Release Me (The Music Within Book 2) Read Online Free

you don’t like it black. Sorry, we
don’t have real cream.”
    Cade’s
eyebrows rose. “You actually have a sugar bowl? I haven’t seen one of those in
years.” For some reason, seeing a sugar bowl made Cade smile. Maybe it reminded
him of his childhood. He continued taking in the kitchen as if seeing it for
the first time. Considering they hadn’t lingered the night before, and Cade’s
mind would have been foggy from all the booze he’d drunk, he probably was only
noticing things now.
    “Eggs?”
Mal prodded. He really needed to get on the road so he wouldn’t miss his
appointment.
    “Oh,
however you cook them. I’m not picky.” Cade sat at the table and dumped three
heaping teaspoons of sugar in the cup before stirring absentmindedly.
    Mal
cracked six eggs into the skillet where he’d already cooked the bacon. The
plateful of pork sat alongside the biscuits he’d put into a basket. Normally,
he didn’t get fancy and set the food out on the table, but he somehow knew that
his houseguest was used to something a little more upscale than grabbing food
from the stovetop. Mal removed the eggs from the skillet when they were
over-easy and slid three onto each plate. He put one of the plates down in
front of Cade before sitting at his regular spot which just happened to be the
seat next to his sexy houseguest.
    Mal
didn’t have to ask if the food was to Cade’s liking. The moans of appreciation
let Mal know he’d done a good job. Then again, it was hard to screw up
breakfast. Even though Cade had on the same clothes from the night before, he
smelled wonderful. Mal had breathed deeply on the ride home, and the scent had
stayed buried in his senses all night making it really hard to go to sleep. At
one point, he got up, put his clothes on, and headed to the barn to turn off
all the lights which he’d forgotten to do before he laid down.
    “This
is good, thank you.”
    “You’re
welcome. I’ll…” One of the dogs howling at the back door interrupted Mal.
“Fuck,” he swore under his breath. He didn’t need something to be wrong this
morning. He couldn’t miss his appointment. Mal slid his chair back from the
table and told Cade, “I’ll be back.”
    “What’s
wrong?” Cade asked as he followed him to the back door.
    “Not
sure. Stay here.” Mal didn’t need to be held up any longer than he was already
going to be because Cade was curious. Moe ran back and forth barking as Mal
grabbed the shotgun that was propped up against the wall just inside the door.
He turned off the alarm and threw open the door, taking the steps two at a
time. “What is it, boy?” The dog took off toward the back of their property,
stopping at the barn. Shit. His dogs were beyond wise. If Moe stopped at
the barn, that meant Mal needed to get the four wheeler. He opened the front
door to the barn and made his way to his old Honda. He prayed it cranked right
away, because time was a valuable commodity at the moment.
    He
kept emergency equipment, such as flashlights and bolt cutters, in the plastic
bin on the back of the vehicle for times like this. He also had a gun holder
mounted to the side in case he came across a coyote or five. Mal had a feeling
in his gut of what he was going to find since Moe was alone. If he was right, a
cow had been attacked or caught in some loose barbed wire, and Curly had stayed
with the animal trying to keep it calm. Lord knew the dogs kept Mal calm on
more than one occasion.
    His
four wheeler came to life, and Mal took off into the dusky morning. The light
mounted to the front of the vehicle bounced up and down as he followed behind
his dog. When Moe circled the animal on the ground, Mal almost threw up. He
slid to a stop beside the torn up carcass of one of his cows. Mal didn’t have a
weak stomach when it came to a bloody mess. He couldn’t afford to lose any of
his animals. He needed each and every cow to sell at auction.
    Hopping
off the four wheeler, Mal unhooked the bin located behind