Rebecca's Christmas Gift and a Christmas to Die For by Emma Miller

Author:Emma Miller
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781488025303
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2016-12-15T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWO

Tyler didn’t miss the relief on Rachel’s face at the interruption. The speed with which she went into the living room was another giveaway. She might not know what drove him, but she’d picked up on something.

Or else he’d been careless, pushing too hard in his drive to get this situation resolved.

He followed her and found her greeting the newcomer with some surprise. “Phillip. What are you doing here?”

The man raised his eyebrows as she evaded his attempt to hug her. “Aren’t you going to introduce me?” He held out his hand to Tyler. “Phillip Longstreet. You may have noticed Longstreet Antiques on Main Street in the village.”

He was in his late forties or early fifties at a guess, but he wore his age well—fit-looking, with fair hair that showed signs of gray at the temples and shrewd hazel eyes behind the latest style in glasses.

“This is Tyler Dunn.” She glanced at him, and he thought he read a warning in her eyes.

“Nice to meet you. Were you looking for Ms. Hampton?”

“It’s always pleasant to see Rachel, but no, I wanted to meet the new owner.” Longstreet shrugged, smiling. “I like to get in before the other dealers when I can.”

“How did you know?” Rachel sounded exasperated. “If we had a party line, Phillip, I’d suspect you of eavesdropping.”

“I have to be far more creative than that to stay ahead of the competition. If you want to keep secrets, don’t come to a village. Emma’s son, Levi, delivered the news along with my eggs this morning.”

It was an insight into how this place worked. “Are you interested in the contents of the house, Mr. Longstreet?”

A local dealer might be the best choice before putting the house on the market, but Longstreet was obviously trolling for antiques, probably hoping to get an offer in on anything of value before his competition did. Or possibly before Tyler realized what he had.

“Phil, please. I’d like to look around.” Longstreet’s gaze was already scoping out the few pieces left in the living room. “Sometimes there are attractive pieces in these old farmhouses, although more often it’s a waste of time.”

“I’m afraid your time was definitely wasted this afternoon.” He gestured toward the door. “I’m not ready to make a decision about selling anything yet.”

“If I could just take a look around, I might be able to give you an idea of values.” Longstreet craned his neck toward the dining room.

Tyler swung the door open and stepped out onto the porch, so that the man had no choice but to follow. “I’ll be in touch when I’m ready to make a decision. Thank you for stopping by.”

“Yes, well, thanks for your time.” Longstreet stepped gingerly over the broken step. “Rachel, I’ll see you at the meeting tonight.”

Rachel, coming out behind him, bent to snap a leash onto the dog’s collar. “Fine.”

Tyler waited until Longstreet had backed out of the driveway to turn to her. “Is that one of the reputable dealers your grandmother might recommend?”

“Grams probably would suggest him.

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