5 Check-Out Time by Kate Kingsbury Read Free Book Online Page A

with concern.
    “Everything is well with you, I hope?” she enquired as Michael wiped his hands on a bar towel.
    “As well as could be expected, I suppose.” His voice held a note of resignation, so at odds with the enthusiasm he had displayed when first opening the pub for business.
    “You are not ill, I trust?” She studied his face, dismayed to see the worry lines at the corners of his mouth.
    He shook his head and sent a glance over to where his new wife still chatted with the customers. “No, Mother. Just tired, that’s all. I never realized just how much work goes into this business. It’s a long way from those last days in the tropics, hunting down tigers and knocking back the gin on a warm night.”
    “And, if I remember, you were thoroughly bored with the life.”
    Michael gave a rueful nod of his head. “That I was, Mother. That I was. Damned brattish of me, I know. This is what I wanted, and I shouldn’t be complaining if things are not going the way I expected. They will in time, I’m sure. I just have to keep the stiff upper lip and all that rot.”
    “It could be worse. At least you are home, safe andsound.” Cecily suppressed a shudder. “You don’t know how many nights I lay awake worrying about you and Andrew out there.”
    “I know. I know how much you must miss the pater, too. That was a hard blow. It was one of the reasons I wanted to settle down here on the coast.”
    Cecily’s eyes misted. “I do miss your father, Michael, but it’s a great compensation to have you here in Badgers End. Though I do hope you are not here solely on my account. You can’t live your life for others, you know. You must live it for yourself.”
    She felt a great deal comforted when Michael patted her hand. “Don’t worry, Mother dear. The peace and quiet of Badgers End suits me very well at present, though I daresay one of these fine days I shall be off searching for new horizons.”
    Cecily had not the slightest doubt about that. “What about Simani?” she asked, sending a glance over her shoulder. “Is she settling down here? I was hoping you would pay us a visit to the hotel. She has been there only once since you arrived.”
    “I’m sorry, Mother, we’ve just been so busy with the George, and Simani is not one to go visiting on her own. I think she feels just a little self-conscious. People do tend to stare at her, you know.”
    Before she could answer, Colonel Fortescue’s voice boomed across the room. “I say, old bean, what about my gin?”
    “Oh, dear heavens, I quite forgot,” Cecily muttered. “Would you please give the colonel another drink, dear? I’m afraid I caused him to spill the last one.”
    “I don’t think he needs another one,” Michael said, reaching for the gin bottle anyway. “That gentleman is absolutely bonkers. Every time he comes in here he starts talking rubbish. Sometimes I even find myself answering him. By the time he leaves, I’m wondering if I’m the crazy one.”
    Cecily watched him pour a measure of gin. “He’s harmless enough,” she said, stretching out her hand to take the glass. “He just gets confused sometimes, that’s all.”
    “Confused?” Michael shook his head in disgust. “He should be locked up, if you want my opinion. People like that can be dangerous.”
    “Not the colonel, I can assure you.” She paused as Simani’s hearty laughter rang out. Apparently the gentlemen were beginning to relax. “I’ll be right back.”
    She carried the glass to the colonel’s table and set it down in front of him. “There you are, Colonel. I hope this one will taste better.”
    “Thank you, dear lady.” He reached for the glass and lifted it to his lips. “You shouldn’t have waited on me, however. That fellow behind the bar should have brought it to me. New chappie, he is. I’ve never seen him before.”
    “That’s my son, Colonel,” Cecily said, with more patience than was warranted. “Remember, I told you he had bought the George