She lifted the top flap on one of the boxes stacked in front of the tree that she knew was filled with an assortment of ornaments and peered inside. They were going to need some tall ladders to hang anything on the upper third of the branches. And if Lucia had something creative planned to decorate the tops, Cat wondered how she intended to accomplish it without the aid of a forklift.
“I decided we’re having a tree-decorating party tonight,” Eliana pronounced, as she whisked into the lobby from the hallway and into the library like a high-end Ferrari with its engine still purring. “When I saw those two hunks from the tree farm delivering these behemoths this morning, I thought, what a perfect excuse for a party.”
“I didn’t realize you needed an excuse,” Marcella, who sat on one of the library couches, glanced up and said, then continued arranging silver and gold ornamental balls in a large, sparkling glass bowl on the coffee table.
Cat chuckled. It was true. El never needed much of a reason to organize a get-together, and in this case, Caterina liked the idea. It would make the job of decorating go much quicker, and it would be a chance to get together with some friends she hadn’t seen in a while at a festive time of year.
“I missed the hunks,” Cat said. “Maybe you can invite them back for the party. We’re probably going to need some strong arms to steady the trees when Lucia tries to scale the trunks to get up to the tops, so she can decorate them.”
Eliana gave a shout of laughter. “Like Lucia would ever attempt anything like that. She’ll send Marcella up. She’s the nature child.” She turned toward their sister. “Didn’t you win some tree-climbing thing at that summer camp we went to for a couple of years when we were kids, Cel? The monkey challenge or something?”
“Yeah,” Marcella said drolly. “The same year you won the award for the most prepubescent eyelash batting when in the presence of boys.”
Eliana fluttered her lashes. “Practice, darling. You might want to try it sometime. You might be surprised how many men will start opening doors for you with just a glance.”
“I’ll keep that in mind in case my arms suddenly become useless and I can’t open them for myself, thanks.” Marcella rolled her eyes at El, but they both laughed.
“Okay, seriously,” Eliana said, “I’m going to start texting people. Should I tell them to come over around five or six?”
“Say six.” Caterina pulled her phone out of her back pocket and clicked on her contact list. “I’ll make some hearty appetizers, enough that people can make a meal of them, and I’ve got some desserts leftover from Thanksgiving in the freezer that I can thaw. There are a few people in my contacts who’d probably come on short notice if they don’t already have plans.”
She turned to Marcella. “Do you have anyone to add to the list?”
Marcella gave her a look.
“Okay, silly question,” Cat said, “but don’t think you’re going to sneak off to your room and read. It’s a family tradition to decorate the trees together.”
“It’s not like anyone would notice if I ducked out after things got going.”
“We’d notice,” Eliana said.
“Okay fine, I’ll be there. I’ll even take care of the wine if you tell me what you’re going to make, Cat.”
“What’s going on?” Lucia asked as she strode into the library.
“We’re planning a tree-decorating party for tonight,” Caterina said. “El’s idea.”
“Sounds like fun. If we’re able to get the trees decorated tonight, that would free up the rest of the weekend for other stuff we need to take care of. I’ll see if Jenna and Rus can come, and if it’s okay, I’ll see if there’s anyone Antonio wants to invite.”
“We can use all the help we can get,” Eliana said. “And if he knows any big, strong men, tell him to call them and bribe them with beer or something.”
Lucia and Eliana agreed that they’d give Caterina a head count no later than three, so she could plan how much food to make. They all knew there’d be extra for late responders or the unexpected tagalong. No one would care, and if they ended up having too much, they could eat the leftovers over the weekend.
“Hey, Cat,” Lucia asked as the four of them sat on the library floor unpacking the boxes of decorations, “how’s your research going? Have you learned anything interesting about Rosa?”
“No, not a lot. I found birth and death records for her and her parents and a record of Rosa and Gino’s marriage. That’s all public record stuff, so nothing significant. I also found a couple of newspaper stories about the murder. And I started a family tree. Anne, one of the librarians at the Purcellville branch, has been helping me out. She suggested doing one to see where it might lead.”
