Brody Read Online Free PDF Page A

people that had shit happen to
them?
    “How
long have you got?” she asked, wishing she could take it back as soon as she
heard it roll off her tongue. What a dumb and thoughtless question to ask a
terminally ill man.
    “Doctor
said if I don’t find a donor, then about six months.”
    “Do
you have a family member who’s willing to do that?”
    “That’s
the tough part. My mother’s dead, and the man I thought was my father, well,
turns out when he married my mother, she was already pregnant with me, and they
had no other kids.”
    “Any
aunts or cousins?”
    “An
aunt, my mom’s sister, who I tracked down. But she wasn’t a suitable candidate.
I have one last hope, and that’s why I’m in Riker’s Creek.”
    “Your
real father’s here?” asked Maddie.
    “Maybe.
My father, or should I say the man I thought was my dad, gave me a diary that
belonged to my mom. Seems she was a popular lady, and the seventies had a lot
more spread-your-love-around attitude. She was in love with three men and never
knew which one got her pregnant. She lived here in Riker’s Creek in a commune,
and I’m hoping unlike her, the three men never left.”
    “And
you have their names?”
    Brody
nodded. “I’m not looking forward to going to their doors and announcing, ‘I
might be your son, and by the way, you got a kidney you can spare me?’”
    Maddie
took his hand. “It’s the season of miracles, Brody.”
    “And
I’m going to need the mother of all of them.”
    “I’ll
be routing for you,” said Maddie. She hadn’t planned on keeping in touch with
him, didn’t think she’d even see him again after last night, but now that he’d
told her his story, she felt like she wanted to know what happened to him.
    “Would
you feel awkward if I gave you my phone number?” she asked.
    “Maybe
me asking for it might be awkward, but definitely not the other way around,”
said Brody. He threw the container that had housed their breakfast in the bin.
    “I
thought maybe, you know after last night, you wouldn’t want any contact with
me.”
    “I
have no problem with it. In fact, I can give you the number of the motel where
I’m staying. I mean, if you ever want someone to talk to.”
    Maddie
nodded. She’d sworn off men less than twenty-four hours ago, and here she was
somewhat disappointed that he’d offered to talk and nothing more. Probably for
the best because he had a long road ahead of him, and the last thing she needed
was to get involved with another guy and have her heart broken, this time not
through betrayal, but death.
    “I
guess I should get my stuff together and head back to my own motel room and try
and find potential father number one.”
    Just
as he said that, there was a knock on the door. They looked at one another.
Maddie’s heartbeat picked up a notch or two. No one knew where she’d headed,
not even her parents.
    “I
hope that’s not Mark and that he’s found me.”
    “You
want me to answer it for you?” asked Brody.
    She
had to face the music sometime. “No, I guess I’ll have to go deal with it.”
    She
took a quick peek out of the window by the door. “Shit.”
    “Something
wrong?”
    Maddie
nodded. “It’s Mark’s brother, Harry.”
    She
brushed her hair off her face and opened the door.
    “Maddie,
thank goodness you’re okay. Mark said the two of you had a misunderstanding at
the church.”
    She
didn’t want to talk about it but guessed she had to or she’d look like the one
who’d done the betraying.
    “Mind
if I come inside? Wind’s picked up, and the smell of snow is in the air,” said
Harry. He brushed off his State Trooper’s hat and stepped inside the room. He
immediately looked at Brody, who thankfully was now dressed complete with his
cowboy boots and hat.
    “I
think I know what happened here,” said Harry, running his fingers around the
edge of his hat.
    “No,
you don’t. I didn’t want to be the one to tell you this, but I found your
brother in the back room