Darkness Bound Read Online Free PDF Page A

smoothly.
    Bringing her dog to work with her had been about the only condition she had put on taking the job.
    “Jazzy’s a boy,” Leigh said. “He looks as if he’s wearing eyeliner but I think it suits him. And the blond bangs. I think they’re cute. It was sweet of you to think of him with the bed—and the treats yesterday. Totally unexpected and Jazzy appreciates it. So do I.” She was glad Gabriel was too busy waving off her thanks to notice the scruffy little dog roll his eyes.
    “You got here before seven this morning,” Gabriel said. “No need to show up until nine or so.”
    “I’m an early bird.” And she hadn’t felt like hanging around the house any longer. “I get a lot done before sunup.” That was true. The dark Welsh pony masquerading as a dog could not be forgotten easily, but she wasn’t ready to risk sounding paranoid by outing her visitor to Gabriel.
    She could see him deciding what to say next.
    “Leigh,” he said at last. “This is no big deal but I’d rather you weren’t out in the dark on your own. There’s always someone coming past your place who’d be glad to give you a ride in the morning. I can take you home.”
    Her twin sister, Jan, had been the closest Leigh had to a mother. They had looked after each other, and she didn’t need a new surrogate now. “Thanks, but I like driving my own car.”
    “That’s not the point.” He closed his mouth in a hard line.
    Gabriel was saying a whole lot less than he was thinking and Leigh wondered how reassuring the rest of his thoughts might be.
    “What is the point?” she asked, looking quickly behind her and immediately feeling ridiculous.
    He shrugged. “Nothing. I’m just fussing. C’mon, it’s time you had breakfast.”
    Leigh didn’t like lying so she said, “I’m ready for coffee,” rather than pretending she had already eaten breakfast. “I’ll get it and bring it back here.”
    There was something about the way Gabriel talked about not being out in the dark alone that made her uneasy. Darn it, she had never been afraid of the dark and she wanted to feel safe and at home here. She
needed
to feel at home. She told Jazzy to stay and followed her boss into the bar. A big room, it did smell strongly of cedar, with beer mixed in. Tables dotted the room around a tiny dance floor in the center. The fire, only just lit when she had arrived and it was still dark outside, curled its way fiercely inside a huge, brick-faced fireplace. A single downward step led to the area reserved for restaurant customers.
    Gabriel pulled out a chair at one of the oak tables and made her sit. The heat felt good. “You relax a bit,” he said. “No reason to take a break in the office when you can be out here. Besides, you gussy the place up.” He smiled.
    Chris had liked to sit by the fire in this room. She stared into the flames.
    “Coffee, ma’am?” Cliff Ames had come from the kitchen himself to take care of her. Leigh already knew he was a great cook. Short and all muscle, with a close gray crewcut, he had placed a mug on the table and stood with the coffee pot poised to pour.
    “Yes, please,” she told him. “Can I call you Cliff if you call me Leigh?”
    Cliff turned the color of poppies in full bloom and his brown eyes crinkled up. “That’d be good,” he said.
    She wondered if all the men around here blushed and immediately doubted if Niles Latimer did.
    A woman appeared from the direction of the kitchens and rocked her way rapidly across the room as if her feet hurt and her hips were fused. A tan hopsack apron covered a fair amount of the floral dress and shapeless cardigan she wore.
    “This is Sally,” Cliff said. “She helps me in the kitchen. Couldn’t do any of it without her. She don’t say a whole lot when she’s busy but she likes seeing people happy with their food.”
    With one hand Sally slid down a plate of scrambled eggs, hash browns, bacon, sausage, biscuits, and gravy. With the other hand she