Page 103 of Mistletoe and Mischief

Beth disregarded the comment, turned her back on Danielle and continued loading the dishwasher.

“You can deny you’re jealous all you want, but if you listen to only one thing, listen to this,” Danielle said tightly. “He told me about the divorce and how you wanted out of the marriage. You blew it and now you regret it.”

This was too much. If Danielle thought she was helping... Well, she wasn’t. “Listen,” Beth said, pronouncing each word distinctly. “If you want Kent, he’s all yours. You’re welcome to him.” With that she slammed the dishwasher closed and turned to see Kent standing in the doorway.

8

The scent of cinnamon and allspice filled Peggy Beldon’s kitchen as she arranged the decorated sugar cookies on colorful plates lining the counter.

The plates of cookies, toffee and hand-rolled chocolates were her and Bob’s gift to their friends each year. Peggy enjoyed baking and never more than at Christmas. She began wrapping the plates in red cellophane and tying the ends with a ribbon. She and Bob delivered the plates on Christmas Eve, usually late in the afternoon.

Thyme and Tide, their bed-and-breakfast, did fairly well this time of year and she was grateful that despite a weak economy they continued to be busy. They already had several reservations for the winter months and the summer looked promising.

Currently they had two guests, who seemed to be a couple, although they had their own rooms. Beth Morehouse’s ex and... Diana? No, Danielle. It wasn’t unusual to have guests over the Christmas holidays, although Peggy would’ve preferred to close, but as Bob said, they couldn’t turn down business. Christmas or not, they had rooms to rent. She could guarantee that the Christmas morning buffet would be something Kent Morehouse and his friend would long remember.

Humming a Christmas carol to herself, Peggy glanced out the kitchen window and saw her husband pull into the driveway. He’d run a few errands for her. A couple of minutes later, she glanced outside again, wondering why he hadn’t come in.

Just then the door opened. Bob knocked the snow off his boots as he entered the house, a big grin on his face. By nature her husband was an upbeat, happy person, always sociable, which was one reason their B and B was successful. Peggy tended to remain in the background, creating the meals, while Bob provided the warm welcome and the entertainment.

“What took so long?” she asked, pausing to kiss him and take the bags out of his hands.

“You should see the grocery store. There wasn’t a cart to be had.”

“Christmas Eve...what did you expect?”

“Everyone seems to leave the shopping until the last minute—even my wife.” He kissed her cheek but not before Peggy saw him swipe a cookie.

Bob reached for a date bar and she returned his sheepish smile with an approving grin. She had plenty to spare and, after his trek to the store, Bob deserved a reward.

“Do you have one for Roy and Corrie?” Bob asked, surveying the kitchen counter and the row of finished plates.

“Of course.”

“Troy and Faith Davis?”

“Bob, you know I do. What makes you ask?”

“Just wanted to be sure. I saw Faith shopping and Corrie was coming into the store as I was leaving.” Bob poured himself a cup of coffee and sat on the kitchen stool, watching as Peggy put the final touches on the gifts, adding small handmade cards. These cards were another gift. Each included a personal note thanking the recipients for their friendship.

“I’m so thankful to Roy,” she said fervently. “Who knows what would’ve happened if he hadn’t been willing to take us on as clients.” The private investigator had stepped in at a crucial time in their lives.

“Troy Davis, too,” Bob reminded her.

“Oh, yes.”

The memory of those painful days took over her thoughts for a moment. A stranger had arrived late one night in the middle of a storm, rain-drenched and seeking a room. Bob hadn’t recognized the man but had sensed...something. He’d had a bad feeling about him. Peggy, however, couldn’t turn someone away in the middle of a downpour. In retrospect, she wished she’d listened to her husband, because the next morning the man was dead.

“I know what you’re thinking,” Bob said, sipping his coffee.

“So now you’re a mind reader, too?” she asked with a smile. Her husband did possess multiple talents—including acting and singing—but she had serious doubts regarding his psychic abilities.

“After all these years I can read you like aPeoplemagazine,” he joked right back. “It’s about Max Russell, isn’t it?”

She could pretend otherwise but didn’t. “Yes. I was remembering the night he showed up and how you didn’t want to give him a room.”

“That night was a turning point for me,” Bob admitted. “The start of healing. I was finally able to lay what happened in ’Nam to rest.”

Bob and his best friend from high school, Dan Sherman—who’d married Grace—had enlisted in the army together under the buddy program. Following basic training they’d been sent to Vietnam. Max had been part of their unit.

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