by Nina Bruhns
“He has a gun,” Maddie screeched.
“Chase, keep Maddie out of this,” Lance told Chase.
“You take care of Sophie,” Reid said. “I’m going after Lucy.”
“Where’s Deseree?” Sophie asked.
“She’s over there flirting with that man in the reindeer shirt,” Chase said.
On stage, a man and several others were acting out The Night Before Christmas with Santa ho-ho-hoing as he handed out gifts to the few grandchildren attending the show.
Reid wove through the row of seats toward Lucy and her stalker, but Lucy saw him and gasped.
Suddenly Deseree screamed, “Lucy’s in trouble, call 911!”
“Who’s Lucy?” several people shouted.
The guy in the lampshade fired a shot into the air. Chaos erupted. Everyone on stage dove to the floor. Santa threw his arms over them to protect them. Women screamed and took cover under the food tables. Casseroles and punch splattered the floor.
Lucy’s stalker dragged her outside by the pool. Reid pushed his way through the crowd. Lance yelled at Sophie and Maddie to stay put while he and Chase separated, running in different directions to cover the other doors.
“Stop,” Reid yelled.
The lampshade jangled ornaments as the man jerked Lucy’s arm.
But he saw the fight flare in Lucy’s eyes. She jabbed her elbow into her stalker’s side. He bellowed in pain and shock, and dropped the gun. Reid stormed him, then the two of them fought and fell into the pool.
They went under, the man’s headdress floating away as Reid punched him in the face. The man fought back, but Reid was stronger and subdued him in seconds. When he dragged him to the surface, the man sputtered water.
“Let me go, I love Lucy!”
“You’re going to jail,” Reid shouted. “Lucy’s going to marry me!”
Reid had plenty of back-up. Chase and Lance, Sophie and Maddie, Deseree, and all the residents formed a circle around the pool, shaking their fingers and fists at Lucy’s stalker.
A siren wailed, tires screeched outside, then two officers raced in along with Marshall Bannister.
“He’s in the pool,” a white-haired man shouted.
Reid hauled Emmet to the pool steps and shoved him over the edge. When he looked up, Lucy was waiting. So was the Marshal who’d interrogated him at the police station.
“I can’t believe you’re here,” Lucy said.
He climbed from the pool and reached for her, but she slugged him, sending him flying back into the water.
“Oh, my goodness,” DeEtte tittered.
“Hon, I think we’d better have that talk about how to get a man again,” Mae said.
“Maybe they do it different now,” Ellen commented.
“Let me know if you two need a house,” Sue shouted.
Reid flung water from him as he pulled himself out of the pool. “What the hell?”
“You could have gotten yourself killed,” Lucy shouted.
But tears streamed down her face, and she was trembling.
Reid’s heart melted. “I had to do something,” Reid said with a smile. “I couldn’t let that guy in the lampshade steal my girl.”
He dragged her into his arms and closed his mouth over hers. Lucy fell into him, and kissed him back, the fear that had driven him here turning to passion.
When he finally ended the kiss, applause and cheers erupted around them.
“Well, maybe we should take man-hunting lessons from Lucy,” Ellen said.
“She has a great right hook,” Willene muttered.
Heat climbed Reid’s cheeks when he realized that everyone was watching.
Lance was talking to the police officers on the side, obviously explaining what had happened.
Then Lucy pressed a hand to his cheek. “What was it you said about me?”
Reid narrowed his eyes. “I… hmmm… “
Lucy slapped at him. “You remember, something about me being the girl you were going to marry?”
“Get down on one knee,” Ellen whispered.
“Tell her you love her,” DeEtte yelled.
“Do you have a ring?” Nelda asked.
“Promise her forever,” Willene said.
“And trips, lots of cruises,” Sue added.
Reid threw his head back and laughed. “I love you, Lucy. But this is not the way I planned this.”
“You planned it?” Lucy whispered.
He shrugged. “Yes. But… here goes.” He dropped to one knee and took her hand in his, then removed the diamond he’d bought the day before. “Will you marry me, Lucy?”
She knelt in front of him, then looped her arms around his wet neck and nodded. “I love you, too, Reid. And yes, I’ll marry you.”
