Read Online Christmas Retreat by Rachel Maldonado - Free Book Online

 
     
     
    Christmas Retreat
     
     
     
    Rachel Maldonado
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Copyright © Rachel Maldonado November 2015.
    All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or by any means, without the prior written permission of Rachel Maldonado, except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages in a review to be printed in a newspaper, magazine, or journal. Please be aware that downloading an e-book from an illegal site is a crime.
     
    This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Acknowledgments
     
     
     
    Thank you to my wonderful parents for their love and support. Mom and Dad, I love you.
     
    Thank you to my wife, Vanessa, for believing in me and allowing me to follow my dream of writing full time. You are my everything.
     
    Thank you to R. M. Sullivan and her spouse Debbie for their help in proofreading, editing, and formatting. You're both great friends.
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Dedication
     
     
     
    For my sweet wife, Vanessa, because meeting you changed my life forever. I love you to the moon and back.
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
                  “Did you pack your lingerie?” asked Baxter as she watched Sidney walk back and forth from the dresser to her duffel bags on the bed. She sat down on the bed and took a bite of a red delicious apple.
                  “No, why would I need to pack lingerie? I'm taking pajamas. I'm going into the hill country with about a dozen other women for a retreat.”
                  “Exactly! A dozen other women. Hello. You want to look sexy when you're all snuggled up in front of the fireplace or having some type of slumber party. You don't want to rock out in your PJ's and granny panties.”
                  Sidney laughed. Jenny Baxter could somehow always make her laugh. They had been roommates nearly a year and they had seen each other go through many dates. Sidney never once wondered why Baxter never took interest in her. She figured she must not be her type.
                  “Well, what have you got packed?” asked Sidney curiously, as she shoved some socks and underwear in her bag.
                  “I'm only taking one bag. I packed underclothes, blouses, an extra pair of shoes, and some jeans. My bag is by the door. I packed last night.”
                  “I appreciate you going to this retreat with me. It really was a good idea, you know, since we couldn't make it home for Christmas this year.”
                  “Yeah, well. I have good ideas sometimes. It was cheaper than flights home that's for sure,” said Baxter as she took another bite of her apple.
                  Sidney shoved some jeans in her duffel bag and zipped up the bag. “Do you have the directions written down?”
                  “Nope, but I already checked MapQuest and entered the address into the GPS. We're good to go. The cabin is only about two and a half hours away. We'll be there in no time.”
                  Sidney grabbed her bag and placed it by the door with Baxter's. “Yeah? Do you know anyone else that's going?”
                  Baxter took the last bite of her apple and tossed the core into a nearby trashcan. “No, not really. I was sent a list of women the other day in my email, but I haven't really looked through it. I'll print it out so you can see it.” She rose from the bed and went into her bedroom. She walked back into the room a few minutes later with a print out of the list of women.