Once long ago that monster stole from Robert what he loved most in the world, and now Robert was back to return the favor.
Of course, his revenge would’ve been sweeter if the monster was still around to receive his punishment firsthand, but time had robbed him of that opportunity.
Now, instead, Robert would have to console himself with punishing the monster’s daughter, which was fine by him. As far as he was concerned she was as responsible as her father, if not more so.
For so long, Robert had dreamed of this moment. It had taken years of planning and months of preparation but finally, finally everything was in place.
As he climbed back into his car and started up the gravel road he thought about the people warming themselves inside that cozy old house on the hill. They had no idea what was about to befall them. That after today, La Bohemia and its current proprietor would never again be the same.
Chapter 1
“Did you know that turkeys can drown in the rain?” Vetta Jefferson gave the table of dinner guests an all-encompassing myopic glance. “They can—it’s true. If a turkey looks up in the rain it can drown.”
“Really?” The elder Mr. Mayfield stifled a yawn. “How interesting.”
The junior Mr. Mayfield, eight-year-old Timothy, craned his neck to see around his father’s robust girth and frowned at Vetta Jefferson. “Why would a turkey look up in the rain? That seems kinda silly.”
“Well, turkeys are silly animals.” Vetta shrugged and pushed her glasses up on her nose before scooping up a generous portion of sweet potatoes from her plate.
Timothy looked down at his own plate and the frown deepened. “Do you think that is what happened to this turkey?”
“Nope.” Oscar, the elderly caretaker sitting directly across the table from Timothy, gave the boy a toothless smile. “Don’t worry, son. I killed this bird myself.” He frowned thoughtfully. “Had a hell of a time of it, too. Damn thing wouldn’t die! Even after I brought the axe down on it’s head a second time, it just—”
“Dessert anyone?” Diana Rogers, who was not only the owner of the B&B but the cook, as well, shot to her feet so quickly you would’ve sworn her chair at the head of the table had a spring in it. “Shawn?” Diana looked at her brother sitting at the other end of the table. He was watching the front door so intensely Diana turned, expecting to see someone standing there, but of course no one was there except herself, her brother and the six guests seated around the dining table.
“Shawn,” she called again, and this time his troubled brown eyes swung around to her. “Can you help me bring in the desserts?” Shawn nodded absently as he stood from his chair and followed her into the kitchen.
“Need any help?” Vetta started to rise from her chair, but Diana stilled her with a hand gesture.
God, no! “No, thank you, Ms. Jefferson, my brother and I can handle it.” She’d started around the table, headed in the direction of the kitchen, when Aaron Milfred, the elderly gentleman sitting to her left, put a gentle hand on her arm.
“Not to be a bother, but does the dessert have any nuts in it?”
Diana smiled. “No, Mr. Milfred, I baked pumpkin pies.”
Mr. Milfred frowned. “Oh.”
Diana stifled a sigh. “Is there a problem?”
“Did you make it with milk?”
“Well, yes…a small amount of milk is used.”
“I’m lactose intolerant.”
Of course you are. Diana forced a smile. “I wonder why you didn’t list that on the information card I sent around to your room?”
He arched a challenging eyebrow. “I’m sure I did.”
You know good and well you did not, you contrary ass! It took every bit of effort but she held the smile in place. “I apologize for the confusion, let me see what I can do.”
Diana continued into the kitchen with Shawn right behind her; as soon as the swinging door stopped she spun toward her brother and hissed. “Can you believe that man! Every day it’s something different with him. And I thought he was, but I wasn’t sure until just now! He’s doing it on purpose!”
“Don’t let it get to you. You know how some guests are.”
“Yeah…” She sighed. “But still.” She shook her head. “And I swear, if Ms. Jefferson comes at me with one more useless piece of information I’m going to do to her what Oscar did to that turkey!”
Shawn laughed and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. “Relax, it’s just another Thanksgiving at the La Bohemia Winery and B&B. Every year there’s a new set of interesting guests to spice up the table conversation. You used to like the diversity.”
“That was before I was the one having to deal with it.”
“Yeah, well, they will be gone by the end of the week, and then we can close up the inn for the year. At least you have that to look forward to.”
“You’re right,” she said, looking up into his familiar brown eyes, so reassuring and filled with love. “I’ll just make him a fruit salad, if he doesn’t want it, oh, well.”
“I’ll get the ice cream and Cool Whip.”
Despite his cheerful attitude, deep in her gut Diana knew something was wrong with her little brother. She’d felt it for several days now and had tried to pry the truth out of him but he kept insisting everything was just fine. Unlike Diana who lived in the inn, Shawn had moved into a small apartment in the city a few months ago after the death of their mother. Like Diana, he worked at the inn during the day but treated it as a nine-to-five job.
For Diana, running the winery and inn her family had owned for forty years was a lot more than a job, it was her purpose in life. But over the years she’d watched the proud estate that had once boasted year-round activities provided by one of the largest service-industry staffs in the region decline in both stature and income until it had dwindled down to a seasonal resort barely able to make the payroll for its remaining handful of devoted employees.
