Christmas Delivery Read online

  “This is where I want to be.”

  As he pulled her up to him and lifted her off her feet, Lexie felt as if they’d been together every day of the past thirteen years. “And this is where I feel safe,” she replied, trying to erase the memory of the fear she’d tasted barely an hour before. She touched the scar on Simon’s chest, wondering if he ever really felt safe anymore.They held each other, until finally he kissed her open-mouthed, and it didn’t take her long to find the frenzy he sought. They made love as if it might be the last time.

  Which indeed it might, Lexie thought, wrapping her arms around his neck and holding on as if she’d never let him go.

  The gunman or another thug for hire could get to them. Or Simon could simply realize he’d made a mistake in coming back to Jenkins Cove and take off for parts unknown.

  This might be the last night she’d have with the man she loved—a reason to make it memorable enough to last a lifetime.

  PATRICIA ROSEMOOR

  CHRISTMAS DELIVERY

  Since the theme of Christmas Delivery has to do

  with getting justice for the evil that is done to others,

  I would like to dedicate the book to the relentless

  Task Force that, after three years,

  identified and arrested

  my father’s murderer

  using DNA evidence.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Patricia Rosemoor has always had a fascination with dangerous love. She loves bringing a mix of thrills and chills and romance to Harelquin Intrigue readers. She’s won a Golden Heart from Romance Writers of America and Reviewers’ Choice and Career Achievement Awards from Romantic Times BOOKreviews. She teaches Writing Popular Fiction and Suspense-Thriller Writing in the Fiction Writing department of Columbia College Chicago. Check out her Web site, www.PatriciaRosemoor.com. You can contact Patricia either via e-mail at [email protected], or through the publisher, c/o Harlequin/Silhouette Books, 233 Broadway, New York, NY 10279.

  Books by Patricia Rosemoor

  HARLEQUIN INTRIGUE

  707—VIP PROTECTOR**745—THE BOYS IN BLUE “Zachary”

  785—VELVET ROPES**

  791—ON THE LIST**

  858—GHOST HORSE

  881—RED CARPET CHRISTMAS**

  924—SLATER HOUSE

  958—TRIGGERED RESPONSE

  1031—WOLF MOON*

  1047—IN NAME ONLY?*

  1101—CHRISTMAS DELIVERY

  CAST OF CHARACTERS

  Lexie Thornton —When the landscape designer realizes she’s not seeing the ghost of her daughter’s father, she tries to protect both her daughter and herself from heartbreak.Simon Shea —The ex-mercenary comes back from the “dead” to expose the secrets of Jenkins Cove and reclaim the woman he’s always loved.

  Clifford Drake —Does the charming playboy have a darker side?

  Police Chief Charles Hammer —Is he lazy—or hiding something?

  Ned Perry —The land developer acts like he’d kill to get his hands on prime real estate.

  Phil Cardon —Who does the handyman really work for?

  Isabella Faust —Is the maid really infatuated with Cliff, or does she have other reasons to stay close to the Drakes?

  Doug Heller —The manager of Drake Enterprises seems to have his hand in everything that goes on in Jenkins Cove.

  Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Epilogue

  Prologue

  Christmas Eve, thirteen years ago

  Wind howled along the Chesapeake and drove a stinging wall of snow at Simon Shea, virtually blinding him. Somehow he made it off the road and into the woods, where the unusually fierce winter storm abated some. Dropping his duffel bag, he stopped for a moment and leaned against the trunk of a pine to catch his breath. He could hardly move, could hardly think, what with weather conditions that threatened to ruin his carefully made plans.

  Even in the woods, the wind haunted him, moaning and rattling ice-covered tree branches overhead. Geared up to get free of Jenkins Cove—to get away from his drunk of a father, from his cold, bitter life—he had to do it tonight.Thank God, Lexie was coming with him.

  That’s all Simon had been thinking about since convincing her to run the night before, as they lay together, snug in their wooded shelter, his angular body protectively wrapped around her soft one. Being with her…starting a new life together…waking up happy with her in his arms every morning for the rest of their lives—they were the best Christmas presents in the world!

