Passing Through Midnight Read Free Page A

uncomfortable
at once. "I appreciate your neighborliness, in fact"—she
looked back at the truck and for the first time realized he was
alone—"I… I made these for your little boy, for
the map, the invitation. I… well, here."
    He took the plate of cookies when she thrust it at him and
smiled. "Baxter loves chocolate chip. These are a big mistake," he
said, shaking his head.
    "Why?" It was no surprise to her that any attempt to reach
out to another human being, even a child, would turn out badly. It was
becoming the story of her life.
    "We Howletts are like dogs. Feed us, and you can't get rid
of us." His gaze, twinkling with humor, tried to meet hers behind the
dark glasses. "We're a house full of men over there. Me, the boys, and
my uncle Matthew. We never get stuff like this, except at Christmas,
and only if Matthew's in the mood."
    "Oh," she said, feeling a little better. Clearly he was
trying to be friendly and charming, and were she any other woman in the
world, she might have been tempted to flirt with him a little. If she
were any other woman in the world, she would have found his astute and
sparkling eyes alluring, his smile beguiling, his confident stance and
carriage irresistible… but she wasn't any other woman, and
she wasn't in a mood to be charmed. "Well then, I hope you all enjoy
them," she said, preparing to go back inside, away from his disturbing
gaze.
    "We will," he said, watching her turn slowly toward the
front door, dismissing him. "Look, I'm not sure what to do here." He
took two hurried steps to address her face-to-face. "It's obvious you
don't want to be disturbed, and I can keep Baxter away from you for the
most part, but he's… curious about you, I guess. He's a
friendly kid and… well, what would you like me to tell him?
I'd hate to tell him to just stay away. He's not used to being snubbed
and—"
    "Snubbed?" she asked. "Is that what my wanting some
privacy seems like to you?"
    "No," he said, picking up the anger in her voice and
returning it automatically. "Whatever you're doing here is your own
business and, frankly, I couldn't care less. But my kid cares, and I
want to prepare him for whatever you're going to do if he happens to
run into you."
    "I won't bite him, if that's what you're asking."
    "Good," he said, taking a step back, satisfied. "I'll warn
him to stay out of your way, but just in case…"
    "Mr. Howlett," she said wearily, too weak to maintain her
anger, too tired to be uncivil. "You don't need to warn your son about
anything. I'm not looking to hurt anyone. Especially your little boy.
I'm just not feeling very social. I'm sorry if I've been rude or if
you've felt snubbed. That wasn't my intention. I simply want to be
alone."
    His hostility vanished with hers, and he went back to the
probing study of her features. She felt safe behind her dark glasses
because she could see that they irritated him.
    "I understand," he said, though the tone of his voice said
he didn't at all, and given half an opportunity he would have jumped
into her life, boots first, demanding to know all the whys and
wherefores of her self-exile. "And I'll make my boys understand. We
won't bother you. But we are your closest neighbors and…
well, would you like our number in case you need anything?"
    "Is it an unlisted number?" she asked, opening both doors
before turning to look through the screen at him.
    "No."
    "Then I have a phone book and I'll call if I need to.
Thank you." He nodded and looked as if he wanted to say more, maybe ask
a few questions, prolong the conversation somehow. But his presence on
her porch was making her anxious and edgy, and she was eager to be away
from him. "Tell him I liked his map, will you?"
    "Sure."
    "Good-bye."
    "Good-bye."
    She closed the door in his face and sighed when she
finally heard his footsteps moving away toward the truck. She leaned
against the door and looked down at her hands. They were trembling
uncontrollably.
    She bunched them into fists, digging trimmed