by
B.C. Deeks
A
heartwarming, holiday-themed story from the FROST FAMILY &
FRIENDS SERIES.
What readers are saying:
“I
am loving reading these books about the Frost family. It's a little
mystery, a little romance and a lot family.”
“...it's a
great story... FOR ANYTIME READING."
“Although
these are Christmas stories, they CAN BE ENJOYED ANY TIME OF YEAR.”
Rumor has it a contest will be coming soon! Stay tuned!
Abstract:
Police Officer Joey Frost has her hands
full this Christmas in Carol Falls, Vermont. A vandal is painting the
town red, green and every color in between, plus someone left baby
Holly in the manger of the town’s Nativity display and no one has a
clue where her mother is. But Joey can handle it all . . . until a
snow storm blows Noel “Fletch” Fletcher back to town.
Joey and Fletch have a
history. But he’s no longer the cute boy who kissed–and–dismissed
her in high school. He’s grown into a dangerously attractive
man—who also nabbed the promotion Joey was gunning for. When the
Police Chief assigns them to work together, Fletch’s “by–the–book”
law enforcement style is almost as irritating as the resurfacing of
their old attraction. Is Fletch trying to distract her from her
career aspirations? Or is true love going to be her surprise
Christmas gift this year?
Excerpt:
Officer
Joey Frost raised her voice to be heard over the noise of the wind
tunneling through the bridge structure. “Town’s secure and
deserted. I’m heading out to check conditions on the highway.”
“Ten–four.”
Only an idiot would be out on a night
like this, but she’d learned that skiers didn’t always assess
risk at the same level as ordinary people. Which was why she would
take this risk at least as far as the ramp to I–89.
As the minutes ticked by, the strong
gusts howled down the open highway nearly blowing her vehicle off the
road as they whipped past her. She rolled her fingers on the wheel to
ease their stiffness and squinted at the black ribbon extending into
the darkness ahead of her. It made her feel like she was launching
into outer space. Her back and neck were beyond pain from the long,
tough shift and her head screamed at her to call it a night. She was
ready to listen when a shadow streaked into the road ahead and froze
in the beam of her headlights. Two red eyes glared at her.
Joey jumped on her brakes, fishtailing
despite her slow speed. Her heart pounded for a few seconds and then
settled. When the animal didn’t move, she rolled the patrol car to
the shoulder, and carefully stepped out. Sleet shocked the warm skin
of her cheeks, like the simultaneous stabbing of hundreds of sharp
pins. In one smooth movement, she pushed her parka out of the way and
unsnapped the holster on her duty belt. She approached the animal
with her hand poised over the butt of her weapon. In weather like
this, it could be a coyote looking for prey. The pack might not be
far behind.
She squinted as she closed in on it,
and finally determined it was definitely a dog. A Labrador retriever,
maybe with some border collie mixed in. And the poor thing was wet,
and very cold from the way it was shivering. A chilled cloud formed
when she puffed out the breath she’d been holding.
“What are you doing out here tonight,
buddy?”
The poor beast sat on its hind haunches
and hung its head in misery. She could sympathize as the tip of her
nose tingled, warning her it was about to freeze. The dog was almost
all black, although some patches of his wet fur had frozen into gray
clumps. Ignoring the discomfort, Joey dropped to a crouch.
“Not feeling too happy are you,
buckaroo,” she said softly. If her brothers saw her now, they’d
kill her for taking such a chance, but she had a feeling about this
furry guy. “If you’re cold, I have a nice warm car over there
with a blanket to curl up on.” Normally, she’d report the
sighting to Animal Control in Waterbury, but they wouldn’t come to
Carol Falls in this weather. She couldn’t leave it to die from the
elements. Or worse, risk an accident the next time it ran onto the
road.
The dog inched forward and offered his
paw. She shook it and then rubbed his ears, and finally, slid one
hand down his neck to look for a collar. No luck, he’d slipped it
in a moment of foolhardiness or was another dumped dog. People
thought they could abandon a domestic animal in the country and
they’d somehow return to the wild. Most times, they didn’t
survive.
“Okay, buddy boy. Let’s get out of
this weather.” She eased to her feet. “Come!” she commanded.
The dog didn’t need a second
invitation to settle into her heated vehicle. By the time, she was
behind the wheel again, he had rearranged the woolen emergency
blanket, which she’d spread out to protect the back seat upholstery
from his wet coat, into a cozy nest and fallen into an exhausted
sleep.
Poor baby. She wondered if her mother
would be willing to take in another one for the holidays. Although
Sylvia Frost wasn’t allergic to human babies, the canine variety
was another matter. Thinking of babies, of course, reminded her she’d
recently missed out on the biggest case to hit Carol Falls—well,
ever. “Figures, stray dogs are all that show up when I’m on
duty.”
She glanced back at the sleeping mutt.
“No slight intended, big guy.”
With her focus back on the road, she
continued to vent to her new partner. “I leave town for a training
course and suddenly an infant shows up in the manger of a nativity
scene. On my family’s farm, no less.” She’d laugh if the
disappointment wasn’t still so fresh.
