Page 23 of Sergeant's Christmas Siege

It did absolutely nothing at all.

“You have a very dark take on humanity, Trooper,” Templeton drawled. “Me? I’m an optimist. And this is the Christmas season. No better time to get your very merry on.”

“I don’t celebrate Christmas,” Kate said crisply. “So I’m afraid I’m going to have to concentrate on evidence, not Christmas carols, to form my conclusions. If that’s all the same to you.”

Templeton didn’t argue. What he did do was whistle every Christmas carol Kate had ever heard as he ushered her out of the lodge’s main room and into the offices beyond, stopping only when they were in the presence of other people. In between renditions of “Let It Snow,” “O Holy Night,” and “Frosty the Snowman,” Kate ran down a checklist of everybody she knew to be in Alaska Force, and met many of them on her tour of the Fool’s Cove facilities.

She found Blue Hendricks and Jonas Crow hunched over schematics in one room, talking mission parameters. She met Alexander Oswald, otherwise known as Oz, who briefed her in a general way on current Alaska Force operations. Rory Lockwood still maintained he’d hurt himself last spring, and looked no worse for wear as he showed her one of their gun ranges and even offered her the opportunity to practice a few rounds herself. Kate declined.

While the fragile daylight held its own against the gathering clouds, Templeton led her down the beach to their workout facility, which was exactly what he’d said it was—an empty space with mats on the floor, a pull-up rig, free weights, and sandbags stacked against one wall. He pointed out various cabins up in the hills and told her their functions, whether they were private dwellings orpart of the corporate footprint. If she wanted to look inside, he let her.

But anytime they weren’t actually talking, he was caroling. At her.

When he cycled back around to “God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen” for the third time, they were marching along the cold beach, the breeze whipping in from the water and making Kate huddle deeper into her warm jacket. Templeton had been at pains to point out that the beach was part of a natural cove. It wasn’t a fortress. Or if it was, they hadn’t built it.

When she hadn’t really responded to that, he’d started the freaking whistling again.

“I need you to stop,” she told him.

Possibly she snapped it at him.

He looked innocent, which was a stretch. “I’m filled with holiday spirit. Given your name, I figured you would be, too.”

Kate wasn’t about to get into a discussion about her surname. Though what concerned her was that she felt the urge to do just that. What was the matter with her? Why did this man get to her when no one else had ever gottennearher?

“Is this how you run your non-mercenary missions?” she demanded. “You find your enemy, then pinpoint what irritates them to death?”

He considered. “Well, yes. More or less. Now that I think about it.”

“I’m not sure what reaction you’re going for here.” She studied his face. The day was moodier by the second, and the sullen clouds were crowding out what little light there was. Kate could relate. “You keep treating this like a game. That makes me think that thisisa game, which makes me wonder why you’re all playing it. Once again I must caution you against taking my presence here lightly.”

His smile faded, and what she was left with was thatface of his. The face she’d seen first, so powerful and intensely focused, his gaze intent. “I don’t take you lightly at all, Kate.”

And obviously, there was absolutely no reason that she should find it hard to breathe.

“Talk me through what you think is happening here,” she managed to make herself say. “What exactly is your role? Somehow you don’t strike me as someone whose primary purpose in life is wandering around, belting out Christmas carols.”

“Pretty sure I was whistling. Not belting out anything.”

“I understand that this is supposed to be a charm offensive. Why does Alaska Force think it needs to send you out to do your big laugh,butter wouldn’t melt unless you want it tothing?”

He looked frozen for a split second, and that should have felt like a win. Kate didn’t know why instead, she felt almost... apologetic.

A feeling she swallowed down. Hard.

“I’m here to be your point person, that’s all,” Templeton said. “The Christmas carols are just a bonus.”

“I don’t want Christmas carols.” She was horrified to find that her voice was much too thick. Too... telling. “And I certainly don’t want a man trailing me around and cozying up to me. I don’t know what your agenda is. I find it off-putting and offensive.”

“Okay.”

“... Okay?”

Templeton made a symphony out of a shrug, but his gaze wasn’t lazy. Or mocking. It was much harder than that. “I am who I am, Trooper Holiday. I’m not going to close it up, lock it away, and pretend I’m someone else to make you feel better about your bogus investigation into my friends when you could be out there tracking the people who are actually responsible for these fires. Sorry if you find that offensive.”

“I’m not asking you to stop being who you are,” she managed to grit out, not entirely sure why her pulse was leaping around like he’d attacked her. “I’m asking you to stop with the overly familiar remarks. Or the use of my first name, when I expressly requested that you address me by my title.”

“I’m a casual, friendly guy.” And the drawl was so Deep South then, she was surprised she couldn’t smell the grits. “You’re the one who wanted honesty. Well, here I am. Honest and in your face.”

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