. Tucked near the middle of her clothes