Bah! Humbug - A Jeff Resnick Story Read Free Page B

You might just be
better off without me.”
    “ But I think I love
you.”
    That would never be good enough for her
close-knit family. With a failed marriage behind her, Maggie
already had a blemished record where men where concerned.
    “ I love you, too, but—”
They were never going to accept me, and shoving that fact down her
throat on Christmas Day was too cruel for even me to
attempt.
    “ Can someone drive you back
to Richard’s to pick up your car?”
    “ I’m coming back with you
now.”
    “ No, you’re not. That’ll
just put a bigger wedge between you and your family and I don’t
want that for you. Sandy and Dave live in Tonawanda, don’t they?
That’s not too far from Richard’s house.”
    “ But—”
    “ Go on. Go back in. Smooth
things over. It’ll be okay.”
    But instead of retreating, she shuffled
through the inch or so of new snow and threw herself into my arms,
swamping me with a tsunami of emotions: love, shame, and pride all
rolled together in an almost overwhelming amalgam.
    “ I’m so ashamed,” she
sobbed into my shoulder. “How could my family let me down like
this?”
    “ They’re just worried about
you being with someone like me.” And probably with
reason.
    She held onto me with fierce determination. “I love
you,” she asserted, and yet this thing inside me that could tap
into others’ emotions told me she really wasn’t sure what she felt.
Oh yeah, she felt some kind of affection, but deep down love? No,
she just wasn’t sure.
    And why should she?
    I kissed the top of her head, then pushed
her away. “You’re shivering. Go back inside. If you want to come
back to my place later, I’ll wait for you. If not … that’s okay,
too.”
    “ I’ll be there. You can’t
keep me away.”
    Yeah, but how much longer would she feel
that way? Irene held much more influence over her than Maggie
realized. I pulled her close again, hoped I imparted some of my
warmth. “I love you, Maggs.”
    “ I love you,
too.”
    She didn’t. Yet. Maybe never. But that was
okay. I could accept it.
    At least for now.

    ABOUT THE AUTHOR

    A native of Rochester, NY, L.L. Bartlett honed her
characterization and plotting skills as a frequent writer for
romance magazines and was a finalist in the St. Martin’s/Malice
Domestic contest for best first novel.

    In addition to the Jeff Resnick Mysteries, Bartlett
also writes the New York Times bestselling and Agatha-nominated
Booktown Mysteries series under the name Lorna Barrett.

    Bartlett’s Victoria Square Mystery Series will debut
in February of 2011.

    Visit her website at: www.LLBartlett.com

    (You can also find her on Facebook, Myspace, and
Twitter.)

    Also By . . .

    L.L. Bartlett
    The Jeff Resnick Mysteries
    Murder on the Mind (2005)
    Dead in Red (2008)
    Cheated by Death (2010)
    Short Stories
    Cold Case (A Jeff Resnick Story)
    Abused: A Daughter’s Story

    Lorraine Bartlett
    The Victoria Square Mysteries
    A Crafty Killing (2011)
    The Walled Flower (2012)
    Short Stories
    We’re So Sorry, Uncle Albert
    Only Skin Deep
What I Did For Love

    Lorna Barrett
    The Booktown Mysteries
    Murder is Binding (2008)
    Bookmarked for Death (2009)
    Bookplate Special (2009)
    Chapter & Hearse (2010)
    Sentenced to Death (2011)
    Murder on the Half Shelf (2012)

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