She kissed him so hard they fell backward into the pool. But neither of them minded.
* * *
Lucy laughed as she and Reid climbed from the pool. Someone started a chorus of It’s Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas, and Sophie raced toward her and dragged her into a hug. Lance and Chase and Maddie followed, then Deseree.
“What’s going on?” some of the Silver Sneakers finally asked. “We thought your name was Taylor.”
Wallace motioned from the back that he had Emmet in custody. Then Lucy explained about her stalker.
“I’m sorry I put you all in danger,” she said. “I didn’t think Emmet would find me here.”
Moon and Mae and all the people she’d come to love assured her it wasn’t a problem.
“It’s time to reveal your Secret Santas,” Lucy said. “But first, I have to ask. Who was mine?”
Mae slipped up beside her. “We all chipped in to buy you a gift because you’ve done so much for us.”
Tears sprang to Lucy’s eyes. “I didn’t do anything compared to what you’ve done for me. I feel like I have a new family here.”
“You do, dear,” Mae said.
Lucy hugged each one of them in turn, then encouraged them to reveal their Secret Santas and have refreshments, at least what they could salvage. The blueberry cobbler and punch were goners.
Lance and Sophie, Chase and Maddie and Deseree followed her and Reid back out by the pool with their drinks.
“I can’t believe you all came,” Lucy said.
“You should have told us the truth from the beginning,” Sophie said.
“Yes,” Maddie added. “We’re your family, and family sticks together.”
Reid threw his arm around her. “Damn right. From now on, you need anything, you come to me.”
Lucy grinned, a wicked thought occurring to her. “As a matter of fact, I need to show you the Secret Santa gifts my new friends here gave me.”
“Go get them,” Reid said.
Lucy grabbed his hand. “No, this is something I have to show you in private.”
She dragged him back to her room, removed her wet clothes, slipped into the slinky dress and stilettos the Sunset Vista residents had given her.
Only she didn’t have them on for long.
Reid stripped them and made love to her just as midnight rang in signaling Christmas. Lucy curled into his arms and smiled as the red and green lights twinkled on the boats sailing across the waterway.
Tomorrow… well today, she would spend Christmas with all her family and the people she loved.
But most importantly—she would spend it with the man she was going to marry.
The End
Dedication
For all those fans of MARRY ME, MADDIE & SLEEPLESS IN SAVANNAH who asked for more of Reid and Lucy's story! It's finally here!
More from Rita Herron
Marry Me, Maddie – One sassy southern girl looking for the right man…
Two sexy men—
one—her fiance who doesn't want to commit…
two—her brothers' best friend who is supposed to keep her out of trouble
When the competition heats up, who will win her hand?
http://www.amzn.com/B006C7M4PO
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Sleepless in Savannah – A battle of the sexes begins when a confirmed bachelor is roped into appearing in a dating game show!
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About Rita Herron
Award-winning author and former kindergarten teacher Rita Herron fell in love with books at the ripe age of eight when she read her first Trixie Belden mystery. She has sold over sixty romance novels to date and loves writing dark romantic suspense tales and sexy romantic comedies.
For more on Rita and her titles, visit her at www.ritaherron.com. You can also follow her on facebook/ritaherron.com and twitter @ritaherron.
Christmas Corpse Caper
by
Lois Lavrisa
Walking into the back office at the Kincaid Funeral Home, I prepared to start my shift and found two of my co-workers, Kim and Joe, already there. Kim, the administrative assistant, sat at her desk and Joe lounged, smirking by the coffee machine on the credenza in the corner. Tonight—Christmas Eve—marked the halfway point of my apprenticeship at Kincaid’s, Round Lake Wisconsin’s oldest mortuary. Even though, technically, I got high scores as a mortician in training, I still felt like a failure. I’d definitely failed at fitting in, anyway. It didn’t help that I’d had a crush on Kim since we went to grade school together over a decade ago.
Tonight I wanted to prove that I was a valuable part of the Kincaid team.
