by Debbie Mason
“Perfect. It all looks perfect,” she said, breathing in the scent of fresh cedar, hot chocolate, and sugar cookies. The doors to the manor opened, and children and adults poured inside, filling the great room with laughter and good cheer. Jasper, in his familiar black suit, and Kitty, wearing her caroling outfit of a red velvet dress, white fur shawl, and a brimmed red bonnet, greeted their guests, welcoming them to the manor.
“I don’t think we’ve ever had a bigger crowd than this, Simon.” At the sound of a familiar ho ho ho, Colleen began to laugh. “I wonder how they roped Connor into playing Santa,” she said, searching for Arianna.
Colleen thought she may have been the one to convince him to take on the role until she remembered the conversation she’d overheard at Thanksgiving. George had been comically horrified to learn that Arianna had called her new pup Humbug, which seemed to indicate Arianna wasn’t a fan of the holidays.
After what she’d been through these past few months, Colleen didn’t blame her. Especially now that Beverly had spirited Helen away. Beverly wouldn’t be happy until she had her mother’s attention all to herself. She’d been an only child raised by a single mother. Helen had doted on her when she was young. It was no wonder Beverly grew up believing the world revolved around her.
The children swarmed Connor as he made his way to his chair in front of the Christmas tree. Sophie and Olivia rescued him, organizing the children into a long line.
“Hey, Santa, where’s your little helper?” Michael called out from where he stood by the bar with his cousins, having a good laugh at Connor’s expense.
“Ho, ho, ho. I didn’t bring an elf this year. I brought my beautiful wife.” Her great-grandson’s deep voice was even deeper than usual. “Have any of you seen Mrs. Claus? She seems to have disappeared,” he said to the children. “Maybe we should call her. What do you think?” They nodded, and Connor and the children called for Mrs. Claus.
Seconds later, Arianna appeared in the entryway wearing a Mrs. Claus costume with a put-upon expression on her face. As she came down the stairs into the great room, Colleen noticed the leash she held with a cream-colored dog attached to it. The pup wore a pair of reindeer antlers on his head.
“Comet!” George ran over to cuddle the pup and then convinced Arianna to let her take care of the dog while she performed her Mrs. Claus duties.
“There she is.” Connor smiled when Arianna came to stand beside him. “How about a kiss for your husband?” He puckered up, drawing ewws and grosses from the children and laughter from his brother and cousins.
“How about a picture for the Gazette?” Byron Harte said, crouching a few feet away with a camera in his hand.
“Ho ho ho, anything for our favorite reporter,” Connor said, patting his knee, a slash of white teeth showing through his beard. “Come here, wife.”
Colleen chuckled. Poor Arianna. It was clear the lad intended to torture her today.
Arianna released a gusty sigh as she plunked down on his knee.
He grinned, patting her behind. “Now I know where all my cookies went.”
Arianna leaned back, and whatever she whispered to Connor made him throw back his head and laugh, and then he faced her, pulled a sprig of mistletoe out of his pocket, and kissed her. At the same time, Byron took their picture.
“Admit it. It’s the perfect shot for the paper,” Connor whispered, trying to appease a clearly not pleased Arianna. “It’s exactly the message we’re trying to get out there.”
“No, it’s not. That picture says—” Arianna began before George cut her off.
“Santa, can you and Mrs. Claus stop fighting so we can tell you what we want for Christmas?”
Connor glared at Arianna, and she glared right back. Too bad Colleen couldn’t share with her great-grandson that the best-laid plans had a way of going wrong. She wandered away, stopping at groups of people she knew, listening in on their conversations, catching up on the gossip. It was her favorite pastime.
Over in a corner, she caught sight of Rosa DiRossi, Kitty’s childhood best friend. Rosa stood near the atrium, wearing her caroling outfit and eating Christmas cookies as she chatted to Daniel’s partner in crime, Theia. Colleen knew exactly what Rosa was up to. For the past year, she’d been trying to find her grandson Marco, a firefighter at HHFD, the perfect match. “You’d best walk away from that one, Rosa. She’s Trouble with a capital T.”
