Page 36 of Promise Me This Christmas
Amy wondered if any of their other guests had been so observant.It wasn’t until two hours later, when the event was over and all the guests had departed, that she learned the Carrigans had been all abuzz about the brownies too.
“None of us noticed who put the brownies on the trays,” Sage said.She and her sisters had packed up the remainder of the food and loaded it into Callan’s truck.Now they were gathered in the foyer, preparing to leave.“One minute the brownies weren’t there.The next they were.”
“I was annoyed,” Mattie said.“I felt they weren’t a suitable treat for high tea.When I noticed you and Chet removing them from the trays, I thought you had the same opinion.I didn’t guess they’d been spiked.”
“What did the guests say when you told them what happened?”Amy asked her husband.
“Most of them were amused.Not the mayor though.She said the matter should be investigated and I assured her we would be going to the sheriff.”
Sage nodded.“Dawson went home to be with the kids after helping with setup, but one of his deputies will help you.”
“The only good news,” Chet continued, “is that only three of our guests had one of the brownies and only one guest—Gibson Adlington—had two.”
Amy groaned.Gibson again.Just her luck.“I bet he was pretty annoyed.”
“He didn’t say much, but that’s a fair bet.I asked if he wanted to get checked out at the ER just to be safe.He said he’d let me know if he felt any ill effects, but this wasn’t the first time he’d had a little hashish fudge.He made a point of saying that the other times, he’d known what he was eating.”
Amy covered her face.This was so not the sort of thing that should be happening at Bramble House.
“Do you think this was someone’s bad idea of a prank?”Callan asked.
“I wish I knew.”It wasn’t a well-wisher, that was for sure.
“This wasn’t your fault, Amy.”Mattie squeezed her shoulders.“Try not to worry.It’s a matter for the Sheriff’s Department now.”
“Speaking of which, I’d better get going,” Chet said.
Amy handed him his cowboy hat, kissed him, then watched him leave.She was thankful that Carson had taken Robin upstairs to their suite, so he couldn’t see how upset his parents were.
“We’ll get out of your hair too,” Mattie said.“Let us know what the Sheriff’s Office says?”
“Of course.”Amy held the door as the Carrigans paraded out into the cold.A mass of low-hanging clouds had moved in during the afternoon, and it looked like more snow was going to start any minute.She glanced up at the ball of mistletoe gamely withstanding the stiff Arctic wind.To think she’d once hoped for romance to bloom this Christmas.Now she just wanted to survive the holiday.
The foyer and front rooms of the house now felt oddly empty and quiet.There were linens to collect, tables to be disassembled, and furniture replaced, but that could wait until Chet returned.Following the sound of quiet conversation and dishes clattering, she went down the hall to the kitchen.Her left leg ached.She would have loved to sit down, but she really should go and help Shelley.When she reached the kitchen, though, she discovered Marjorie and Peter scraping plates and loading them into the dishwasher, while Shelley hand-washed the finer pieces.
“Oh, you guys, you’ve done an amazing job.But Marjorie and Peter…you shouldn’t be in here.”
“That’s what I told them,” Shelley said.“But Marjorie is very stubborn.”
“We wanted to help,” Marjorie said.“I hope you’re pleased with how the event went?Peter and I thought it was just lovely.”
Amy dampened a cloth and began wiping down the island.“I take it you didn’t hear about the brownies?”
“Chet did tell us.Luckily, we didn’t eat any,” Peter said.
“A few spiked brownies shouldn’t be such a big deal,” Shelley said.“It’s legal in Montana, right?”
“It’s not the weed, so much as the fact that none of the guests knew it was there,” Amy pointed out.Not to mention that this was the fourth mishap in so many days to happen at Bramble House.First the burnt cookies, then the mix-up with coffee beans, and the dead mouse.She’d asked Chet to tell the sheriff about all of those things too.Though Chet didn’t believe that they were related events, he’d agreed to do it.
Something was amiss at Bramble House.And Christmas, and their stellar five-star reputation, were at risk.
*
“In all theyears we were friends, including the two years we dated, we didn’t ever go out for a fancy dinner.”Larkin was soaking up the atmosphere at Rocco’s.The candles, the glasses of red wine, the classical music playing in the background.
“Pizza was our go-to,” Carson agreed.“And we usually took it to go.”
“We were always in a hurry back then.We had school and part-time jobs and never enough time for adventures on our horses or bikes or just hanging with friends.”
