Bet on a Mistletoe Read Free

than worth the long
drive.
          “Richard,
can I offer you a cup of coffee or some cake? Mr. Morgan made rum raisin.” Her
mother let her go for a moment to hug Richard and give him a kiss on the cheek.
          “Oh, no, ma’am. I’m headed home. I have a full day tomorrow
and I’ll be needin’ my beauty sleep.”
          He
received a clap on his back by her father, “Early to bed and all that jazz.”
          “Yes, sir.” Richard’s eye’s seized Lorna’s from across the
room. “Well, now that you’re in safe hands, I’ll be headin’ on. I’ll make sure
your car gets here.”
          “What
happened to your car?” Her father looked at her, concern clouding his gaze.
          “Nothing, Dad. You know it gets a little cantankerous at
times.” She waved her hand hoping her father would let the conversation drop.
          She
escorted Richard to the door. “Thanks a lot.” Turning the knob she opened the
door. “For everything.”
          For a
moment, he didn’t say anything, just stared down into her face.
          “Anytime, Lorna.” Winking at her, he left.
          “Samson,
get the bags. Lorna, come up with me so we can get fresh sheets on your bed.”
Her mother stood at the base of the stairs waiting.
          “Yes, ma’am.” They traveled up to the second floor and
headed toward her bedroom.
          “Tomorrow,
when you wake, we’ll see about what’s wrong with that car.” Her dad set the
bags down by the door.
          “Don’t
worry, Dad. It just needed a rest. It will be fine in the morning.” She tried
to reassure him, even though she wasn’t sure about anything that had to do with
her life.
          “We’re
your parents. Worrying is what we do best.” Her mother chimed in.
          Knowing
it was useless to argue, Lorna remained silent as she helped her mother strip
the bed and add new linens.
          “Well,
you get a good night sleep, precious. We’ll see you in the mornin’.” Her mother
kissed her.
          Lorna
met her father halfway across the room and became the recipient of another
strong hug.
          When
they left, she closed the door and put on her nightclothes. She slipped into
bed and refused to allow herself one moment to think. Tomorrow was soon enough
to face all her fears and secrets that were following her from D.C. Snuggling
down into her blankets, her mind complied with her demand, except in one area.
Richard.
          Nothing
she told herself would remove his image from her mind. Exhausted she stopped
trying and dreamed.

Chapter Two
          Finally,
he got into bed. Thirty minutes ago he’d arrived home, took Max, his dog, out
for a walk.
          Now his companion lay curled up by the fireplace in the living
room. Richard still found it hard to believe that Lorna Morgan was back
in Carlton County. His life hadn’t been the same since she’d left their small
North Carolina town for the big city. Smiling to himself, he thought about how
interesting life in town was about to get. Closing his eyes he gave into sleep.
          He
saw Evelyn sneak into the woods alone. It was his junior year and most of the
teens hung outat the lake for spring break. Breaking away from his friends by
the bonfire he pursued his girlfriend at the time. Circling his way around the
woods his mind had conjured up a scene of a little woodland action. Locating a
decent sized tree, he hid behind it and waited for her to cross his path.
          A
twig snapped, and a few seconds later a curvaceous silhouette passed by him.
Quickly, he grabbed her and pulled the luscious body to him, walking her
backwards to the tree. The small gasp she made at his surprise was silenced by
his lips. Her lips were stiff at first, as if she
wasn’t sure ifshe was going to respond. He didn’t allow her to deny him.
Nibbling on the sides of her lip until she moaned, then he slipped his tongue
into her mouth