Almost Midnight by Teresa McCarthy Read Free Book Online

One time was enough.
    Tanner would get Hannah her new job before the end of the summer - that way she would be out of his hair and out of his life. He decided he could be cordial to her for two weeks and keep his distance. He would have to start looking for a new tutor tomorrow, inconspicuously of course, and Jeremy would be slowly weaned from the woman.
    He picked up Jeremy’s dinosaur and stuck it under his arm, then shifted his gaze to his son’s picture resting on his desk. Jeremy was sitting on a gray mare in front of his Uncle Max’s ranch. The boy had been six when the photo had been taken.
    Tanner lightly brushed his finger against the gold frame and a heaviness squeezed his chest. He needed to cut down on his business trips. Spend more time with his son.
    He lifted his head when the door whipped open and Jeremy bolted into the room. “I need my dinosaur. Mama gave it to me.” 
    Tanner wondered if this would be a good time to talk to Jeremy about his mother? “Hey partner, we need to talk.” He said the words almost hesitantly, testing the waters.
    The boy halted and understanding seemed to flicker in the back of his gray eyes when he stared at Tanner, but then as quickly as it came, it was gone.
    “Are you going to get rid of Hannah? Because if you do, I’m never going to speak to you again.”
    Tanner stiffened. “You better curb your tongue, son.”
    “But I really love Hannah, Dad.” 
    Jeremy dropped his gaze to the floor, and Tanner wasn’t sure if his son was crying or not, but he felt guilty as hell.
    “Here, take the dinosaur, we’ll talk later.” 
    Without another word, Jeremy snatched the creature from Tanner’s arms...but it might as well have been his heart.
     
     
     
     
     

CHAPTER THREE
     
    Hannah stood in the hall outside the study as Jeremy rushed past her, his dinosaur clamped to his side. The boy didn’t look up, but she had seen the dampness on his face.
    Her heart ached with pain. Pain for Jeremy, pain for Tanner, and pain for the family she never had.
    Jeremy needed her this summer just as much as she needed him. Her attraction to Tanner would have to be shoved to the back of her brain. The man didn’t want to be near her anyway, so the only thing she had to worry about was keeping her job.
    However, it didn’t help her any that her mother’s dream kept popping into her mind. Soulmate? Nah!
    “Well, Miss Elliot. You want to speak to me, I suppose?”
    Hannah spun around at the sound of Tanner Clearbrook’s deep voice. Blood pumped through her veins as she struggled to mask the chaos tumbling inside her.
    To her surprise, he’d taken off his suit coat. Dressed in a white shirt and blue slacks, he gave off an informality she didn’t want or need. When he wore his suit, it looked more like a uniform, and she could easily think of him from afar. But now, he seemed both approachable and dangerous. A lethal combination.
    She immediately recognized Jeremy’s photo in his hands before he replaced it on his desk. A flash of loneliness pierced her heart as if it were yesterday.
    She realized Mr. Clearbrook loved his child as much as she would have loved hers - that is, if Nick would have agreed to kids. They had argued about it the night he was killed.
    Mr. Clearbrook didn’t know how lucky he was. He had Jeremy, she had nothing.
    The man’s eyes caught hers and held. “I take it you would like to tutor me on my fatherly duties.” His cool voice broke into her reverie like a spray of ice water.
    Hannah lifted her chin, assessing his narrowed gaze with one of her own. She stiffened in indignation as he took in the sight of her flowered sandals that she’d hastily slipped on a few minutes ago. She couldn’t tell if he was angry or merely amused.
    “May I speak to you in private, Mr. Clearbrook?”
    He looked up. “By all means, Miss Elliot .” 
    He walked forward, grabbed the door handle, bowed, and pointed her toward his study. She was acutely aware of his gaze