Snowy Christmas Read Free Page B

door with worn chipped paint. "When I was a little boy,
Jon and I were terrified of the old dragon of a housekeeper. We
used to dare each other to come down here and knock on the door."
He chuckled. "Seems like a different lifetime."
    He pushed open the door and switched on a
light. Emily followed him inside a small sitting room with twin
stuffed chairs, an old-fashioned television on a stand, a coffee
table, and a sideboard under the window. Faded watercolors hung
from a picture rail.
    "This is our new home, Snowy." She tried out
the shortened name. Snow White was starting to be too much of a
mouthful.
    Emily set her dog on the floor, who touched
noses with Peggy, her tail wagging. She sniffed one of the chairs
and then wandered around with Peggy while Emily walked to the
window. Outside was a strip of grass in front of some shrubs, and a
lichen-encrusted stone wall at the back.
    "The dogs are getting along well together,"
Marcus said.
    "Yes, thank heavens. I felt so bad for Snowy
when Ned's dog attacked her."
    "Peggy has a lovely nature. You wouldn't hurt
a fly, would you, Pegs?" He stroked his dog's head and came to
stand behind Emily. Even though Marcus didn't touch her, she felt
him at her back, her skin tingling with awareness.
    She ignored the sensation. She was not going to be stupid enough to fall for her boss. Once, a long time
ago, she'd had a little bit of a crush on him from afar, but he
hadn't noticed her then, and was unlikely to be interested in her
now. Anyway, she didn't want to jump from one relationship straight
into another.
    "It doesn't look like much now, but in the
spring, that wall is covered in snowdrops and primroses," he said.
"It's really pretty."
    Emily hoped she'd still be here to see those
wildflowers bloom. First she had to impress him during her month's
trial.
    "I've put your suitcases in the bedroom."
    Leaving her handbag on the wide windowsill,
she followed Marcus to the open bedroom door. The room was rather
dull, decorated in sepia colors, or maybe the paint was discolored
with age. A single bed with a heavy dark-wood headboard stood
against the far wall, and a matching wardrobe, chest of drawers,
and dressing table were set against the other walls. Another window
looked out on the same view as the sitting room. Her cases were on
the floor.
    "The other two doors are the bathroom and
kitchen. Take a look while I bring in your other bags."
    Emily poked her head inside the windowless
bathroom and switched on the light. The room had a brown linoleum
floor and held a tub, sink, and toilet, all huge old ceramic
fixtures.
    The kitchen didn't have a window either, but
the top half of the door was made of glass to borrow light from the
sitting room. It was very basic with a yellow Formica counter, a
stove, sink, and fridge.
    "Sorry it's so old-fashioned," Marcus said,
returning with her last two bags. "I don't think it's been updated
since before I was born."
    "It's great. Really." The place looked like
something out of the 1950s, but Emily didn't mind. This was her
private space—at least for the next month. Instead of having to
find a place to live and pay rent, she could use all the money she
earned to pay off her credit card debt.
    "I'll buy you a microwave oven and a new TV,
and anything else you need."
    "You don't have to."
    "I want to."
    Emily bit her lip and gave Marcus a sideways
glance, trying to assess his attitude. She didn't trust men who
were too nice to her, although he was hardly likely to be after her
money, seeing he had tons of it and she had none. And he was
unlikely to be after anything else from her. Marcus was so far out
of her league, he was in another universe.
    "You'll need to make your bed," he said, and
her cheeks warmed, wondering if he'd guessed her thoughts. "I'll
show you where the linen closet is."
    He led her back along the shadowy corridor,
Snow White and Peggy trotting with them. Behind one of the brown
doors, he revealed a room of slatted wooden shelves stacked