Read Online Copper Beach by Jayne Ann Krentz - Free Book Online Page A

got that impression.”

    He shrugged out of his jacket and handed it to her. When she took it from him, her fingers brushed against his, sending an intimate little thrill of awareness across his senses. He knew she felt the small flash because her brilliant eyes widened slightly in surprise. She gave him a startled look and then just as swiftly looked away.

    She hung his jacket on the coat tree and led the way down the short hall to the living and dining area.

    A few minutes ago, Gwen Frazier had discreetly vanished in a cab to her own apartment a couple of blocks away. Sam had felt the energy shiver in the atmosphere when Abby had introduced him to her friend. He was fairly certain that Gwen had used some talent to make a judgment call. She had evidently decided that Abby was safe with him, at least for now, because she had not tried to hang around.

    Things were looking up, he decided. He had managed to get through two lines of defense tonight, the protective friend and the protective dog. He was on a roll.

    “Your friend is also a talent, isn’t she?” he asked.

    “Yes. Gwen is a psychic counselor. She does aura readings in a shop in the market.”

    “Aura readings. Right.”

    Abby gave him a severe look. “I know what you’re thinking.”

    “Do you?”

    “You think Gwen is using her talent to con people. For the record, she doesn’t do fortune-telling or palm-reading. And she certainly doesn’t pretend to talk to the dead. She really can read auras. Her clients come to her for advice and guidance. She analyzes their energy fields and tells them what she sees and makes recommendations. She’s a kind of therapist.”

    “Got it.”

    Abby sighed. “I’m probably overreacting here. It’s just that so many people think Gwen is a fraud. Storefront psychics aren’t exactly held in high esteem by psychologists and traditional counselors. Would you like some herbal tea? I’d offer coffee, but I don’t drink it at night, at least not lately.”

    And that was all the information he was going to get on Gwen Frazier, he thought. “Tea will be fine. Thanks.”

    “I’ll get the water started.” She hesitated, as if she wasn’t quite sure what to do with him. “Please, sit down.”

    He studied his options. The condo was small, but it was a corner unit with an open, flowing floor plan. The walls were a sunny Mediterranean gold with dark brown accents. The floors were hardwood. There were two area rugs decorated with modernistic designs in deep red, teal, green and yellow. Newton was lounging on the one near the window. He watched Sam with deep suspicion, but he showed no signs of going for the jugular or the ankle.

    There was a comfortable-looking L–shaped sofa, a reading chair, some bookshelves, a lot of healthy-looking plants and a glass-topped coffee table. There was a book on the table. He took a closer look. Families by Choice: A Guide to Creating the Modern Blended Family by Dr. Brandon C. Radwell.

    “That’s my father’s new book,” Abby said.

    He picked up Families by Choice and turned it over. The back-cover photo showed a smiling Brandon C. Radwell holding hands with an elegant-looking woman who had to be his wife. Behind the beaming couple stood Abby, a man about her age, and two very attractive women who appeared to be nineteen or twenty.

    “This is your family?” Sam asked, holding up the book to show the photo.

    “That’s the Radwells, the perfect modern blended family,” Abby said. She turned away and became very busy with the teakettle. “That’s my stepbrother, Dawson, and my half sisters standing with me behind Dad and Diana.”

    “Your half sisters look like twins.”

    “They are. They’re in college.” Abby set the kettle on a burner. “I was twelve when they were born. Dawson was thirteen.”

    He put the book down on the coffee table and finished his examination of the room. One corner had been turned into a home office outfitted with a desk, a computer