Read Online Healing the Boss's Heart by Valerie Hansen - Free Book Online
Authors: Valerie Hansen
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hurt down there.”
When he wiped off his hands and held one out to her, Maya took it. She realized that letting her boss hold her hand like that was probably too bold, but under the circumstances she was going to do it.She needed to feel his firm yet gentle touch, to rely upon his strength just a little while longer. And if casual observers took it for more than it really was, well, too bad.
Together they approached the river. The small boy had his hands cupped around his mouth and was trying to holler “Charlie” so loudly his thin voice squeaked.
Maya stepped aside and approached on Tommy’s left. Gregory came at him from the other side. As soon as the child realized he wasn’t alone, he tried to bolt.
Gregory snagged him by the neck of his striped T-shirt. “Whoa. Hold it, champ. We’re not going to hurt you.”
“I ain’t goin’ home,” Tommy shouted. “I’m gonna find Charlie.”
“It’s awfully dangerous, especially so close to the river,” Maya told him. “Did Mr. and Mrs. Otis give you permission to come out here?”
His lack of response told her the answer. Lowering her voice and bending to look into his eyes, she spoke gently, reassuringly. “We have a little more time before dark. If you’ll promise to be good and stay with the people at the church, Mr. Garrison and I will keep looking for Charlie until the sun sets. How’s that?”
“No. I’m gonna find him.”
“Not if you fall in the river, you’re not,” Gregory interjected, still holding him fast. “Besides, our legsare longer. We can cover more ground faster than you can. Give us a chance. Let us help you.”
Tommy folded his arms across his chest and shook his head firmly. “Nope. I’m gonna do it.”
“Hate to disappoint you, kid, but that’s not going to happen, at least not until more of this mess is cleaned up, so let’s quit wasting valuable time arguing when we could be looking for your dog.”
Certain that the boy would fight, Maya stood ready to assist, to reason with him. However, instead of beating on the man’s shoulders the way he had during the tornado, Tommy merely slipped one arm around Gregory’s neck and permitted himself to be carried.
Flabbergasted, she fell into step behind them. The wonders of the day just kept getting stranger and stranger.
They caught up with Reverend Michael and his fourteen-year-old niece, Avery, in the church office.
Gregory knocked on the open door, then entered. “Got a job for you, cousin. My friend Tommy needs a place to wait while we go look for his pup. Can you oblige?”
“Sure,” the pastor said. “Avery can watch him. She was wanting something useful to do, weren’t you, honey?”
“Oh, sure.” The aloof-acting girl tossed her head, swinging her long braids over her shoulders as she stared at Tommy without cracking a smile.
Maya’s gaze jumped from the rebellious teen toTommy and the similar expressions she saw on both their faces made her smile. Avery was about to get a good lesson in what it was like to deal with a rebellious child. The experience might actually do the girl some good, not to mention Tommy.
“We’ll head west, along the river,” Gregory said, passing Tommy to Avery while addressing Michael. “I don’t have a flashlight so we’ll have to be back here before dark.”
“Fine. There are more rescue crews working in the residential neighborhoods now that they’ve finished checking most of the downtown businesses. Looks good, so far. Last I heard, they thought everyone was accounted for except Lexi and Chief Ridgeway.”
“Maybe they’re together,” Greg suggested.
Michael shook his head. “Unfortunately, I doubt that.”
“Well, don’t worry about us. We’ll be back ASAP.”
Michael shook his cousin’s hand as he considered Maya gravely. “Are you taking her along?”
“Yes.”
“Okay. Be careful.”
“We will.”
She waited till they were outside and headed back through the park before she said, “You sure
When he wiped off his hands and held one out to her, Maya took it. She realized that letting her boss hold her hand like that was probably too bold, but under the circumstances she was going to do it.She needed to feel his firm yet gentle touch, to rely upon his strength just a little while longer. And if casual observers took it for more than it really was, well, too bad.
Together they approached the river. The small boy had his hands cupped around his mouth and was trying to holler “Charlie” so loudly his thin voice squeaked.
Maya stepped aside and approached on Tommy’s left. Gregory came at him from the other side. As soon as the child realized he wasn’t alone, he tried to bolt.
Gregory snagged him by the neck of his striped T-shirt. “Whoa. Hold it, champ. We’re not going to hurt you.”
“I ain’t goin’ home,” Tommy shouted. “I’m gonna find Charlie.”
“It’s awfully dangerous, especially so close to the river,” Maya told him. “Did Mr. and Mrs. Otis give you permission to come out here?”
His lack of response told her the answer. Lowering her voice and bending to look into his eyes, she spoke gently, reassuringly. “We have a little more time before dark. If you’ll promise to be good and stay with the people at the church, Mr. Garrison and I will keep looking for Charlie until the sun sets. How’s that?”
“No. I’m gonna find him.”
“Not if you fall in the river, you’re not,” Gregory interjected, still holding him fast. “Besides, our legsare longer. We can cover more ground faster than you can. Give us a chance. Let us help you.”
Tommy folded his arms across his chest and shook his head firmly. “Nope. I’m gonna do it.”
“Hate to disappoint you, kid, but that’s not going to happen, at least not until more of this mess is cleaned up, so let’s quit wasting valuable time arguing when we could be looking for your dog.”
Certain that the boy would fight, Maya stood ready to assist, to reason with him. However, instead of beating on the man’s shoulders the way he had during the tornado, Tommy merely slipped one arm around Gregory’s neck and permitted himself to be carried.
Flabbergasted, she fell into step behind them. The wonders of the day just kept getting stranger and stranger.
They caught up with Reverend Michael and his fourteen-year-old niece, Avery, in the church office.
Gregory knocked on the open door, then entered. “Got a job for you, cousin. My friend Tommy needs a place to wait while we go look for his pup. Can you oblige?”
“Sure,” the pastor said. “Avery can watch him. She was wanting something useful to do, weren’t you, honey?”
“Oh, sure.” The aloof-acting girl tossed her head, swinging her long braids over her shoulders as she stared at Tommy without cracking a smile.
Maya’s gaze jumped from the rebellious teen toTommy and the similar expressions she saw on both their faces made her smile. Avery was about to get a good lesson in what it was like to deal with a rebellious child. The experience might actually do the girl some good, not to mention Tommy.
“We’ll head west, along the river,” Gregory said, passing Tommy to Avery while addressing Michael. “I don’t have a flashlight so we’ll have to be back here before dark.”
“Fine. There are more rescue crews working in the residential neighborhoods now that they’ve finished checking most of the downtown businesses. Looks good, so far. Last I heard, they thought everyone was accounted for except Lexi and Chief Ridgeway.”
“Maybe they’re together,” Greg suggested.
Michael shook his head. “Unfortunately, I doubt that.”
“Well, don’t worry about us. We’ll be back ASAP.”
Michael shook his cousin’s hand as he considered Maya gravely. “Are you taking her along?”
“Yes.”
“Okay. Be careful.”
“We will.”
She waited till they were outside and headed back through the park before she said, “You sure
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