Colder Than Ice by MAGGIE SHAYNE Read Free Book Online Page B

had filled him in. “If that’s an offer, Beth, I accept. Assuming I can convince Bryan to go along with it.”
    â€œHe seemed willing enough yesterday, when I spoke to him about it.”
    His brows bent together. “He talked to you about tutoring him?”
    She nodded. “Yeah. Agreed to start at noon today.”
    â€œWell, why the hell didn’t he just say so, instead of arguing with me?”
    Beth tipped her head to one side. “Maybe because you didn’t ask.”
    His face darkened. “So this is all my fault?”
    â€œNot all, Joshua. But of the two of you, he’s the one who just lost his mother. And you’re the adult. The only one in the world who can swoop in and pick up the pieces of his broken life for him.”
    â€œDon’t you think that’s what I’ve been trying to do?”
    He stopped himself there, literally seemed to bite off the rest of his tirade before it could spill out, held up a hand, closed his eyes. “I’m sorry. It’s stress, and I’ve got no business taking it out on you. Are you all right?”
    He was searching her face now, his expression remorseful and almost…tender. As if he thought she were so fragile an angry word or two from him could reduce her to tears. “Of course I’m all right. Why wouldn’t I be?”
    â€œI don’t know.” He dragged his gaze away from hers. “Listen, if you have suggestions, advice, I’d be more than happy to hear it.”
    â€œI don’t know a damn thing about being a parent.” She looked away, thinking of Dawny, the hole in her heart yawning wider. “But I know a little about teenagers. I taught in a public school for seven years.”
    â€œI didn’t know that,” he said.
    She frowned at him. “Funny, I had the feeling you did.”
    â€œNo. I don’t think Maude mentioned it. What did you teach?”
    â€œEnglish Eleven and Twelve, mostly. I offered to tutor Bryan in English Twelve, so he would only have History and Spanish to catch up on. He’ll be fine, if he does the work.”
    Josh settled back into his chair, seeming to relax a little. “Soyou think I should let him take the semester off, so long as he sticks with the tutoring?”
    â€œI think you should consider agreeing to that, yes.” She sipped her tea. “But don’t count on it lasting. Once he meets some of the local kids, makes a few friends and has time to get bored out of his mind, he’s going to decide to go back to school. If you let me tutor him until then, he won’t be behind when he does.”
    He nodded slowly. “For someone who doesn’t know much about parenting, you’re pretty good.” She shrugged, and he went on. “Seriously, you’re light-years ahead of me. Okay. Let’s do it—the tutoring thing, I mean.”
    â€œOkay.”
    The screen door creaked open, and Bryan stepped out onto the porch with a toaster pastry in one hand and a glass of chocolate milk in the other. Both had to have been in the pickup, because neither would have been within a mile of Maude’s kitchen.
    â€œGood morning, Bryan,” Maude called, sounding as cheerful as if she hadn’t noticed a thing out of the ordinary this morning, much less overheard his fight with his father. “Did you sleep well?”
    He offered her a halfhearted smile, his dark hair falling over his forehead before he pushed it back. It was so much like the way Josh had pushed his hand through his hair earlier that Beth almost smiled.
    Bryan avoided his father’s eyes. “Slept better than I do in the city, that’s for sure.”
    â€œWell, now that you’re up, I’ll get your breakfast out of the oven.”
    â€œOh, that’s okay, I made my own.”
    Maude looked at his pastry and rolled her eyes. “ That is not a breakfast. It’s a future health crisis. Now, I’ve had a