And since her mother’s death she’d been forced to reduce the staff even more until there was only a skeleton crew to run the winery and Shawn and herself to manage the household, and the workload was taking its toll on all of them. Diana’s life was consumed by the business, but she felt it was a worthwhile sacrifice. But some part of her had always known Shawn had no interest in being an innkeeper, even though he’d never actually said it. Regardless of that obvious reluctance, he still showed up every day and did his part with a smile for the guests and a supportive shoulder for his big sister.
But now something serious was on his mind. She couldn’t quite put her finger on what it was exactly but something was troubling Shawn. Her younger brother had been acting strange since arriving earlier that afternoon. She could feel the disquiet in him as surely as if it were her own body.
Although the pair was separated by three years, they had always had a unique bond. Since they were children barely old enough to recognize the feeling of fear, each had been able to sense the other’s distress. In many ways the strange connection had been both a blessing and a curse.
Like thirteen years ago when ten-year-old Shawn fell through the ice of the lake behind their home. Diana, who at the time had been putting together a photo album in her bedroom half a mile away, was suddenly struck with an overwhelming need to find him. Later the doctor informed the family that had Shawn stayed in the water just a few minutes more he would’ve died from hypothermia.
Then there was the more awkward time when, during a high school dance, Shawn had caught her in the school library with her boyfriend Robert in a somewhat-embarrassing situation. Shawn had later explained that he’d felt she was nervous and he’d mistakenly assumed she needed his help. The nervousness had been real, but the help had not been necessary. By unspoken agreement the pair had never mentioned the incident again after that night.
And now, here they were, she—a twenty-six-year-old woman, and he—a twenty-three-year-old man and yet the bond was as strong as ever.
“It’s weird, huh?” He spoke from across
the room where he was taking the ice cream from the freezer.
“What?”
“Thanksgiving without Mom.” He came to stand beside her again, and as she glanced up into his dark eyes she wondered if this was what had been troubling him. “We’ve been through it before.”
“I know, but that was different. When Dad died, we still had Mom. Now, all I have is you.”
She playfully bumped his shoulder. “Love you, too.”
He laughed. “You know what I mean.”
She did know what he meant. It had been almost six months since their mother had passed away quietly in her sleep, after three months of suffering from breast cancer. The disease had come out of nowhere, and by the time Ella knew something was wrong it had advanced to the late stages. It all happened so incredibly fast, Diana knew some part of her had still not come to terms with it all. Either way, her mother’s death left Diana and Shawn to keep the family business going. And they had made an effort, but in such trying economic times it was hard.
As she was cutting up the pie, Shawn came back to stand beside her. “Listen, Dee, there is something I need to talk to you about.”
Diana’s eyes shot to her brother’s face. “What is it?”
“I’ve made a decision I’m not sure you’re going to like, but I felt like it was the best thing I could do—for both of us.”
Here it comes, she thought, wiping her hands on the dish towel. She turned to face him as a feeling of foreboding crept over the room like fog rolling in from the sea. She folded her arms across her chest and steeled herself for the worst. “Okay, let’s hear it.”
A hard knock on the front door interrupted their conversation. A look of panic crossed Shawn’s face only briefly, but it was long enough.
Diana’s eyes narrowed on her brother’s face. “Who is that?”
He had the nerve to try to look innocent. “How would I know? I’ll get it.” He turned to leave and she grabbed his arm.
“Nice try, Shawn. What were you about to tell me?”
Another hard knock, this one more impatient than the last.
“Nothing—it can wait. Someone should get the door.”
“Someone will.” She had six guests waiting in the dining room. She was sure one of them would answer it eventually, but she had no intention of letting Shawn leave until he told her whatever it was he planned to say. And she was certain now that whatever he was about to say was related to whom-ever was at the kitchen door. “Don’t play games with me, Shawn. What’s going on here?”
With a quick reflexive action Shawn managed to get loose from her tight hold and with three steps was at the door. “I think I’ll let him explain.” And with that he was gone.
Slowly, Diana followed Shawn back into the dining room and the noisy chatter of people talking all at once almost drowned out the sound of a familiar voice from the past.
A voice as familiar as her own. A voice so soft and velvety it was like the sirens’ call, the deep timbre causing her heart to skip a beat at just the sound and firing a spark in her blood that heated her body from the top of her head to the tips of her toes.
At first she assumed it was her imagination—it had to be! But with one look across the noisy room she realized the voice was real. It was him.
He was here, standing in her dining room looking like something she’d conjured from one of her schoolgirl dreams. Only the man standing before her was not something her childish mind could’ve formed. No, this magnificent creature was something that could only be appreciated by a full-grown woman.
Only a woman could appreciate a face so perfect it could have only been formed by the hand of God, so masculine and yet undeniably beautiful. Everything from the thick, dark eyebrows over almond-shaped eyes, to the straight nose and full lips all perfectly positioned on a flawless, caramel-brown canvas.
Only a woman could recognize the strength in that body, those muscular arms that could lift her and those long legs to carry her to his bed. Only a woman could appreciate those large hands, as they closed around this, and held that and touched—Oh, lord have mercy! She remembered those hands. She’d lost her virginity because of those hands.
