A Christmas Kiss by Merline Lovelace

Author:Merline Lovelace [Lovelace, Merline]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781488024207
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2008-08-14T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER FIVE

THEY LEFT A mountain of wrapped presents and a still-shaky but very grateful Sharon some hours later.

Brett insisted she keep his cell phone for the duration of her stay at the cabin, because his got service in this remote area and hers didn’t. She insisted they come back for Christmas dinner later that afternoon.

“Please. Let me thank you for all you’ve done for me and the kids.”

Brett slid a look in Delilah’s direction before shaking his head. “Thanks, but you’re not going to be up for company or cooking.”

“The turkey’s already in the fridge, defrosting, and I baked corn bread for dressing before I drank that damned soy milk. All I have to do is chop a little celery and onion, then pop everything in the oven.”

Delilah would have given all she possessed to sit down at a table with Brett and the Hawkinses in broad daylight. She’d never regretted her half life more.

“Sorry, Sharon, I need to leave early in the morning.”

Like, within the next hour. She had to get to Houston before dawn or she’d end up sleeping through another day on a bathroom floor.

Not that she’d mind. If it weren’t for Sebastian and his grab for power, she might seriously consider spending several more days curled up in Brett’s bathroom…and several more nights in his bed.

Sharon accepted her excuse with obvious disappointment. “Well, have a safe trip to wherever you’re going. And Merry Christmas.”

“Merry Christmas.”

The night had grown frigid, with the promise of more snow heavy on the air. Delilah didn’t feel the bite, but Brett had to hitch up his collar and hunch his shoulders inside his down-filled hunter’s jacket.

She walked with him, her keen vision picking out straggling branches and potential obstacles well ahead. She debated for some time whether to ask him about the lost look she’d glimpsed in his eyes. She’d shared the intimate details of her existence with him, but Brett didn’t exactly invite questions about his. The lights of the cabin loomed a short distance ahead when she decided to take the plunge.

“You said you hadn’t wrapped a Christmas present in five years. Am I getting too personal if I ask what happened to turn you off the holidays?”

He didn’t answer for so long she thought he intended to ignore the question. Then he took her elbow to guide her over a rough patch of ground. His breath steamed on the night air, brushing against her cheek like a warm caress, but his reply chilled her to the bone.

“You remember the escaped murderer I told you about earlier?”

“Yes.”

“We dubbed him the Christmas Killer because he liked to strike this time of year. He bragged that all those shoppers coming out of the malls in the dark made for easy prey. My fiancée was one of them.”

“Oh, no!”

“It was Christmas Eve. Five years ago. Cindy called to tell me she was going to hit the mall.”

The grip on her elbow tightened. Brett stared straight ahead, but she knew he wasn’t seeing the welcoming glow of the cabin lights.

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