Holly And Mistletoe. Susan Mallery

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      He drew in a deep breath. He’d bought the old Victorian mansion less than two months ago. So far, he hadn’t made much of a dent in restoration. Maybe he could get some work done while he was convalescing. He wouldn’t be allowed back at the fire station until after the first of the year.

      “I want to stay here,” he said, then regretted his decision.

      “If you’re sure.” Elizabeth leaned close and kissed his cheek. “Be nice to her, okay? She’s doing you a favor.”

      “No problem.”

      She smiled. “Liar. You’re going to make her life hell. I’d better go warn her.” She rose and started out of the room. When she reached the doorway, she glanced back at him. “None of this would be a problem if you’d found yourself a wife.”

      He smiled at the familiarity of this conversation. Elizabeth was forever trying to get him married off. “I like being single.”

      She didn’t return his smile. “That’s twice you’ve lied to me, Jordan. It’s a good thing I love you as much as I do. Maybe I’ll have my husband beat some sense into you.”

      “I could take him.”

      She raised her eyebrows.

      “Well, maybe not today, but by the end of the week, for sure.”

      She stared at him for a moment. “Maybe this is a good thing—lying flat on your back will give you time to think about your life.”

      “I like my life just fine.”

      “You’ve got your brothers fooled, but we females know better. You need a woman.”

      “I’m a wounded hero. Leave me in peace.”

      “You’re a stubborn pain in the rear, but I still adore you. Take care of yourself and be nice to Louise.”

      She gave a quick wave and disappeared into the hallway. Jordan listened to the sound of her footsteps on the hardwood floor until they faded into silence. Then he was alone.

      It was how he preferred to spend his life. Alone. He was used to the solitude. But for the next few days he was going to have company. Louise. Elizabeth had admonished him to be nice. He grimaced. If she knew the truth, she wouldn’t be so eager to have Louise around. But Elizabeth didn’t know. No one did. He wasn’t sure why he’d been so diligent in guarding Louise’s secret. Probably some useless sense of honor. It didn’t matter that he owed her nothing or that she’d destroyed his family. He couldn’t bring himself to betray her.

      He heard footsteps again, but these weren’t his sister-in-law’s. Louise Carberry entered the room and stared at him. She was of average height with short blond hair and blue eyes. He guessed she had to be in her midforties, although she looked younger. A bright, long-sleeved fuchsia blouse hung loosely over purple pants. Louise dressed as if she were color-blind. She folded her arms over her chest and stared at him. He stared back.

      The moment reminded him of wrestling with the damn cat on the landing. He’d won the battle but lost the war when he’d gone over the side of the balcony and fallen to the hard ground below. His gaze narrowed, and he wondered if he would end this encounter equally battered.

      

      Holly parked her car in front of the large Victorian mansion. It was barely after six in the evening, but already it was dark. The sun set before five in the late fall. She could see the faint outline of the beautiful old house. The peaked roof, the oddly shaped windows.

      Years ago this part of Glenwood had been home to the rich and powerful families who made their fortunes in timber, mining and the railroads. By the Second World War most of them had left the small community for San Francisco or Los Angeles, but their houses remained. Some had been torn down, and some had been converted to offices. A few were being restored.

      Holly stared up at the building and wished she had the money to buy one herself. She would turn the downstairs into a showroom and live upstairs. She smiled. It was a lovely dream but had no basis in reality. Still, her fingers itched to feel the original wood molding and trace the shape of the stained-glass windows above the double-wide front door.

      She opened the car door, collected the pink bakery box, then got out. The early evening was still. Only the faint call of a night bird disturbed the silence. She drew in a deep breath and inhaled the scent of trees and the faint hint of some distant fire. The homey scent reminded her she’d lost her home three days ago. Everything she owned had either been crushed or soaked beyond repair. At least Mistletoe was safe.

      Holly clutched the bakery box firmly and started up the stairs. Store-bought cookies wouldn’t begin to repay the debt she owed Fire Captain Jordan Haynes, but they were the best she could do right now. She didn’t have access to a kitchen. As soon as she could afford to get a new place, she would bake something wonderful.

      She climbed the three stairs leading to the front porch. The wide wooden deck was bare. A single light burned by the front door. It wasn’t difficult to imagine what the porch would look like in the summer with sunlight spilling onto the refinished floor. There would be a swing at one end, by the large window on her right. Maybe a white wrought-iron table-and-chair set at the other end. She could see ladies in long dresses and gentlemen in tall hats. Children would play on the lawn, their laughter a happy background noise to the adults’ polite conversation.

      “You are the most stubborn man it’s ever been my misfortune to know.”

      The loud voice startled Holly, and she jumped back. She stared at the front door. She’d been about to knock, but obviously this wasn’t a good time.

      A low male voice rumbled, answering the woman’s claim, but Holly couldn’t make out the words.

      “If I didn’t care about the rest of your family, I’d leave you here to starve,” the woman continued. “It would serve you right, too. Even my Alfred, God rest his soul, wasn’t this fussy about his food.”

      More male rumbling.

      “Fine. Be insulted. You don’t like anything else about me, why should I be surprised that you resent being compared to a dog? Oh, and Alfred was better looking than you, too.”

      Before Holly could step back, the front door flew open. A woman stood in the doorway and stared at her. “I thought I heard a car pull up.”

      Holly didn’t know what to do. She was poised awkwardly on the porch, with one foot behind her as she tried to make her escape.

      “I…” she said, then paused. “I’ve come to see Captain Haynes, but I’ll come back. This obviously isn’t a good time.”

      The woman grimaced. “There’s never a good time with that one. He’s the most stubborn, pigheaded, difficult man I’ve ever met.” She paused and shook her head. “Why you’d want to see him is beyond me, but you might as well come in. Maybe you can talk some sense into him. Oh, by the way, I’m Louise.”

      She held the door open. Holly forced herself to walk forward. Once in the house, she shifted her weight from foot to foot and stared at her hostess.

      The woman wore a bright yellow long-sleeved СКАЧАТЬ