Free Daniel's Gift by Barbara Freethy Page B

either."
    "Jenny, wait. I'm sorry," Alan shouted, but Jenny didn't stop. She felt angry, out of control, and deep down inside absolutely terrified.
    Alan slammed his fist against the wall. He wanted to hurt someone, make someone pay for the pain they were all experiencing, and damned if it wouldn't give him pleasure to knock Luke Sheridan's head against the wall.

Chapter Seven
     

    Luke ran faster until his breath came in gasps, and his hair began to drip from the morning dew and his own sweat. The pavement beneath his feet was rocky, uneven, as he pushed himself up one hill, then down another.
    The relentless pace prohibited him from thinking. If he could run fast enough, maybe he could escape his thoughts, his memories of Jenny, his hallucinations that made no sense.
    The street in front of him turned and twisted. A dog came up on his heels, barking in delight.
    Luke tried to shoo it away. The dog wouldn't leave him alone. Finally, completely out of breath, Luke slowed down and ended his run in front of the wrought-iron gates at the beginning of his driveway. The dog barked again.
    Luke looked down at him, hoping for a collar. There was none. The dog looked like a mutt, a tiny little thing with crooked ears and a yapping voice. For some reason, it reminded him of Toto in the Wizard of Oz.
    "Go away," Luke said.
    The dog barked and ran between his legs. Luke stumbled over his small body.
    "Come on, beat it."
    The dog bit through his sock with sharp, pointed teeth. Luke yanked his foot away in irritation. The dog ran into the bushes next to the fence, drawing Luke's attention to a piece of ripped paper stuck on a branch.
    Luke reached for it, instinctively sensing its importance.
    " Daniel S ." The name was written at the top, along with a grade marked in red pen, B-, and the comment that Danny could do better if he tried harder. The paper was the beginning of an essay on space travel in the twenty-first century. Luke read the unscientific, twelve-year-old philosophy with a deepening grin, disappointed when the paper ended in mid sentence.
    He looked up, suddenly aware of the quiet. The dog had vanished as quickly as it had appeared. After a moment, Luke folded the paper carefully in his hand and walked into the house. He showered, dressed, and went back downstairs for breakfast.
    When he got to the breakfast room, he picked up his glass of orange juice and drained it. He now felt awake, alert, in control of his body and his emotions. Yesterday had been an aberration in his highly organized life. Today, he would get back on track.
    As soon as he finished breakfast, he would go to the office, bury himself in the details of his business and forget about the night before.
    "Good morning, darling." Denise walked into the room, dressed in a Chanel linen suit with matching turquoise pumps. Her lips against his cheek were cool. Any thought he had of turning his mouth against hers disappeared as she moved quickly away. Luke realized in that instant that she was afraid of something, maybe his mood -- maybe something else.
    He watched her slide into her chair and pour herself a cup of coffee. Denise didn't start the day without a shot of caffeine, usually more than one. After a few sips, her tension seemed to ease. He offered her a tentative smile.
    "Better?"
    "Better," she agreed, relaxing as he offered her a silent olive branch, which she gratefully accepted. "The party was a big success, don't you think?"
    "It was all right."
    "Your parents aren't up yet?"
    "Are you kidding? My father's already on the golf course and my mother is having her hair done. She said something about not being able to find a decent salon in Carmel."
    Denise set down her coffee cup, her mood turning serious. "I've been meaning to talk to you about something."
    Luke tensed, not sure he wanted to hear what she was about to say.
    "I'd like to make some changes around the house, but I don't want to upset your parents. After all, this was their home for thirty