Christmas Kitten Caper: A Cozy Animal Mystery (Ruff McPaw Mysteries Book 10) by Max Parrott

Author:Max Parrott [Parrott, Max]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: anonymous
Published: 2024-10-24T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 13

The crisp morning air nipped at Angela’s cheeks as she, David, and her mother made their way toward the bustling Christmas Market the next morning. It was surprisingly warm, especially for this late in the year. It was now the 18th, so she was expecting the Christmas market to be less crowded with everyone getting their shopping out of the way, but she was wrong. Families crowded around the large fir tree in the center of the Town Square adorned with twinkling lights and colorful ornaments. Angela’s mother practically had a death grip on her arm as they skillfully navigated their way through the throng of eager holiday shoppers.

“Abigail, I’m happy as always to spend time with you both, but I thought you already found the perfect gift. Weren’t you going to give your Secret Santa that cool angel brooch with the emeralds for eyes?” David asked, his voice muffled by his thick woolen scarf. His colorful sweater vest peeked out from under his coat, which he had nearly buttoned all the way up.

Angela nodded as her breath fogged up in the cool winter air, but her mother shook her head. “It was pretty, but I saw it in a commercial last week, and I want something more unique.”

David nodded. “That makes sense.”

They weaved through several booths, picking out and putting down half a dozen items, but Abigail couldn’t quite settle on anything she wanted. As they neared the tables housing an array of Christmas decorations, Angela’s eyes drifted over to the Evergreen Acres stand where a young woman with red hair and a green apron over a striped shirt stood behind the counter.

She flickered her gaze toward David, who smiled and nodded before nudging her toward the booth. “Go ahead. Your mom and I will be just fine here.”

“Thanks, David.” Angela hesitated, and her eyes drifted toward her mom, who chuckled warmly, her eyes crinkling at the corners.

“Don’t worry, dear. We know how dedicated you are to your cases. Take your time.”

“Besides,” David added with a teasing grin, “we both know how ‘quickly’ you can get information when you’re on a roll.”

Angela rolled her eyes and gave them a mock stern look. “I’ll be fast, I promise.”

Turning, she strode toward the Evergreen Acres booth. Festive wreaths and garlands adorned the hanging hooks, and the scent of pine needles mingled with the cinnamon-spiced air. There was a long line, but the young woman moved through each interaction with practiced ease, and by the time Angela reached the front of the booth, more than a quarter of the inventory was gone.

“Excuse me,” Angela cleared her throat, and the woman spun to face her with a practiced smile. “I’m looking for Colin Barrett. Have you seen him?”

The woman nodded and extended her hand with a friendly smile. “I’m Courtney, his niece. He’s not here right now, but is there something I can help you with? A new wreath for your front door, perhaps?” She held up a wreath adorned with glistening greenery and delicate silver ornaments, and Angela reached out to stroke the prickling needles.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.