draining.” He set a thick roast beef sub in front of Theo and a meatball one in front of Jamie. “Milo is resting now. No longer in the deep sleep he’d been in. Just having the iron taken from his body is making him feel a great deal better. I’ve not bothered talking to Winnie. She’ll let us know when she knows what happened.”
Again, they talked for a while. Pem joined them when they moved to the parlor. After a while, the rest of the family showed up, each of them checking on Milo to see if he was all right. Mom and Dad had been informed and said they would be there soon. He felt terrible that they’d been here so much. Maybe they’d move here soon. That would be great.
Supper was ordered when it became apparent that no one wanted to leave just yet. Jamie, for all her liking quiet time, was doing well with all of them there. He hoped that Milo was her mate. It would be epic to have them together.
~*~
Milo didn’t move around too much. It wasn’t that he couldn’t, but he was achy. He’d never experienced anything like this before. Lily had brought him some clothing from his house, and he had thought about taking a shower. Even the thought of getting out of the bed again after going to the bathroom made him want to nap again. Lily asked him if he was all right.
“I’m sure I am. I just feel like I’ve been run over. I never understood that saying before today. Christ, I do feel like exactly that has been done to me.” Lily laid her head on his forehead and told him he was no longer as hot. “Good. That means I’m not feverish anymore.”
That had startled him, having a fever. Even as a child, he’d never been sick. Never had anything close to a fever. Nor had he fought a cold. He thought this was the reason he felt so sore. It had never happened to him before.
The lady of the house hadn’t been to see him since he’d woken up. His brothers had. So had Rachel and Pem. He’d thought she was avoiding him, but Lily assured him that she was very busy taking a test. It had taken him asking his brothers what sort of test would take so much time, and it turned out she was simply studying for her board exams, not just taking a test.
“She’s going to work in the hospital. Run the entire surgery department for us.” He asked Theo if Pem was going to work there as well. “I’ve not asked her directly, but I think that is her plan. The two of them together have been making adjustments to the plans that even the architect is impressed with. Also, you’ll be glad to know it’ll be easier going green with this project. Solar panels are going to be on most of the roof, as well as one-quarter of the back lot. Having all that land is going to save a great deal of money in the way of heating and cooling.”
Milo told Theo about the things he’d been able to unearth where he’d been. Getting in and out of computers had always been something he’d been very good at. Apparently, in the office they ran—it took care of their massive amounts of donations—the computers had been bogged down with not just games, but movies and personal information that was slowing the computers to the point of them not running as well as they all knew they should have been.
“The program I designed will not only keep them from using the computers for anything personal but now that they have to log in and out of the Internet with their cards, it will make sure they’re working when they should be. I was amazed to find out that almost sixty percent of their time was spent on shopping and browsing the Internet. No wonder it takes them so long to get back to us on payroll questions.”
Theo had come to see him a couple of times today, earlier that morning and then just a few minutes after he’d gotten his clothing from Lily. Milo was worried he was taking Theo from whatever he had been doing, but his brother assured him that Pem was studying too, and he was bored. He wasn’t sure how to take himself being a replacement for boredom, but he didn’t comment.
“I wanted to see how you were feeling now. I know I was here only a couple of hours ago, but there are some things I’d like you to help me out with. Just questions mostly, but I could use your input on them.” Milo sat up straighter in the bed and felt better for it. “Also, you should know that I’ve spoken to Jamie. She’s been in and out of here while you were sleeping. She’s going to come and see you later tonight. But she really is working hard.”
“You guys still think she’s my mate?” Theo said he didn’t think she was. “Why is that? I mean, don’t you want me to have a beautiful wife too?”
“Nah, nothing like that. But she’s been here with you, in and out, and neither of you seems to be foaming at the mouth to be together.” That made him laugh, and he was sure that was what Theo was intending for him to do. “Not only that, but she’s more like you than I thought. Quiet and reserved. She doesn’t even own a television. Not that it’s a deal breaker, but she seems to just not care what is going on in the world around her. I think she’s always been that way. I keep getting sidetracked when I go to ask Pem about her.”
“I bet you do.”
They laughed again when someone knocked at the door. Milo pulled the covers up over his bare chest when he bid the person entry. He’d bet anything that the woman standing there was Jamie.
“Hello.”
Before You Go…
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Kathi Barton, a winner of the Pinnacle Book Achievement Award and a best-selling author on Amazon and All Romance books, lives in Nashport, Ohio, with her husband, Paul. When not creating new worlds and romance, Kathi and her husband enjoy camping and going to auctions. She can also be seen at county fairs with her husband, who is an artist and potter.
Her muse, a cross between Jimmy Stewart and Hugh Jackman, brings her stories to life for her readers in a way that has them coming back time and again for more. Her favorite genre is paranormal romance, with a great deal of spice. You can visit Kathi online and drop her an email if you’d like. She loves hearing from her fans. aaronskiss@gmail.com.
Follow Kathi on her blog: http://kathisbartonauthor.blogspot.com/
Table of Contents
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10