Under The Kissing Bough: 15 Romantic Holiday Novellas
Page 124
The minute the words were spoken, she knew.
“She has them both,” she shouted, jumping from the car and running through the maze of hoses and peopple, straight for the building.
The key she wore heated in her hand. Reyn was in mortal danger.
Tim ran with her calling to firefighters. “Fowler! Jensen! Where’s the chief?”
“Inside,” a firefighter shouted back. “He was with Strongbow and a woman.” She frowned as Annie and Tim ran up. “I thought it was her.”
The sound of shots rang out, and everyone dove for cover.
“Annie,” Tim shouted and grabbed her as she rose. “No, you can’t go in there.”
“The hell I can’t.” Annie twisted free of his hold, and ran into the courthouse. Racing across the foyer and up the grand stairs, she skidded to a stop at the top.
“The winter queen arrives,” a feminine voice rasped. The air was heavy with smoke, but Annie could see was the tall woman holding a gun on the two men. “I’m so glad you could join us.”
Annie took in the scene. Jake was propped against one of the massive, marble support pillars. His head was bleeding profusely and he was unconscious. Reyn stood in front of him, protecting him. Reyn’s sturdy, soot-covered, gear was torn at the thigh, and blood stained the tough fabric. Another hole in the shoulder showed blood as well.
“It was so easy to lure them in here,” she told Annie. “Now to finish this,” the woman said, and her smile was evil personified. “I’ll shoot them and you, and restart the fire. Then I’ll disappear into the crowd outside. They’ll never catch me.”
“Annie, get out of here,” Reyn rasped.
“No. Not without you.”
The woman laughed, and the sound was familiar. “Ah, young love,” she hissed, pointing the gun at Annie. “Maybe I’ll shoot you first, Annie Boylston”
Staring, Annie realized she knew that terrible smile. Helen Simpson.
With recognition came fury.
“You bitch,” Annie growled. Power surged in her and Annie acted before she thought. She rushed toward the woman holding a gun on her man.
Caught by surprise, Helen went down under Annie’s flying tackle. Her head smacked the floor with a hard knock. Annie grabbed the gun. Helen fought back, but Annie was fueled by fear for Reyn, for Jake and for herself. Rolling around on the floor, the gun went off three times.
Helen was far stronger than she, and as her head cleared from hitting the floor, she was gaining on Annie. Then Annie pulled down on Helen’s thumb, hard. The woman screamed and the gun flew out of her hand. Annie plowed her fist into Helen’s gut. The woman gasped, but managed to flip Annie to the bottom.
Before she could capitalize on the move, however, Reyn grabbed Helen by the back of her shirt and threw her off of Annie. The woman slid over the highly polished floors to lie dazed against another pillar.
Police officers ran up the stairs. Two grabbed Helen, and another hustled over to recover the gun.
“I knew you were in shape,” Annie rasped as Reyn yanked her into his arms. She was soaked from the water on the floor, and the smoke made her cough. She could hardly breathe, crushed in his arms. She didn’t care. “Throwing somebody is pretty amazing, though.”
When he didn’t speak, she stroked his back. Amazingly she was calm. When the power had flowed into her, it had taken with it any thought of pain.
“I’m okay,” she said.
“Annie, oh, my God, you could have been killed.” Reyn pulled away, running his hands over her. “You’re not hurt are you?”
“I knew you were in trouble,” Annie managed, despite him squeezing her again. “I’m fine. You better see to Helen.”
He shook his head, “Not leaving you.”
The police had Helen in cuffs and were dragging her upright. Firefighters moved Jake onto a backboard. Jim Capen, Jake’s right hand man, ran up the stairs.
“Capen, over here,” the other officer called.
“Who is she?” Capen asked Reyn.
“It’s Helen Simpson. She went to school here,” Annie said.
“She was going to burn down the town, once she got me and Jake out of the way,” Reyn told him, still holding Annie tight to his side. “Jake jumped her. She fired. Jake dodged but the ricochet caught him. Is he okay?”
“Grazed but looks like he hit his head on the column. May have a concussion.”
“You okay, boss?” Tim skidded up, his boots losing traction on the wet floor. “They’re taking Jake to Doc Samuels.”
“Good. And yeah, I’m okay.”
Reyn didn’t let go of her. Not when he gave his statement to the sheriff, not when one of his paramedics bandaged the bullet grazes on his arm and leg.
“She was going to shoot us, in places that would bleed. She wanted us to die slowly.” The paramedic was bandaging his shoulder. She got me in the leg, and creased one across my head. Shs was pissed to miss that one.
“That’s horrifying,” Annie said, sitting closer to him.
“Hell of a Christmas,” he finally said to her.
“New Year’s will be tame after this.” It felt so good to be held in his arms. She didn’t want to lose him. She was afraid, but she was going to trust the magick, and the shooting stars.
“Let’s get you home,” Reyn said, his arm wrapped tight around her shoulders. To the crew, he called, “Great work, everyone.”
“Get off that leg, Reyn!” the paramedic hollered.
“Got it!” he called back. Annie supported him and he looked down at her and smiled. “I need to get a shower. You want to come to my place? I need to tell you some things.”
“Okay.” She needed to tell him some things too.
“Shall we descend, my queen?” he said, hobbling toward the stairs.
“Reyn, I felt it,” she blurted out. “I knew you were in trouble. I had to come find you.”
“I’m glad you did.” He stopped, pivoting slightly to look at her. “I guess this whole warding business helped catch an arsonist.”
“Who would have guessed it would be Helen Simpson?”
