by Tamara Lynn
Sleigh Bells in the Sand
Tamara Lynn
For Lynn.
Thank you for supporting me while I write.
I Love you!
This book is also dedicated to my amazing readers.
I read and treasure every review and comment.
You all are the best!
INTRO
In this story, Kate makes her Grandma’s famous Christmas cookies. To experience this story to the fullest, I recommend putting on a Christmas mix and baking some Christmas cookies.
This is the recipe Kate uses:
Separate two egg yolks from white and drop the yolks into hot salted water.
Simmer until they are hard cooked. Put through a wire sieve. Set aside for use later.
In a seperate bowl combine:
2 ¼ cups flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
Mix dry ingredients. Set aside.
In another bowl combine:
½ cup butter
½ cup Crisco
½ cup sugar
Cream together.
Add 1 unbeaten egg.
Add ½ teaspoon vanilla.
Add sieved egg yolks.
Beat well.
Add dry ingredients.
Chill for an hour.
Roll out flat and then cut with cookie cutters.
Cook at 375 degrees for 8 to 11 minutes. Bake until the cookies are lightly brown on the edge.
Lastly, ice the cookies and decorate with red and green sugar.
CHAPTER ONE
Traffic came to a halt, crowding the ancient Dubrovnik streets. These roads were constructed long before Ford created his first automobile. Expansion was not an option. There was simply no room with the historic stone buildings crowding both sides of the street.
To say the very least, these winding roads were dangerous for both pedestrians and drivers. To make things worse, a Lamborghini overheated causing massive congestion.
With complete disregard for safety, a black motorcycle raced through the streets, recklessly weaving in and out of traffic.
The rider was dressed in head to toe black leather and a matte black helmet. It wasn’t her erratic driving that turned heads. It was the sniper rifle strapped to her back.
Daniela tugged at her leather coat and cursed the hot July sun. It was hard enough navigating the narrow brick streets, but doing so in suffocating leather was an absolute nightmare.
She steered the bike around a bright red Maserati, slowing long enough to admire its beauty. That’s a pretty car.
Most who saw her were alarmed. A rider with a gun, racing through the streets. It couldn’t be good.
She came to a red light and to everyone’s surprise, she actually stopped. Reaching into the inside pocket of her coat, she pulled out her phone.
She flipped open the front of her helmet to reveal whiskey colored eyes lined in dark smoky make-up.
“Start the engines, I’m almost there,” Daniela commanded. Then she abruptly hung up without saying another word.
Looking briefly to the left and then to the right, she revved her engine and sped onward in complete disregard of the traffic light that was still red.
With one more turn, she arrived at a small airport and raced across the tarmac to a waiting plane.
Leaving her key in the ignition, Daniela abandoned the motorcycle and ran up the stairs into the cabin.
“You’re late,” Phillips announced and handed her a Diet Coke.
Daniela laughed and removed her helmet, freeing her long dark locks. “How do I look?” she asked.
“Like you just walked off a movie set,” Phillips huffed as he took the helmet from her.
“Thank you,” she smiled and tried to sit down in the seat. With a painful jab to her back, she was reminded that she’d forgotten to remove the gun and return it to the prop master.
“Gun, and gloves,” he feigned annoyance and held out a hand. “Could you be more of a stereotype? A girl in leather on a bike? What are you now? A Danvers sister?”
“You’ve got to know your audience and give ‘em what they want,” Daniela was unapologetic.
“Fine,” Phillips waved a hand over her head. “I’ll just get you a Stetson and call it a day.”
As she peeled the leather gloves from her long slender fingers, the pilot began to increase speed for take-off.
“You better sit down before you ruin your manicure,” Daniela pointed to the seat.
“Bollocks,” came the reply as Phillips sat in the seat, and pulled a seatbelt across his iridescent purple suit.
Phillips was her personal assistant, and one of her best friends. They met on the set of a movie when they were both in their teens. Daniela grew up, but Phillips never did. He was a brilliant side-kick though, and they’d built pretty solid careers together.
“Did you happen to grab anything for me to change into?” Daniela squirmed in the hot leather.
“Honey, no,” Phillips rolled his eyes. “All of your luggage is down there.” He pointed to the floor.
“You left it?” Daniela leaned forward.
“Of course not,” Phillips looked offended. “It’s in the luggage compartment.”
Daniela grit her teeth and sat back. She was hot and sweating. The leather was so uncomfortable. “Well, what DID you bring?” she asked, fully annoyed.
“Fan mail,” Phillips sang.
She loved hearing from her fans. After a long week of work, this would be the perfect way to unwind.
Most of the letters were long, and involved detailed stories from the lives of her fans. She enjoyed getting this glimpse into their lives. Some letters accompanied gifts. Handmade art was her favorite. The walls of her office were decorated with paintings and drawings that her fans had made.
“Oh, check it out,” Phillips sang. “This young girl is at a hospital in Traverse City. You should visit her this week.”
“No way,” Daniela’s eyes widened as she reached for the letter. “Yeah, I definitely should swing by.”