But instead of walking away, Rosa dragged the girl over to the stairs to join the Widows Club. Colleen could see why. They appeared to be shy a few members. Theia, wearing black pants and a red and black sweater, tried to demur, but she was no match for Rosa.
“Don’t be nervous, dear,” Kitty said. “None of us had ever sung professionally before.”
Colleen could see Theia trying to hide a smile, which seemed a kinder thing to do than laugh outright that Kitty thought this a professional event. “Thanks, but I’m used to singing for an audience. My mom began dragging me on to the stage at the age of four.” She said it in such a way that indicated she had fond memories of her time with her mother. Another mark in her favor, Colleen thought, wondering if she’d misjudged the girl based on the company she kept.
“And where was it you used to sing with your mother?” Kitty asked, her eyes narrowing on the girl for some reason.
“Mostly in pubs in Dublin and Cork,” she said, a little more of the Emerald Isles coming out in her voice.
“You’re from Ireland? I never would have guessed,” Kitty said, chewing on her lower lip while her gaze darted around the packed great room.
“What is going on with you?” Colleen murmured, frustrated that her daughter-in-law couldn’t see or hear her.
“No. I’m from Boston originally, but my mom had family in Dublin. And every summer she’d drag me to Ireland to find my father. They’d met in a pub, singing for their supper, she used to say.” She smiled at the older women hanging on to her every word. The Widows Club were a romantic bunch.
“You never found him, did you?” Kitty said.
“No, but I got a lot of practice singing in public. Should we start?” she asked, looking over the great room as though searching for someone.
“Yes, of course. Is there a song you and your mother liked to sing at Christmas?” Kitty asked.
Theia nodded with a wistful expression on her face. “‘Mary, Did You Know?’”
Yes, Colleen thought, she’d misjudged the girl. And she had no idea how much until Theia opened her mouth and out came the voice of an angel. A hush fell over the crowd gathered in the great room as they turned to stare at the girl on the stairs. Daniel used to make heads turn when he sang, just like this…one. And like Kitty had done only moments before, Colleen narrowed her eyes to study Theia’s features more closely. Holy Mother of God, she was one of theirs. Kitty had seen it too. She would have remembered the times Daniel had written home to tell them about his grand adventures, of singing in the pubs of Dublin and Cork.
She wondered if Daniel had noticed the resemblance and turned to survey the crowd. He was no longer where she’d last seen him on his phone. She spotted him scurrying up the stairs to the entryway, glancing over his shoulder in a furtive manner before veering sharply to his left and down the hall. And just as had happened at Halloween, Colleen found herself chasing after her grandson. She prayed whatever he was up to wasn’t as bad as that night.
She followed Daniel into the library, surprised when he removed several books from the middle of one shelf and pressed a button. A hidden door clicked open. He replaced the books on the shelf and then walked into the dark, confined space. Colleen followed him. Once inside, he pulled a lever on the wall. The hidden library door swung closed, leaving them in the dark. But not for long. Daniel used the light on his cell phone to locate another hidden door. This one leading down to the tunnels below. Within minutes, they were back to where he’d held his clandestine meeting with Caine Elliot. Only it wasn’t Caine who awaited him. It was Ryan Wilson.
&n
bsp; Colleen hadn’t believed Daniel could sink any lower, but he’d exceeded even her wildest imaginings. Given the circumstances of his earlier perfidy, she might have eventually forgiven him for making a pact with the devil, for offering up the family estate to protect his own.
This was worse. This was unforgivable.
A former officer with the Harmony Harbor Police Department, Ryan Wilson had a vendetta against the Gallaghers. Daniel had seen the man at his worst this past summer and knew him to be a snake of the Garden of Eden variety. But what her grandson might not know was that Ryan Wilson was a mere speck of evidence away from solving the case his grandfather had been working on at the HHPD before Colleen had had him thrown off the force. It appeared Daniel wouldn’t be happy until he destroyed them all.
She held Caine Elliot to blame. He’d exploited her grandson’s weaknesses to get him on board with his plan.
