Love and Mistletoe Read Free

when Sharon and Wiggly Poo returned from their outside adventure, wet and bedraggled.
    “I don’t know what caused the noise. The animals all seem fine.” She leaned over her friend’s shoulder and sniffed the air. “Divine. What scent combo are you making?”
    “Lemongrass and lavender. We can add a little purple food dye to give it an appealing color.”
    “Sounds good. I’ll get started on the bath bombs.”
    “Woof!” Wiggly Poo was on the alert, racing to the window and jumping up to press his paws against the glass. “Woof!”
    “What’s up with him?” Naomi asked. “I didn’t hear anything.”
    Sharon’s shoulders slumped. “Feck. I hope it’s not Da. He said he wouldn’t be home until late tonight.”
    The labradoodle was growling now, the menacing sound mitigated by his cute and fluffy appearance.
    Naomi’s dark eyes widened. “Do you think there’s a pervert out there? I told you I thought someone was watching us when we were unloading the car.”
    “A wanker? He’d need to be seriously desperate to venture out on a night like this.” Wiggly Poo was growling at the window. “Oh, for feck’s sake.” Sharon marched to the window and threw it open.
    A pale face loomed before her, light blue eyes darting from side to side, panicked. “You were right, Nomes. It
is
a pervert.” Sharon crossed her arms over her bosom and grinned. “Hello, Garda Glenn.”

Chapter Two
    BRIAN STAGGERED BACK from the window ledge. His mouth moved but his brain was having trouble connecting with his tongue. The furry mutt, acknowledging him as a nonpredator, morphed from snarling antagonism to drooling delight. Its human companion leaned out of the window, wearing a fuchsia-lipsticked grin and a very low-cut top.
    He blinked and tried to focus on anything but her silky-skinned cleavage. “It’s Wiggly Poo,” he muttered, finding his voice. “I thought—”
    “That he was a savage beast terrorizing Ballybeg?” A plucked eyebrow arched above Sharon’s sparkly blue eye shadow. “Thank you for your concern, Garda Glenn. It’s comforting to know Ballybeg’s police force takes its duties so seriously. I’ll be sure to tell Bridie to make a poster warning people about the rabid labradoodle who’s liable to lick them to death.”
    Mortification burned a path up his cheeks. “We wondered if your dad was still involved in dog fighting.”
    The thin eyebrow arched even higher. “We?”
    “Evening, Ms. MacCarthy.” Seán’s voice rang across the yard. He emerged from behind the water trough and strode across the cobblestones with a swagger that Brian would love to emulate. Knowing his luck, any attempt at a swagger would result in him slipping on the slick stones and landing on his arse.
    “Sergeant Mackey.” A stiffness had entered Sharon’s tone. She didn’t like Seán. Brian had gotten that vibe off her before but didn’t assume her preference for him over his partner was a compliment. More than likely, she took Seán’s position as police sergeant seriously, whereas she regarded Brian as a massive joke.
    His partner stopped before the window, exuding charm and authority in equal measure. “Garda Glenn and I took a stroll and heard barking. We thought we’d come up and investigate.” He flashed an ingratiating smile, but the effect was lost on Sharon.
    “No way could you have heard Wiggly Poo from the road. Besides”—she gestured toward Brian’s neck—“binoculars? Hello? You two must take me for an eejit.”
    “Busted,” Seán said, nonplussed. “We came up here to check on suspicious activity. Didn’t we, Garda Glenn?”
    “Like what?” Sharon’s gaze roved between them, settling on Brian’s still-burning face. “Two women hanging out on a Saturday night?”
    “We thought—” Brian caught Seán’s warning glance. “Okay,
I
thought… you and Naomi were talking in the pub about manufacturing product.”
    Her thickly lashed eyes widened, and her expression turned to granite.