Time of Possession (Seattle Lumberjacks #5) Read Online Free PDF Page A

sizeable amount each month, thanks to their
soon-to-be daughter-in-law’s great sales job that had hooked them
as donors, or perhaps in spite of it.
    Giving Humphrey a final scratch behind the
ears, Estie washed up and went to work, paying bills, balancing the
books, and then helping Sylvia administer meds, replace bandages,
and give flea baths.
    “How’s your week going?” Sylvia slanted one
of her sly glances in her direction. Estie swore the woman either
read minds or body language, or both, probably due to her extensive
time spent with animals. Subtle body language didn’t lie, and Estie
must have given something away.
    Feeling exposed and vulnerable, she looked
into the distance and sucked her lower lip into her mouth, debating
on whether or not to tell Sylvia about her weird connection with
Brett. It would feel good to hash out her feelings about the man to
someone who wouldn’t judge her— they’d always shared each other’s
secrets—but putting her feelings in words would make them more
real.
    Sylvia arched one of her perfectly shaped
brows. “Spill it, girlfriend.”
    “I babysat a parrot for one of my brother’s
teammates.”
    “And?” Sylvia obviously knew there was more
to this story.
    “African Gray. You know how neurotic they
can be.”
    “Do I ever.”
    “Well, this bird has spent too much time
around my brother.”
    “Let me guess. It likes the F-word.” Sylvia
filled a syringe with the proper dose of meds while Estie held a
squirming toy poodle.
    “Loves it.” Once Estie got started, the
words spilled out of her like water down a cliff, as she launched
into a detailed account of her meeting with Brett as she put away
the poodle and carried a cute little mutt to the stainless
table.
    “So the bird’s owner is an animal lover,
unlike Richard.” Sylvia rarely said much about Richard; usually she
just pursed her lips and held her tongue, like a kid swallowing
cough syrup.
    “Richard donates a lot of money to this
rescue.”
    “His parents do. It’s a write-off, and they
don’t fool me one bit. They’re doing it for you. They couldn’t care
less about the animals.”
    “Richard asked them to donate.” Estie stood
up for her man because that was what a loving fiancé did.
    “Estie, don’t get me wrong. I appreciate the
money they’ve put into this rescue. In fact, it’s vital to the
health of the place.” Sylvia gave her one of those pure Sylvia
looks, as if she felt Estie were delusional. “I think Richard’s an
okay guy, I’m just not convinced he’s the right guy for you.”
    “He is. Really.” At the skeptical look on
Sylvia’s face, Estie rushed to further justify her relationship
with Richard, unable to stop herself even though it sounded as if
she was trying to convince herself instead of her friend. “Richard
is just what I need.”
    “Seriously? I don’t buy it. You like that
you can control him or appear to control him. There’s more
to that guy than what you see.” Sylvia did the eyebrow thing
again.
    Amazing how much the woman could convey with
the simple lift of an eyebrow. Her friend focused her attention on
the whining little puppy she was examining. “So this animal lover
with the parrot—is he cute?”
    “Yeah, in a way. I mean he’s not drop-dead
gorgeous, but he’s handsome. And attractive. Kind of rugged
looking.”
    “Is he a nice guy?” Sylvia’s eyes narrowed.
Estie knew that look. Sylvia used it on recalcitrant dogs and their
owners. She also used it on Estie when she wasn’t buying what Estie
was selling.
    “Really nice guy. But…” Estie hesitated.
    “But what?”
    “There’s something about him, like there’s
this profound sadness that lurks under the surface, like he has
these places in his mind that even he doesn’t dare go. Don’t ask me
how I know that, but I do.”
    “And you, my dear Estie, want to rescue
every stray and take him home then organize his life to the n th degree. Now you’ve found a man who fits the