Every July her family rented a luxury cabin on Lake Michigan. Instead of celebrating in December, they would celebrate Christmas in July. The cabin they selected this year was a short drive from Traverse City. She’d easily be able to slip away for a few hours to visit the hospital.
“Try to set it up for Friday, before I leave for L.A. No press.” Daniela gave the letter back and reached for another.
When she opened the envelope, she quickly noticed it was not like the others. Written in black Sharpie were the words, “I KNOW ABOUT IBIZA.”
She must have let out an audible gasp, because Phillips immediately looked up. “What is it?” he asked.
Daniela swallowed hard. She couldn’t breathe, but she needed to respond quickly before he made a big deal out of it.
“Nothing,” she managed.
Deliberately, she focused on folding the letter neatly and returning it to the envelope. She felt an anxiety attack coming on, and remembered what the therapist told her. He instructed her to focus on small movements and train her attention on them so that she could remove her focus from what was upsetting her. She carefully traced her fingers along the edges of the envelope.
It wasn’t working.
Frustrated, Daniela placed the envelope in the inside pocket of her leather coat and got up to walk to the bathroom.
Not a movement was missed by Phillips. He watched her closely as she moved across the cabin.
Once inside the bathroom, she placed her palms against the wall and closed her eyes. She took a deep breath and counted to ten.
I really need to learn how to m
editate.
Again, she took a deep breath and counted to ten. She repeated this until she felt herself begin to calm down.
Ibiza.
She’d deal with that later. For now, she was excited about Christmas at the lake. It was going to be a busy week, but it was her favorite time of the year.
◆◆◆
A run-away cart raced across the grocery store parking lot, catching Kate’s attention. She quickly sprung into action and grabbed it before it slammed into a Tesla.
“Someone left their purse in the cart,” Kate pointed out to her friend. “Did you see who had this cart?”
“No,” Heidi shook her head and scanned the parking lot.
“I’m sure they’ll be back. Let’s take it to the customer service desk.” Kate picked it up and handed it to Heidi before she returned the cart to corral.
“I still can’t believe you are going on vacation with them. They’re all so gorgeous, and ridiculously famous.” Heidi was trying to wrap her mind around Kate’s upcoming trip.
“We live in L.A., it’s not that strange. We’re around celebrities every day. It’s kind of part of the job. Besides I don’t look at them that way.” Kate tried to put it in perspective.
“Carl Carter is People Magazine’s Sexiest Man. Daniela Dantangelo is the “It-Girl” of Hollywood. You can’t tell me you won’t be star struck,” Heidi pushed.
“You forgot my boyfriend, Wyatt,” Kate pointed out.
“Oh yeah, him,” Heidi laughed. “You got the fat brother.”
Kate swatted at her friend. “He’s not fat. He’s a little chubby. And I find him unequivocally attractive. I love him as he is.”
Wyatt, also a very successful actor, may not have the looks of his twin brother, but he had just as much star power. As one of the main actors a popular crime drama, Wyatt easily held his own.
“Can you just imagine that bloodline?” Heidi was still gushing. “Carl’s father, Aaron, has two Super Bowl rings. Aaron’s sister Dixie, who also happens to be Daniela’s mother, is a country music icon.”
“I know who Wyatt’s family is,” Kate pointed out. Heidi was clearly not understanding that Kate remained unimpressed.
“When do you leave?” Heidi changed the subject.
“I fly out this afternoon.”
“And where are you flying to?” Heidi asked.
Kate shook a finger at her. “Bad Heidi.”
One of the caveats to her invitation was the requirement of discretion. Wyatt’s family rented a cabin this time every year, and if the press ever discovered the location, they would surely ruin the holiday. Heidi was right about the family’s level of star power. It would be a paparazzi circus if word got out.
◆◆◆
Every year, the aunties picked a different home to rent on Lake Michigan. This year, they were in the heart of wine country on the Leelanau Peninsula in Michigan.
“You’ve really outdone yourselves this time,” Daniela said quietly as she knocked on the mammoth twelve-foot-tall door.
Seconds later, the door flung wide open as two older women clamored to greet her. They were nearly knocked over by Daniela’s golden retriever, Buddy.
“Baby Girl!” Dixie greeted her daughter with a hug. She then pulled back and inspected Daniela’s outfit. She didn’t like it. Not in the very least.
“Hi, Mama,” Daniela replied and kissed her on the cheek.
“Come on now, lemme see my favorite niece,” Betsy pushed Dixie to the side and wrapped her arms around Daniela.
“What are you wearin' child?” Betsy asked. Her tone was dripping with judgement.
And so it began. Betsy and Dixie were a riot together. They loved with all of their beings, and they teased with the same ferocity.
“I came straight from the set,” Daniela tried to explain as she got on her knees to greet Buddy. He may be old, but he acted like a puppy every time he saw her.
“Bless her heart, no wonder she’s single,” Betsy added in her soft southern drawl.
“Not single,” Daniela pointed out as she closed the door and picked up her bag.
“I tried to fix her up with Henry’s son from church,” Dixie put her hands in the pocket of an apron that was tied loosely around her waist. “She wouldn’t have it.”
“Because I have a boyfriend, Mama,” Daniela tried to make herself heard.
