The Magic in Your Touch Read Online Free PDF Page A

the house.
    When Brandon first insisted on taking Nate home with him, Nate expected to be carried to a small apartment or a modest, two-bedroom starter house. He never expected to be taken to a sprawling farmhouse located on several acres of private land.
    They went in by the back door, through a nice-size mudroom into the kitchen. It was absolutely perfect. The stove was a refurbished thirties-model gas with six burners and a griddle. The cabinets were natural-stained, knotty pine with black iron hinges and handles. The granite countertops were spotless, but to Nate they looked like they hadn’t been used in a long time. A picture window along the far wall would capture most of the early morning light. Nate could just picture himself cooking breakfast for half a dozen smiling kids all clustered around the central work island. The minute he realized where his thoughts were taking him, he forced his mind back to the reason why he was here. Someone was out to get him. The fact that being with Brandon made him feel safer than he had in years did nothing to improve his mood. He’d learned his lesson about depending on other people.
Brandon broke into his thoughts by saying, “There are six bedrooms upstairs, but I’m going to put you in the one closest to mine so that I can hear you if you need me.”
    Nate barely had time to nod before he heard the thunder. No, not thunder exactly, more like feet. Large feet coming towards him at a dead run. He looked up just in time to see a giant blue-gray shadow pummel him to the ground.
“Sasha! Down girl. Dammit, I said down.” Brandon pulled the Great Dane off of Nate as fast as he could, but not before she gave him a healthy kiss right on the mouth.
     
Brandon lead her over to her food bowl and filled it with dry food. Once he was satisfied that Sasha was well occupied, he returned to help Nate up off the floor.
     
“I’m so sorry, Nate. I guess my mom must’ve come by to walk her and forgot to put her back in the sun porch where she stays while I’m at work. Here, let me help you up.”
    Nate allowed Brandon to pull him to his feet. “Damn, that thing is a horse, man.” He looked over to where Sasha sat on her haunches chewing a mouthful of kibble. Now that she wasn’t perched on his chest trying to slobber his face off, he had to admit she was a fine looking animal. “She is kinda cute, though.”
Brandon beamed with a look Nate could only describe as pride. “She’s a beauty, isn’t she? Imagine how pretty she’ll be when she’s full grown.”
     
“You mean that monster is still a puppy?”
     
Sasha looked up from her food bowl as he said it, her big brown eyes focusing on Nate. She stared at him for a full minute before turning away and trotting out of the room.
     
“Uh oh. Looks like you hurt her feelings.”
    The grin on Brandon’s face was catching. Before he knew it, Nate found himself smiling back. “If you expect me to feel sorry for her, forget it. Any dog that has free run of a house this size and an owner that worships the ground she walks on is not exactly a sympathetic creature.” He looked around the kitchen. “From what I’ve seen of your house, it’s magnificent, by the way.”
    “Thanks. Hey, let me give you the grand tour.” Brandon led Nate through the house, pointing out favorite pieces of furniture and sentimental treasures along the way. With each step he took, Nate was more and more impressed with Brandon’s home. Finally, he led him to a bedroom at the far end of the upstairs hall.
“My room is just across the hall. Let me put fresh sheets on the bed and you’ll be all set.”
     
Brandon walked down the hall and came back with a handful of linens. Nate helped him strip the bed and put on the fresh sheets.
     
“So, what do you think of the place?”
     
“It’s great, but isn’t it a lot of house for a single guy?”
     
Brandon nodded. “Yeah, but like I told my mother when I bought it, I don’t plan to be single