Midnight Sons Volume 1 Read Online Free Page B

as much as she was earning with King County, she wouldn’t need to worry about rent.
    A short silence followed, almost as if he wasn’t sure what else to ask.
    “Could you tell me a little about the library building?” she ventured.
    He nodded. “Actually it was a home at one time—my grandfather’s original homestead, in fact—but I don’t think you’d have much of a problem turning it into a library, would you?”
    “Probably not.”
    Already, Abbey’s mind was at work, dividing up the house. One of the bedrooms could be used for fiction, another for nonfiction. The dining room would be perfect for a reading room, or it could be set up as an area for children.
    “You understand that life in Hard Luck isn’t going to beanything like Seattle,” Christian commented, breaking into her thoughts.
    Her father had said that very thing the day before. “I realize that.” She paused for a moment. “Could I ask you about the house and the land you’re offering?”
    “Of course.”
    “Well, uh, could you tell me about the house?”
    She waited.
    “It’s more of a cabin, and I’d describe it as…rustic.” He seemed to stumble on the word. “It definitely has a…rural feel. Don’t get me wrong, it’s comfortable, but it’s different from what you’re used to.”
    “I’m sure it is. Tell me about Hard Luck.”
    The man across from her relaxed. “It’s probably the most beautiful place on earth. You might think I’m prejudiced and I can’t very well deny it. I guess you’ll have to form your own opinion.
    “In summer there’s sunlight nearly twenty-four hours a day. That’s when the wildflowers bloom. I swear every color under the sun bursts to life almost overnight. The forests and tundra turn scarlet and gold and burnt orange.”
    “It sounds lovely.” And it did. “What about the winters?”
    “Oh, yes. Well, again, it’s beautiful, but the beauty is kind of…stark. Pristine’s a good word. I don’t think anyone’s really lived until they’ve seen our light show.”
    “The aurora borealis.”
    Christian smiled approvingly. “I’m not going to lie to you,” he continued. “It gets mighty cold. In winter it isn’t uncommon for the temperature to drop to forty or fifty below.”
    “My goodness.” Although Abbey knew this, hearing him say it reinforced the reality.
    “On those days, almost everything closes down. We don’t generally fly when it’s that cold. It’s too hard on the planes, and even harder on the pilots.”
    Abbey nodded; he’d told her about Midnight Sons, the O’Halloran brothers’ air charter service, during their phone conversation.
    “What about everything else?” she asked. “Like the school. Does it close down, too?” He’d also explained in their previous conversation that Hard Luck had a school that went from kindergarten to twelfth grade.
    “Life in town comes to a standstill, and we all sort of snuggle together. There’s nothing to do in weather that cold but wait it out. Most days, we manage to keep the school open, though.” He shrugged. “We rely on one another in Hard Luck. We have to.”
    “What about food?”
    “We’ve got a grocery store. It’s not a supermarket, mind you, but it carries the essentials. Everyone in town stocks up on supplies once a year. But if you run out of anything, there’s always the grocery. If Pete Livengood—he’s the guy who owns it—if he doesn’t have what you need, one of the pilots can pick it up for you. Midnight Sons makes daily flights into Fairbanks, so it isn’t like you’re stuck there.”
    “What about driving to Fairbanks? When I looked up Hard Luck, I couldn’t make out any roads. There is one, isn’t there?”
    “Sure there is—in a manner of speaking,” Christian said proudly. “We got ourselves a haul road a few years back.”
    Abbey was relieved. If she did get the job, she’d have to have her furniture and other household effects delivered; without a road, that would