“I’m curious to know what it is you want from me, Gallagher. Last time I was here, I wasn’t made very welcome. In fact, if there hadn’t been witnesses, I’m pretty sure your nephews would have beaten the hell out of me before trying to get me locked up.”
“That’s between you and them, not me. I want whatever dirt you can dig up on Arianna Bell, and I want it fast. No questions asked.”
She could tell by the expression on Daniel’s face that he didn’t like the prospect of dragging Arianna’s name through the mud, but he was desperate now. He’d pinned his hopes on Connor to win the election outright, and when that hadn’t transpired, his almost daily powwows with Sean and Maura must have convinced him he had nothing to worry about. Except, ever since Thanksgiving, word around the manor was that Arianna had thrown herself into the job and her chances of being the council’s pick had vastly improved.
Ryan Wilson cut off her thoughts with a low harrumph. If Colleen didn’t know better, she’d assume he didn’t want the job. She’d lay odds it was the exact opposite. He’d probably do it for free just to get back at Arianna. Not only did he bear a grudge toward the Gallaghers, he blamed the Bell sisters for ruining his life.
“You don’t want the job, then?” Daniel frowned. “But I haven’t even told you what the information is worth to me.”
Colleen scowled at her grandson. “How are you going to pay? Pawn the family’s silver?”
“No. I’m more than happy to get you dirt on Arianna, but it’s not money I’m after. I want my job back at HHPD.”
Daniel stuck out his hand. “You get me what I need before the town council and Hazel Winters cast their vote on Christmas Eve, and I’ll use my influence with my nephew to ensure you’re rehired.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Connor had to up his game. In a little more than a week, it would be December twenty-fourth, or D-day, as he’d come to think of it. His mother had been keeping her ear to the office walls at the town hall, of course, while his father had been out and about on the streets of Harmony Harbor, gauging how Connor was doing on the ground. Apparently very well, according to their latest report, which they gave him every night. It had become something of a routine. They’d either grab a late-night dinner at the manor or order in at his office at the town hall or at Gallagher and Gallagher.
And while he loved his parents and was thrilled to see them more or less back together, he would have preferred to spend his nights with Arianna. But the woman had put him firmly in the friend zone, which was the last place he wanted to be. Especially when all evidence pointed to him as the council’s first choice. If that were the case, it was important that he and Arianna were in a good place before they rendered their decision on Christmas Eve.
Even more important to him was that Arianna was in a good place. She seemed to be. Sometimes it was hard to tell because he was in the friend zone. Although he’d begun to see cracks in her armor over the past week. Sadly, he thought Comet had more to do with her light-hearted smiles and relaxed demeanor than he did. Which brought him to where he was now—standing on her front porch bright and early on a snowy Saturday morning.
O’Malley’s would be delivering her secret-admirer present to the front door in about half an hour. They’d ring the bell and then take off at a run. Connor would be there to help Arianna bring the box inside and, if the rest of the day went according to plan, he’d be out of the friend zone by tonight. Or at the very least, one step closer to where he wanted to be.
He checked his watch, waiting until it was exactly nine on the nose before ringing the bell. Just before the minute hand struck twelve, the door swung open. He smiled at Arianna, who looked like she’d rolled out of bed and into her boots and coat.
Her head was bent as she yawned through a warning to the dog at her feet. “Five minutes is all you have, Comet. And no barking. Some of the neighbors might still be sleeping. Lucky them,” she muttered, yawning again as she picked up Comet and tucked him under her arm.
“Hey. How’s it—” Connor didn’t get to finish what he was about to say because Arianna walked out of the house and into him.
Comet yipped, and Arianna made an oomph sound. As Connor raised his hands to steady her, she looked up at him through bleary, accusing eyes. “Why did you walk into us?”
“Babe, you walked into—”
“Stop mumbling. I can’t hear a word you’re saying.” She made a face. “Sorry. I forgot I had earplugs in. I took Comet out at six, and he’s been howling at me ever since.” She put the dog down and then handed Connor the leash. Looking around him as she took out her earplugs and put them in the pocket of her coat, Arianna said, “Did you bring coffee?”
