by Debbie Mason
George shook the ice cubes in his empty glass. “My wife loved that song, too,” he said, slurring his words. “If it wasn’t for—” He slammed the glass on the coffee table, muttering to himself as he lurched to his feet.
“Hey, there, why don’t you sit and have another, mate? Decorate the tree, share—”
“Go to hell,” George said, weaving his way toward the bedrooms.
“Don’t mind him, Harry. He hasn’t been the same since his wife left him,” Molly said from where she sat curled under a blanket at the end of the couch.
“What’s wrong with George?” Chloe asked as she returned to her chair with a steaming mug of cocoa.
“Oh, I don’t know, Chloe. Maybe it’s because, thanks to you, the man will probably be out of a job in the new year.” Molly sneered at Chloe. “No, I don’t buy that Cat demanded the change. None of us do. Everyone knows she’s just a glorified gopher and not your manager.” Molly made an apologetic face. “Sorry, Cat, nothing against you.”
Cat shot her sister a disbelieving look, but didn’t get a chance to say anything because Molly continued, “But I have a surprise for you, Chloe. Things aren’t going to turn out as you planned. A little bird told me Tessa Hart won’t be around much longer.” Molly stood up. “I think I’ll go to bed now and catch up on my beauty sleep because that same little bird told me Paula will finally get the on-air time she deserves.” Molly patted Cat’s shoulder as she walked by. “I hope good things happen for you, too. You deserve it after putting up with her.”
Chloe watched Molly leave the room with her eyes wide, then turned to them. “Why aren’t you doing something? She just threatened me!”
“You told them I was the one who demanded the changes?”
Chloe frowned and waved her hand as if it wasn’t a big deal. “Of course I did. That’s what a manager does. It wouldn’t be right for the star of the show to demand changes in a script that benefits them. Their costars would hate them. But I had to do something. Our ratings were hemorrhaging. I had to stop the bleeding.”
Cat didn’t know what to say. She had signed on as manager, and some of what Chloe said made sense. Well, sense in her sister’s mind at least.
Ty clapped his hands. “Okay, no fighting, girls. We’ve gone to all this work to make it a special night, so let’s not let George and Molly ruin it. Time to decorate the tree.”
He picked up a box of tissue-wrapped ornaments and placed it on the floor in front of the eight-foot blue spruce Cat and Grayson had cut down and dragged home on the back of the snowmobile. Some of her anger at Chloe left Cat as she remembered her afternoon with Grayson. He gave her shoulders a comforting squeeze. “I’m going to check on Estelle and our guests, then I’ll make you a hot cocoa. You want one, too, Ty?”
“Yes, please. Could you put some little marshmallows in it, too? Cat made me one earlier, and it was delish.” He sat in front of the box and wiggled. “This is so exciting.”
Chloe rolled her eyes. “You’re acting like a kid at their first Christmas.”
Ty ducked his head. “That’s because it kind of is. The last Christmas my family celebrated I was five.” He picked up an ornament, carefully unwrapping the tissue.
Cat frowned, then moved beside him, placing her hand over his. “How come?”
Chloe joined them, kneeling on the other side of Ty.
“My older brother was killed tobogganing a week before the holidays the next year. For the longest time, I thought Santa stopped coming because I asked for a Barbie doll.” He gave a sad, little laugh. “Funny the things you come up with when you’re a kid.”
It wasn’t funny at all; it was sad. Cat kissed his cheek and Chloe did the same. “I’m sorry about your brother, Ty,” they both said.
“Oh, stop it now, you’ll make me cry.”
“Cat used to be afraid of Santa,” Chloe said, in an attempt, Cat imagined, to lighten the mood. Her sister took an ornament out of the box.
“I was not. That was you. You slept with me every Christmas Eve.”
It wasn’t long before Ty was laughing, and so were Cat and Chloe. They spent the next hour unwrapping the ornaments, telling Ty and Grayson the story behind each one. Every Christmas Eve, they were given an ornament that held a special meaning for them.
As Chloe laughingly told Ty and Grayson about the time Cat had caught their father putting the presents under the tree and jumped on his back because she thought he was a burglar, her sister’s eyes met hers, and Cat knew, like her, Chloe was remembering the bond they’d once shared.
