Read Online His Healing Touch by Loree Lough - Free Book Online Page B

on his face, Wade took a seat as Kasey rose and walked directly to the cabinet where Adam kept the plates. She slid one in front of Wade and laid a butter knife and fork on a neatly folded paper napkin beside it.
    “Juice?” she asked, fingers wrapped around the refrigerator handle.
    Wade nodded dumbly, and as Kasey filled his glass, he met Adam’s eyes. She’s pretty comfortable in your kitchen, said the look on Wade’s face. Shut up was the message Adam sent back.
    “So, who’s your pretty friend?” Wade asked, grabbing a slice of toast. He narrowed his eyes and, using his butter knife as a pointer, added, “Hey…she’s wearing the sweatsuit you won in that marathon last month.”
    Kasey’s cheeks glowed and she ran a hand through her curls. “I, um, I was picking flowers,” she told Wade, “j-just down the road, when the storm hit last evening. My car got stuck in the mud, and—”
    “You don’t owe this palooka any explanations,” Adam interrupted, shooting Wade another heated “zip it” look. Then he said, “Kasey Delaney, meet Wade Parks, my partner.”
    “And pal,” Wade stuck in, grinning around a mouthful of breakfast. “Y’know, these are some of the best scramblers I’ve ever had the pleasure of—”
    “Stow it, pal. I’m not buying it, and neither is—”
    Suddenly, Wade’s smile faded. Eyes wide, he swallowed, hard. “Wait…” He took a sip of his juice. “Kasey, what did you say your last name was?”
    “She didn’t. I did,” Adam pointed out, aiming a look at Wade that said, Careful….
    “Delaney,” Kasey said, wiping her right hand on a dish towel before extending it toward Wade. “Pleased to meet you.”
    The stunned expression on Wade’s face prevented him from shaking her hand. Suddenly, he was overcome by a coughing fit. After a few moments of sputtering and gasping, though red-faced and watery-eyed, he managed to catch his breath.
    “Whoa,” he croaked. “Sorry, guys. Hope I didn’t spoil your appetites.”
    Nice save, Adam thought, relieved. But “Fat chance!” is what he actually said.
    “So,” Kasey said, “how long have the two of you been partners?”
    Wade, still clearing his throat, signaled that Adam should answer the question.
    Anything to keep you quiet, Adam thought. “Eight years,” he said.
    “But I’ve known this old dog since we were pups,” Wade added, stuffing another forkful of eggs into his mouth.
    Kasey sighed. “Would’ve been nice if there had been a couple of good cardiologists in Ellicott City a few years back. Maybe my dad could have survived his heart—”
    A whole new coughing fit rendered Wade speechless.
    Kasey’s large eyes narrowed as she gave Wade a look that, from Adam’s point of view, seemed a blend of suspicion and mistrust. Could she know that fifteen years ago, the men now sharing breakfast with her had been partially responsible for her father’s death?
    Adam took a deep breath and said to Wade, “So, did you get your woman all moved into her new place?”
    “Yeah,” he rasped. “Marcy’s all set. Told me to invite you to supper. But let’s not get too hung up on that ‘woman’ thing, shall we? We’re friends.”
    Adam harumphed. Wade had more “friends” than he had fingers and toes. “Supper? I thought you said she can’t operate a can opener.”
    “She can’t.” Wade grinned. “She’s a real whiz at orderin’ pizza, though.” He cleared his throat. “Supper is a bribe. She was kinda hopin’ you’d help me get her stereo, TV and VCR hooked up.” He looked at Kasey. “I’m terrible at that stuff. My own VCR still blinks twelve o’clock, and it’s three years old!”
    Kasey laughed. “So does mine.”
    “Well, then,” Wade said, “maybe after we get Marcy’s equipment up and running, me and Einstein here can stop by your place and fix your clock.”
    Adam wished there had been a flyswatter nearby, because he would have used it to smack Wade alongside thehead. The coughing