Love at Any Cost Read Online Free PDF Page B

Baths!”
    â€œCassie . . .” Aunt Cait rose in one graceful movement, eyes glimmering with moisture, and Cassie’s throat thickened at the sight of the woman who came nearly as close to a mother as Cassie’s own. She hurried over, face aglow with affection for her only niece, and Cassie marveled at the natural beauty of Caitlyn McClare. At the age of forty-three, her aunt could almost pass for Alli’s older sister. Deep auburn hair piled loosely atop her head like Cassie’s own displayed not a hint of gray, its soft and lustrous curls a perfect frame for a classic oval face with luminous aquamarine eyes. Full lips tilted into a welcome smile while a delicate blush accentuated the creamy skin of a woman who was aging well. Her lavender gauzy dress caressed her graceful five-foot-eight frame like a whisper, almost lending a floating effect as she glided into her niece’s arms. “Congratulations on your graduation—your parents must be so proud.” Her full lips pursed in a mock scowl. “But two summers in a row is entirely too long to stay away, young lady, so I demand you come every summer henceforth, do you hear?”
    Cassie laughed, and the sound buoyed her with a swell of joy that even the corset couldn’t restrict. “I agree, Aunt Cait, and you have my word that all future summers will be spent in San Francisco.” She offered a sheepish grin as she shifted Maddie in her arms, pressing a kiss to her little cousin’s cheek. “And longer, if it’s not any trouble . . .”
    â€œOh, pshaw! As if my favorite niece could be any trouble—”
    â€œYour only niece, Mrs. McClare.” Uncle Logan strolled forward with a rogue of a smile, distinguished in his white bow tie and black dinner jacket. He scooped both Cassie and Maddie in his arms at the same time, the lovely smell of lime shaving soap and a trace of wood spice from his occasional Turkish cigarette swooping her back to her childhood. At forty-five, he was a wealthybachelor about town that many a society matron attempted to corral for their daughters, but to no avail. A lawyer who dabbled in politics, Logan McClare was a man who afforded himself the company of many women rather than just one, although Cassie suspected that would change at the mere consent of Aunt Cait. He set her back on her feet with that easy, fluid grin that wreaked havoc with the female pulse and cocked a dark brow that matched sable hair with a hint of silver. “But let’s not be hasty. Perhaps we should consider a few things before you agree. For instance, I don’t have to let you win at arm wrestling anymore, do I?”
    Maddie giggled and hooked her uncle’s neck, scrambling from Cassie’s arms into his.
    â€œAbsolutely not!” Aunt Cait chuckled, looping Cassie’s waist to steal her away. “No more of your hooligan games, Logan McClare—these girls are sophisticated young women now.”
    â€œWell, Cass is anyway.” Blake McClare tweaked Alli’s neck on his way to give Cassie a hug. A younger version of his uncle, Blake had the same clear gray eyes as Logan, bottomless pools of tease for those they loved, which could easily ice into anger if given just cause. And, like his uncle, a cleft in his chin that always darkened with beard by the end of the day. From there on, he was his mother’s son, deep auburn hair and a slight build, his height a head short of his uncle’s towering six two. He held Cassie at arm’s length and whistled. “Gosh, squirt, if this is how they grow ’em in Texas, you should have brought a friend.”
    â€œAhem.” With a pointed clear of her throat, Alli shot a warning glance at Blake before tugging the Hamilton sisters forward. She hooked an arm to the waist of a petite woman with a curly upsweep of chestnut hair and sparkling brown eyes. “Cass, this is my best friend, Lydia