Read Monday's Child for Free Online

turned his attention to the road.
    Luke gazed out of the window at the darkness only lit by car headlights. His eyes closed despite his best effort to be sociable and stay awake. He opened them as the car came to a halt.
    “Here we are.”
    Luke looked out at the cottage. Lights shone from all of the downstairs windows. In the frosty darkness, it appeared warm and welcoming.
    “Carole said she’d open the place up and put the heating on. She’s also organizing ye folks some dinner.”
    Puzzled, Luke frowned. Had they told him this already, or not? “Carole?”
    “My wife.” Dave opened his door, letting a blast of frigid air in. “We’ve been married fifteen years. She teaches at the local primary school. She’s also a black belt in Tae Kwon Do.”
    “That’s some achievement. Remind me not to annoy her.”
    “I tell myself that every time we have an argument. And she also thinks ye guys are married. First time in fifteen years I’ve lied tae her about something.”
    “I’m sorry for putting you in this position.”
    “Not yer fault. First time I’ve mixed home life and the job so closely. But if it keeps Sara safe and gets Austin off the streets, it’ll be worth it.”
    They got out of the car, and the men escorted Sara to the door. It opened as they reached the porch, and the smell of baked potatoes and beef poured out.
    Carole was much shorter than Luke imagined. Just over five feet tall, she had short black hair and glasses. Her smile was as warm as the house. “Hello.”
    Dave kissed her. “Hello, love. This is Luke and Sara Nemec. This is my wife, Carole.”
    Luke shook her hand. “Pleased to meet you.”
    His first impression was how small and claustrophobic the place was compared to his apartment back in the States. He hoped he’d get used to it.
     
    ****
     
    Sara found herself ushered inside by the men faster than she liked.
    Carole gave her a beaming smile. “Let me show ye where everything is.”
    Glancing across at Luke, Sara half expected him to say she had to stay within his field of vision at all times. Instead, he shot her a smile. “Go on, hon. I’ll bring the bags in.”
    Sara followed Carole around the cottage. It was bigger than she thought it was. Downstairs was a kitchen, lounge, and dining room. A narrow winding staircase led up to four bedrooms and a bathroom. Only the double bed in the master bedroom had a quilt on. Hopefully, there was spare bedding somewhere.
    She came down the stairs as Luke put the cases down on the hall floor. He smiled at her. “We’ll unpack later, hon.”
    Sara bit her tongue as she followed him into the kitchen, hating the way he called her hon. It implied ownership. She was his nothing, and that was the way it had to stay.
    Dave took Carole’s hand. “We’ll let ye settle in, Luke. I’ll come by in the morning. Organize food shopping and so on.”
    “Sounds good, Dave, thanks. I’ll see you out.”
    Sara turned her attention to dinner. She had it plated up and on the table by the time Luke came back in. In spite of the casserole being as tasty as it smelled and the potatoes baked to perfection, she had no appetite. She pushed the food around the plate, picking at it.
    “Is something wrong with the food, Sara?”
    “No, I’m not hungry tonight. Traveling tends to upset my stomach.” She took a deep breath. “The house is bigger than I thought. It’s nice and cozy. We must be near the sea because I can smell it. I’ll have to explore tomorrow. It’s too dark right now. I wouldn’t see anything.”
    Luke drummed his fingers on the table. “First of all, there are a few ground rules we need to set. You will stay indoors. No phone calls. No—”
    “I don’t need another lecture, thanks. I know the staying inside one by heart.” Scraping her chair back across the floor, Sara jumped to her feet. “I’ll go and make up one of the other beds.”
    She ran up the winding staircase and into the other furnished bedrooms, rummaging