“Oh no,” Ty said, as he unwrapped the second-to-last ornament, “it’s broken.” It was an ornament Chloe had given to Cat, a wreath in the shape of a heart with two bears holding hands and the words Sisters Forever.
Cat cleared her throat, but her voice came out husky with emotion. “It’s okay. It was old.”
Chloe looked away, then reached in the box and unwrapped the Christmas star. “Daddy used to say whoever got to put this on top of the tree, their wish would come true. We used to fight over it every year, remember, Kit Kat?”
Cat was afraid she wouldn’t be able to get the words past her tight throat and simply nodded. Grayson, who was sitting beside her, pulled her close and kissed her cheek.
Chloe gave Ty a tremulous smile and handed him the star. “It’s your turn this year.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Cat woke up immediately at the sound of her bedroom door opening. She hadn’t let herself drift into a deep sleep in case Grayson needed her. He was on guard duty, waiting for Easton to return from town. A small shadow started toward her bed while a larger one filled her doorway. Cat twisted and flipped on the beside lamp.
“Sorry, love. She’s upset, and I couldn’t calm her down.” Grayson reached behind him, tucking his gun in the back of his jeans.
“No, that’s okay. Everything good?” she asked, wishing he was the one crawling into her bed and not her sniffling sister.
He nodded, giving her a tired smile. “I’ll do another walk-through. Call if you need me.”
“Thanks.” He closed the door, and she turned to Chloe. “What’s wrong?”
“I have to change. They said I have to change or I’m going to die a lonely old maid.”
Her sister’s cheeks were blotchy and tear-stained, and Cat felt a twinge of sympathy. She tucked the covers around Chloe’s shoulders. “It’s okay, you just had a bad dream.”
“No, not a dream. A Christmas Carol,” she sobbed, wrapping her arms around her waist and rocking.
Confused, she rubbed Chloe’s shoulder. “A Christmas carol gave you a nightmare?”
“No, not a song, a book. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.”
“If it bothered you, why didn’t you stop reading?”
“I wasn’t reading.” She sat up, thumping her chest. “It happened to me, Kit Kat. Just like Scrooge, the ghosts came to me.”
Okay, now it was beginning to make sense. Not sense to a rational person, but to a person used to dealing with Chloe. “So you’re saying the ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future visited you?”
Chloe fell back on the pillows. Cat ducked when she threw out her arm. “They came through my window. Anna, Easton’s mom, was first. She showed me my past. All the times I was in the hospital, and when the kids teased me for being ugly and fat.” Chloe covered her eyes, a tear running down her cheek.
Cat wiped the moisture from her sister’s face. “You were never ugly and fat.”
“I know what I looked like, Kit Kat, but… but that wasn’t the worst. I had to watch what I did to Easton. What I did to you. It was horrible.”
Easton’s mother died of breast cancer more than ten years ago. She’d been their mother’s best friend. “It was just a nightmare. Mrs. McBride didn’t really come to you in your—”
“Yes, she did, Kit Kat. She wasn’t mean or mad at me though. She was kind and held my hand and kissed my cheek. S-She said that it wasn’t too late. I co
uld make things right.” Chloe searched her face. “Do you think she meant Easton will forgive me? That I’m supposed to be with him?”
Cat had to handle this carefully. All she’d need was for her sister to think she and Easton were meant to be, that the angels had blessed their union. There was no doubt Easton blamed Chloe for their breakup, but really, the more Cat thought about it, he wasn’t the type of guy to hang on to that kind of thing. The problem was he didn’t like Chloe. He thought she was a spoiled brat. But Cat didn’t know what to say that wouldn’t make matters worse or hurt Chloe’s feelings.
“Kit Kat?”
“Maybe you need to look at the big picture. What did the ghost from Christmas present say?”
“It was Daddy,” her sister whispered, tears once again rolling down her cheeks.
Cat couldn’t help herself. “How did he look?”
She gave her a watery smile. “Handsome, healthy.” She leaned in and kissed Cat’s cheek. “That’s from Daddy. He wants you to know he’s proud of you.” She bit her lip. “He, ah, showed me how I’ve been treating you, how I’ve been treating everyone, but mostly you. I’m truly sorry. I’m not a very nice person.”