Eliana dug into a box and pulled out a square red tin decorated with poinsettias. “Did you tell her you’re researching a ghost?”
“No. I just told her I wanted to find out more about our ancestors since they built the original house where we live. She’s been very helpful so far. I don’t want to give her a reason to start avoiding me.”
“You never know. She might find it interesting. Oh! Look!” Eliana held up a frosted white glass angel with glittering wings. “I’ve always loved these. I think they’re my favorites.”
Marcella shifted beside Cat, then said, “Rosa paid Cat another visit a few weeks ago.”
Caterina elbowed her twin. She hadn’t told Lucia or Eliana about being locked in her bedroom with Liam. They didn’t know anything about the kiss he had to give her, so Rosa would set him free. And they knew nothing of the one Marcella had walked in on that had Cat’s mind locked in a continuous loop of torment over her increasingly confused feelings about him.
“I seriously believe when she started messing with me it was because she wanted to get me and Antonio together. I don’t know why, but looking back, it sure seems that way. But why do you think she’s been singling you out lately?” Lucia asked.
“I have no idea,” Cat said, “but if she’s trying to play matchmaker between me and Liam, she’s set herself an impossible task!”
“Why would you think Liam has anything to do with it?” Lucia asked.
“Because she locked the two of them in Cat’s bedroom together,” Marcella said.
Caterina rolled her eyes. You never handed her sisters a bone. They’d chew it, and chew it, until they got to the marrow, every time.
“Well, that sounds familiar.” Lucia scrutinized her a moment. “When she locked Antonio and me in the kitchen, she wouldn’t let us out until I agreed to hear him out…” Her mouth curved dreamily. “And you all know where that led.”
“So, why’d Rosa lock you and Liam in your room?” Eliana asked. “And more importantly, what did you have to do to get her to let you out?”
There was no hope for it, Cat knew. They weren’t going to drop it until they got all the details, so she told them.
“Oh my God, that hunk of gorgeous man kissed you!” Eliana stared at Caterina in expectation.
“Twice,” her traitorous twin said from beside her. “I found them locking lips in the lobby the day before Thanksgiving.”
Cat scowled at Marcella. “Thanks, Benedict Arnold. If I’d wanted the world to know, I would have posted it on Facebook.”
“We’re not the world, Cat. We’re your sisters, and it’s only right that we should know when you’re getting involved with someone.” Lucia pulled a pretty, floral box out of the cardboard one she’d been going through. “What if we didn’t approve of him? I do, by the way, in case you were wondering, and it appears Rosa does too.”
Caterina shook her head forcefully. “Just stop right there, before any of you blow this out of proportion. Liam and I are not involved! He doesn’t even like me!” She pushed her fingers through her hair and sighed. “The kiss meant nothing.”
“Kisses,” Marcella said.
Cat groaned and threw her twin a scowl. “Kisses. The kisses meant nothing. The first was because Rosa held the man hostage. He had no choi
ce. And the second…that was…I don’t know, a mistake. One he’s probably been beating himself up over since it happened.”
Her sisters regarded her with varying degrees of humor. Obviously, they didn’t believe her. They were wrong. Even if her feelings toward Liam had softened after meeting Riley and learning he was a single father, Cat doubted he’d ever change his opinion of her enough that they could even be friends—forget anything more. And nothing she, her sisters, or the dead might want would make a difference.
Eliana tossed the ornament she’d been holding from one hand to the other. “I’ve got a feeling that things around here are going to get much more interesting.” She grinned broadly. “And I can’t wait to see how they unfold.”
“MISS CAT!”
Caterina spun around. She froze when she saw Riley standing on the other side of the library. Beside her, holding the girl’s hand, stood Liam.
