"I say, Grace, you have developed a mother hen complex, haven't you? There really wasn't any need to wait up." The girl laughed, apparently feeling in a better mood now that she had spent time with her friend. Time wasn't the only thing Pat had spent, Grace thought, noting that her sister's arms were full of packages. She didn't say anything, however, but motioned for the young woman to sit in the chair next to her.

"We have to talk, Pat."

"Not another lecture!" the girl moaned as she dropped her packages on the couch and sank down next to them. She folded her arms and looked defiantly at her sister. "If you're going to stand me in the corner for having spent more of your hard earned cash at least let me state that this time I wasn't buying for myself, but for you. No, it's true! Wait till you see, Gracie," she cried, her genuine enthusiasm causing her to lean suddenly forward, her eyes sparkling. "I found the most lovely cherry pink evening gown. You know how everyone always raved about how beautiful you looked when you wore anything pink."

"An evening gown? Whatever am I to do with an evening gown?" Grace demanded, thinking that her sister would probably end up being the one to wear the dress. "But it isn't money I want to discuss. It's a family matter. Something having to do with Kathy."

"Kathy?" Pat repeated her voice and expression blank.

"Our sister, Kathy," Grace gently reminded. "You remember Kathy."

"Hardly, since I was barely out of diapers when she ran off with that Powers fellow."

"She didn't run off. Father drove her off for marrying someone he didn't approve of."

"An ex-convict, if I recall the neighbor's hushed stories correctly."

"He was not!" Grace said, feeling sudden heat surging into her cheeks. "Stan was an orphan who got in some trouble when he was a young boy and had to spend some time in a reformatory. That hardly makes him a criminal."

Pat shrugged. "Still not someone we want grafted into our proud family tree is he? So, what about Kathy? Has she decided, at long last, to make an appearance, now that Father is safely out of the way?"

"No," Grace said, thinking how little this sharp-tongued girl resembled the Pat of just three months ago. "As a matter of fact, it is she who will soon be out of the way. I've gotten word that she is dying."

"Was it Stan that got hold of you I wonder? Papa always did say he expected that man to reappear when things got difficult. Did it ever occur to you, sister dear, that maybe her illness is a scheme to hit us for some extra cash?"

"I've been told that Stan has died," Grace said, appalled at her sister's lack of compassion. "Now that Kathy is alone and dying it seems only natural that she should desire some family members present to lend a little moral support."

"And like the good sister that you are, you're going to rush to her bedside and hold her hand. Very touching. When do you leave?"

"We leave tomorrow morning," Grace said with emphasis.

"Oh, no you don't, Grace Reaves! You'll not be dragging me off to some strange place where I have to confront a dying sister I don't even know."

"Patricia Sue, this is one time I shall not let you wiggle out of your responsibility," Grace said with conviction, rising to her feet to loom over her sister. "Now, as the plane leaves at seven in the morning, you'd best got to bed and try to get a little sleep. And don't think I'll change my mind. I expect you to have a bag packed and be ready to leave with me by six tomorrow. Kathy, no doubt, is looking forward to seeing you as well as me, and we'll not disappoint her!"

Other browser readable electronic romance books by Rosalie Joyce

No Greater Love    Price $9.95  
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On her way to the airport Haley is involved in a serious automobile accident that leaves her badly injured and suffering from memory loss. Her father insists that Haley has been living with him, developing a close father daughter relationship and enjoying the social whirl of high society, but no matter how hard she tries, Haley can't seem to get back into the swing of things. Then there's her Peter Grant. What is there about her father's servant that she finds so unnerving? And why the underlying hostility between Peter and her father?
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Once Burned    Price $9.95  
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Cindy had made up her mind that she would never allow another man to get close enough to hurt her as Lance had hurt her. But that was before she met Carl Branson and his niece, Lizzy. It was for Lizzy's sake that she went along with a bogus engagement to Carl, and it was for Lizzy's sake that she opened the door of her home to the handsome young man. But had she opened the door of her heart as well?
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With two suitors vying for her attention it seemed odd that Penny should be becoming more and more interested in Sid, the remote, often brash, young photographer.
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Guardian Angel    Price $9.95  
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