Read Online The Christmas Child by Linda Goodnight - Free Book Online Page B

& R for a few months.”
    â€œYou’ll go back, then?”
    â€œTo work? Sure. Chicago?” He took a sip of coffee, closed his eyes either to savor the taste or to brace himself for the jolt. “The jury’s still out.”
    She took the thermos from him and poured her own cup. “As in a real jury or metaphorically speaking?”
    Kade smirked. “Both, actually. You want cream or sugar with that?”
    â€œYogurt.”
    His hand, halfway to his lips with another shot of caffeine, froze. “In your coffee? That’s sick.”
    â€œI know.” She gleefully stirred in a spoon, mostly to watch his reaction. Finally, he’d let his face show his true feelings.
    He watched in horrified fascination as if she was about to eat a live snake. “You didn’t do that yesterday.”
    â€œYou didn’t have yogurt.” She took a satisfied sip.
    Kade made a gagging noise.
    Sophie giggled, almost spewing the mouthful. “Stop.”
    His nostrils flared with humor. “You’re doing that to mess with my head.”
    She didn’t remember when she’d started spooning yogurt into coffee, probably in college on a silly dare. Discovering she liked the odd, grainy combination hadbeen the real surprise, although she normally reserved her yogurt coffee for quiet, alone times. Others didn’t react well, as Kade so perfectly and delightfully demonstrated.
    â€œMostly. Is Ida June already up and out or are we disturbing her sleep?”
    â€œWe won’t disturb her. Saturday is sleep day. She pokes earplugs in her ears, slides one of those weird masks over her eyes and threatens to disembowel anyone who opens her bedroom door before noon.”
    Sophie shook her head, amused. Ida June Click was, as her father said, a pistol. “Have you two always been close?”
    â€œNo.” The teasing light flickered out. Oddly, abruptly, he pushed out of the chair, went to the sink where he braced his hands to look out the window. Sophie had a feeling he didn’t really see Ida June’s backyard. And she wondered what can of worms she’d inadvertently opened inside the terse cop. Whatever had brought Kade to his great-aunt’s home and to Redemption had followed him here unresolved.
    Unsure where to tread, Sophie quietly sipped her coffee and waited him out. She studied him, lean waist and wedge-shaped torso taut, the leashed strength in his bent arms quivering with some deep emotion.
    â€œI’m going to fight them over Davey,” he said softly.
    Puzzling, interesting man. “I am, too.”
    He whirled then as if he’d expected argument and gave one short nod. “Good. We’re on the same page. He’s not going back. One of us will take him.”
    â€œUntil his family is found.”
    The heavy dose of doubt shadowed his secret eyes again. “Nearly eighty percent of runaways and throwaways are never reported missing by their families. Did you knowthat?” He tossed the numbers out as in challenge, teeth tight, eyes narrowed. “Eighty percent.”
    Throwaways? Never reported? Did such horrors really happen? “I can’t believe Davey is either. He’s young and cute and this is Oklahoma!”
    She saw the eye roll he held in check and practically heard his thoughts. She was naive, a Pollyanna, sheltered.
    â€œHe’s also handicapped. Granted, Davey’s a little younger than usual, but facts are facts. Sometimes no one cares if a kid disappears.”
    Sophie didn’t want to believe him. Children were a treasure from the Lord, not discardable afterthoughts. But Kade’s adamant anger gave her a peek inside his head. He spoke from experience and that experience had left him bleeding.
    Lord, You’ve put this man and this child in my life for a purpose. What now?
    A quiet rustle of movement stopped the conversation as Davey rounded the corner into the kitchen. With sleepy eyes and a bedhead