“Did he tell you who was trying to kill you?”
Her brow pleated. “No, he didn’t say anything about anyone trying to hurt me. That’s kind of odd, don’t you think? But he did say I would be given a chance to redeem myself, and I had to be ready. I couldn’t let fear rule me anymore.” She glanced at Cat from under her lashes, twisting the covers with her fingers. “Umm, you know how I said someone tried to strangle me?”
She gaped at her sister. “It was you. You faked the attack! Chloe, how could you?”
“I-I don’t know what got into me. Well, I kind of do. Grayson told me you were together, and I sort of snapped. I thought he was my one, but he loves you. It was the same with Easton. And then I was listening to my audiobook, Gone Girl, and the idea popped into my head…”
“Do you know how crazy that sounds?”
“I know it does, but it’s easy for you. Everyone loves you. They—”
Cat crossed her arms to stop herself from shaking her sister. “Don’t, Chloe. Don’t pull the self-pity crap on me. Mom and Dad doted on you. They spoiled you rotten.”
“I know, Daddy told me the same thing. Maybe there’s something really wrong with me, Kit Kat. Do you think I might be a narcissist or maybe a sociopath?”
“No, what you have is an overactive imagination. Stop looking for excuses. You know when you’re in the wrong. You apologize, try to make things right, and in less than twenty-four hours, you go right back and do the same thing.”
She nodded, biting her thumbnail. “That’s what the ghost of Christmas future said. I think it was Ty’s brother. He looked like him but without glasses. He didn’t say much, but I think he might have a crush on me. So he was probably a little shy.”
Oh, good Lord.
Chloe shuddered and wrapped her arms around herself again. “It was awful, Kit Kat. Even more horrible than my past or present. He showed me this big house, but it was old and creepy and I lived there all by myself. I felt so alone and so cold.” She touched her hair. “But my hair and face looked good, so I didn’t get ugly and fat or anything like that.”
Cat pulled the pillow out from under her and whacked Chloe with it. “You’re doing it again. Who cares what you look like, Chloe?”
“That’s easy for you to say. You were never ugly or fat.”
“We’re identical twins!”
“Well, you’re not an actress.” She held up her hands. “Okay, okay, I know what I have to do. I’ll change. I’ll become a better person. I promise. I’m going to be like Scrooge and give money to the poor, and buy them food and toys. I’ll—”
“That’s nice, and you should do it. But it’s not about the money, Chloe. You have to think about the consequences before you open your mouth and act out. Don’t be so self-absorbed. Be nice to the people you work with, to the people in town. Geez, you never even speak to Evelyn and Stella. They didn’t think you knew who they are.”
“I don’t. Am I supposed to?”
Cat covered her face with her hands.
Chloe pulled them away with a serious look on her face. “I’m sincerely sorry for how I’ve treated you. I love you. I want us to be friends again. And…” She swallowed audibly. “… I’m very happy you found Grayson. He’s your one. Michael wasn’t. And if anyone deserves to find their one, it’s you, Kit Kat.” She hugged her, then lay back down. “Is it okay if I sleep with you? I don’t think I can handle being visited by another ghost tonight.”
“Sure.”
“Thank you.” She turned over and took all the covers with her.
Cat sighed and flipped off the light. “Night, Chloe.”
“Night night, Kit Kat. Oh, and I know it was wrong how I broke up you and Easton, but he wasn’t your one, either.”
As long as Chloe didn’t think he was hers, they’d be okay.
* * *
Cat woke up with a start the next morning in her empty bed. Ty stood framed in her doorway wearing Chloe’s pink satin pajamas. Tears rolling down his face, he held a box in his hands. Cat sat up. “Ty, what’s wrong?”
“My wish came true,” he whispered. He walked to the bed and sat on the edge, turning the box to her. Growing up, the doll had been Chloe’s prized possession. A limited edition signed Bob Mackie Gold Barbie. It had never been taken out of the box.
Cat smiled and rubbed his arm. “I’m glad you got your wish. She’s beautiful.”
