Read Online Christmas Steele by Vanessa Gray Bartal - Free Book Online Page A

her grandfather’s ladder from
the garage with a pang of longing. Lacy had only been twelve when
he died, which wasn’t nearly enough time to get to know him
properly, but she had loved him nonetheless, and been as close to
him as she could be. Touching something that had once been his made
her feel closer to him. She tried to channel his courage as she
positioned the ladder and ascended, pushing hard on the heavy attic
door.
    Unfortunately, straining against the door
caused the ladder to begin to buckle. Belatedly, Lacy realized she
hadn’t properly secured the hinges so it would stay open. The first
hint of instability had caused it to fold in on itself. Lacy began
to topple, leaping desperately toward the now-open attic. She
caught the edge of the attic doorframe with both hands, heaving
herself into the ceiling in a graceful move that was generally
beyond her skills. Maybe emergencies made her athletic. Whatever
the reason, she was thankful as she lay on the itchy insulation,
breathing hard and trying to calm her frantic heartbeat. Then she
remembered the spiders and jumped up again, almost landing between
the rafters. She caught the overhead rafter and pulled her foot
back, placing it on a beam instead of the thin plaster beneath the
insulation.
    “Holy cow,” she exclaimed, standing still an
instant as she once again tried to regain her equilibrium. This was
why she had wanted Tosh to retrieve the tree for her, because there
was more danger involved than just the spiders. Belatedly all of
her father’s warnings about the attic came back to haunt her.
    Ladders are dangerous, Lacy. I don’t want you
playing on them. The insulation isn’t good for you to breathe; you
have to watch where you step or you could come crashing through the
ceiling.
    “Why couldn’t you have remembered all that
before you thought it was a good idea to come up here?” she
chastised herself. Scanning the small space, she saw the cardboard
box that contained the Christmas tree. It was resting on two
rafters, and it looked large and heavy. “Great,” she muttered. “How
am I ever going to get that down?”
    Since she was trapped, she might as well make
her time worthwhile. She began picking her way across the room,
being careful to only step on the rafters. At last she reached the
tree and began arduously dragging it back toward the opening.
    After what seemed like forever, she was
dusty, itchy, tired, and ready to be done with the attic. She had
at last dragged the cumbersome tree to the attic’s edge, and now
she faced the tricky problem of trying to get out. At least she had
her cell phone, something she had absently tucked in her pocket
before ascending the ladder. Now she pulled it out and crouched
toward the opening, hoping for a better signal.
    Her grandparents didn’t have a cell phone, so
she tried her parents and reached their voicemail. Next she tried
Tosh, but there was no answer there, either. She left him a message
and tried her last resort. Jason, of course, picked up on the first
ring.
    “Are you working?” she asked.
    “What’s wrong?” he said.
    “Why does something have to be wrong?” she
asked, peeved that his automatic assumption was that she was in a
bind, which she was.
    “Because I know you and I can hear it in your
voice. What is it?”
    “I’m stuck in the attic.”
    “You’re…how did you…never mind. I’m just
getting off work. I’ll be over in a few. Is the door unlocked?”
    “I don’t know; if it’s not then you can use
the key under the mat.”
    He sighed. “Would it do any good if I once
again told you what a bad idea it is to keep a key under the
mat?”
    “No,” she said.
    “Didn’t think so. Hold tight….You’re not
literally holding tight, are you? Like dangling from a window sill
or something?”
    “Of course not,” she said.
    “Okay. I’ll be there in a few.” They
disconnected and she perched on the edge of the attic opening, her
feet dangling through the hole. She