Liam Takes Manhattan by Thea Harrison Read Free Book Online Page A

sentinel Constantine knew of it. That man might have been a mess, but he knew how to love.”
    He whispered, “It also leaves a hole behind when they go.”
    “Yes, it does, and that is when you know you had something worth having.” The woman turned to him. “If you reallywant a puppy, I think you should pick this one. She isn’t the biggest in the litter, but she’ll grow to be a strong, fine dog. Her life will be much too short, and you’ll grieve when she’s gone, but while she lives that life, she will stand by you through all your uncertainties. She’ll comfort you when you are alone, even when you journey to a distant, strange place, and she’ll guard your back whenyou need protection. And she will love you with all of her loyal, fierce heart. That, young Cuelebre, is a worthy companion to have.”
    “But what if I take her, and the college won’t let me keep her?” he asked.
    Anxiously, he thought, what if the college won’t take me in time?
    Through the blur of his tears, he saw the woman smile.
    “This is where you have a little faith that things will work outall right,” she said. She offered the sleeping puppy to him, and without thinking, he reached out to receive it. The small, delicate body filled his hands.
    The puppy stirred at the disruption, and it tried to open its eyes, but it was too sleepy. Showing its tongue in a wide, pink-tipped yawn, it sniffed at the air then snuggled into his palms.
    As he looked down at the soft, warm body he cradled,the constriction around his chest finally began to ease. Warmth stole in, and comfort.
    Look at her little puppy head. And those little puppy ears. Gently, he rubbed one of her paws. She stretched out her short, stubby puppy legs with a sigh, and he lost his heart.
    Blinking hard to clear his gaze, he lifted his head to get a better look at the woman.
    She was gone. There wasn’t anybody in thelarge room, except for him.
    He trembled. “Okay, that was pretty weird,” he whispered to the puppy as he cradled her against his chest. “She was probably just another oddball New Yorker, right? Goddesses don’t talk to guys just because they’re having some kind of internal meltdown. Right?”
    The glass door swung open, and he spun around to face it.
    Pia and the older woman walked into the room,and both were smiling.
    “How did it go?” he asked his mom.
    “For a first meeting, it went really well,” she said. She turned to the other woman. “Eileen, thank you for taking the time to meet with me on Christmas Eve.”
    “It was entirely my pleasure, Lady Cuelebre,” Eileen said as she held out her hand to shake. “Again, on behalf of the shelter, I can’t thank you enough. I’ll set up a time forthe board to meet as soon after the New Year as I can.”
    “And in the meantime,” Pia said with a pointed glance at Liam, “there will be no more animals euthanized unless medically you have no other option.”
    “Absolutely. We’re still overcrowded, but with your very generous donation, we’ll be able to hire new staff and buy enough supplies to care for all the animals we do have.”
    “Very good.” Piasmiled.
    The other woman gave Liam a curious glance, but other than that, she didn’t comment on his presence. “Well, if you’ll excuse me, I have a lot to attend to before we close this evening.”
    “Please, go do what you need to do,” Pia told her. “I can see myself out.”
    “Merry Christmas,” Eileen said, smiling at both of them.
    “Merry Christmas,” Pia and Liam replied together.
    As soon as theother woman walked out of the room, Pia turned to look at Liam and the puppy.
    “Your father texted to say he couldn’t get free, but he’s definitely going to be done by this evening, and he’s taking tomorrow off so that we can travel back home. We’ve got to get ready for Isalynn Lefevre’s niece to visit from the witches demesne in mid January. Then our part in that damn diplomatic pact made inDC two months ago will be