“I didn’t wish for a Barbie. I’m a thirty-year-old man. But she is gorgeous, isn’t she?” He stroked the box. “My wish… What happened to your face? You have a red mark…”
She touched her cheek. “A red mark where?”
He looked past her and whimpered, pointing to her pillow.
Cat cast a nervous glance behind her. It was the Sisters Forever ornament, only it had been carefully glued back together. Her throat tightened as she leaned over and picked it up, holding the ornament to her chest. She worked to clear the emotion from her voice. “What was your wish?”
“That the Christmas star brings Chloe back to her home and family. Not literally, but here.” He placed his hand over his heart. “She needs to remember where she comes from and what’s important in life. That you’re important to her. You try to hide it, but she’s hurt you.”
“You did it for me.” She wrapped her arms around his neck. “You’re a pretty amazing friend, you know that?”
He nodded, then gave her a wry smile. “Chloe’s kind of grown on me, too.”
Grayson walked into the room, his hair a sexy, rumpled mess, his face beard-stubbled. He had on a black T-shirt and black sleep pants, and his pale-blue eyes moved from Ty to her. “Everything okay in here?”
“Good. It’s good.” She nodded, turning her head to swipe at her face.
He sat beside her, taking the ornament from her hands. He smiled. “Your sister seems to have had an epiphany of sorts. She’s out there making breakfast for Easton.”
Oh God. “Is he being nice to her?”
“She talks, he grunts. But he doesn’t look like he wants to strangle her, so given how he usually reacts, I’d say yes. He’s being nice to her.”
Ty looked up from his Barbie doll. “I’m so glad to hear he got back safe and sound. I was worried about him. He is safe and sound, isn’t he?”
Grayson glanced at the box, and his mouth kicked up at the corner. “Yes, he’s fine. He had to dig several cars out of the ditch.”
“I should probably leave you two lovebirds alone and check on Chloe and the White Knight myself.”
“Hang on a minute, Ty.” Grayson turned to Cat and picked up her hand. “I’m heading into town with Easton. Redding is well enough to be interrogated, and I want to talk to him and get your name cleared. Today. But if you’re the least bit uncomfortable being left on your own, I want you to tell me. The roads are
still pretty much impassable, and Gage and his deputies are working around the clock. Otherwise, I would—”
“She’s not on her own. She has me, Estelle, Chloe, and… Molly or George. Both of them can’t be in on it, can they?”
“Ty’s right. We’ll be fine. We’ll all stay together.” She frowned. Something felt off. She wasn’t concerned about being left on her own, but she was a little surprised that Grayson was willing to leave her. He was a protective guy. Then again, she should probably be pleased he was confident in her abilities to look after things while he was gone. But… “Is there something you’re not telling me?”
* * *
“So you think Cat believed you were heading into town to question Redding?” Easton asked as he parked the snowmobile on Main Street.
A few more minutes with her and she would have figured it out. It was difficult to hide anything from those perceptive green eyes. It’s why Grayson had done his best to avoid her before they left. “Not entirely. She’s smart. She couldn’t put a finger on it, but she knew something was up.” He took off the helmet and shoved his hands through his hair. “But damned if I was going to tell her that Turner was coming to town to push for her arrest. Has Chance gotten anywhere with Redding?”
“Last I heard, no. Do you want to head over to the hospital after you hand Turner’s ass to him?”
That’s exactly what Grayson planned to do. When Easton had come into town yesterday, he hadn’t only been checking on Redding. He could get cell service in town and wanted to see if he’d gotten any pings on his inquiries into Turner. He did. And now Grayson knew why Turner had gone above and beyond in his persecution of Cat. This was personal. Turner’s brother-in-law had been a victim of Upton’s Ponzi scheme. His brother-in-law and sister had lost their savings and were about to lose their home.
Once he was finished with Turner, not only would Cat be on the guy’s most-wanted list, so would Grayson. If Redding didn’t recant, Grayson had no doubt Turner would try to get him kicked out of the Bureau for fraternizing with a felon. He’d worry about that later. Proving Cat’s innocence was his priority. “No, let’s get this over with. I want to get back to the ranch ASAP.”