One Snowy Eve Read online

  Harmony chuckled but her heart was warmed. “I promise. Now, goodnight, you night owl.”

  “Goodnight. I love you.”

  “I love you, too.”

  Mac clicked off and Harmony rose to secure the fireplace grate before bed. A twig snap outside made her jump. She chuckled ruefully at her reaction but as she closed up the cozy house, she couldn’t help but double-check every door and window before heading to her bedroom.

  Fear was a terrible thing to carry.

  She was determined to leave it behind.

  One way or another.

  Oliver stayed late at the station, still troubled by the belief that more than misdirected youth had trashed Harmony Bishop’s storefront.

  His buddy Raymond West, whom he shared an office, was also staying late, working his caseload, looked up to ask, “Why you putting so many hours into that smash and grab?”

  “I don’t think it was as simple as that,” he answered without looking up from his notes. “No money was taken and it seems as if the pure intent was destruction. The woman doesn’t know anyone here and if you met her, you’d have to question why anyone would have a beef with her.”

  Raymond’s brow shot up. “Yeah? How so?”

  “She’s so sweet you can almost feel a cavity growing when you’re standing next to her. I just don’t see her as some master villain who can create that kind of rancor.”

  “Hey man, enough with the big words,” Raymond grumbled. “Just because you went to college doesn’t mean you gotta make the rest of us feel stupid.”

  Raymond was half-joking but half not. Oliver grunted some kind of response but he wasn’t in the coddling business. “Educate yourself if you feel inadequate,” was all he offered.

  “Cruel world,” Raymond said, shaking his head. “Okay, so tell me why you think it’s more than a few jerk-off kids blowing off steam.”

  “Like I said, no money taken but everything in the place was destroyed. I’m talking, obliterated. That takes singular focus powered by rage. Makes you wonder who would want to do that to a woman that’s the size of an elf and runs a gift store. She’s not exactly the trouble-making type.”

  “Looks can be deceiving,” Raymond reminded him. “Remember that waitress I dated last year? Looked sweet as an angel, turned out to be the devil in disguise.”

  “She was a stripper, not a waitress and you walked right into that one. Nothing about Sapphire Starr screamed ‘Introduce me to your parents’.” He cracked a grin. “All you were after was a good time. I think you found it, too but that stuff comes at a price. Or so I’m told.”

  “Hey man, don’t hate the player, hate the game,” Raymond said with a wise-ass grin. “And yeah, she was loads of fun until she turned into a psycho. She slashed all four of my tires when I called it quits. It was kinda hot, though.”

  Oliver shook his head. “You need help. Find a good therapist before you ruin lives.”

  Again, joking but kinda not.

  Fifteen minutes later, Raymond called it a night. “Don’t go blind staring at the computer all night,” he warned, cocking his thumb and forefinger at him.

  “Don’t get chlamydia,” Oliver quipped back.

  “Ha ha. You’re hilarious,” Raymond deadpanned on his way out of the office. The distant sound of the doors opening and closing signaled Oliver had the station to himself.

  He knew the optics were that a delinquent kid had probably trashed the place but his gut told him to keep looking.

  And his gut was never wrong.

  At least, it hadn’t been yet.

  So, he’d just have to keep looking.

  The following day, Harmony paused in her catalog perusal when Det. Thorne walked through her store front door. A welcome smile with a little too much warmth threatened to curve her lips until she dialed it down. “Good morning Det. Thorne. What can I do for you?”

  Boy, he was handsome. It was okay to notice such things even if she wasn’t interested in pursuing anything romantic. It’d been a long time since she’d felt anything more than a passing interest in anyone, she almost wasn’t sure she remembered the feeling.

  Surely, it was harmless to enjoy the view.

  Who was she trying to convince?

  “Do you have a minute?” he asked, all business.

  “Of course,” she answered, gesturing for him to follow her into the back room where she kept a cozy salon. She sank into the cushy sofa and patted the seat beside her in invite. “Please, have a seat. Take a load off.”

