Meeting at Midnight Read Online Free PDF Page A

then.”
    Duncan grinned. Gwen giggled. I scowled. “I moved too fast, that’s all.”
    â€œUh-huh,” Seely said. “I can see you’ll undo everyone’s work, given half a chance. All right. I’ll take the job.”
    Hot damn. “Good. That’s good.”
    â€œOn two conditions. First, you stay in the hospital until the doctor releases you. Second, you’ll do as I tell you while you’re under my care.”
    â€œNow, wait a minute—”
    â€œHe agrees,” Duncan said firmly. “Don’t you, Ben?”
    Seely’s lips twitched, but she looked at me steadily, waiting. With a sigh, I nodded. “Within reason.”
    Gwen spoke. “I hate to put a stick in the spokes, but you really should tell her about Doofus.”
    Seely did that question-thing with her eyebrows. “Zach’s dog,” I explained. “My son. He lives with me. Doofus, I mean.” Relief had hit, followed by a wave of exhaustion. It was hard to get words lined up right. “Zach’s in kindergarten. He comes over after school some days.”
    â€œMy point is that Doofus is a puppy, not a dog,” Gwen said. “You should be aware you’re not just taking on one large, slightly snarly man. The man is at least housetrained. Doofus isn’t.”
    â€œThanks a lot, Gwen.”
    Seely’s lips tipped up. “I think I can handle a puppy, as long as Ben can handle being bossed around.”
    â€œWithin reason,” I repeated. When she nodded, I breathed a sigh of relief. “All right, then. We’ve got a deal.”
    Duncan was amused, Gwen was relieved, and Seely…I couldn’t tell. Her cheeks were flushed, her mouth smiling, but her eyes seemed distracted, like she was taking a serious look inward.
    And me? I was satisfied…for now. “Don’t you want to know how much the job will pay?”
    â€œMoney’s not a big issue for me.”
    â€œUh—you aren’t rich or something, are you?”
    Gwen made a choked sound that she turned into clearingher throat. Seely laughed and tucked her hair back from her face. “I’ve been accused of a number of oddities, but rich isn’t one of them.”
    The movement drew my attention to the long dangles of multicolored glass hanging from her ears. They reminded me…I glanced at her wrist.
    Yes. That was the bracelet I remembered. “Pretty bracelet.”
    Her eyebrows lifted gently. “Thanks. The stones represent the chakras. I’m guessing by the look on your face that you know what chakras are?”
    â€œI read.” Bunch of New Age nonsense, but I wouldn’t say that to the woman who’d saved my life.
    Everyone wanted me to rest then. I was willing to let them have their way as soon as I’d passed on some instructions for Manny, who was going to have to run things at McClain Construction for awhile. They were right—I was tired.
    And I’d gotten what I wanted.
    I’d stay here one more night, then I was going home. Not to an empty house, either. Seely would be there. I didn’t think Dr. Miller would give me grief over leaving the hospital once he knew I’d have trained medical help around. And I wouldn’t have to come up with any more reasons not to stay with Duncan while I was recovering.
    Don’t get me wrong. I love my brother. Unfortunately, I also love his wife.

Three
    O utside, the birds were making a fuss about morning. It was a familiar sound, even this late in the year. There were always a few who wintered over. But usually I didn’t listen to their chatter from a hospital bed in the den.
    I sat on the edge of that bed and glared at my knee.
    I had no idea how it had gotten hurt, no memory of it bothering me during my crawl up the mountain, but it was swollen to twice its size. Soft-tissue damage, according to the doctor. The swelling should go down in a few days. I was to stay off it as