Jed's Sweet Revenge Read Online Free PDF

looked at him with slowly rising anger, and he put his hands on his hips. He hadn’t meant to sound so flippant, but dadgummit, she had to listen to reason. “Nobody from the Gregg family ever told you this was your island, did they?”
    “No, but after all these years … My parents were scientists, and they said H. Wilkens Gregg meant for Sancia to be preserved, and that one day he’d get around to donating the island to the state as a wildlife refuge. We always knew that would happen.”
    Jed shook his head slowly, without any attitude of victory. “ ’Fraid not, ma’am.”
    She frowned. “Just who are you?” She read the document again. “Jedidiah Huntington Powers? Is that you? You’re Mr. Gregg’s grandson, cowboy? You?”
    He nodded. “Don’t have to make it sound so hard to believe, ma’am. And it’s Jed Powers. Nothin’ fancy.” “Huntington” came from Huntington Wilkens Gregg, and he hated that.
    “All right, Jed Powers. Why are you here?” She closed the document slowly and handed it back to him. Abruptly, she smiled. “Are you going to donate the island to the state?”
    Jed nearly groaned. “No.”
    Her smile faded. “What are you going to do with it, then?” Trouble gonna fall, trouble gonna fall, Beneba had said.
    There was no way to soften the blow, Jed thought wearily. “Sell it for development.” She gasped. “But don’t you worry. Now listen—”
    “No!” She snatched her hands to her throat in an expression of horror, and his heart sank all the way to his boots. She shoved out of the room past him before he could stop her. “Rasputin! Godiva!”
    “Hold on, now!” he yelled, and leapt after her. Jed managed to throw himself in front of the screen door before she could reach it. She slid to a stop, hereyes narrowed with fierceness. Jed thrust his chin forward. “Don’t you dare sic those dogs on me.”
    “I’ll let them teach you a lesson in morals, you indiscriminate greedy oaf.” Her voice came out low and trembling with anger. “You’ll go back to the mainland with their fang marks in your behind.”
    “Are you trying to make me do something mean?” he asked.
    Thena backed away, her hands still touching her throat in distress. “Such as?”
    “Something. You’ll be sorry, if I have to.” Jed studied her fear and instantly added, “I don’t want to, Thena.”
    “Don’t call me by my name. I may not own Sancia, but I own my name.” Her shoulders sagged. The light died in her eyes and Jed felt terrible for her. “Just go,” she said dully. “I have to think.”
    “You can’t hide from the facts, Thena … ma’am. We might as well talk about the future.”
    “You’re horrible.” Her voice made that simple description sound like a lethal curse. “Get out.”
    “Nope. I don’t want you to think I’m some sort of mean hellion.”
    “This island is part of my family heritage! And … and your family heritage!” she said fervently. “I know all about the Greggs—my grandfather told me. H. Wilkens and Sarah honeymooned here. Their daughter was born here. Their daughter …” Thena stared at him. “Your mother?”
    He nodded grimly.
    “The old Gregg mansion is still here.” Thena held out pleading hands. “If you could just see it … if you could just see SalHaven—”
    “Hell, no. I don’t give a tinker’s damn about the Gregg family and I want to be rid of this fancy playpen of theirs.”
    New words died in Thena’s throat. Jed Powers’s voice hadn’t risen and nothing overt had changed about him. But his dark eyes now froze the world with disgust and anger.
    “You,” she said quietly, “are an angry man with a cold heart.” Thena straightened with rigid dignity and indicated the door behind him. “Get out. I won’t turn the dogs on you. Just leave.”
    Jed couldn’t remember when frustration had threatened his calm nature so badly. Frustration and wounded feelings, all because this woman called his heart cold.