  He seemed reluctant but lowered himself onto the offered seat. His expression stern, gave her a sense of foreboding but she kept her smile in place.

  “Would you like some hot cocoa?” she offered. “I made some fresh this morning.”

  He did a double-take. “Cocoa, not coffee?” he asked, surprised enough to pause his original train of thought.

  “Can’t stand coffee. And there’s just something very warm and comforting about hot chocolate. Plus, you know, the holidays, it just makes sense to me. It smells good, too. The secret,” she shared in a conspiratorial whisper “is to use heavy whipping cream and condensed milk to make it very creamy and rich.” She patted her stomach. “I promise you, you won’t find a better tasting mug of cocoa.”

  “I believe you,” he said, shaking free of her distraction. “Maybe another time. I need to talk to you about your ex-boyfriend, Johnny Vargas. Are you still in contact?”

  Harmony felt the blood drain from her face. Of course, Det. Thorne would find her ex because he was thorough and she hadn’t done much to hide her past. Against Mac’s advice, she hadn’t made a huge effort to avoid being found and harassed.

  She certainly wasn’t going to change her identify to keep her ex from snooping around. Johnny Vargas had already taken enough from her; he wouldn’t take her name as well.

  “No, I’m no longer in contact. I have no need to talk to him ever again.”

  His very name made her mildly nauseous.

  “Ms. Bishop…is there any possibility that Mr. Vargas is the one who trashed your shop?”

  “He’s in Florida. That’s a long commute for a night of revenge vandalism,” she quipped through numb lips. Shaking her head, “No, I don’t think it was Johnny. Again, I still think it was kids being bratty kids.”

  “I don’t. I was able to look into Mr. Vargas’ criminal record and he’s prone to violence, particularly against you. He has the markers of a jealous ex who would do anything to punish the person who left him.”

  Exactly what Mac had said but honestly, Harmony just wanted to walk away from that part of her past and stop worrying about what could happen. “Living in fear is no way to live,” she said, echoing what she’d said to Mac. “Johnny didn’t follow me to Massachusetts. Besides, I heard through the grapevine that he’s moved on and I’m happy for him.”

  But Det. Thorne wasn’t going to let it go. “I pulled a few strings and got a case file emailed to me regarding an incident that happened a year and a half ago.”

  She knew exactly which incident Det. Thorne was referring; it still gave her nightmares. “It’s in the past, I’d rather not relive it,” she said, her voice strangled. “Please, I’m fully aware that Johnny has a temper and if he were in town, I would share your concerns but he’s not here.”

  Det. Thorne’s frustration was etched on his face. She knew how she must sound — the willfully ignorant victim who preferred to stick their head in the sand when danger threatened — but she’d worked hard to move past the trauma of her past relationship and she wasn’t willing to sacrifice her mental health for the sake of a ‘what if?’.

  “If not him, does he have anyone he could send to do his dirty work?”

  “No, all of his friends and family are in Florida.”

  Harmony reached out to clasp the detective’s hand, imploring him, “I hope you can understand that living in fear isn’t something I can do. I refuse. If you’ve read the file, you must know how hard I’ve fought to regain so
me semblance of normal. I just want to put this whole situation behind me.”

  In a move she felt might be uncharacteristic for him, Det. Thorne covered her small hand with his large one, the warmth of his skin sending tendrils of heat curling through her limbs. “I understand,” he said, his voice softening. “You’re stronger than you look and certainly brave but people like Johnny Vargas…they don’t give up, they just switch tactics. I don’t feel comfortable with you being here by yourself until we’ve ruled him out as a suspect.”

  She chuckled, peering at him with amusement. “And what do you propose I do? Hire a bodyguard? I don’t have the funds for that. I’m spending my savings to restock the shop until the insurance check comes. I’ll be okay, I promise.”

  “No friends or family who can help?” he asked.

