A Season for Family by Mae Nunn Read Free Book Online Page A

body. She gawked for a split second at the shadowy place where a strong hand held her captive. Her gaze raced upward to the man’s face. Sober eyes loomed close to hers.
    â€œI believe under these circumstances I’m supposed toremind you about honesty and accountability, showing respect for the supplies at Table of Hope.”
    â€œAnd I believe under these circumstances I oughta have you skinned alive, Heath Stone. You scared the daylights out of me.” She attempted and failed a defense training move to break his hold on her arm. “Let me go!” she hissed.
    He squeezed harder and gave her a slight shake.
    â€œPay attention for a minute,” his voice was insistent.
    She stopped struggling, propped her free hand on her hip. “Okay, you have exactly sixty seconds before I call Detective Biddle to have you removed from my place.”
    â€œFair enough, but listen. That little twist thing you just did with your arm might work with someone who’s not expecting you to fight back. But you need to learn more aggressive tactics if you intend to hold your own against an attacker who won’t give up easily.”
    He talked her though a judo maneuver that would put a man flat on his back and knock the wind out of him, giving her precious seconds to run for help. “Now, that’s what you need to do the next time a guy grabs you by the wrist.”
    â€œDumping somebody on the floor that hard is cruel.” She doubted she could be so brutal to another human being.
    â€œExactly! Always think of your own safety first. No man has the right to put his hands on a woman without her permission.”
    â€œThe way you just did, you mean?” She rubbed the skin below her shirtsleeve.
    â€œThat was only to make an important point.”
    â€œDo you frequently make this point with women?”
    â€œI’ve never shown that self-defense move to another person.”
    â€œNot even to your own mother?” Olivia asked.
    Heath’s expression went blank. He inhaled and exhaled before responding. “My mother’s been dead for twenty-seven years.”
    Ten minutes later Olivia was seated on one of the big room’s sofas at a right angle to Heath’s chair. Her furry slippers were propped on the edge of a secondhand occasional table, and both hands cradled a mug of strong, hot tea. She should have made the time to retrieve his chart from the office, but the Holy Spirit was urging her to seize this moment and make it more personal, less about business.
    â€œI’m not sure what possessed me to say that because I rarely think of my birth mother.”
    Olivia watched Heath cross one ankle over the other knee, jiggling his support leg in time with some cadence only he could hear. She’d seen the gesture before in applicants who were nervous. Or lying.
    â€œWell, she was on your mind for some reason. Wanna tell me about her? I apologize if it seems like I’m prying, but as long as we’re sitting here together at midnight we might as well get acquainted.”
    â€œOr I could show you another judo throw,” he joked. The most mischievous grin Olivia had ever seen on a male over the age of eight dimpled Heath’s cheeks. This handsome man must have been an adorable-looking child.
    â€œI’ll take you up on that offer in a few days when I’m feeling at the top of my game. Tonight the only thing I’m going to throw is a soggy tea bag if you don’t tell me something about yourself.”
    His leg stopped jostling. He stared at the cup in his hands.
    â€œWhen I was a toddler both of my parents were killed in an accident.”
    â€œOh,” Olivia pressed three fingers to her lips to contain a gasp. “I’m so sorry, Heath.”
    â€œI wasn’t more than a baby, so I don’t have any memories of them. It’s not like I’m emotionally scarred or anything. But they didn’t leave a will and nobody in the