“No one,” he said ruefully. “When she shot me, she told me and Jake that she’d burned the Raglands’ barn all those years ago,” he said, balancing carefully on his uninjured leg as he looked at her. “I bet when we check her modeling and acting gigs over the years, we’ll find fires all along her back trail.”
“How horrible, and sad,” Annie said, twisting her hands together. Her body ached from the tussle, and her heart ached from the prospect of losing what she’d only just found under the Yule mistletoe.
“Yeah, pretty sad,” he said, shifting his weight again to continue walking. “But I don’t want to talk about her right now.”
“You don’t?” They stopped at the top of the stairs.
“No. I see goodbye in your eyes, Annie. What’s that about?” He cupped her cheek. She loved it when he did that. He tilted her face up to meet his kiss. “You scared the ever-living hell out of me, rushing her like that. And you reminded me that you’re amazing.” He kissed her gently, then rubbed a little soot off her cheek. “Brave Annie, what’s going on?”
“You’re the brave one,” she whispered. “I know Michigan made you an offer. I could hear it in your voice when you took the phone call earlier. I didn’t want to spoil the Christmas ritual. When will you tell the council?”
“I turned it down.”
“You what?” Annie cried. “Why? You’re perfect for it.”
Reyn nearly laughed. She was his champion, wasn’t that a kick in the ass?
“Annie, I’m perfect for Haven Harbor too. I’m staying.” He pulled her close. “Everything I want is right here.”
She looked at him, eyes wide. For a moment, she just scanned his face, her arms gripping his forearms, holding him in place. “Are you sure?”
“Sure. And I’m sure of another thing, Annie.”
“You are?”
“Yeah,” he said, hugging her tight. “I�
�m sure that I love you.”
Before she could respond, Rick called out from the base of the stairs. “Hey, boss!”
“Hey what?” he said, obviously annoyed the moment was being interrupted.
Annie was annoyed too. It wasn’t every day a man told you he loved you.
Rick pointed. “Look!”
Hanging over their heads was an enormous mistletoe, holly, and ivy ball on a fat red ribbon. “Well I’ll be damned,” he said. “Thanks, Rick!”
“Anytime!”
Reyn looked back down at her. “What do you say, Annie Boylston? How about you give me a Christmas kiss under the mistletoe and tell me you’ll give this relationship a chance?”
She searched his face, his expression, for just a moment. It was written on his face, she’d just been too scared to see it..
“My grandmother always says to begin the way you mean to go on.”
“Yep. Good practice,” he said, watching her.
“It started under the mistletoe, so let’s keep it going.” She stood on tiptoe to press her lips to his. When he would have deepened the kiss, she pulled back.
“I love you too, Reyn Shapleigh.”
“That’s my queen.” When he kissed her this time, there was applause from the bottom of the steps.
He felt her smile against his lips. “Let’s go take a shower.”
“Deal,” she said, kissing him again under the mistletoe.
ABOUT JEANNE ADAMS
Jeanne Adams likes calling North Carolina home, but for now, she lives in DC, with her husband, two sons, and three dogs. Jeanne’s favorite holiday is Halloween and she starts planning the annual yard decor for each year as soon as the current Halloween is over. As an amateur genealogist, Jeanne was researching her husband’s Adams relatives and discovered one had been accused in the Witch Trials in Salem. (He escaped…) Thus was the genesis of The Witches Walk.
On another spooky and suspenseful note, Jeanne used to work in the funeral and cemetery business, and knows a thing or two about getting rid of the body....bwhahahah! (She even teaches classes about it for writers!) She claims that’s one reason she took up writing romantic suspense!
Jeanne has written award-winning suspense novels for Kensington/Zebra Publishing since 2007, including the highly acclaimed DEADLY LITTLE SECRETS, and its follow up, DEADLY LITTLE LIES. An excerpt from DEADLY LITTLE SECRETS was featured in Cosmopolitan Magazine.
For updates on all Jeanne’s work, check her website - www.JeanneAdams.com where you can sign up for her newsletter.
Follow her on Twitter @JeanneAdams
Follow her on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/JeanneAdamsAuthor
Table of Contents
Under the Kissing Bough
Copyright
Fifteen Kisses
Tartan Bows and Mistletoe
Old Scottish Proverb
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
About Sandy Blair
Close to Santa's Heart
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
About Suzanne Ferrell
Upon a Midnight Dream
A Note from Kathryn Le Veque
Part One
Part Two
Part Three
Part Four
Part Five
A Dream Within a Dream
About Kathryn Le Veque
Mistletoe and the Major
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
About Anna Campbell
Hunt for Christmas
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Note from Tina DeSalvo
About Tina DeSalvo
Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Epilogue
About Barbara Devlin
An Irish Gift
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
About Joan Kayse
One Knight's Kiss
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
About Catherine Kean
Unkissable Knight
As a child of eight...
Victorine
Dervenn
Milton Regis
Oysters
Westminster
Interview with a King
Unexpected Comfort
Gala
The Kissing Bough
The Guardian
Twelfth Night
Saying Goodbye
Winter of Discontent
Cock Feathers
Poles Apart
Gone Fishing
Cocooned
Love at Last
Completion
Historical Footnotes
About Anna Markland
Christina, A Bride for Christmas
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
About Hildie McQueen
If You Loved Me
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
About Meara Platt
Destiny's Kiss
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Note from Elizabeth Rose
About Elizabeth Rose
Her Vampire Protector
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
About Jordan K. Rose
Dancing Under the Mistletoe
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
About Lana Williams
A Yule to Remember
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
About Jeanne Adams