  She’d hesitated at first and he’d understood her arguments. They were awfully young to go off on their own. She hadn’t finished high school yet. And what about college? But Simon had sworn that he would protect her and provide for her and find a way for her to do everything she ever wanted. She’d smiled at him then—that crooked, heart-wrenching, only-for-him smile that had made him fall for her in the first place—and he’d known everything was going to be all right.

  He’d better get going. Didn’t want to be late. Didn’t want to scare Lexie into thinking he’d gotten cold feet. They were to meet behind the church at half-past midnight to start their new life together on Christmas morning.

  Picking up the duffel bag, he decided to stay off the main road and take the shortcut through the woods into town. Luckily, he knew those woods like the back of his hand. Every path, every detour around danger. There were a couple of swampy areas the locals stayed away from. They could trap a man, suck him down and bury him alive. Not much different than living with Rufus Shea, Simon thought, fighting guilt that he was leaving his old man alone. He just couldn’t take it anymore—couldn’t take being caregiver to a drunk who’d given up—not when he could start a decent life with Lexie.

  Simon was so engrossed in thoughts of their future, that at first he didn’t hear the approaching sounds until they exploded through the trees.

  A series of shouts raised the short hairs on the back of his neck and made his pulse jag. He stopped dead in his tracks. What the hell was going on?

  He looked around in confusion, caught blurred movement through the trees and zeroed in on a kid flying through the woods as if his life depended on it.

  Another teenager, younger than him, Simon thought, heart thumping against his ribs now. Snow dusted the mop of curly pale hair. The kid wasn’t dressed for the cold; he had on only a thin leather jacket and ripped jeans. He was no one Simon recognized.

  Still, something made him call out to the terrified kid. “Hey! You need help?”

  But the kid threw a fast, panicked look behind him and kept running until a whine shattered the quiet. Then he led with his chest, head and arms flung back as his body snapped into an impossible arch before he fell first to his knees, then face forward onto the snow-covered ground.

  Not knowing whether he should see if he could help the kid or run for town, Simon hesitated a moment.

  His mistake.

  Chapter One

  Turning the Drake House ballroom into a winter wonderland for the annual Christmas charity ball should make her happier, Lexie Thornton thought. The main room in the west wing was two stories high, with a balcony off the second-floor parlors, and nearly one hundred feet lo
ng, fifty wide. Doors with glass insets lined one wall, leading to an outside balcony with a view of the gardens and the Chesapeake Bay beyond. Decorating the mansion for the ball was quite a feat and would take several days to complete.

  Lexie pushed up the sleeves of her sweater, looked around the ballroom, then glanced down to her laptop to review the design she’d planned out.“Hey, Lexie, where do we put these?”

  She looked up to see two of her garden shop workers hauling in large poinsettia plants, each planter encased in red or green foil and wrapped with a huge gold bow. “Just set them in an area free of drafts for now.”

  Today would be devoted to the basics—dividing the ballroom with its gleaming wood floors and trim into several distinct areas for dancing and socializing over drinks and displaying the silent auction items. Virtually the whole town of Jenkins Cove would show up for the ball, and Lexie would make the most of every inch of available space.

  That she would be responsible for giving so many people pleasure didn’t bring a smile to her face. Ironic that Christmas was so important to Thornton Garden Center, the family business that she now ran. Her parents both still worked there, but in more relaxed capacities. They were both retirement age, but refused to retire, saying it would make them feel old. Decorating public areas as well as private estates and businesses for Christmas brought in a solid portion of the year’s income, so Lexie couldn’t hide from the holiday.

  Call her the Christmas Grinch, especially since the ball and the silent auction would raise money for the Drake Foundation, which supported several local charities. This included one that helped impoverished single mothers and their children—a cause dear to Lexie’s heart, since she was a single mother herself.

  Frowning at the further reminder of why Christmas always made her so sad, she looked for her best friend.

  Marie Leonard stood in front of the fireplace, the focal point of the room, and stared into the large, antique mirror hanging over the mantel. When she turned away from the mirror, her expression went beyond happy—she was glowing, actually, so that the color in her cheeks intensified the chestnut color of her hair. For the first time since she’d returned to Jenkins Cove after her father’s death, Marie seemed at peace.

  Lexie was happy for her dear friend, who was about to start a new life. Marie was madly in love with Brandon Drake, owner of this estate, and their engagement was to be officially announced at the ball. Which Lexie would be forced to attend, making her relive her loss all over again.

