Read Online Almost Midnight by Teresa McCarthy - Free Book Online Page A

Things like that were just plain crazy.
    Besides, Mr. Money Bags was too arrogant for her anyway. He would be more than a complication; he would be a threat to her already fragile heart.
    Nevertheless, tomorrow morning, attraction or not, she would probably be sacked from her tutoring job. So be it then. She would still keep in contact with Jeremy.
    Anyway, she already decided that some time tomorrow she would make a call to Reach Medicals and check on the status of her application.
     
    After the gingerbread experiment, in which the final product had ended up everywhere in the kitchen but the oven, Fritz and Jeremy had coaxed Tanner into going to the library.
    Tanner had accumulated a pile of children’s books and cookbooks while his father, after speaking too loud, was avoiding some blue-haired prune, a lady that had given Tanner the evil-eye more than once since he entered.
    They had only been at the library a few minutes when Tanner pushed a book into Jeremy’s hand. He set the rest of the books on a nearby table, and decided to scan the aisles for the green-eyed beauty.
    Though his son didn’t know it, Tanner needed to speak to Hannah alone. He needed to reassure himself that the lady wasn’t going to leave her job as tutor. It was obvious Jeremy had made unbelievable progress in the past two weeks since Tanner had been gone, and that progress could only be attributed to Hannah.   
    Tanner knew it was best to talk to Hannah as soon as possible, especially after his stupid remarks to her this afternoon. He had to keep her – for Jeremy’s sake. But according to Fritz, Hannah no longer had a cell phone. Too much money. Fritz had insisted on buying her one, but the lady had refused.
    She had a landline, but Tanner didn’t want to wait until the lady’s shift at the library ended. So, here he was.
    He recalled that night on the mountain and frowned. He would make certain that as his son’s tutor, the lady would have a cell phone, and he would pay for it.  
    He’d seen her a few minutes ago, and she’d changed her outfit. She was dressed in a snow-white blouse and a knee length denim skirt, which was accented by a chained belt wrapped twice around her small waist. A set of tanned sandals set off her red toes and she moved with a cat-like grace that had attracted him the first time he’d seen her in town.
    He realized that besides teaching Jeremy about life and death, Hannah Elliot had done her job as a tutor well. There was no way his son was going to lose the best teacher he ever had, Reach Medicals or not.
    It was absurd. The harder he tried to ignore the truth, the more it persisted. Hannah Elliot had turned his world upside down just like his father had wanted. She was beautiful, but it was more than that. She had a certain something that made him want to be near her. It seemed Jeremy had felt the same way.
    Yet Tanner told himself he could control his yearnings, just like he controlled his companies, with pure emotional detachment. It wasn’t like he was thinking of marrying the woman. Jeremy just needed a tutor, and Hannah was darn good at the job. And he had to admit, Jeremy need the influence of a good woman. By keeping his distance, Tanner could make sure his son was cared for properly.
    “Hey.” Jeremy tugged on his father’s white polo shirt. “Isn’t that Hannah? Look at that. I think that guy likes her, Dad. Does that guy like her? Huh? He looks pretty big. Wow, look at those huge muscles!”
    Tanner’s gaze followed the direction of his son’s arm. He saw nothing until he tipped his head to Jeremy’s level and peered down the adjacent aisle.
    He froze at the disturbing sight. Sure enough, he detected one very well built man wrapping his beefy hands around Hannah’s small waist as she stood helplessly on a ladder, looking more like a puppy cornered by a bear than a librarian shelving books.
    Something inside Tanner snapped when he noted the predatory look on the man’s face. “You’re