Free All Through the Night by Shannon McKenna, Lori Foster, Suzanne Forster, Thea Devine Page B

worst fear realized. She was as paralyzed as the statue across the street. She hadn’t been out of the house in weeks. What had made her think that she could do this?
At some point she realized Malcolm was on the porch with her. He was trying to help her, but she was so rigid with fear, he couldn’t get her unfrozen, either. With some prying he got her fingers unlocked. And then, to her horror, he picked her up in his arms, carried her into the house and dropped her on the sofa.
“Are you all right?” he asked, kneeling next to her. His blue eyes were dark with concern. “Are you sick or something?”
“No—Yes, maybe. I didn’t get much sleep last night.”
“Should I call the doctor? I could take you to a clinic.”
She pulled a woolen throw over her and huddled inside it. “Just c-c-cold,” she said. “I’ll be fine in a minute.”
“How about something to drink? Wine? Whiskey? Something stronger?”
“ Is there anything stronger?” She managed a little smile. Malcolm obviously thought she needed sedation, and he was right. “Some hot tea would probably help, but I can get it myself.”
He crammed his hands in his jacket pockets and shuffled his feet. “Well, if there’s nothing I can do, maybe I should be going. Is there anything I can do?”
Kerry didn’t want him to go. It hit her all at once that she didn’t want her odd duck of a tenant to leave. Boy, that was scary. But even scarier was the prospect of being alone with her bizarre fantasies and suspicions. At least Malcolm was someone to talk to, another human being, not an assortment of pixels like Jean. Okay, a gorgeous assortment, but pixels nonetheless.
“Heard any good conspiracy theories?” she asked him.
He gave her a look that said she was scaring him .
She tucked the blanket under her chin, brought herself to a sitting position and began to mutter. “Think maybe you could get up, Kerry?” she said. “Think maybe you could make you and your guest a cup of tea? Something herbal? Something calming? And no more L-tyrosine?”
“Kerry, who are you talking to? Are you all right?”
Poor Malcolm. Now he had one more thing to worry about. Her.
“No, I’m not all right,” she said impulsively. “I’m lonely, Malcolm. I’m lonely, and I think maybe what I need is a roommate. Would you like to live with me?”
Malcolm was already up on his feet and inching toward the door. “I really have to be going,” he said. “I hope you feel better soon.”
Kerry shrugged. “Me, too, Malcolm. Me, too.”
“Kerry?” Something seemed to have halted Malcolm’s progress. He acted as if he wanted to tell her something, but he was rocking back and forth like a self-conscious teenager. “You will overcome your fear,” he said, “when there’s something more important to you than your fear.”
Kerry sat up. “Malcolm? What does that mean?”
“I—uh—” He shook his head, seeming as bewildered as she was.
As the front door closed on her tenant’s fleeing form, Kerry gave out a resigned sigh, followed by a bittersweet sigh, which seemed to bring on a huge, wistful sigh. Now she knew how to get rid of Malcolm. That should have made her happy. But it was true, she was lonely. Lonely, confused and afraid.
It was her grandfather who’d always told her if you wanted something badly enough, you should wish for it. “With an open heart,” he’d said, “because only open hearts can receive.” There were times when she could feel her grandparents’ presence so strongly it felt as if they were still about, keeping an eye on her. They knew she hadn’t had good luck with men, and it had occurred to her that if some wonderful guy ever did come her way, they might have had something to do with it.
Silly child , she thought.
Her computer sat forlornly on the secretary, silenced by a poof of smoke. Kerry tried to ignore it. She made her tea, drank it and tidied the kitchen, but finally she couldn’t postpone the day any longer. She had work to do.