Night Angel (Angel Haven) Read Online Free PDF Page A

swallowing her disappointment. She’d wanted some time alone. Hopefully the giant bird wouldn’t be scared by two of them. She felt she would’ve had a better chance of seeing it if she were by herself.
    Bradford opened the french doors and guided her outside into the darkness beyond, steering her off to the right. “The gardens are around this way. You won’t be able to see much at night, but you can get an idea of how large they are.”
    “I’m sure they’re beautiful.” Finding the bird was foremost in her mind, not the gardens. Of course, it’d be nice finding Randall, too. “You’ll have to give me a tour of them when the sun’s up.”
    “I’d love to show you around tomorrow after the mystery is over, if you have time before you leave.” He pulled her arm through his.
    “We’ll see.” Karen’s gaze wandered over the outside of the house. “You really do have a lovely home.” At least the exterior wasn’t as gaudy as the interior.
    “Thank you.” He stared at his home, not saying anything for a few moments. “My parents worked hard to make this place what it is. When my mother became ill, my father had the balcony built all the way around the house for her. She couldn’t manage the stairs, but she still loved to go outside.”
    She laid her hand on his arm. “Your father must’ve loved her very much.”
    Bradford nodded. “After her death, he gave me this house and moved back to England. My mother stipulated in her will that I continue to hold our annual murder mystery weekend. She didn’t want to see the tradition die. Our family has held these for many years.”
    Karen looked at him. “You don’t seem like you don’t want to do it.”
    He stared at the house. “I just don’t have the heart for it any more. My mother always ran it.”
    “Then why continue? Surely your father knows how you feel about it.”
    “He does, but there’s nothing we can do. If I stop, the house and grounds revert to my brother and neither of us wants that to happen.” He shook his head. “This year is a bad time. I have some companies in the middle of groundbreaking research and to have guests here takes my attention away from important business matters.”
    Is that how Randall figured into all of this? Maybe that was why Bradford treated him so badly. It was more than likely too much of everything all at the same time. When she felt overwhelmed, she meditated to clear her mind to get her emotions back under control. To break her calm, especially in front of others, she felt, would show a weak spirit.
    Karen studied Bradford in the moonlight. He had everything, good looks, money, style, grace, people to do his bidding. He’d shown interest in her as soon as he’d seen her. So why didn’t he make her heart race like Randall did? What was wrong with her? Did she just need to give him and herself a little more time?
    Karen’s gaze skimmed the trees and the area around them. She could feel something watching her and Bradford but couldn’t see it in the darkness. Could it be the huge bird? she thought. She narrowed her eyes and tried harder to see in the inky black of the woods.
    “What are you thinking about?” Bradford asked.
    She inhaled the perfect October air as she hesitated, not wanting him to know her true thoughts. “I love the woods in the fall,” she finally said.
    “I can tell,” he said, pulling her closer and wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “You haven’t stopped staring at the trees since you arrived.”
    “It’s because...” She stopped short. “You’ll think I’m being childish.”
    “Try me. I won’t laugh.” He laid his left hand over his heart and raised his right. “I promise.”
    She glanced toward the trees. “When I was little, I used to think fairies were responsible for the leaves changing colors. I’d go into the woods by our house to look for them. My brother used to tease me about it.” She shrugged. “I guess part of me still wants fairies to be