“Sorry, no, but it’s probably a good thing I didn’t, given how you walk—”
“I guess that means you didn’t bring doughnuts either,” she said, clearly disappointed in him.
Comet appeared to be too. He sat growling at Connor’s feet.
“I’m striking out this morning,” he murmured, praying this wasn’t a sign of things to come. He frowned when Comet’s growling intensified. “Why is he doing that?”
She shrugged. “Maybe he doesn’t like you.”
“Hey, where are you going?” he said when she turned to walk back into the house.
“To bed. I’m exhausted.”
He stared at the door she’d just shut in his face and then looked at Comet, who was no longer growling but was about to strangle himself by jumping off the porch. Scooping up the dog, Connor carried him to the middle of the lawn and placed him on the ground. Comet promptly lifted his leg.
Connor jumped out of the way. “I’m not a tree. This is.” He pointed at the big oak, lightly tugging on Comet’s leash to get him to follow. His business done, the pup was more interested in catching snowflakes. Connor gave up and huddled in his jacket. “You’ve got ten minutes.”
Ten minutes later Connor remained half-frozen in the middle of the lawn with Comet showing no signs of wanting to go inside. Comet looked like a snowball with a dog trapped in the middle as he rolled around and then gave a couple high-pitched yips. He’d caught himself in the leash.
“Stop rolling.” Connor crouched beside him. “Just give me a second here, and I’ll free your paw.” He dropped the leash to untangle it from Comet’s hind leg. “Okay, you’re good to go, buddy.” Patting the dog’s head, he went to stand up, then remembered the leash.
Comet’s eyes met his as Connor reached for the leash. In that brief eye lock, Connor knew the dog would take off if he didn’t think fast. He needed a distraction. If Comet was anything like his doggy mommy… “Want a doughnut? I’ve got a doughnut right here,” Connor said, slowly lowering himself back into a crouch.
He put his free hand in his pocket while inching his other hand toward the leash. Comet’s eyes were glued to his pocket. The tips of Connor’s fingers were less than a couple inches from the leash when a gust of wind rattled the branches of the oak, sending a flume of snow cascading toward them. Connor lunged for the leash at the same time Comet took off.
Connor ended up face-first in the sn
ow. He wiped the snow from his eyes and then pushed himself to his feet while visually searching for the dog. He spotted a lump of snow moving toward the backyard. Connor gave chase, which he quickly learned was a mistake with a playful pup.
“Comet, I’m not fooling around here,” he said after he’d spent five minutes (which felt like twenty) running around in circles in Arianna’s backyard. All he needed was to get close enough to grab the leash. Apparently, he wasn’t the only one to figure that out. Comet made sure to leave at least a yard between them.
But the pup’s biggest advantage was not his smarts; it was his boundless energy. Since Connor’s energy was not boundless, he clearly needed a better strategy. He parked himself in the narrowest space he could find between the backyard and the front yard with his legs spread, his hands out, as though he planned to catch a football.
Comet sat at the other end of the backyard watching him with his head cocked. Great. He was taking a breather, Connor thought, praying his plan worked. Now that he was standing still, he noticed his jeans had gotten wet when he’d fallen face-first in the snow and were practically frozen to his thighs.
Connor turned his head and whistled over his shoulder. “What’s that, Comet? Did you hear that?” He was about to do it again when a delivery truck rumbled down the street, the squeal of brakes loud as it parked just up from Arianna’s. They were here to deliver his secret-admirer present to Arianna. Crap.
He whipped his head around. Sure enough, a white blur was headed his way. The dog veered to his right. Connor bent down, twisted at his waist, hands out to catch either the dog or the leash as they tried to escape through…At the very last second, Comet zigged instead of zagged and ran between Connor’s legs, the red leash dragging through the snow behind him.
Connor swung forward. With his head and hands between his legs, he reached for the leash and caught the end of it. Comet kept going, jerking the leash out of Connor’s hand. The momentum pulled Connor’s hands two inches too far. He did a somersault, landing on his back with a heavy splat, the wind knocked out of him, but not the thought that the deliverymen were moving toward the gate and Comet was loose.