Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 63917 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 320(@200wpm)___ 256(@250wpm)___ 213(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 63917 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 320(@200wpm)___ 256(@250wpm)___ 213(@300wpm)
But it’s neither.
It’s a pint-sized woman with long, curly brown hair and clear blue eyes in a reindeer costume, complete with antlers and a bulbous red nose.
I lower my weapon, cursing my luck. What the hell is she doing here this late?
The rest of the “reindeer 5k” crowd finished their cocoa and headed back to the ski resorts hours ago.
“Well, well,” she murmurs, trailing her light from my shoulders to the floor, “Is that Captain Herbert’s peg leg, or are you just happy to see me?”
I glance down at the wood in my hands, currently positioned in front of my crotch. I shift it quickly behind me, refusing to acknowledge the heat rushing to my cheeks as I glance back to the sassy reindeer, wondering how much I’ll need to pay her to keep this quiet.
“This isn’t what it looks like,” I say vaguely, buying my eggnog-soaked brain time to come up with a plausible explanation.
“Oh, good,” she says cheerfully. “Because it looked like you were stealing a priceless Silver Bell Falls artifact. But of course, you wouldn’t. Not when you’re a member of such an important local family and all.
Shit. I’ve been recognized!
And strangely enough, this woman looks familiar to me, as well.
I take a closer look at her, my brow furrowing. “Do I know you?”
“Of course, you do.” She cocks her head, her dimples popping as she adds with a soft laugh, “Luke Ratcliffe, where have you been all these years? It’s been too long. How are you, friend?”
Two
Holly Josephine “Jo” Hadley
* * *
A pet photographer and ambassador of good cheer
who loves snow, her hometown, and all things Christmas.
(Especially peppermint fudge and
the limited-edition
collectible reindeer socks
at Kathy’s Kountry Store…)
* * *
Wow. Luke Ratcliffe.
This is certainly a blast from the past…
I heard the Ratcliffe siblings were back in town for the holidays, but I didn’t expect to run into Luke. He hasn’t been back to Silver Bell Falls in years. Not since we were kids.
Who would have thought he’d get so tall?
Or broad-shouldered or…scowly?
His furrowed brow doesn’t smooth a bit as he mutters, “I’ve been better.” He flinches, then tosses the peg leg behind him. It hits the hardwood floor with a dull thud before rolling to a stop by the case containing Percy Wheeler’s antique safety pin collection—the largest in the state.
“Sorry,” he mutters. “I thought I felt something…move.”
I blink, nodding seriously as I reply, “You probably did. The captain’s leg is haunted, after all.”
He frowns harder. “Excuse me?”
“Haunted,” I deadpan. “By the ghost of the pirate he stole it from on his way up the coast from the West Indies. Everyone knows that.”
He grunts. “You’re joking.”
“Of course, I am,” I say with a wink.
But Luke doesn’t look amused.
He looks crankier than ever.
And a little glassy-eyed.
Is he drunk?
It’s then that I begin to wonder if there’s a less-than-innocent explanation for what he’s doing here after hours, fondling Captain Herbert’s wood…
“So, what were you planning to do with that?” I ask, nodding toward the peg leg.
I thought maybe he’d been chosen to place it atop the tree at the ceremony tomorrow night. His family owns half of the town—and the city council is eager to kiss up to the new stewards of the Ratcliffe holdings, now that sweet old Gerald Ratcliffe is gone—so I wouldn’t be surprised.
I also wouldn’t be sad if the town voted to put something a little less phallic at the top of the tree now and then, but I respect tradition.
I also respect the sanctity of our historical artifacts. Even the silly ones.
But perhaps Luke does not…
“What am I doing?” He props his hands on his hips with a huff. “I was taking a stroll down memory lane. That’s what I was doing. An angry stroll. But it’s an unpaved dead end full of potholes.” He waves an unsteady arm, gesticulating toward the various display cases. “None of this is my business. None of it! Let them stick a giant dildo on their town tree for another hundred years. Who cares? I won’t be here to see it.”
I cross my arms. “Have you been drinking?”
“Haven’t we all been drinking?” he shoots back. “Really? When you come right down to it?”
I arch a brow, fighting a smile. “Um, no. Not all of us. Some of us were sipping tea and painting in the tower room until we were rudely interrupted by the sound of someone breaking in downstairs.”
His expression softens. “Oh. Right. Sorry if I… If I frightened you.”
“You didn’t,” I assure him. “I figured it was one of the town teens, up to some mostly harmless holiday mischief. I know you haven’t been here in a while, Luke, but things haven’t changed. Silver Bell Falls is still one of the safest towns in the entire country.”
He cocks his head, his frown snapping back into place. “You clearly know my name, but I confess I can’t recall yours, Miss…”