House Read Online Free PDF

enclosed porch. He found an old icebox and some canned goods on shelves, but nothing they needed at the moment.

    Stephanie was angry with herself for trembling and hoped the others didn’t notice. She’d learned to be brave and independent over the past year—she’d had to. But it was so dark in here; they’d already been through a car wreck and an almost, maybe robbery; and now they were wandering through a big, empty house—
    She put her hand to her forehead and tried to get a grip. Be brave, girl. It’s only as bad as you make it. Keep smiling. That’s how we get through, remember?
    She tried humming a tune, couldn’t think of one, hummed aimlessly anyway.
    â€œHow about that pantry?” Randy asked.
    Boy, he’s bossy. Almost as bossy as Jack.
    She found the handle to the closet, but it was hard to see anything inside. Randy had the only light and wouldn’t set it down. First she could see into the pantry; then she couldn’t. It was deep . . . it was dark . . . her fingers found shelves along the walls . . . it was dark . . . that may have been a mop or something . . . it was dark—The lights came on. A single bulb dangling on a wire from the center of the ceiling. Stephanie grunted, shielded her eyes. For a second she couldn’t see.
    â€œWhat you doin’ in my pantry?”

4
    JACK HEARD STEPHANIE’S SCREAM AND WAS at the pantry door in an instant—so were Randy and Leslie. The three collided, then stood staring.
    â€œScreaming like that we save for the outdoors,” said a broad-faced woman standing in the pantry, covering her ears. When the screaming stopped, she dropped her hands and took a large jar of applesauce from the shelf.
    â€œI’m sorry,” Stephanie gasped. “You startled me.”
    â€œWell, it works both ways. I almost thought you were him .”
    Stephanie looked at the others. “Who?”
    The woman frowned and handed her the jar. “Here. Pour that in a serving bowl and put a spoon in it.” Then she walked into the kitchen, bumping through everyone, went straight to the oven, and peeked inside. For the first time, Jack caught the aroma of a roast. He realized how hungry he was. “Meat’s almost ready. Better get the food on the table.”
    She was big-boned and strong-backed, wearing a housedress with a cheerful flowered pattern. Her graying hair was gathered into a comb behind her head. She turned from the oven. “Well? Am I talking to myself, or are you all standing there?”
    Jack was first to come out of the stupor. “Uh, we’re, uh, your guests for the night, I think. I’m Jack—” He held out his hand.
    â€œLooking for a bowl?” the woman asked Stephanie. Jack lowered his arm.
    Stephanie wasn’t but said, “Sure.”
    Randy stepped forward. “Ma’am, are you the owner of this place?”
    â€œI am. And you’re the fellow who helped himself to room 3.” She looked past him at Leslie. “Or was that you?”
    Leslie put on a disarming smile. “It’s both of us. I hope you don’t mind—”
    â€œAre you paying for it?”
    â€œOf course.”
    â€œThen enjoy it, but keep the noise down.” She opened a cupboard and brought down a serving bowl, handing it to Stephanie. “Here, sweetie.”
    Randy put himself between the middle-aged woman and Stephanie. “We had no idea you were here. It caught us off guard.”
    She looked at him, then at the lamp in his hand. “The lights are back on.”
    Randy extinguished the oil lamp and set it on a butcher-block island. “Do you have power failures like this very often?”
    She shuffled to the other side of the kitchen. “Only when we have guests.” The woman turned to Leslie, “Looking for something to do? Check those peas on the stove and put ’em in a dish.” She pulled open a drawer and extracted a dish