“Hey, Mark, tonight is your six month anniversary with Kincaid, eh?” Kim said with a smile. I couldn’t help noticing how her shoulder length brown hair framed her heart-shaped face. She still had the cute, athletic build she had back in school, only now she stood five foot two inches.
“Yes.” I plunked into a chair next to the receptionist desk. “And tonight I’ll get to work all my by lonesome for a little.”
Kim opened her desk and rummaged in the contents. “Maybe you’ll need some protection. I have all sorts of self-defense stuff.” She pulled out brass knuckles and a can of Mace and then slid them across the desk to me. “One can never be too sure, you know.”
“I think I’ll be fine tonight, but thanks for the offer,” I said.
“Suit yourself.” She put her weapons back and slammed the drawer shut.
“Maybe the ghosts of Christmas past will visit you tonight.” Joe punched my arm. He possessed fists the size of most people’s heads. Joe’s thick-as-a-trunk neck bulged over the top of his buttoned-up collar and his barrel-shaped chest strained against the shirt buttons. Besides being a former high school wrestler, Joe had been a bully. Well, still a bully. Now, instead of pounding guys into the wrestling mat, he pounds beers after work. “You’re not afraid are you, Moron Mark?”
He could be such a jerk. “No. I’ll be fine.” My six-foot-tall, scrawny body hadn’t changed much since high school graduation four years ago. I looked practically the same, except with more facial hair. Red hair against my pale complexion seemed nearly transparent so it didn’t really count.
At least Joe no longer threw me up against lockers. He just threw barbs at me these days. Thankfully, he stopped calling me the high school nickname he made up for me: ‘Ginger Gay Guy’. Maybe he’s smarter now.
True, my hair was still a thick flop of bright red, thereby meriting the ‘ginger’ comments. But I didn’t deserve the gay comment, I love girls. Not many have liked me back, but I could’ve earned a varsity letter for trying.
“I’m not afraid to be here alone, Joe,” I said, only revealing half of the truth. “With all the weight lifting I’ve been doing, I could kick some serious butt now.”
Kim rolled her eyes and smiled at me. “You’re such a dork.”
“For you, I’ll be a dork or anyone you want me to be.” I leaned on her desk and batted my eyelashes.
“Enough, lover boy.” Kim shooed my elbow off her desk. She tapped her pen. “Looks like we’ve got a body coming in later tonight, so make sure you answer the back door buzzer.”
“Yeah, don’t screw up.” Joe scribbled on a form attached to the clipboard he held. “Remember our number one rule here is ‘Clients are Golden’. That applies whether they’re breathing or not. Got it Ginger Gay Guy?”
Oh maybe Joe’s not so smart, after all, I thought. “You can count on me. I’ll have everything under control.”
“You’d better.” Joe set the clipboard on Kim’s desk then stood next to me. “Let’s get a move on. I’ve got big plans for tonight, so close this place down.”
Glancing at the wall clock I saw it was five minutes past closing. “What do you have going on?” I asked, trying to make like we were friends having a normal conversation. At least I tried to be civil. He on the other hand had Neanderthal manners, which meant that he had none.
“A hot date. Not that you’d know what that’s about, huh, momma’s boy Mark?” Joe smirked.
“Hey, Joe,” Kim said, pouring a cup of coffee. “Take it easy on him. Just because you’re the owner’s nephew doesn’t give you the right to be so cruel. Plus, no matter what he says, Mark is probably nervous enough being on his own tonight.”
“Kim, thanks for the support, but Joe’s no problem for me.” I winked at Kim. She needed to know I was a strong guy even if not shown outwardly with rippling muscles. “And Joe, I admit I’m a momma’s boy. After all, she gave birth to me. Because I assume that your mother birthed you, I would say you are one too. And secondly, I can handle anything that comes my way. I’m tough.”
Joe huffed as he left the office, but stopped somewhere outside of the door to shout back to us, “Clean up and close up.”
Kim took a sip of her coffee. “Joe’s a jerk most of the time, but he can be really nice. I mean he’s been my neighbor for years. He’s even helped me out when I’ve been short on rent, and loaned me his car when my transmission went out. Just give him a chance.”
