The Way of Women Read Online Free

frown lines between his eyebrows.
    “Cool it, buster.” His self command had the desired effect. He slumped back in the seat, turned off the engine, and opened his briefcase.
Might as well make the best of the time
. The paperwork he was always behind on didn’t give a fig where he did it.
    Half an hour later he handed his secretary the forms he had reviewed. “Sorry, I’m late, Carol. The bridge was up. My one day in the office this week, and that had to happen.”
    “Don’t worry, it’s only eight o’clock. But the phone’s been going crazy.”She handed him a sheaf of messages. “Most of those came in yesterday, and I couldn’t reach you. I numbered them by priority.” She checked her calendar. “You have a staff meeting at noon. I’ve ordered sandwiches.” She glanced up. “Anything else?”
    “No.” He shook his head while grinning at her. “You’ve covered everything, as capably as usual. Thanks.”
    The hours evaporated. At eleven thirty he called for another cup of coffee, relieved to be able to see his desk in between the dwindling stacks of triplicate forms. He rolled his head and neck around, trying to touch his ears to his shoulders. Desk work always tightened him up more than being on site.
    The meeting touched on the possibilities of an eruption on St. Helens due to all the earthquake activity the last few days. Mitch felt himself come alive at the discussion, especially when the presenter said the seismograph reports were almost a continuous line because the tremors were so close together.
    “But none of them are very strong?” Mitch knew only what he’d read in the newspaper the nights before.
    “No, but they are coming closer to the surface. Something is happening under that peak, and if it goes like the ones in Japan, it could be disastrous.”
    “But it could be nothing, too,” Mitch said.
    “True. At this point we don’t know what will happen.” The older man rubbed a hand across his balding dome. “But I feel we should be prepared for the worst.”
    Mitch tossed the reports on his desk when he returned to his cubicle. A morning shot he’d taken of The Lady graced one of the sand-coloredpartition walls. Pink tinged, she greeted the sunrise with majestic nonchalance. He stared at the picture, trying to visualize what was going on beneath her.
God, I’ve got to get up there and soon
.
    With a groan he settled back at his desk and picked up another report. The army would someday suffocate in paperwork. The intercom buzzed. “Phone call from Seattle. He says it is urgent.”
    “Thanks.” Mitch pushed the button as he lifted the receiver. He leaned back in his chair, glad of the reprieve. “Ross, here.”
    “She did what?” He slammed his heels back on the floor, his chair at immediate attention. “I know there’s been earthquake activity there the last few days.” He listened intently, all the while shaking his head. “Well, I’ll be … We have a real live, active volcano right here in our own backyard.” He dropped the handset in the cradle and called to his crew. “Get the radio. We’ve got ourselves a hot one.”
    Radio reports throughout the afternoon reiterated what he’d heard. David Johnston, a geologist monitoring the situation from the base of St. Helens, said, “A vertical explosion could spew ash five to ten miles into the air. It’s not as precise as predicting the birth of a baby,” he continued. “It might not erupt in this episode, but it’s heating up. It could be minutes or months.”
    The news announcer continued after signing Johnston off. “A mudflow estimated at up to two thousand feet in length is pouring down the northeast face of the 9,677-foot mountain, and gray-brown ash covers the snow all the way to the tree line.”
    Mitch tried to picture the scene in his mind. But he had no frame of reference. He checked back to the commentator.
    “Two crescent-shaped crevices have opened up from the new crater, extending through the wall