Under the Aspens (The Aspen Series) Read Online Free PDF Page A

leave my home," Sher told him stubbornly.
    "Then I will be a fixture on your sofa. I'm not trying to curb your independence.  I'm trying to keep you safe.  I'll have the patrol officer stay with you, while I run and pack a bag.  No arguments, please.  If you won't leave, then I have no choice but to stay with you," He could be just as stubborn as Sher.

"You cannot be with me twenty-four hours a day. We both have lives.  And it's not fair for you to put yours on hold to babysit me," She said the words, but hoped he would stay.

As he pulled her into his arms, he fought back. "I start my week vacation tomorrow.  I have no immediate plans, just yard work and movie watching. So, yes, I can be with you twenty-four hours a day.  Besides, it will finally give us time for that long overdue talk."
    With that, Glen left her standing there, while he spoke to the patrol officer.  She vaguely heard his car drive away.
    Entering the kitchen gave her a strange feeling of violation.  She recalled all the many times she entered her home, and the peace she always felt.  Will she ever feel that peace again?

Chapter 5
    How could she survive with Glen in her life every moment, when she found it so hard to keep her feelings hidden?  All these deep feelings had been crept up on her every time she gazed into his eyes.  Could she hide them for much longer?  She didn’t even know if he had someone important in his life now.  She felt so secure in his arms for those few minutes in the garage, but did she have the right to feel as she felt?
      Enough of these thoughts, they weren’t getting her anywhere. A person wished for things to be different, but that didn’t mean they would be.

Remembering, she left her purse in her car, she went outside.  The patrol officer greeted her as she closed her car door.  She felt, again, the hair on the back of her neck as it stood on end.  This was the second time in a few days, she had felt this.  Someone watched her.  She glanced around but saw nothing out of the ordinary. No strangers lurked in the bushes.  No cars that didn’t belong were parked on the street.  Well, except for the police car.  Her neighbors must be curious as to what she was doing lately, with so much police activity at her home.

As she dropped her purse on the bar, she noticed the light blinked on her answering machine.  Remembering, the call she planned to making to her best friend, she was sure one of the calls was from Lynn.
    "Sis.  Are you there?  Pick up.  Something is going on.  Are you ok?  Please pick up. I will be returning earlier than...Noooo.........." There’s a sound as something broke, then nothing.  Brad was in trouble.  Again, she felt sick to her stomach.  He could be hurt, lying out there somewhere, and she wasn’t even sure exactly where he was.

She jumped and screamed at the same time, when someone grabbed her arm.

"It's me. I didn't mean to scare you.  Isn’t that Brad on the machine?" Glen asked, as he let her go.
    She hadn’t heard Glen come in; she was so lost in thought.
    "Yes and something’s wrong.  He was cut off.  I need to call him back,” Sher said in a panicked voice.
    Fumbling in her purse, she found her cell phone.  The call went directly to voice mail.  She tried again.  Again, it went to voice mail. She tried hard to remember if Brad gave her the location of the camp site he went to.
    “He’s camping outside Estes Park. But I’m not sure exactly where,” she said.
    "You know reception is scratchy in the mountains.  We can try again later. I’m sure it’s nothing. Brad probably tripped over something.  He’ll call you back later and tell you all about it,” Glen tried to calm her.
    “You’re probably right.  Brad does his own thing all the time, and nothing bad has happened yet,” Sher said.
    He wouldn’t let on that he too is worried. He heard the whole message Brad left.  Something definitely happened.  It didn’t sound good.  But