Trying to force her mind to form some sort of rational thought, she forced her eyes to lift to his and immediately regretted it. Honey-brown eyes were watching her steadily, taking in her every telltale reaction, knowing with the kind of certainty only a lover could exactly what she’d been thinking as her eyes explored his exceptionally well-developed physique. And she hated herself for it. And she hated him for it, and for all the conflicting emotions coursing through her mind and body in that moment.
“What are you doing here?” Diana did not recognize her own voice. The words came out sounding almost like a growl. Standing on the opposite side of the room was the last man she’d ever expected to lay eyes on again, Robert Fenton, her childhood sweetheart and first heartbreak.
“Hello, Diana.”
Diana felt her fist closing at her side as she battled to control her temper. She knew her guests would never understand if she charged across the room with clawed fingers and tried to gouge his eyes out. Witnessing a murder was not the kind of thing you could fix with a free-night voucher.
No, she would have to muster every ounce of self-control she had to reign in the fury she was feeling. And to be fair, even she didn’t understand why she was having such an intense reaction to his arrival. It had been years since she’d seen this man, but standing in the same room with him, it was like time had erased itself and she was reliving that last fateful night once again.
“Hey, man, glad you could make it.”
As Diana watched Shawn cross the room to give Robert a quick hug, she felt a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. Shawn was not the least bit surprised to see him. Shawn had been expecting him.
“Shawn, what is he doing here?” She managed to speak the words in an almost-civil tone.
Shawn gave her a forlorn look, but said nothing. Despite her own traumatic shock, Diana could not afford to be oblivious to the people sitting around the dinner table, all of whose rotating attention seemed to be fixated on Robert and herself.
“Shawn, I asked you a question. Why is he here?” Okay, less civil that time, breathe…breathe.
Robert tossed his snow-covered wool overcoat onto an empty chair before sinking into it.
He was sitting? Sitting! Like he planned to stay! All Diana could do was watch in openmouthed, stunned silence.
“Can you pass the string beans?” he asked Vetta, whose large eyes were so focused on the face of the gorgeous Adonis who’d plopped down beside her, you would’ve thought she’d never seen a man before.
“Hey, Oscar.” Piling food onto his plate, Robert smiled at the man across the table from him.
Oscar gave him a wide, toothless grin. “As I live and breathe! Never thought I’d see you again, boy.”
“Well, that’s about to change. I’m back for good.”
On that alarming statement Diana crossed the room to where her brother was still standing as if in a daze. “You invited him here!” she hissed, completely giving up on civil.
Shawn held up both hands defensively. “That’s what I was trying to tell you in the kitchen.”
“But why?” She focused her attention on her brother, trying desperately to ignore the eyes she could feel piercing her back.
“You see— It’s just that…” Shawn shifted from his left foot to his right, and Diana realized he was literally squirming.
“It’s just that what, Shawn? What?” She shook his arm, fearful to hear what he had to say. “It’s just…”
As if he’d finally had enough, Diana heard Robert release a heavy sigh. “It’s just that he’s trying to tell you that I’m your new business partner.”
Chapter 2
“Have you lost your mind?” Before she realized she’d done so Diana had crossed the small storage room that had been turned into the business office years ago, and putting both ha
nds on his chest, pushed Shawn into the chair facing her desk. “Shawn, tell me this isn’t true! Tell me you did not sign half of our home over to this—this—charlatan!”
Robert, who’d been leaning against the closed door, stood straight up. “Now, wait a minute. Charlatan’s a little harsh, don’t you think?”
In a full rage Diana spun toward him. “You heard me! Only a charlatan would take advantage of a situation like this!”
Robert’s mild annoyance quickly blossomed into anger. “And exactly what situation is this?”
“Like you don’t know!”
A sliver of doubt crept into Robert’s brain when he glanced at Shawn’s guilty expression. “What are you talking about?”
Diana’s brown eyes narrowed on his face for several long seconds, and then she slowly turned to look at Shawn and then again to Robert and back to Shawn. “You didn’t tell him, did you?”
Shawn, looking up at her, shook his head. “I didn’t see the point. It’s doesn’t change anything. It’s not why I did it.” He tried to stand, but Diana pushed him back down in the seat.
“Sit! I’m not done with you.” She turned back to Robert. “Our mother died a few months ago.”
Robert’s eyes widened and his mouth fell open in amazement. “Oh, my God. I didn’t know.” His head frantically turned left and right as if he expected Ella Rogers to appear out of nowhere and announce this was all a horrible joke. “Seriously, Diana, I didn’t know Ms. Ella was dead. When? How did it happen?”
Diana folded her arms across her chest, steeling herself to discuss the last thing in the world she wanted to discuss, especially with this man. “Cancer. Breast cancer. Six months ago.”
Robert staggered to the closest chair and plopped down in it. “I had no idea.” He looked up at Shawn. “Why didn’t you say anything?”
Baby, Let It Snow: I'll Be Home for ChristmasSecond Chance Christmas Page 10
