Love and Mistletoe Read Free Page B

explosive nor a mind-altering substance was used in their creation.” Her lips twisted into a sly grin. “You’re more than welcome to try one out in the upstairs bath. I promise I won’t peek.”
    He exhaled through his teeth, excising an erotic image of them naked in a bubble bath. “I’ll pass, thanks,” he said gloomily, seeing his longed-for promotion vanish behind a dark cloud. He’d jumped the gun. Again. Once more, it was over Sharon MacCarthy.
    Seán sniffed at a bowl containing small, purple-colored rocks. “What are these crystal things?”
    “Bath salts. We’re planning to sell them at the Christmas bazaar.” Sharon slid an amused look at Brian. “Unless the Ballybeg police force has a reasonable objection to our enterprise.”
    “We wouldn’t dream of objecting.” Seán revealed the slow, crinkly-eyed grin that had most of the female population of Ballybeg swooning.
    Sharon didn’t blink. “Are we done here? Because Naomi and I have bath bombs to bake and wine to consume.”
    “Sure.” Seán straightened and turned toward the exit. “We’ll leave you ladies to it. Right, Garda Glenn?”
    Brian opened his mouth to respond, but the sound of a car roaring into the yard sent his instincts soaring into high alert. The car door slammed, and someone stomped into the mudroom and toward the kitchen. Beneath the generous application of blusher, Sharon’s cheeks paled.
    He took a protective step nearer to her. “Who—?”
    The door swung open. Colm MacCarthy stood in the frame, wafting whiskey fumes and malevolence in equal measure. His beady, bloodshot eyes took in each of the room’s occupants and come to rest on Sharon. “What the fuck are two cops doing in my house?”
    “It’s grand, Da.” All good-natured humor had evaporated from her demeanor. “They thought they saw something suspicious in one of the fields and came up to see if we were okay.”
    “Something suspicious? What? A stray sheep?” Colm’s dark orbs swiveled. “What have you done this time, Sharon? Don’t fucking lie to me.”
    Brian didn’t like the way Colm’s gaze bore into his daughter, nor the way she flinched under her father’s harsh stare. “Nothing.” He moved between father and daughter. “She’s done absolutely nothing. Sergeant Mackey and I heard barking. We came up to check if you were up to your old tricks. Turns out the dog was Wiggly Poo.”
    The canine in question growled at Colm and edged his furry arse closer to Sharon. Brian was impressed. The mutt must be smarter than he’d given him credit for.
    “Sorry to disturb you on a Saturday night, Ms. MacCarthy.” His look was laden with subtext. “I’d love to take you up on your offer of some fresh eggs, though. Will you show me where they are?”
    Her facial expression exuded studied indifference but she took the hint. “Sure. I’m sending a few home with Naomi too. We have far more than we can use.”
    She allowed him to lead her through the mudroom and out into the yard. When they reached the henhouse, he yanked her inside. It was pitch black and stank of poultry. He groped for a light switch and struck gold on his third attempt. “Are you all right?” he asked after light flooded the small building. “I wasn’t getting a good vibe off your father.”
    She focused on the dirt floor, then hit him with the dazzling high-beam effect of her direct gaze. “I’m fine. In any case, I won’t be living here much longer, so there’s no need for you to be concerned.”
    “You’re leaving Ballybeg?” The notion hit him like a blow to the abdomen. Sharon MacCarthy drove him crazy, but he didn’t want her to
leave
. She was part and parcel of his life here.
    She gave him an arch look. “Don’t get too excited. I hope to leave the farm in a few weeks, but I’ll be staying in the area for another few months. Once I get my degree, I’m out of here.”
    “About the drugs, I might have—”
    “Jumped to conclusions?” Sharon crossed her