Frosty Frolics was the town’s
kick–off event for the Christmas holidays, and was hosted by her
family at the Frost Family Maple Syrup Farm. The event two weeks ago
had been the first one to ever feature a live—and totally
unexpected—infant in the manger. Another police officer, Erik
Wedge, caught the case that night. He’d arranged with state family
services for the baby to stay at the farm with her parents, under
foster care, over the holidays. All before she got home from her
training course. She was going to be really ticked if that case gave
him an edge over her for the promotion to the new deputy chief
position when, and if, the funding ever came through.
Joey allowed herself one heartfelt
sigh, and pushed it from her mind so she could concentrate on her
driving. She didn’t get far before the headlights again caught
something in their beam—this time on the side of the road ahead.
Flipping on the flashers, she coasted
along the shoulder until she was close enough to confirm a
dark–colored sedan angled in the ditch with its front wheel up to
the axle in snow and mud. Was this where the dog had come from? Was
the owner hurt? After a quick radio call to report her location, she
was out of the patrol car, using her flashlight to scan the area for
signs of life, human or wild. No movement inside the car, as far as
she could see. Hopefully the driver hadn’t disregarded the cardinal
rule of survival—never leave your vehicle—and wandered off
looking for help. If so, in a storm like this, whoever it was would
be an ice cube by now. She picked up her pace but that didn’t mean
much when she had to fight the suction of the ankle–deep snow
pulling on her boots.
Suddenly, a series of colorful
profanities exploded from the car’s rear. The driver, looking more
like a black bear due to his heavy winter parka, popped into view and
threw an evergreen bough off to the side. He must’ve been trying to
use it for traction. At least, he’d had the sense to dress for the
severe weather. Joey stopped in her tracks, clutching the flashlight
more tightly. She pulled her scarf away from her mouth and yelled for
his attention, “Carol Falls Police. Do you need assistance?” The
wind snatched her words before they reached the stranger. She trudged
forward as he leaned into the wind and worked his way around the
uphill side of his car. When they were a couple of feet apart, and he
still hadn’t looked up, she waved her arms to get his attention,
afraid he’d bump right into her.
He immediately caught her movement and
closed the rest of the distance. Even face to face, she couldn’t
see his features with his head buried deep inside his hood. He tried
to say something but she still couldn’t hear over the howling
storm. She pointed to the patrol car.
His hood moved up and down, and he
jogged back to pull a large canvas duffle bag from the trunk of his
car. Despite the slippery footing, he moved with surprising agility
for such a big guy—over six feet tall by several inches and with
broad shoulders—even allowing for the bulk of his outerwear.
She took the lead back to the patrol
car, following the path left by her earlier footprints. After her
first few steps, it occurred to her that her back seat, where she’d
normally put a passenger, was already occupied by the dog, who might
be dangerous if disturbed. If it was his dog, it would be okay but
she couldn’t be sure of that at this point.
She considered her options as she
listened to the stranger’s footsteps crunching through the snow
behind her, closing the distance. If he’d wanted to highjack her
car, he would have tackled her by now, she decided, although she’d
keep her guard up. When she popped the trunk for him to stow his
gear, she noticed his parka and the canvas bag were military issue.
He might have survived the storm without her help.
Once she was back in the driver’s
seat, she stretched across the bench seat to push open the passenger
door. The dog sat up and barked, probably saying, Forget him. Turn on
the darn heat.
Good idea. She unwound her scarf,
pushed back the hood of her parka, jammed the keys into the ignition
and got the engine going. Even in the short period she’d been out
of the vehicle, the outside temperature had dropped the interior
temperature below freezing again. A thin layer of frost coated the
inside of the windshield.
She felt the seat sink as the stranger
got in with a heavy sigh, so she turned to get a good look at him. He
raised his hand, pushed off his hood.
Joey choked. “Fletch?”
She hadn’t seen him for ten years,
but he didn’t appear much different. His hair was shorter, but the
same ink black of her memory. And that aquiline nose and strong jaw
were unmistakable. But the lines etched on his forehead and around
that beautiful mouth, hadn’t been there before. Evidence of a
harsher life, telling of things he’d seen and done since leaving
Carol Falls that had seasoned him. It made her want to ask him about
that life, where he’d been, had he thought about her at all.
His startling, glacier–blue eyes
scanned her face, widened, and she caught a flash of something more
than recognition in them. “Hi, Joey. It’s been a long time.”
Yes, it had been a long time. What was
he doing in Carol Falls now? Joey wasn’t sure she was ready for the
answer. Maybe she should have left him and his car stuck in that
snowdrift.
THE HOLLY & THE IVY is
one of several titles in the sweet romantic mystery series, FROST
FAMILY & FRIENDS by C. J. Carmichael, Roxy Boroughs, and B. C.
Deeks. Available at www.amazon.com.
About B.C. Deeks
B.C. Deeks writes
cozy mysteries laced with romance and a special kind of magic,
including The Holly & The Ivy (Frost Family & Friends)
and Witch in the Wind. All authors’ profits from
the sale of Stories of Chance Romance, another sweet romance
anthology written with Roxy Boroughs, are donated to advance the
treatment of breast cancer.
Brenda is a recognized
speaker and much quoted expert on business issues for writers, an
award-winning technical writer, and has been published in numerous
industry trade publications, such as Writers Market.
For upcoming titles, visit
www.bcdeeks.com.
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