Amazing Gracie by Sherryl Woods Page A

please. Help me out here. Think of it as your duty to the sisterhood of women.”
    Jessie chuckled. “Sweetie, I don’t even get along all that well with my own sister. Sorry. I think I’ll stay out of the middle of this one. I will bring you a big plate of scrambled eggs and bacon to help you keep your strength up, though.”
    “I don’t need strength. I need answers.”
    “Sorry. You’ll have to order those up from somebody else,” Jessie said, not sounding sorry at all.
    “Why? What do you owe Kevin?”
    “More than you’ll ever know,” she said enigmatically, and retreated to the kitchen.
    Gracie stared after her. She was still trying to figure out what to make of the waitress’s comment when a man she’d seen once or twice around town slid into the booth opposite her.
    “I couldn’t help overhearing what you said to Jessie. I could help you out,” he said.
    “Oh?”
    He held out his hand. “Bobby Ray Daniels. I’m Kevin’s cousin.”

    Gracie studied him and saw a hint of family resemblance in the eyes, but the chin was weaker, the jaw less defined. One thing she would give Bobby Ray, he dressed a whole lot better than his cousin. She noted the well-tailored slacks, the expensive shirt with its monogrammed cuffs, the buffed Italian leather loafers. The outfit was as classy as anything hanging in Max’s closet. She realized she’d recently developed a fondness for worn jeans.
    “Why would you help me?” she asked.
    “Just being neighborly.”
    “Shouldn’t you be on your cousin’s side?”
    “I wasn’t aware there were sides. You’re not trying to cheat him, are you?”
    “No, but—”
    “Obviously you’re not worried about hurting his feelings. You’re already going behind his back.”
    “Just to pick up a little information,” she said, feeling surprisingly defensive.
    “So why not get that information from me?”
    Because it didn’t feel right to her. She couldn’t explain it. “Thanks, but I don’t think so.”
    “I could talk to the owner for you.”
    “You know the owner?”
    “As well as Kevin does.”
    “Why not just give me the name, then?”
    “And cut myself out? That wouldn’t be smart business, would it?”
    “So much for being neighborly,” Gracie said.
    He grinned. “A man’s got to make a living.”
    Despite his willingness to sell out his cousin, there was a certain amount of charm about the man that was practically irresistible. He didn’t sound as if there werea malicious intent behind the sneakiness, just good fun. A big joke on Kevin they could laugh about later. Gracie doubted Kevin would see it the same way.
    “Okay, let’s say I was willing to pay you to intercede in my behalf. What would you charge?”
    “A finder’s fee. Maybe fifty thousand,” he said with every bit as much brazenness as Kevin might have under the same circumstances.
    Gracie laughed at his audacity. “Never mind. I think I’ll just go to the courthouse and check the property tax records.”
    “Go ahead. Won’t tell you much.”
    “Why not?”
    “The bills go to Kevin.” He met her gaze with a friendly expression. “Bottom line, if you want to go around Kevin, you have to deal with me. I’ll be every bit as fair as he would be.”
    Gracie stood. “Thanks all the same, but I don’t think so.”
    He shrugged off the rejection. “That’s okay. You’ll change your mind. Kevin’s stubborn as a mule when he wants something, and I’ve got a pretty strong feeling what he wants is you. That house is his hold on you, isn’t it?”
    She didn’t like Bobby Ray Daniels’s insinuations, but she couldn’t really deny them. She’d seen the gleam in Kevin’s eyes when he’d looked at her. Would he be beyond holding that house just out of her reach to keep her coming around? Probably not. That didn’t mean she had to deal with the likes of Bobby Ray to get what she wanted.
    Ignoring Bobby Ray, she went to the counter to pay for her coffee.
    “Steer clear of him,”