Read Online Wicked Wonderland by Luann McLane - Free Book Online Page A

ruffle brushing up against the hardwood floor. Draperies of the same shade hung from copper curtain rods that matched the ornate headboard.A nightstand with log legs drew Claire’s attention and she discovered that the rustic wooden armoire was actually an entertainment center hiding a television. The pieces were rough-hewn but artfully designed, making Claire wonder if Jesse also handcrafted furniture. The dresser drawers were empty, not that it mattered, she thought with a wry grin.
    After placing her purse on the nightstand, Claire opened the door to the bathroom and smiled again. Everything was modern but vintage-style, from the pedestal sink to the high-tank toilet. But when she turned and spotted the double-slipper claw-foot bathtub, she put her hands to her chest. “Oh, absolutely amazing!” She hurried over to the freestanding faucet and admired the porcelain details on the hand shower and immediately felt the desire for a long, soothing bubble bath with soft music and flickering candles. She wondered whether she should ask Jesse if he had any votives, but as soon as his name skittered through her brain, she envisioned him lounging in the tub, cowboy hat tilted back, a longneck dangling from his fingers, and the need for his back to be scrubbed, and then maybe his chest, and then . . .
    “Oh, stop!” Closing her eyes, Claire inhaled a deep breath and blew it out. Just thinking about Jesse brought a heated flush to her face, and she put her cool hands on her warm cheeks and groaned. Leave it to her to finally find a man who could make her melt like butter on a hot biscuit and have him live hundreds of miles away.
    But she pushed that thought aside and, as promised, found everything she needed in the medicine cabinet. After washing her face and brushing her teeth, she headed back into the bedroom, clicking on the cute little lamp perched on the nightstand before she turned off the overhead light. She slipped beneath the crisp sheet and pulled the cozy down comforter up to her chin and sighed. “The day started off pretty normal,” she murmured, and then shook her head in wonder. Although her work as a stylist was fast-paced and hectic, her social life was pretty low-key. Stuff like this just didn’t happen to her. Claire smiled slowly. It was about time she added an adventure to her predictable life. But her smile faded when she looked at her purse and thought about her cell phone tucked inside. Claire considered calling her sister, Chloe, but then sighed. She had talked to Chloe and her mother just this morning, so they wouldn’t be worried as of yet. But soon she would have to break her snowbound news to them all. “That is not going to be fun.”
    Another sigh escaped Claire as she leaned her head back against the squishy feather pillow. She folded her hands above the blanket and glanced around. She simply could not tell her protective parents that she was stranded in a remote mountain cabin with a complete stranger. Claire imagined the National Guard swarming in helicopters or a SWAT team perched in the trees. Oh, this isn’t going to be good. While nibbling on her inner cheek, Claire contemplated the situation and then suddenly snapped her fingers. She was sleeping in a bed and Jesse promised a hot breakfast. . . . She was staying at a bed-and-breakfast! “Yes!” she said, and in the still of the night her voice seemed to ring out. “Oh no,” she squeaked with a wince, and put a hand over her mouth, hoping Jesse didn’t hear her silly outburst. With that thought, she quickly turned off the light. “Oh . . . no,” she repeated in a much lower tone. It was dark. No, not just dark.
    Pitch. Black. Dark.
    And oh so very quiet.
    Claire swallowed hard and brought the blanket all the way up to her nose, as if the fluffy feather comforter would somehow shield her from things that go bump in the night....
    Ahhhhhhoooooh!
    Oh crap— correction . Things that howl in the night and maybe go bump, too. When