Miracles and Mischief Read Online Free

and to get himself a new jersey, because next year the Titans are going to the Super Bowl.”
    “Oh, I will!” She turned to rush down the hall toward the elevators, waving the autographed paper in the air. Her voice floated back. “Nate Saylor…I just met Nate Saylor.”
     
    ****
     
    “Mama, do you hear that?” Zac lifted his head from the pillow and gazed toward the doorway of his hospital room. “He’s coming.”
    “Who’s coming, honey?” Shayna leaned forward in her chair to smooth hair from his clammy forehead. Was that the beginnings of a fever she felt? Maybe she should summon a nurse.
    “Nate Saylor. I hear him, Mama. See…I told you he’d come.”
    Shayna glanced at her watch, frowning. “Honey, that’s just the nurses making their rounds.”
    “No, Mama. This sounds different.” Zac struggled to sit up in the bed. “I hear boots stomping the floor, and Nate likes to wear boots, Mama. I saw it on TV. Can you hear the stomps?”
    Shayna craned an ear toward the hall. Zac was right. The commotion did sound different. It was thicker, like waves churning down the corridor. Someone was in a hurry to get where he was going. She rose from the chair, hesitant to leave Zac’s side. “I’ll take a peek, OK?”
    “Yes.” Zac adjusted the Titan’s ball cap low over his anxious eyes. “Please, Mama, and tell me what you see.”
    Shayna slipped from the bed, pausing long enough to hand Zac his stuffed bear before tiptoeing toward the door. She tucked a strand of dark hair over one ear and peeked around the corner.
    “Mama, look!”
    Zac’s warning came too late. One moment Shayna was on her feet, easing toward the doorway. The next found her falling hard to the cold tile floor. A rush of breath escaped her in one quick, painful gasp.
    “Mama, are you OK?”
    “No.” Shayna struggled for air, the room spinning. She was sure at least one of her ribs was bruised. “Ouch!”
    “Oh, man, I’m so sorry.” The deep voice chased away optical stars. “My bad. I didn’t see you. Are you hurt?”
    “I’m…” Shayna shook her head as he reached for her elbow. His touch was warm, his fingers long enough to easily circle her arm. “Just give me a minute.”
    “Here, let me help you.” Strong arms hauled her to her feet. The guy turned his head. “You didn’t film that, did you?”
    “No, Nate.” A familiar female voice. Where had Shayna heard it before? She struggled to make sense of things. It took a moment for the name to register. Nate…Nate…
    “Mama, it’s Nate Saylor!” Zac’s voice pierced the fog, and Shayna shook her head to chase away confusion. “See, Mama. I told you he was coming!”
    In a flurry, the room was filled with half a dozen people, including Janet Iverson, the anchor for Channel Five’s noonday news. No wonder the voice was familiar—Shayna had spent days watching the news show while Zac rested in the hospital bed.
    Shayna’s head swam as clear vision returned. Zac was sitting up in the bed, his cheeks flushed with color for the first time in weeks. He dropped his bear and reached for the football on the bedside table.
    “Hi, Nate.” Zac offered the ball to their surprise guest. “Look what I’ve got.”
    “Hey, buddy. I see…it’s cool.”
    Shayna’s gaze was drawn to the man who spoke to Zac as if they were lifelong friends. What she found stole her breath again. The guy was tall, broad—huge. She’d seen his face before, on TV and in the posters Zac begged to hang on his bedroom wall at home. Except in those, the guy wore a Titan’s uniform instead of jeans and cowboy boots. And in the posters his expression was fierce, focused…not at all soft like it was now.
    “I’m really sorry about running into you.” He leaned down, and blond hair spilled over the bluest eyes she’d ever seen. His nose was slightly crooked, with a subtle bump across the bridge—probably broken in a play gone awry. But even that seemed to enhance his good looks. The