Read Midnight Sons Volume 1 for Free Online

said with a brave smile. “You’ll find something else.”
    “I wanted to go to Alaska,” Susan said, her lower lip trembling. “I told everyone at school we were moving.”
    “We are.” Abbey knew this was of little comfort, but shethrew it in, anyway. “It just so happens that we won’t be moving to Alaska.”
    “Can we visit there someday?” Scott asked. “I liked what we read in those books you brought home. It seems like a great place.”
    “Someday.” Someday, Abbey realized, could be a magical word, filled with the promise of a brighter tomorrow. At the moment, though, it just sounded bleak.
    The phone rang, and both Susan and Scott twisted around, looking eagerly at the kitchen wall. Neither of them moved. Abbey didn’t allow the dinner hour to be interrupted by phone calls.
    “The machine will pick up the message,” she told them unnecessarily.
    After the fourth ring, the answering machine automatically clicked on. Everyone went still, straining to hear who’d phoned.
    “This is Christian O’Halloran.”
    “Mom!” Scott cried excitedly.
    Abbey flew across the kitchen, ripping the phone off the hook. “Mr. O’Halloran,” she said breathlessly, “hello.”
    “Hello,” Christian responded. “I’m glad I caught you.”
    “I’m glad you caught me, too. Have you made your decision?” She hated to sound so eager, but she couldn’t stop herself.
    “You’ve got the job, if you still want it.”
    “I do,” Abbey said, giving Scott and Susan a thumbs-up. Her son and daughter stabbed triumphant fists in the air.
    “When can you start?”
    Abbey was certain the library would let her leave with minimal notice. “Whenever it’s convenient for you.”
    “How about next week?” Christian asked. “I won’t return from my business trip until the end of the month, but I’ll arrange for my brother Sawyer to meet you in Fairbanks.”
    “ Next week?”
    “Is that too soon?”
    “No, no,” she said quickly, fearing he might change his mind. She could take the kids out of school a week early, and she wouldn’t need much time to pack their belongings. Her mother would help, and whatever they didn’t take with them on the plane—like their furniture—she could have shipped later.
    “I’ll see you in Hard Luck, then.”
    “Thank you. I can’t tell you how pleased I am,” she said. “Oh, before I hang up…” she began, thinking she should probably mention the fact that she’d be bringing Scott and Susan. Despite the provision of housing, there was nothing on the application asking about children or family.
    “I’ll be with you in a minute, Allison,” Christian said.
    “Excuse me?”
    “My dinner date just arrived,” he told her. “As I explained, my brother will meet you in Fairbanks. I’ll have the travel agency call you to make the arrangements for your ticket.”
    “You’re paying my airfare?”
    “Of course. And don’t worry about packing for the winter. You can buy what you need once you arrive.”
    “But—”
    “I wish I had more time to answer your questions,” he said distractedly. “Sawyer’s really the one who can tell you what you need to know.”
    “Mr. O’Halloran—”
    “Good luck, Abbey.”
    “Thank you.” She gave up trying. He’d learn about Scott and Susan when he returned. As far as she was concerned, the town was getting a great librarian—plus a bonus!
     
    “You sure you don’t want me to fly in and meet the new librarian this afternoon?” John Henderson asked, straddling the chair across from Sawyer. His hair had been dampened and combed down, and it looked as if he was wearing a new shirt.
    “Be my guest.” You’d think the Queen of England was flying in judging by the way folks in Hard Luck were behaving. Duke had arrived at Ben’s this morning clean-shaven and spiffed up, smelling pungently of aftershave. Sawyer hid a grin. The next woman would follow in a few days, and he wondered how long it would take for everyone to get