Gifted: A Holiday Anthology Read Online Free PDF

hand.
    How the hell had he done that?
    “Fresh from the oven,” he said. “Still warm.”
    Grace took it with a queenly nod, then glowered my way. I started to claim the scone, but realized it would sound like whining. If he got it from me, that was my own fault. Bastard.
    “You two know each other?” I said.
    “We’re acquainted.” Gabriel turned to me. “I’ve made my offer, Ms. Jones, and I hope you’ll take some time to reconsider it.”
    “I don’t need to.”
    “I think you might.”
    He nodded to Grace, then walked down the steps and headed for the Jag. Got in, peeled from the curb. I watched him go, then turned to Grace.
    “You know who I am,” I said.
    “Maybe.” She peered into the bag and pulled out the scone. “Don’t expect me to feel sorry for you.”
    I stood there as she took a bite, gray eyes closing in rapture.
    “He said she called him.” I waved toward the fortune-teller’s house. “Tipped him off about me.”
    She opened one eye, then the other, piqued at the interruption. “If you think it was me, say so. Don’t beat around the bush. Makes you look weak.”
    “Okay. So you called him.”
    “I wouldn’t call Gabriel Walsh if I was on fire.” She pursed her lips. “No, I might. To sue everyone responsible—from the person who lit the match to those who made my clothes. But I’d wait until the fire was out. Otherwise, he’d just stand there until I was burned enough for a sizable settlement.”
    “So he’s an ambulance chaser.”
    “He’s a money chaser, doesn’t matter where it comes from. Young as he is, he runs his own practice. Makes him look like some kind of prodigy, but the truth is with his reputation, even the sleaziest firm in Chicago wouldn’t hire him. He is honest, though, in his own way. If he said Rose called him, I’m sure she did, because she called me about you, too. The part Gabriel left out? That old gossip is his great-aunt.”
    “Oh.”
    “Yes, oh . Gabriel Walsh comes from a long line of hustlers. He’s just the first one to go to law school and get a license for it.”
    So the last lawyer to represent Pamela Larsen had an aunt who just happened to live across from my new apartment? Seems my luck in finding Cainsville came with a price. I supposed I should have expected as much. Fate is capricious. Nothing comes free. And Gabriel Walsh was an irritation I could deal with.
    Grace took another bite of her scone and sighed with pleasure. “Damn. You must have made a good impression on Larry if you got him to bake me up a fresh batch.”
    “You knew . . . ?”
    “That you brought me this? Course I did.”
    “But you thanked—”
    “He got it from you. You let him. You need to pay more attention, girl. Especially around that one.”
    “In other words, keep my distance.”
    “Never said that. Men like Gabriel have their uses. You just need to keep your eyes open and your hand on your wallet.”
    Thunder cracked. Lightning split the sky. When I looked up, the clouds had rolled in again.
    “Huh, looks like we’re getting a storm,” she said.
    She stood and walked to the door, then waved impatiently at her chair. I folded it and carried it inside just as the downpour started.

The Puppy Plan
    Curiosity may have killed the cat, but it caused serious problems for werewolves, too. Logan had been wandering through the forest behind Stonehaven, goofing off, tramping through the newly fallen snow. At nine, he was a little old for that. Or he considered himself too old for it. But his twin sister Kate had gone into the city with their parents to buy Christmas gifts, so there was no one to see him. And it was new snow. So he wandered about, breaking fresh paths, startling mice and maybe even scooping up a few, like he and Kate used to do when they were kids. Little kids, that is.
    As he neared the edge of the property, he noticed the sun dropping over the open road. Time to head back. He was supposed to be in before dark, and, while there was at