She felt a rush of excitement. Desire. She couldn’t deny it, so she silently cursed it. Would she never learn? Was it her curse to be attracted to men who were all wrong for her?
Liam had begun to monopolize her thoughts. She tried not to think about him, but it did no good. Wonderings about him always crept back in—a burglar, stealing into her dreams, picking the lock to the secret stash of her desires, revealing what she’d sought to keep hidden from him.
He stirred up every longing she’d tried to suffocate in her treacherous body. Sparked a restless craving that begged for the satisfaction of his touch. Insanity, yes, but she didn’t seem to have any control over it—and by the way, why the hell was he here?
Riley smiled and waved, as if she was excited to see her, and Cat’s heart melted. How could it not? The child was adorable and sweet, and during the short amount of time they’d spent together, she and Riley had formed an affectionate bond.
This was supposed to have been a fun night, but Liam’s presence put her on edge. That was no excuse to ignore Riley, though. She was just a kid, and Cat had an especially soft spot for children.
She walked across the room. She could put her feelings about Liam aside long enough to say hello to his daughter. She would even, for Riley’s sake, try to play nice with him.
“Hi, Riley. What a nice surprise to see you again.” Cat gave the girl an affectionate smile, one that required no forcing. “Did you come to help decorate our trees?”
Riley nodded. “We never went to a tree party before. Daddy said I might be able to help put things on the tree.”
“Absolutely. In fact, I need someone to be in charge of hanging the candy canes. They can’t be hung too high because next Thursday there will be a lot of kids coming here for an open house, and they all get to take a candy cane home. Some of the kids will be little, like one or two, and they won’t be able to get one if they’re too high.”
Cat rubbed a finger over her chin while looking at Riley. “It’s a big job. We have two trees and over a hundred candy canes to hang, but if you think you could handle it, it would be a huge help.”
“I can do it,” Riley assured her with a confident nod. “And I promise I won’t hang them too high.”
“Super!” Cat reached out and gave Riley’s shoulder a light squeeze. “There are a couple of other children around your age here tonight, and I’ll bet some of them would have fun helping you.”
Riley gave her father a big-toothed grin. “I’m going to be in charge of the candy canes, Daddy. It’s kind of important, so maybe you can take a picture on your phone, so we can look at it later.”
“I think I’ll do that.” Liam winked at her, a playful gesture that didn’t fit the image Caterina had cast him in.
Who was this doting, loving father? This man with a teasing side, who read his daughter bedtime stories and strutted like a peacock to amuse her. Caterina wondered.
Realizing her mouth had drifted open, she snapped it shut. Liam looked at her. For a moment, she just stared at him and then acknowledged him for the first time that evening with a head nod. “Liam,” she said.
He glanced at Riley again then back to Cat. “Antonio called me this afternoon and asked if I could come over to help out tonight. He said there’d be a shortage of men, and if I could make it, he’d appreciate an extra pair of hands.”
“To do what?”
“I don’t know. He asked for help, so I came.”
Cat wondered if there was more to Antonio’s invite, especially given her conversation with her sisters earlier that day. She’d find out later, but Liam was here with his daughter, and it was supposed to be a festive event.
“Well, thanks for coming then,” she said, trying to be a cordial hostess. “I hope you both enjoy yourselves. There’s food and drinks in the solarium if you and Riley want to get something before we start on the trees.” She focused back on his daughter. “I think that’s where the other kids are too, Riley. Maybe you can introduce yourself and ask if they want to be on candy cane duty with you.”
Riley agreed happily. “Okay. Daddy said there would probably be dessert, and if there was, I could have some.”
Cat laughed. “There’s plenty of dessert, sweetheart.” She slid Liam a glance, unable to hold back a grin or hide her delight with this endearing girl. “Since your dad allows, go help yourself, and I’ll see you a little later.”
When it came time to begin decorating the trees, Lucia suggested splitting up into two groups, one to decorate the lobby tree, the other, the one in the library. She delegated Antonio to the library group and Liam to the lobby group, saying each group needed to have at least one tall, strong man on it. Then she had everyone else count off by twos.