  “My roots here in Snowdon are pretty shallow as of yet and my best friend is busy with her fast track to fame and fortune in Hollywood, plus I would never ask her to come and babysit me. I’m flattered and impressed by your dedication but I’m worried that you’re spending a lot of energy on a nothing case.”

  “Something you should know about me…when my gut tells me something, I listen. This wasn’t kids. Someone is sending you a clear message — and that message is: you’re mine and I will ruin you.”

  Harmony stilled, her heart beating like a frantic bird. No, she couldn’t accept that Johnny was lurking in the shadows. She swallowed the lump of fear in her throat.

  She’d worked so hard to put her life — and her body — back together again. She’d uprooted herself from the life she’d known and fled someplace so different from what she’d known to start fresh.

  He wouldn’t take that from her.

  She withdrew her hand, immediately missing the feel of his hand on hers, and said with forced brightness, “You have to try my hot chocolate. I simply won’t take no for an answer, detective” and then hustled into the back, mostly so he wouldn’t see her break down but also because, didn’t hot chocolate fix everything?

  Oliver recognized fear when he saw it. Even if Harmony was fighting against the knowledge that her ex could be behind the vandalism, her denial came at a cost.

  That report was brutal.

  The only reason Johnny Vargas wasn’t in prison for his assault on his then-girlfriend, was because of a technicality. Not all bad guys got their due justice. Sometimes they walked and their victims were left to tremble in fear.

  But Harmony had bailed on her home state to start something new away from the threat of her ex. That took strength he respected.

  He started to rise to follow but she reappeared, wearing that sweet smile and being the consummate hostess carrying two festive mugs topped with whipped cream and chocolate sprinkles.

  It looked like diabetes in a frosted Christmas mug but he took an obligatory sip.

  And his taste buds exploded with joy.

  “Damn,” he murmured in surprise. “You weren’t lying. This is pretty good.”

  “It’s a crockpot recipe,” she confided before sipping her own. “It’s wonderful. I could share it with you if you want to make it for your family.”

  It was a simple offer but it stabbed at his heart in a way that made him wince. Of course, she didn’t know how something so innocuous could cause extreme agony but it caused him to stiffen all the same. He set his mug aside and returned to the business at hand.

  “I think you should consider closing the shop until I can get a firm location on your ex.” The sharp shake of her head wasn’t unexpected but his frustration rose. “Harmony…what can I say that will convince you that you might be in real danger?”

  In the plainest way possible, she tried to explain. “It’s almost Christmas. This shop is my dream. I’m not going to let him — even the specter of him — take one more thing from me. Besides, I have rush ordered new stock and it should be here by tomorrow. I have my work cut out for me.” She cast a hopeful look toward Oliver. “I could use some help. Maybe on your day off, you could swing by and lend me some muscle.”

  His immediate reaction was to decline but he had tomorrow off and seeing as she wasn’t going to budge on closing the shop for her safety…it seemed the right thing to do. “Since you don’t know anyone in town yet…I guess I could swing by and help out,” he relented against his better judgment.

  “Well, it does say on your badge, ‘To Protect and To Serve,’” she reminded him with a hint of playfulness that he found endearing. “You could certainly serve me well by hanging the popcorn garland I made last night.”

  Popcorn garland. Bright red curling ribbon. Hot cocoa.

  He avoided Christmas trappings with a religious fervor — and for good reason — but he couldn’t leave Harmony alone.

  He supposed he could stomach a little Fa-La-La-La for a day or two.

  At least he could keep an eye on Harmony until he determined she was truly safe.

  It was his job, after all.

  Harmony was killing time at the shop until Oliver arrived to help restock her shelves when her bestie called to check up on her.

  “Any news on the break in?” Mac asked, going straight to the most alarming topic possible. “It’s a small town, surely it’s not so difficult to find who did this.”

  “It’s not like they wear a scarlet letter on their chest proclaiming their guilt,” Harmony reminded her. “Besides, I’ve already moved on. My new shipment just came in and, dare I say, I think I’m more in love with my new stuff than I was with the old.”

