Read Online Save Me, Santa: A Chirstmas Anthology of Romance & Suspense by Rita Herron, Lois Lavrisa, Nina Bruhns, Ann Charles, Patricia Mason - Free Book Online

too.”
    “It’s not their responsibility. Momma left the place to me.”
    “She didn’t expect you to chain yourself to it.”
    “It’s been in our family since this town was founded over a century ago. You don’t just walk away from that.”
    “Excuses.”
    I growled, pushing away from the desk, needing the room between us to hold my ground. “What was I supposed to do, Joel? Just drop everything in my life to follow you like a puppy, happy for any bits of attention you gave to me?”
    “No.” His gaze bore into mine, all traces of humor and lust tempered. “You were supposed to ask me not to go.”
    Huh? That stole the wind from my world, my tumbleweed of frustration rolling to a stop. “And if I had?”
    He shrugged. “I would have stayed.”
    My mouth fell open. “So this was all some big test?”
    “No test. I was tired of running in place. It was change.”
    I threw my hands up. “Well, you got your change, didn’t you? Was it as good for you as it was for me?”
    He bridged the distance between us in three long strides, catching my hand, tugging me toward him. “A little birdie told me you’re going home alone every night.”
    He had me so discombobulated that I let him pull me into his arms. “Tell your brother to mind his own goddamned business. He doesn’t know everything that happens in this town.”
    “Are you sleeping with someone?”
    “Maybe.”
    “Your pants are on fire.”
    He tended to have that effect on the lower half of my body. “Joel, you can’t just come back here and expect me to fall into your arms.”
    “Don’t fall then.” He leaned in close, his lips even closer. “Walk.”
    I almost danced to his snake charms again. “Stop it.” I nudged him aside and yanked open the door, escaping down the hall toward the bar.
    “Montana,” he called. “Come back to me.”
    “You need to leave,” I yelled back. If he didn’t, I might do something stupid and tell him how much I still loved him.
    “I’m not leaving without you.”
    I shoved out into the dark room and was halfway along the front of the bar toward the door before I fully registered that the lights were off—all of them, even the beer lights I usually left on in the windows.
    “Buff?” My boot toe connected with what felt like a rolled up carpet on the floor. I stumbled to my knees, my hand coming down in something warm, wet, slippery. “What the hell?”
    “Hi, Montana,” a scratchy voice said in the darkness. Fear spider-crawled up my spine. “Aren’t you going to welcome me home, baby?”
    I gasped, my heart hurtling into a full-on panic. My ex was here, waiting for me in the darkness. I shouldn’t have left my shotgun at home.
    “Sweetheart, I’m serious,” Joel said from the swinging doors. “I want you to come with—”
    “Joel, watch out!” I yelled. Then a shot rang out over my head.
    “No!” Scrambling, I tried to get to my feet and run to Joel, but I slipped on the wet floor.
    A volley of gunshots blasted around me as I fell, my shoulder exploding in pain, my head connecting with a stool on the way down. The crack echoed through my skull…
    * * *
    Goldwash, Nevada
    December 24th
    On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me…
    “Would you turn off that Christmas crap and help me clean up all this beer?” I said, throwing a wet rag at my cousin Buffalo as he nursed his drink at the end of the bar.
    Buffalo caught the rag mid-air. “Jeez, Montana, can’t you let a man enjoy a nostalgic moment? Where’s your holiday spirit?”
    “I think your dog ate it.” I dragged a bucket of sudsy water over, pulling the stools out on each side of Buffalo, and mopped up the beer pooled there. The clinical, ammonia-heavy odor from the mop bucket blocked out any yeasty whiffs of beer.
    “Leave Brunhilda out of this.” Buffalo reached down and scratched his bulldog between her fake reindeer antlers.
    “I’d like to, but her fat butt is in my way.” I nudged her with the toe of my