“One,” Caterina said, when it was her turn, and narrowed her eyes at her sister when the counting concluded, and Lucia assigned all the ones to work on the lobby tree.
She sidled up to Lucia when they all went into the library to retrieve their boxes of ornaments. “That was not a coincidence,” she said under her breath. “You intentionally put me with Liam’s group.”
“There are only two groups, sis. It was a fifty-fifty chance. Don’t be such a conspiracy theorist.”
“I’m not. I know you, Luch. And I suspect you put Antonio up to calling Liam and telling him he needed his help tonight.”
“Why would I do that? Antonio doesn’t have a lot of male friends in the States yet. Is it so hard to believe he might have called Liam because he’s one of the few guys he knows well enough to invite?”
“And said he needed his help? Yes. If Antonio had just wanted to invite a friend, he’d be more likely to say something like, ‘Hey, we’re having some friends over. Why don’t you come on by?’ Telling Liam he could use another man’s help sounds more like an arm-twisting tactic to ensure he’d come. Something one of my sisters might come up with.”
“You’re so suspicious.”
Caterina smirked. “With good reason, I think.”
It didn’t turn out to be as bad as she’d anticipated. Liam and two of the other men put up the lights. Cat had to admit that his height was an advantage. They still needed an eight-foot ladder, but Liam easily attached the first strand to the very top and, with some steadying hands below to hold the ladder still, wove the lights through the upper branches without incident.
Once the lights were strung, the decorating began in earnest, with Lucia popping back and forth between the library and the lobby, giving instructions on what should go where.
With the upper third of the tree done, Liam and the two other men in their group let the women and kids take over. Caterina gave the kids a box that had unbreakable ornaments, so they could be involved in the decorating until it was time to hang the candy canes. Those that got hung right over top of another one could be moved tomorrow, when they weren’t around.
There was only one box of ornaments still to go on the lobby tree, then the kids would hang the candy canes. The last item would be the topper, which Lucia still hadn’t revealed, and which would require Liam’s help again to put on.
Cat was attaching a beautiful blue glass ornament to the tree when she heard the jingle of bells, like the ones they’d hung with a big red bow in the swag on the front door. She glanced up as the door cracked open, and a man peered inside.
She inhaled sharply and almost dropped the glass ball. There was no way anyone had invited him. No, he wasn’t welcome here, and he knew it. If she allowed Mitch to crash the party, it could only end badly.
Cat put the ornament back in its box and, hoping no one would notice, hurried toward the door. She had to stop him before he came inside. She narrowed her eyes in warning. Mitch backed up onto the porch, apparently satisfied he’d gotten her attention and succeeded in getting her to come outside.
She wouldn’t let him ruin this night for everyone. Whatever his reason for coming here, she’d deal with him and then send him on his way with the threat of a restraining order if she had to.
LIAM STOOD OFF to the side of the lobby, talking to Rus, a man about his own age, who told him he was dating one of Lucia’s friends, and another guy named Derrick, who said he was a friend of Eliana’s. He half listened to the conversation, keeping an eye on Riley, and, because he couldn’t seem to help himself, on Caterina as well.
She was so damn gorgeous. Tonight, in the company of her friends, she seemed more relaxed. She laughed a lot. He couldn’t remember ever seeing her laugh before, at least not so freely. When she did, her face could light up a room.
She’d been good with Riley. Not that he wanted to encourage a relationship between them, but Caterina seemed to genuinely like his daughter. She treated her kindly, despite how she might feel about him.
He watched as she started to hang another ornament on the tree. She looked up toward the front door and seemed to freeze a moment, then clutched the ornament as if she’d been about to drop it. She put it back in the box without hanging it and then just walked away from the tree.
Liam frowned. He cocked his head to look past her. Someone stood just beyond the door on the porch. A late arrival?
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