“Did you forget? I gave him four years full of chances in high school. Can’t say that he was ever remotely nice to me then. Certainly isn’t now.” Stirring two packets of sugar into my coffee, I let out a deep breath. “My problem is the fact that his uncle owns this place. I’m afraid Joe could interfere with me getting my mortician license. And this is all I ever wanted to do.”
“You worry way too much. Joe likes you or he wouldn’t… “ Kim flipped a coffee stirrer into the trashcan.
“Wouldn’t what?” I asked.
“Nothing.” Kim set her cup down on the credenza. “Nothing at all.”
“You can whisper sweet nothings to me all night if you want.” I smiled. Did she know how much I liked her? Sometimes I wondered if I came on too strong and she took me as a joke.
“Hey, live ones.” Kim pointed at the office glass door.
In the lobby, on the other side of the door, two women walked toward us. The first one stood about five foot three, with salt-and-pepper, short hair. She had a dusting of snow on the shoulders of her black, calf-length coat. A maroon scarf encircled her neck. The other woman stood a half-foot taller with bright white hair and wore a beige coat. As she got closer, I recognized her as one of our clients, Miss Susan Wallace. Her father currently occupied one of our viewing rooms in a silver and mahogany, top-of-the-line casket. I opened the office door for them.
“Good evening, I hate to disturb you so late,” the shorter lady said. Her ruby red lips formed a smile. Her face lined with wrinkles, she looked around sixty give or take a few years.
“Yes, please forgive us for coming so late,” Miss Wallace said.
“What can I do for you?” I asked them.
“We saw the sign and know that you’re closed.” The other lady took off her gloves and unwrapped her maroon scarf. “But since the door was unlocked… Anyway, we really need your help.”
“Let me see what I can do, please follow me.” I guided them into the office. I said to Kim, “I’ve got this.”
“Great, then I’ll get to cleaning.” Kim grabbed a vacuum and headed to the lobby. “Can you clean the lobby windows later?”
“Sure, and can
you lock the front door as well, please?” I asked. Then I turned to shake hands, “I’ve had the pleasure of meeting Miss Wallace, but not you. I’m Mark Stevens.”
“My name is Arlene Oldenburg, her sister.” Her voice lilting and gentle, like a soft breeze.
“It’s nice seeing you again, Mark. Please call me Susan.” Her hand grasped mine in a firm, quick shake.
“Please sit down and warm up. I know there’s a blizzard out there.” I motioned at two arm chairs flanking a mahogany end table. A multicolored Tiffany style lamp glowed on the shiny surface of the table. I pulled up a desk chair for me to sit on.
“I’m not sure of your protocol, but I’d like to see my father, Herbert Wallace,” Arlene said, folding her gloves and placing them on her lap.
“Of course. I’m so sorry for your loss.” I took a seat then placed my elbows on my knees.
“And she couldn’t wait until tomorrow’s service,” Susan snipped, cocking her head in the direction of Arlene.
“Why wouldn’t I want to see my own father as soon as I flew into town? I haven’t seen him in a year. Even now you’ve taken care of everything without me,” Arlene said, voice rising.
“Because I live here. You don’t,” Susan huffed.
Emotions ran high when people grieved, so I sat patiently by and listened. In cases like this, you let them run out of steam, or stop when they became embarrassed to be caught arguing in front of a stranger, whichever came first.
“I didn’t choose to live five states away. You know that’s where my husband got his job,” Arlene retorted to Susan. “Plus, we have three children to take care of. I wouldn’t have had time to help even if I lived here.”
“Just because I’m single I had to do it all? When Mom died ten years ago, I’m the one who had to quit my job to be Dad’s full time caregiver,” Susan shot back at Arlene. “So whether you like it or not, that’s what I did.”
Arlene startled and glanced my way. “Look at us fighting like school girls. Really, Susan, let’s just let it lie. I came here to see Dad, not to argue with you.”
“Yes. Fine.” Susan stood, and said to me, “May we see him?”
“I’d love to help you, but, according to our policies, we aren’t supposed to let anyone view after hours.” Stupid rule, I thought, my shoulders slumping. With Joe hating me and reporting my every move to his uncle, I couldn’t chance breaking the rules.
