Rivals Read Online Free PDF

his swivel chair, ignoring its protesting squeak as he rubbed a hand across his mouth in troubled thoughtfulness.
    â€œWell…where is she?”
    Startled by the prodding question, he shot a glance at the apple-cheeked woman seated across the desk from him. For an instant, he’d forgotten that he wasn’t alone. A smile pulled at one corner of his mouth as he realized that he could always count on Molly Malone, Chance’s executive secretary and staunchest supporter, to remind him otherwise.
    With a shift of his weight, Sam tipped the chair forward and lowered his hand. “In San Francisco.”
    â€œWhat? Why?” A rare scowl marred features that were inherently jovial in expression. Not that Sam had ever been fooled by her plump and jolly look. Behind those spaniel brown eyes was a mind as keen as a newly stropped razor. There were few who could ever put anything over on Molly. If she had any blind spot, it was Chance. She doted on him like a mother—and frequently pointed with pride to the strands of gray in her nut-brown hair, claiming that he had given her every one of them. “What’s she doing there?”
    â€œThat’s what I’d like to know.” Sam pushed a wayward lock of his sandy hair off his forehead, combing it back with his fingers. But, like the rest of his cowlicks, it refused to be tamed and quickly fell back. “She called Chance and said she wanted to meet with him. He’s on his way to see her now.”
    â€œThat—I hesitate to even call that mean old biddy a woman. It’s an insult to my gender,” Molly declared huffily. “But you mark my words, she’s up to something.”
    â€œI agree.” Absently, he gazed at the framed photographs of his wife and children that cluttered his desk. “But what?”

    Shortly after Chance left, Ellery strolled back. “I’m not going to ask if you missed me. I noticed you had company. Could it be that the inimitable Chance Stuart is responsible for the glow you’re now wearing?” he murmured, raising an eyebrow. “Talk about ‘only having eyes for each other.’”
    â€œMust you always exaggerate, Ellery?” In truth she did feel passionately alive, but she hadn’t realized it showed.
    â€œWas I? You mean you weren’t at all attracted to him?”
    â€œWill you stop trying to put words in my mouth—my impossible friend!” Flame demanded with affection. “I found him very fascinating and, at the moment, that’s all there is to it.”
    â€œIf you say so.”
    â€œI do.” Smiling, Flame tried to keep an eye on the entrance to the sitting room, certain Chance would be returning any minute.
    But her view of the archway was unexpectedly blocked by Lucianna Colton when she emerged from the Garden Room, surrounded by her coterie of admirers. She paused, looking about the room as if trying to locate someone. “I know Chance was here only a moment ago,” she declared to no one in particular, then swung around to face Flame, her dark eyes piercing despite the smile on her lips. “Wasn’t he talking to you a moment ago?”
    Before Flame could say that he’d been called to the phone, Chance appeared in the doorway. “There he is, Lucianna.” Pamela DeBorg drew the soprano’s attention away from Flame.
    His moving glance sought her out, lingered briefly, then shifted to Lucianna as she crossed the room to meet him. Reluctantly, Flame watched as Chance maneuvered Lucianna away from the others and spoke to her privately. She stared at the two dark heads bent so closely together. Lucianna smiled and nodded agreement to something Chance said, then reached up and lightly stroked her fingers down his strong jaw—as if it was her right.
    When the couple rejoined the other guests, his hand moved across Lucianna’s back-plunging gown and hooked itself to the side of her waist with the ease