Read Online A Warmth in Winter by Lori Copeland - Free Book Online Page B

dog licked Brittany’s fingers, the boy stopped and looked Bobby up and down, then pointed at Britt. “Who’s she?”
    â€œShe’s my sister Brittany.” Bobby thumped his chest. “And I’m Bob.”
    â€œI’m Georgie Graham.” The boy did a spin on the toes of his sneakers. “And this dog is Tallulah. I live there”—he pointed toward the tall house where they’d first seen him—“but she lives at the fancy house down by the dock.” He paused, then bent to pet the dog. “Are you from away?”
    Bobby nodded. “Ayuh. But we’re here now. Until.”
    â€œOh.” Georgie looked puzzled for a moment, then grinned. “Lots of kids from away come here, then they go. But not many come in the winter.”
    Brittany crossed her arms in a rare display of defiance. “Well, we’re here.”
    Bobby slipped his cold hands into his jeans pockets. “We’re living in the lighthouse. But the grandfather is sick.”
    â€œReally sick,” Brittany echoed. “And hot. Burning hot.”
    â€œOld Cap’n Gribbon?” Georgie’s face wrinkled for a moment, then brightened. “Maybe he has the mumps. My dad had the mumps a few years ago and he got to stay home and eat ice cream. Mom said they made his face all puffy, like he had acorns in his cheeks.”
    Bobby shook his head. “It’s not the mumps.”
    â€œMeasles?” Georgie grinned again. “Does he have spots all over? I haven’t had ’em, but my mom told me they can make you really sick.”
    â€œNo spots,” said Brittany.
    Georgie put his mittens to his mouth for a moment, then slapped his hands to his cheeks. “Chicken pops? I had the chicken pops last year when some kids from away brought them to the island. I wasn’t too sick, but Miss Birdie caught them and scratched and itched something awful—”
    â€œNo pops,” Bobby interrupted, strengthening his voice. “He’s hot. And he doesn’t move. He’s been lying in the bed for two days without eating anything.”
    â€œHe needs Tylenol.” Britt nodded wisely. “Four out of five doctors recommend it for their patients with fever. Because ibuprofen can cause stomach distress.”
    Turning, Georgie pointed toward the road. “We have Tylenols. My mom takes them every night when Dad gives her a headache.”
    Bobby lifted his head as hope sprang up in his heart. “Could you bring us some? I think I could get him to swallow some if you can get them.”
    Georgie flashed a confident grin. “Sure. I’ll be right back.”
    He sprinted away then, the little dog prancing alongside his pounding sneakers.
    â€œBobby,” Brittany began, a note of warning in her voice. “We’re not supposed to let anyone see us.”
    â€œWe won’t.” Taking her hand, Bobby led her back down the dune, out of sight. “But we got someone to bring us medicine, right? So we’ll hide until Georgie comes back, and then we’ll give the grandfather the Tylenols. Then he’ll be okay.”
    â€œBut what if Georgie tells someone about us?”
    Bobby shrugged. “Won’t matter. Nobody listens to little kids.”
    Birdie Wester smiled as she put the last éclair into a bag and folded down the top. “That’ll be five twenty-five,” she said, smiling at Babette Graham. “I think you’ll enjoy these. Abner’s done something special with the filling.”
    â€œAlmond flavoring,” Abner called from the counter where he was working. “One extra drop. I think you’ll find the difference almost . . . heavenly.”
    Babette moved to the counter and opened her purse. “I’m sure I’d like anything you make.”
    At that moment the door blew open, propelled by a gust of wind and the outstretched arm of an almost-six-year-old. Georgie Graham,