  “That’s because you have an unhealthy obsession with anything holiday — and that includes Hallmark movies.”

  “I do not.”

  “How many movies have you watched already?”

  Harmony danced around the question. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Liar. Come on, fess up, how many sappy-sweet romantic holiday movies have you binged so far?”

  If she had to put a number to it, she sounded like she had a problem. “It’s not my fault the Hallmark channel is 24/7 movies that I enjoy,” Harmony protested. “How many serial killer documentaries have you watched this month? If anything, I think you’re the one with the problem.”

  “Serial killers are fascinating; umpteen movies about plucky heroines and Christmas princes are the reason people snap. No one can live up to that expectation. Everyone farts and no one is perfect.”

  Harmony made a face. “You’re in a fine mood. Why do you always have to throw gas into the equation? I know no one is perfect but that’s why I like to watch movies that are different than real life. I have enough reality. I want the fantasy,” she finished with a bit of a snap to her tone that she immediately regretted. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be so grumpy.”

  “Girl, stop apologizing for having human emotions. You have the right to feel how you feel. I have broad enough shoulders, I can take it.”

  Harmony smiled, shaking her head. “To answer your question, no I haven’t heard anything about the case but the detective is being nice enough to come and help me restock today.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah, is that odd?” she asked, second-guessing herself. “I hope I didn’t make him feel obligated.”

  “I mean, it’s nice of him. What’s he like? Does this seem like something he would do for everyone?”

  “Um, no actually,” Harmony admitted. “He’s very…self-contained. Very professional.”

  “And he’s going to spend his day off hanging Christmas stuff? Either he’s really into Christmas or he’s into you. Which do you think it is?”

  “Well, given those options, I’d say neither,” Harmony answered with a contemplative frown. “He doesn’t seem to like Christmas at all, if I’m being honest. The first time he walked into the shop, I thought he might be deathly allergic to holiday cheer.”

  “Then it’s simple — he’s into you.”

  “No, I don’t think that’s the case,” Harmony argued as her cheeks heated a bit. “He seems a fair
bit irritated by me. He wanted me to close until he could find who had vandalized the shop. I told him that wasn’t an option.”

  “And so he’s coming to help you restock because…?”

  Harmony didn’t want to admit that he was concerned about her safety because Mac was already worried enough. She settled for a variation of the truth. “I think he feels bad for me. I’m all alone in Snowdon and I don’t know anyone yet. I think, he’s just being kind.”

  “But you said he doesn’t seem the type to be overly warm and friendly.”

  “Well, not exactly. Not to say that he’s not friendly because I think there’s something about him that seems very nice,” those eyes are quite dreamy, to be honest “but I think he’s been through something awful and he carries that with him.”

  “Are you sure you don’t need me there with you?” Mac asked, concerned. “Something feels off.”

  “No, I absolutely won’t let you put your life on hold for something that’s likely nothing. I’m honestly so excited to get to decorating the shop that I’ve completely moved past the break-in.” Harmony knew what was coming so she cut Mac off at the pass. “Johnny isn’t here in Massachusetts so you can stop seeing the boogey man every shadow. Please. I promise, I’m fine.”

  It was good advice for herself as well. Even the possibility that Johnny wasn’t in Florida any longer filled her with dread. ’Tis the season for laughter, mulled cider and Christmas music! She wasn’t going to allow ghosts from the past ruin her fresh start. “I love you but I have to get going. Det. Thorne will be here any minute.”

  “I will need to know more about this Thorne character,” Mac warned and Harmony laughed.

  “You with the suspicious mind. Gotta go, love you!”

  With that, Harmony clicked off, a residual smile curving her lips. With impeccable timing, Det. Thorne appeared at her door, looking like a tall, dark and handsome Hallmark prince and Harmony’s smile grew.

  Today was going to be fun.