The Master's Chair (The Chronicles of Terah) by Mackenzie Morgan Read Free Book Online Page A

table.
    “You’re Mr. Stewart, right?” Pallor nodded, so she continued. “Look, I’ve only got a few minutes. He thinks I’ve run out to the store for some ice cream.”
    “I take it he doesn’t know about the adoption application?”
    “Heavens, no! He’d have a fit. What’s he need another son for? No. I’m the one who needs a kid.”
    “I’m afraid you’ve lost me.”
    “Okay, I’ll spell it out. Look, the old man isn’t going to live forever, and when he goes, so does that house, my car, everything but some little pittance. I’ve got to protect myself.”
    “How is adopting a child going to do that?” Pallor asked slowly.
    “I’m not going to let him know the kid’s adopted. Sheese, do you think I’m crazy? No way. That’s why I’ve got to get this thing arranged as soon as the mother finds out she’s pregnant. He may be old, but he’s not stupid. I can’t just suddenly hand him a kid and tell him he’s the father. He’s got to see me getting bigger and bigger, and then poof! We got a kid.”
    “How do you plan to get bigger and bigger?”
    “Padding. I’ve checked into it. They have all kinds at costume stores. You know, the ones who sell stuff to theaters and all. I can get padding for all stages of pregnancy, and he’ll never know.”
    “He never actually touches you?”
    She glared at Pallor and said, “Of course he does, fool. Why do you think he married me?” She stood up, struck a pose, slowly and sensually ran her hands down her sides, and grinned as the bar erupted in applause. “He loves to get his hands on my stuff, but I won’t let him while I’m pretending to be pregnant. I’ll even make him sleep in his own room. After all, we wouldn’t want to take any chances on hurting the baby, would we?”
    Pallor shook his head.
    “So, when can I get the kid?”
    “Ahh, I’m interviewing a lot of prospective parents. It’s up to the mother to decide who’ll raise her child, but in any event, he isn’t due to be born until the middle of March.”
    Tracy nodded. “That’s okay. He should last until then. Look, is she showing yet?”
    Pallor shook his head no.
    “Good. Now, when can I get this thing settled? I need to get it nailed down. If she decides to go with someone else, I’ll have to start all over again, and I don’t have all that much time.”
    “I’ll let you know something within a month, either in person or through your lawyer.”
    Tracy nodded and stood up. “Okay.”
    Pallor stood up, too. “Thank you for your time. Hope it didn’t cause you any inconvenience.”
    Tracy shook her head. “It’ll be all right when I get back with the ice cream. I’ll just tell him there was a line at the store. It’s hot enough out there that he’ll believe it. Keep in touch,” and with that, she turned and left the bar.
    ~ ~ ~ ~
    When Pallor got back to his motel that night, he was too uptight to sleep, so he went out to walk on the beach. He didn’t understand humans. Of all the people he’d interviewed, only the Johanssons were actually interested in having a child around, and he got the feeling that it was more for their housekeeper than for themselves, and although she seemed more than capable of raising a child, there was a very real danger that the boy could get attached to her. Obviously Mrs. Johansson had. And that would cause major problems later, when it was time for Badec’s son to return to Terah.
    The memory of Badec and Yvonne sitting on that bench in the garden flashed through his mind. If he put their child in any of those homes, he was going to have to relocate. He had thought that he could do this from Seattle, just flying out a couple of times a year to check on the boy, but that wasn’t going to work. He was going to have to keep a close eye on things, a really close eye.
    ~ ~ ~ ~
    Pallor’s flight into Memphis Tuesday morning was delayed because of thunderstorms, so by the time he landed and picked up his rental car, he didn’t even