Taken (M/F/M red-hot menage shifter romance) Standalone (Shadow Creek Shifters Book 2) by Madison Johns Read Free Book Online Page A

mother told me that drink would work for shifting back all of the way, but sometimes I pretended I couldn’t shift back just so I could get more chocolate milk.”
    “I can’t say that I’d blame you there.”
    Katlyn helped Melody put her sweater back on and Brendan lifted the child and set her in the cab of the truck in Katlyn’s lap. She held the child all the way into town until they made it to the Creeksboro’s doctor’s office.
    Doctor Jerome Evans was just leaving as they walked up. “Oh, my. What do we have here?”
    “Melody fell climbing a tree,” Brendan explained.
    “I see. I didn’t know girls were into tree climbing.”
    “Girls can do anything boys can do but better,” Melody said.
    “Oh, yes. You’re quite right Miss Melody. I believe you were in the office not long ago with a different injury.”
    “That time, I fell climbing a tree, too,” she winked. “I just can’t quit climbing trees, and I climb them better than most boys do, you know.”
    “I bet you can, but you should be careful in the future. I’d hate for a rumor to start about how only girls come into my office with tree climbing injuries,” Doctor Evan said with a grin. “Bring her inside. Where is Melody’s mother?”
    “Not sure just yet, but we aim to find out. Please treat the child kindly. I’ll sign the papers in her stead if I need to,” Brendan said.
    “That’s not how it works, but since I’ll be only doing an x-ray, I’ll keep it between us this time, but please locate the child’s mother.”
    Brendan nodded and placed Melody in a wheelchair. A nurse whizzed away with her much to her delight as she said, “Wheeeee!”
    “How can we find Melody’s mother?”
    “You’re staying here and see what the doctor has to say,” Brendan said.
    “Oh, no, I’m not.”
    Chase agreed. “He’s right. We can’t leave Melody all alone here. Children get scared when an adult isn’t close by.”
    Katlyn’s shoulders slumped. She wanted to remind them that Melody was tough as nails, much more so than many adults, but for the most part, she just wanted to ask a few questions of her own of Melody’s mother if they found her, like why she had stayed gone so long. But, of course, Melody’s medical diagnosis was important, too.
    * * *
    Dr. Evan surfaced with Melody, who limped into the waiting room where Katlyn and an inquisitive receptionist looked on.
    “Nothings broken,” Dr. Evan said. “But she needs to lay off the tree climbing for a while.”
    Katlyn smiled, her hand going to her abdomen as she felt a pull. “Oh, my. That was strange.”
    “How far along are you, Katlyn?”
    “I hope you don’t mind, but I’ve been seeing Dr. Jenna McKinney. I just feel more comfortable having a woman for a doctor.”
    “You don’t need to explain yourself, Katlyn, but you weren’t having any pains, were you?”
    “Not quite like that, just felt like a muscle pulled is all.” Katlyn stared deeply into the doctor’s eye. “How did you know I was pregnant?”
    He glanced over to the receptionist, asking her to take Melody next door and get her an ice cream cone. Once they were gone, he said, “I think Brendan and Chase might have mentioned it.”
    There was something up with him knowing about her condition when nobody outside of Shadow Creek knew. “Really? When?”
    Dr. Evans rubbed his neck. “At the saloon.”
    Katlyn’s eyes narrowed. “They haven’t been to the saloon recently.”
    “I’m sorry if me knowing about your pregnancy bothers you, but you should get checked out if you’re feeling any kind of pain.”
    Brendan and Chase obviously overheard what the doctor said as they walked through the door, when Brendan said, “Are you okay, Katlyn?” as both men raced to her side.
    “I’m fine. I guess I just felt a little muscle pull when I got up is all.”
    Brendan’s hand went to Katlyn’s stomach. “You should have Dr. Evans take a look.”
    Katlyn stiffened. “A look at what,