Read Online In Love by Christmas: A Paranormal Romance by Sandy Nathan - Free Book Online
Authors: Sandy Nathan
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top of it …” He threw up his hands with a hopeless chuckle. “She’s my only family.”
Leroy moved forward. He was going to try to heal him, Will could see. But he wouldn’t let him. He deserved to suffer. Will held up his hand, a stiff smile on his face.
“Hey. I’ll have Doug or someone put an itinerary together for you. Go on a trip, Leroy. Have fun. Someone needs to. And who knows, next trip, maybe it will be you and me and Cass. A family.
“Go.” Will waved him away before Leroy could lessen his pain.
“Will, dear,” the raspy voice of one of his dearest and oldest—in every way—friends assailed Will’s ears through his phone.
“You’re always the harbinger of good news, Vanessa. What do you want to blame me for now?” She could not have chosen a worse time to call.
“Oh, my, aren’t we touchy?”
“I just finished discussing the demise of my professional career with an almost stranger. A cowboy, or Indian. The man who saved Cass. All I needed was a vampire attack”
“I’m not a vampire, Will. My family has never had anything to do with vampires. But tell me about Cass. I heard that young man and your other people have found Cass. That’s wonderful.”
“It was nothing short of miraculous, Vanessa. She’s in terrible condition. I’ve put her in a hospital to gain weight and stabilize her physical condition. When she’s healthy enough, I’m moving her to the Havertin Institute in New York to handle her addiction and mental health problems.”
“Why send her so far away, Will? My hospital is at your disposal, both for her physical and mental needs. Do you know how well our facility is rated? My hospital is top rated in every dimension. And we’re thirty minutes from your house. I’ll see that she gets well.”
Will’s jaws clenched. “Vanessa, I put her in your hospital years ago. You know what happened. I walked into your barn three days after she got there and found her fucking my horse trainer and doing coke.
“You can’t handle her. You don’t have the security and you don’t have the experience to deal with someone like Cass. Your nicey-nicey staff, Rudy and the rest of them, don’t know what to do with someone who attacks when she’s threatened and can con you faster than shake your hand.
“What diseases do you treat, anyway?”
“You know what illnesses I treat at our clinic,” Vanessa said stiffly. “My children are bipolar and schizophrenic. You know that. You also know that, in addition to caring for my family, I take other interesting psychiatric cases to keep my psychiatrists busy and myself alive intellectually.”
“What’s your cure rate?”
She bridled. “The diseases we treat are incurable. They are treatable . People with the disorders can live healthy, fully functioning lives.”
“How many of your patients have jobs and marriages when you’re done?”
“That’s cruel, Will. You know how ill my family is. The other patients we take are the most difficult cases that exist. Other institutions have not been able to help them. When they leave here, they’re better.” The old lady’s voice was tight with anger.
“Will, I think you’re making a terrible mistake that you’ll regret forever. Why a hospital so far away?
“I’m satisfied with my investigation and …” He depressed the lever on his phone while he was speaking. He smiled. She’d never know he hung up on her.
Will sat at his desk in his home office. He stared at the fine wooden surface spreading out in front of him. The draperies were closed, but he wouldn’t have been distracted by the priceless view of the rolling golden hills of Woodside, one of the most affluent towns in the world.
Why did Vanessa think she had the right to talk to him like that? Cass was his daughter. He had the right to decide what was best for her. He squirmed in his chair. He’d been uneasy since Leroy had come back. She would get well, and they would have the father-daughter
Leroy moved forward. He was going to try to heal him, Will could see. But he wouldn’t let him. He deserved to suffer. Will held up his hand, a stiff smile on his face.
“Hey. I’ll have Doug or someone put an itinerary together for you. Go on a trip, Leroy. Have fun. Someone needs to. And who knows, next trip, maybe it will be you and me and Cass. A family.
“Go.” Will waved him away before Leroy could lessen his pain.
“Will, dear,” the raspy voice of one of his dearest and oldest—in every way—friends assailed Will’s ears through his phone.
“You’re always the harbinger of good news, Vanessa. What do you want to blame me for now?” She could not have chosen a worse time to call.
“Oh, my, aren’t we touchy?”
“I just finished discussing the demise of my professional career with an almost stranger. A cowboy, or Indian. The man who saved Cass. All I needed was a vampire attack”
“I’m not a vampire, Will. My family has never had anything to do with vampires. But tell me about Cass. I heard that young man and your other people have found Cass. That’s wonderful.”
“It was nothing short of miraculous, Vanessa. She’s in terrible condition. I’ve put her in a hospital to gain weight and stabilize her physical condition. When she’s healthy enough, I’m moving her to the Havertin Institute in New York to handle her addiction and mental health problems.”
“Why send her so far away, Will? My hospital is at your disposal, both for her physical and mental needs. Do you know how well our facility is rated? My hospital is top rated in every dimension. And we’re thirty minutes from your house. I’ll see that she gets well.”
Will’s jaws clenched. “Vanessa, I put her in your hospital years ago. You know what happened. I walked into your barn three days after she got there and found her fucking my horse trainer and doing coke.
“You can’t handle her. You don’t have the security and you don’t have the experience to deal with someone like Cass. Your nicey-nicey staff, Rudy and the rest of them, don’t know what to do with someone who attacks when she’s threatened and can con you faster than shake your hand.
“What diseases do you treat, anyway?”
“You know what illnesses I treat at our clinic,” Vanessa said stiffly. “My children are bipolar and schizophrenic. You know that. You also know that, in addition to caring for my family, I take other interesting psychiatric cases to keep my psychiatrists busy and myself alive intellectually.”
“What’s your cure rate?”
She bridled. “The diseases we treat are incurable. They are treatable . People with the disorders can live healthy, fully functioning lives.”
“How many of your patients have jobs and marriages when you’re done?”
“That’s cruel, Will. You know how ill my family is. The other patients we take are the most difficult cases that exist. Other institutions have not been able to help them. When they leave here, they’re better.” The old lady’s voice was tight with anger.
“Will, I think you’re making a terrible mistake that you’ll regret forever. Why a hospital so far away?
“I’m satisfied with my investigation and …” He depressed the lever on his phone while he was speaking. He smiled. She’d never know he hung up on her.
Will sat at his desk in his home office. He stared at the fine wooden surface spreading out in front of him. The draperies were closed, but he wouldn’t have been distracted by the priceless view of the rolling golden hills of Woodside, one of the most affluent towns in the world.
Why did Vanessa think she had the right to talk to him like that? Cass was his daughter. He had the right to decide what was best for her. He squirmed in his chair. He’d been uneasy since Leroy had come back. She would get well, and they would have the father-daughter
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