Read Online Traci On The Spot by Marie Ferrarella - Free Book Online
Authors: Marie Ferrarella
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things—”
“Like good storm windows?” There was a definite chill in the air that seemed to be coming from outside despite the fact that everything appeared to be locked up tight.
He’d noticed the draft earlier; he nodded. “And other things.” He was warming to his explanation. “They were beginning to think of it as a burden, so they asked me to sell it for them.”
She could guess at the practical reasons behind it, but she wasn’t all that crazy about practicality. No matter how much Daniel swore by it, she thought suddenly. The unexpected thought unnerved her.
“Seems a shame to let it go.”
He studied her closely. “Why? It’s falling apart.”
She sniffed her contempt of his view. “You would only see that.”
Morgan set his jaw hard and folded his arms before him. “What do you see?”
Her expression softened as if she were looking beyond the walls. “Memories.” Habit as ingrained as breathing had him challengingher. “I don’t need a building to see that. Memories are in your head and your heart and, occasionally, in an album.”
Her eyes widened as she looked at him. “Why, Morgan, that’s positively poetic.”
Morgan knew better than to take her comment at face value. He waited for a punch line. She wasn’t about to disappoint him.
“Limited,” she added airily, “but poetic.”
He knew he could count on Traci. “Okay, I’ll bite. Why limited?”
She glanced toward the fireplace in the living room and wished for a fire. It only reminded her that she really should be leaving.
“Because if we followed your way of thinking, no one would have ever bothered with preserving historic landmarks.”
He couldn’t help laughing at the comparison. “This house is hardly a historic landmark.”
The man was hopeless. “No, not to the world. But to those of us who spent a lot of time here.” She stopped and looked at him. “You don’t feel anything, do you?”
“Confused,” he volunteered. “Does that count?”
Traci laughed as she hit his chest playfully with the flat of her hand. “No, that doesn’t—”
The next thing she knew, Jeremiah was up and growling at Morgan as fiercely as if he’d just uncovered an entire battalion of enemy soldiers—or cats.
Traci made a grab for the dog’s collar a secondbefore he reared at Morgan. Teeth snapped with a menacing finality.
Morgan took a step back uneasily. “What’s his problem?”
“I guess Jeremiah thought we were fighting and he was coming to my rescue.”
Those teeth really did look large close up. And lethal. So much for thinking the dog a wimp. “Better tether him if you and Daniel ever argue.”
Traci stroked Jeremiah until the dog calmed down again. With a tentative yawn, he lay down at her feet. “We don’t argue.”
Morgan laughed out loud and Traci looked at him accusingly.
“Oh, come on, Traci. This is me. I know you. You’d argue with God.”
She stuck by her statement. It was the truth. “Daniel and I don’t argue.”
As she said them, her own words made her think. Why didn’t they argue? Normal people argued. She more than most, although she wasn’t about to admit that point to Morgan.
He looked at her closely. “You’re really serious.” True concern nudged him on. And maybe just a little bit of hope. “Traci, I was only kidding earlier, but maybe you should really think about this. He obviously can’t be the one for you. You need passion in your life, zest. The kind of man who can make you argue. A man who can periodically take you and shake you up—and you him.”
Realizing he was saying a hell of a lot morethan he intended to, Morgan abruptly stopped talking.
He wasn’t telling her anything she hadn’t thought herself, in the wee hours of the morning when the world was its blackest and doubts loomed their largest. The fact that she agreed, however, wouldn’t have stopped her from taking umbrage at his words.
What stopped her was the look in Morgan’s eyes. He wasn’t
“Like good storm windows?” There was a definite chill in the air that seemed to be coming from outside despite the fact that everything appeared to be locked up tight.
He’d noticed the draft earlier; he nodded. “And other things.” He was warming to his explanation. “They were beginning to think of it as a burden, so they asked me to sell it for them.”
She could guess at the practical reasons behind it, but she wasn’t all that crazy about practicality. No matter how much Daniel swore by it, she thought suddenly. The unexpected thought unnerved her.
“Seems a shame to let it go.”
He studied her closely. “Why? It’s falling apart.”
She sniffed her contempt of his view. “You would only see that.”
Morgan set his jaw hard and folded his arms before him. “What do you see?”
Her expression softened as if she were looking beyond the walls. “Memories.” Habit as ingrained as breathing had him challengingher. “I don’t need a building to see that. Memories are in your head and your heart and, occasionally, in an album.”
Her eyes widened as she looked at him. “Why, Morgan, that’s positively poetic.”
Morgan knew better than to take her comment at face value. He waited for a punch line. She wasn’t about to disappoint him.
“Limited,” she added airily, “but poetic.”
He knew he could count on Traci. “Okay, I’ll bite. Why limited?”
She glanced toward the fireplace in the living room and wished for a fire. It only reminded her that she really should be leaving.
“Because if we followed your way of thinking, no one would have ever bothered with preserving historic landmarks.”
He couldn’t help laughing at the comparison. “This house is hardly a historic landmark.”
The man was hopeless. “No, not to the world. But to those of us who spent a lot of time here.” She stopped and looked at him. “You don’t feel anything, do you?”
“Confused,” he volunteered. “Does that count?”
Traci laughed as she hit his chest playfully with the flat of her hand. “No, that doesn’t—”
The next thing she knew, Jeremiah was up and growling at Morgan as fiercely as if he’d just uncovered an entire battalion of enemy soldiers—or cats.
Traci made a grab for the dog’s collar a secondbefore he reared at Morgan. Teeth snapped with a menacing finality.
Morgan took a step back uneasily. “What’s his problem?”
“I guess Jeremiah thought we were fighting and he was coming to my rescue.”
Those teeth really did look large close up. And lethal. So much for thinking the dog a wimp. “Better tether him if you and Daniel ever argue.”
Traci stroked Jeremiah until the dog calmed down again. With a tentative yawn, he lay down at her feet. “We don’t argue.”
Morgan laughed out loud and Traci looked at him accusingly.
“Oh, come on, Traci. This is me. I know you. You’d argue with God.”
She stuck by her statement. It was the truth. “Daniel and I don’t argue.”
As she said them, her own words made her think. Why didn’t they argue? Normal people argued. She more than most, although she wasn’t about to admit that point to Morgan.
He looked at her closely. “You’re really serious.” True concern nudged him on. And maybe just a little bit of hope. “Traci, I was only kidding earlier, but maybe you should really think about this. He obviously can’t be the one for you. You need passion in your life, zest. The kind of man who can make you argue. A man who can periodically take you and shake you up—and you him.”
Realizing he was saying a hell of a lot morethan he intended to, Morgan abruptly stopped talking.
He wasn’t telling her anything she hadn’t thought herself, in the wee hours of the morning when the world was its blackest and doubts loomed their largest. The fact that she agreed, however, wouldn’t have stopped her from taking umbrage at his words.
What stopped her was the look in Morgan’s eyes. He wasn’t
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