Read Online Midnight Sons Volume 1 by Debbie Macomber - Free Book Online
Authors: Debbie Macomber
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and thousands of dollars to make it livable. If it hadn’t been so much trouble, they would have refurbished it, instead of dealing with the cabins. But those, at least, were in one piece.
A fire had burned part of the lodge the year their father died,and not one of the three brothers had ever had the heart to get it repaired.
Their mother had always hated the lodge, which had become a symbol of everything that was wrong with her marriage, and she’d used the fire as an excuse to close it completely. If it’d been up to him, Sawyer would’ve torn the place down years ago. As it was now, the largest building in town stood vacant, a constant reminder of the father he’d loved and lost.
Ben wiped his forehead. “Yeah. The lodge wouldn’t work. It’s a shame, really.”
Sawyer wasn’t sure if Ben was talking about the abandoned lodge or Abbey’s situation.
There was no easy solution. “I don’t know what we’re going to do,” he muttered.
Ben was silent for quite some time, which was unusual for him. He studied Abbey and the children, then turned to Sawyer. “I guess you could send her back.” His voice was carefully casual.
“I know.”
“Is that what you plan to do?”
Sawyer felt a twinge of regret. “I can’t see that we have any choice, do you?”
“It’s a simple misunderstanding,” Ben said. “No one’s to blame. She should’ve told Christian about the kids.”
The twinge had become an ache, and it didn’t want to go away. “Maybe Christian should’ve asked.” But it didn’t matter; she was here now, there was no place for her to live and he had to deal with it.
Better Abbey should return to Seattle immediately, Sawyer reasoned, before he found himself making excuses for her to stay.
Chapter 4
Sawyer knew he wouldn’t be winning any popularity contests around Hard Luck if he announced that Abbey Sutherland and her children had to leave. The best way to handle the situation, he decided after giving it serious thought, was for Abbey to back out of the contract on her own—with a little help from him.
He waited until everyone had finished eating before he worked his way over to the table where she sat with Pearl. “I’ll show you to your cabin now,” he offered.
She looked up at him uncertainly, as if she wasn’t quite sure of his motives. “I’d appreciate that.”
“Sawyer,” Pearl said, placing her hand on his forearm.
Sawyer already knew what the older woman was about to say. Like him, Pearl must have realized immediately that Abbey and her children couldn’t live in a dilapidated old cabin outside town.
“When can I meet your dog?” Scott asked eagerly.
“Soon,” Sawyer promised. Eagle Catcher didn’t take easily to strangers; the husky wouldn’t allow the boy to come near him until after two or three visits. Sawyer decided he’d bring Scott over to the house that evening and show him Eagle Catcher’s pen. But the kid would be long gone before the husky accepted him as a friend.
“I’d like to see the library, too, if it wouldn’t be too much trouble,” Abbey said.
“Of course,” Sawyer said in a friendly voice, but a shiver of guilt passed through him. When he’d last spoken to his mother, he’d told her they’d hired a librarian. Ellen had been excited to learn that her gift to the town was finally going to be put to use.
Sawyer squeezed the four of them into the cab of his pickup and drove down the main road. There were a couple of short side streets, but none that anyone had bothered to name.
“What’s that?” Susan asked, pointing to a small wooden structure that stood outside the mercantile. She giggled. “It looks like a little house on stilts.”
“It’s called a cache. We use it to store food and keep it safe from bears and other marauding animals.”
“Alaska’s got lots of bears,” Scott murmured as if he was well versed in the subject. “I read about them in the books Mom brought home from the library.”
“How
A fire had burned part of the lodge the year their father died,and not one of the three brothers had ever had the heart to get it repaired.
Their mother had always hated the lodge, which had become a symbol of everything that was wrong with her marriage, and she’d used the fire as an excuse to close it completely. If it’d been up to him, Sawyer would’ve torn the place down years ago. As it was now, the largest building in town stood vacant, a constant reminder of the father he’d loved and lost.
Ben wiped his forehead. “Yeah. The lodge wouldn’t work. It’s a shame, really.”
Sawyer wasn’t sure if Ben was talking about the abandoned lodge or Abbey’s situation.
There was no easy solution. “I don’t know what we’re going to do,” he muttered.
Ben was silent for quite some time, which was unusual for him. He studied Abbey and the children, then turned to Sawyer. “I guess you could send her back.” His voice was carefully casual.
“I know.”
“Is that what you plan to do?”
Sawyer felt a twinge of regret. “I can’t see that we have any choice, do you?”
“It’s a simple misunderstanding,” Ben said. “No one’s to blame. She should’ve told Christian about the kids.”
The twinge had become an ache, and it didn’t want to go away. “Maybe Christian should’ve asked.” But it didn’t matter; she was here now, there was no place for her to live and he had to deal with it.
Better Abbey should return to Seattle immediately, Sawyer reasoned, before he found himself making excuses for her to stay.
Chapter 4
Sawyer knew he wouldn’t be winning any popularity contests around Hard Luck if he announced that Abbey Sutherland and her children had to leave. The best way to handle the situation, he decided after giving it serious thought, was for Abbey to back out of the contract on her own—with a little help from him.
He waited until everyone had finished eating before he worked his way over to the table where she sat with Pearl. “I’ll show you to your cabin now,” he offered.
She looked up at him uncertainly, as if she wasn’t quite sure of his motives. “I’d appreciate that.”
“Sawyer,” Pearl said, placing her hand on his forearm.
Sawyer already knew what the older woman was about to say. Like him, Pearl must have realized immediately that Abbey and her children couldn’t live in a dilapidated old cabin outside town.
“When can I meet your dog?” Scott asked eagerly.
“Soon,” Sawyer promised. Eagle Catcher didn’t take easily to strangers; the husky wouldn’t allow the boy to come near him until after two or three visits. Sawyer decided he’d bring Scott over to the house that evening and show him Eagle Catcher’s pen. But the kid would be long gone before the husky accepted him as a friend.
“I’d like to see the library, too, if it wouldn’t be too much trouble,” Abbey said.
“Of course,” Sawyer said in a friendly voice, but a shiver of guilt passed through him. When he’d last spoken to his mother, he’d told her they’d hired a librarian. Ellen had been excited to learn that her gift to the town was finally going to be put to use.
Sawyer squeezed the four of them into the cab of his pickup and drove down the main road. There were a couple of short side streets, but none that anyone had bothered to name.
“What’s that?” Susan asked, pointing to a small wooden structure that stood outside the mercantile. She giggled. “It looks like a little house on stilts.”
“It’s called a cache. We use it to store food and keep it safe from bears and other marauding animals.”
“Alaska’s got lots of bears,” Scott murmured as if he was well versed in the subject. “I read about them in the books Mom brought home from the library.”
“How
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