Genesis (The Legend of Glory Book 3) Read Online Free PDF Page B

momma?”
    He looked away, took off his cowboy hat, and slapped it against his leg to shake off hay residue. “She saw things too, sometimes.”
    Rory waited for him to say more. Finally, he looked at her with a sad smile. “I let her favorite horse die and she never forgave me. I thought we were friends until then, but I guess some things can’t survive a broken heart.”
    Her mind tried to read his, but she couldn’t push through his barriers. “Tell me.”
    He sighed and plopped his hat back onto his head. “Your momma gave me a call in the middle of the night and said she had a dream that her mare, Star, was going to die. She said I needed to come soon. It was the middle of the night for chrissakes, no symptoms of any kind, just a dream. I didn’t rush to get here. By the time the horse showed symptoms, it was too late. Bridget never spoke to me again.”
    “What killed Star?”
    “Oleander poisoning.”
    Rory thought about that. “No way Father would let oleander grow on his property with all the critters.”
    Doc Jerry nodded. “It was a mystery at the time. It’s almost as if the poisoning was deliberate.”
    Rory’s mind turned to demons.
    “So, old man Barry’s your father?”
    “What? No. He adopted me after Momma died. Let me keep her name, but adopted me legal. I don’t know who my daddy is.”
    “I heard Bridget died in a fire in the big house?”
    Rory nodded.
    “What caused it?”
    “A demoness,” Rory said without thinking.
    “Huh?”
    “Um, I was young and, well, blamed it on evil.”
    Doc Jerry waited for her to say more, but she figured less was more under the circumstances.
    Finally, he said, “Sometimes evil is the only explanation that makes sense for those kinds of tragedies.”
    “Yes, sir.” She hopped down out of the truck and gave him back his cell. “Thanks for the phone and sorry for the perv crack. I was stressed.”
    He took her hand and gave it a firm shake. “You’re definitely your momma’s daughter. Hope to see you again.”
    “I’d like that. Maybe you could tell me more about her.”
    “That’d be my pleasure, honey.” He slipped one of his business cards into the pocket of her hoodie. “Call me if you ever want to talk.”
    Rory debated going back to the garden to see if her mother had hung around, but decided not to. Sometimes it was just all too much to handle.
    Instead, she headed to the big house.
    The mansion was huge, built in the 1800s, designed in the gothic revival style with pointed arches, steep gables, and stained glass windows. A cobblestone walkway led to a beautiful cast iron portico that opened into the house.
    When she let herself in, she could tell that no one was home. A small part of her felt disappointment. After all these years, she still hoped maybe someone would fuss over her birthday, but the coven had always treated her like a little adult. They said to coddle her would weaken her, and that she needed all her power to survive the ongoing war with evil.
    She trudged up the graceful curved stairway to her bedroom. A big box addressed to her sat inside the door, and the return address showed Glory’s farm in Colorado. She pulled a switchblade from her boot and sliced it open. Immediately, half a dozen small helium-filled balloons popped out and floated toward the ceiling. A note inside said it was a remote birthday party from her circle of friends, since they were scattered all over the country.
    She laughed and tore into the gifts.
    First, there was a letter from Sasha:
     
    Happy birthday! Kaia, Evan, Zane, the Goth Girls, and all of us here contributed to the enclosed gifts. Since supply lines are still in chaos, we scoured swap meets in Georgia, Texas, and Colorado to find everything.
    And Hallelujah asked me to send you her favorite dessert: organic French vanilla ice cream. Hopefully, the dry ice works its magic and it arrives safely.
    We love you and celebrate your birth. xox
     
    Other gifts included DVD s of her favorite