The Inn at Eagle Point by Sherryl Woods

able to put a hand on each girl's forehead. They were feverish,
but not burning up. For the moment, they seemed to be resting comfortably,
oblivious to the itching that was bound to set in soon given the spreading rash
on their skin.

"Love you, babies," she whispered, then rose and picked up the sheets
and took them down to the laundry room off the kitchen. Gram was sitting at the
kitchen table with a cup of tea, Mick across from her with a beer.

"They okay?" her father asked, his gaze filled with real concern.

"Sound asleep," she said. "How about lunch? Have either of you
eaten?"

"I could eat a sandwich," Mick replied. "Ma, what about
you?"

"Maybe some of that potato soup I made yesterday," she said. She
started to stand up.

"Sit," Abby ordered. "I can fix a sandwich and warm up some
soup. Dad, you want soup, too?"

"Sounds good. What about you?"

"Jess and I ate a late breakfast at Sally's after our meeting at the
bank," she said, deliberately keeping her back to them as she prepared the
meal. She was hoping that would discourage more questions, but of course, it
didn't.

Once she'd served them, she sat at the table with her own cup of tea.
"Okay, here's where things stand," she said, summarizing what had
happened at the meeting.

Mick looked increasingly agitated. When she finished, he was on his feet and
reaching for the phone. "I'll put an end to this right now."

Abby grabbed the phone from him. "No, Dad, leave it alone. Trace will get
the bank to back off. They won't foreclose."

"And you're willing to stick around here the way he wants you to?" he
demanded.

"I'll call my boss and work something out. A lot of what I do can be
handled online and by phone or fax. Once Trace has had time to think about it,
he'll see how absurd he's being."

"Not if it's his way of keeping you underfoot," Gram said, her expression
knowing.

"What are you talking about?" Mick asked.

"Oh, for goodness' sakes, Mick, Trace always did have a soft spot for
Abby. Surely you remember the way he was always hanging around here? It wasn't
just to play catch with Kevin and Connor, I can tell you that." Her gaze
met Abby's. "Maybe his feelings for you ran deeper than you ever said, am
I right? I always had the feeling something happened between the two of you
before you took off for New York."

Mick looked confused. "So what then? He's blackmailing her into staying
here?"

"Don't make it sound ugly, Mick," Gram chastised. "Men in love
will do a lot of crazy things to get their way."

"Trace is not in love with me," Abby protested. "Come on, Gram,
we're focusing on the wrong thing here. All that matters is helping Jess keep
the inn."

Now it was Mick's turn to give her a considering look. "If that's the only
thing that matters, then why not let me call Lawrence Riley? Is it because
you're happy with this turn of events?"

Abby frowned. "Of course I'm not happy with it, but I can handle it. I can
handle Trace."

"Doesn't look that way from where I'm sitting," Gram said, though she
seemed surprisingly pleased about it. "If you handled that man all that
well, he wouldn't still be carrying a torch for you ten years later."

"Will you stop it?" Abby pleaded. "I'm going upstairs to check
on the girls. Then I'm going to call the office and tell them I'll need to work
from here for a few more days until I can get all this sorted out."

She hadn't gone far when she heard her father say, "Abby and Trace Riley?
Why didn't I know about that?"

"Because you weren't around," Gram replied. "And you never
listened to half of what I told you, especially if it concerned your daughters'
love lives. If it had been up to you, none of them would have gone on a date
before they hit thirty."

"You say that as if it would have been a bad thing," he grumbled.

Abby sighed. At least her father wasn't trying to interfere in Jess's business
for the moment. Apparently he'd suddenly discovered that her life was a lot
more fascinating. Unfortunately, who knew where that could