“Well ya’ll are never gonna get grandbabies if she won’t settle down,” Betsy pointed out. “I mean, maybe you’ll be a cat granny.”
“She already stuck me with her dog,” Dixie reminded her.
Daniela was just opening her mouth to defend herself when the three of them entered the great room at the end of the foyer. It left her speechless.
The log cabin was anything but rustic. This was a mansion built out of beautifully carved logs. The great room ceiling was three stories tall with a wall of windows overlooking a bluff that faced west. There was an unobstructed view of the great lake.
Dixie reached out a finger and lifted Daniela’s chin until her mouth closed. “Try to be a lady honey. No one wants to see down the back of your throat.”
“Prettier than a pig on a pony,” Betsy whispered. “And you arrived just in time to watch the sunset.”
“Now run along and change so we can eat,” Dixie stated authoritatively.
“You don’t like the leather?” Daniela teased.
“Heavens no,” Dixie frowned. “I don’t want the family thinking you’ve become a call girl.”
“Or a spy?” Daniela corrected her. “I’m working on a spy movie, mama.”
“A hooker spy,” Betsy nodded. “Like Julia Roberts.”
Daniela shook her head. “No. Just no.”
“Down the hall, last door on the right,” Dixie pointed. “And don’t you come out here wearing an ugly Christmas sweater.”
Daniela walked down the long hall pausing to admire the massive timbers that composed the walls. The cabin was truly impressive. It was a piece of art.
When she opened the door to her room, she noticed two beds.
Crap. They are going to make me room with Wyatt’s girlfriend.
She didn’t dislike Wyatt’s girlfriend. The problem was that Daniela didn’t know her. Right now, she just wanted to relax. Not make small talk with a stranger that she’d end up hating after Wyatt ended the relationship. It was simply a waste of time. She’d rather invest in people she knew would be around.
Daniela dropped her bags on the bed farthest from the door and then sat down in an oversized leather chair by the windows. Buddy barely let her sit down before he jumped up on her lap.
She stared out the window as she ran her hand through Buddy’s fur. There was something so calming about Lake Michigan. It reminded her of the ocean. You could ride in a boat for hours and never see the far side of the lake. The waves were gentle, and most of the time, the wind was as well. Here the beaches were clean, and quiet. Only in the main resort towns were the beaches crowded.
The longer she sat there, the more relaxed she became. The grueling stress of long hours on set began to fade away and silence started to settle in.
Until Wyatt knocked loudly on the door. “Dani, are you in there?”
She jumped up and ran to the door. “Wyatt!”
“What's up cuz?” he laughed and picked her up. “Man, I missed you.”
“I missed you too,” Daniela buried her head into his furry neck.
“Why are you dressed like a prostitute?” he asked.
“A spy, you idiot. A spy.”
“Well you better change real quick, so we can eat. The aunties are getting impatient,” Wyatt pointed out.
“Okay, okay. Hang on a sec,” Daniela said as she took her bag into the attached bathroom. Less than a minute later she emerged in a fuzzy red Christmas sweater and a tight pair of dark jeans.
“You look like Christmas,” Wyatt smiled.
◆◆◆
Hours later, the family relaxed around a firepit in the bac
k yard. As always, Daniela’s father, Otis, brought his guitar. He was a quiet man, which was a good thing, because his wife Dixie never stopped talking. He was the perfect match for her because he never wanted to be the center of attention. Whenever they gathered around a fire, he could be found quietly strumming songs on his guitar.
As he played “Winter Wonderland,” Daniella pulled her knees close and huddled deep into an Adirondack chair.
“I never get used to how chilly summer nights are in Michigan,” Wyatt said as he handed her a mug of hot chocolate.
Daniela gladly took the mug. “That’s funny because the people who live here think it’s hot.”
“Seventy degrees is not hot,” Wyatt shook his head.
“Maybe we are too used to SoCal weather.”
“What’s the weather like in Croatia right now?” Wyatt asked.
Daniela loved the Mediterranean. In two weeks, she was flying back for their final month of filming. After six months on location, it felt like a second home. She wasn’t ready to give it up just yet.
“They were having a heatwave when I left. It was a blistering week. But most of the time, the breeze off the water keeps it comfortable. Not too different from here,” Daniela explained.
Changing the subject to something he’d been dying to ask, Wyatt raised an eyebrow and said, “Are you excited to meet my girlfriend?”
“No,” Daniela replied without hesitation. It was the truth. Wyatt was not only her cousin, but her best friend. “I don’t want to share you. It’s been too long. I haven’t seen you since New Year’s Eve.”
“You could have come to visit,” Wyatt shot her a look.
“You could have come to Croatia,” Daniela countered.
“You could have invited me!” Wyatt raised his eyebrows.
“Okay, good point,” Daniela agreed and took a sip of the cocoa. She let out a sigh, “I did miss you though.”
“Just be nice, okay?” Wyatt requested. “She’s important to me, and your approval means the world to me.”
Daniela looked at her diamond encrusted Tag Hauer watch. “Shouldn’t you be leaving for the airport?”
“Is it nine already?” Wyatt asked.