  Christmas Eve…

  Thirteen years and she wasn’t over the heartbreak.

  Thirteen years ago, instead of meeting her behind the church as planned, Simon had gotten himself killed in an accident taking the shortcut through the woods. Even after all this time, thinking about it brought a lump to her throat and a tightness in her chest.

  “Hey, those are gorgeous plants,” Marie said, crossing to her.

  “Thanks. Gorgeous plants for a gorgeous room.”

  Though Lexie tried to inject enthusiasm into her voice, she knew she failed when Marie gave her that look that told her if she wanted to talk, Marie was there for her. Not that Lexie was planning to take her friend up on that. She didn’t want to talk about Simon anymore, didn’t want to think about him, didn’t want to remember…only, considering the circumstances, how could she ever forget?

  Before Marie could try to force the conversation, noise from the foyer had the other woman turning toward the entry. “Ah, the caterer has arrived. I need to talk to her, see what final selections she made for the buffet.” She moved in that direction, glancing back at Lexie to say, “But don’t imagine you’re home free.”

  Lexie groaned at her friend’s implied threat. Then she got back to work, referring to the checklist and the decorating design on her laptop to see where she was.

  Dozens of poinsettias had been brought in. Hopefully, she’d planned enough plants and greenery for the ballroom to help improve the air quality. The fire that had damaged the east wing of Drake House had left a thick stench that was difficult to mask, despite the clean-up efforts of a professional crew. Later, she would add dozens of pots of mums and gerbera daisies to the decor—both would help purify the air.

  The first order of business was to distribute the poinsettias the way she’d mapped them out in the room. So she spent the next hour with her landscape workers, making sure every plant was in its proper place. Then she had her workers fetch the mantel swag and the garlands that would be hung around every door—a time-consuming job, but one that would help transform the old mansion for the season.

  A familiar laugh echoed from the entranceway. Lexie went to investigate the foyer, where the master staircase split upward to each wing. Well, one wing now. The private wing was unlivable because part of the roof had collapsed during a fire, so it was cordoned off and would be for some time to come. Marie and Brandon were occupying rooms in the public wing and the servants were all housed off grounds.

  In the foyer, Lexie found Marie with Chelsea Caldwell, looking soft and lovely in a white cashmere sweater and matching beret, and her fiancé, Michael Bryant.

  “For the silent auction,” the blonde said, handing Marie a painting.

  “Oh, nice.” Marie waved Lexie over.

  A quick look and Lexie’s brows shot up. Chelsea had painted a view of Jenkins Creek. While water was a good part of the canvas, the focus was the dueling estates perched on points that faced each other—Drake House on one side and the Manor at Drake Acres on the other. Brandon had inherited the older estate from his father, Jonathan. Always competitive, his uncle Cliff, the younger of the brothers, had built what he’d considered a bigger and better estate.

  “Hmm, I have a feeling I know who will be bidding against each other on this item.” Knowing Cliff, Lexie thought he would pay any amount to keep the piece from his nephew.

  “That was the idea,” Chelsea admitted. “More money for charity.”

  “You would have had bidders competing against each other no matter which painting you donated,” Michael murmured, pulling her closer.

  Chelsea blushed and grinned and Lexie noted the diamond ring on the other woman’s left hand. So the engagement was official. Lexie quickly looked away.

  “Rumor has it you have a new book contract,” Marie said to Michael.

  But it was Chelsea who enthusiastically said, “Michael is going to write a fictional account of the human trafficking that went on here for decades.”

  “All names changed to protect the innocent,” Michael promised.

  “Congratulations,” Lexie said, zeroing her attention onto one of her workers waving to her. “I need to get back to work. I’ll see you both at the ball.”

  Seeing how right Chelsea and Michael were for each other, as were Brandon and Marie, Lexie felt a sharp pang of longing. Would she ever find someone to love, to share things with again?

  Would she ever have a second chance at a real life?

  IT WAS THAT IDEA of wanting a second chance that finally convinced Lexie to accept Marie’s dare to try the psychomanteum at the House of Seven Gables, the bed-and-breakfast run by Chelsea’s aunt, Sophie Caldwell. Marie had tried to push Lexie into doing it before, but pragmatic Lexie had resisted.

  Since she’d ridden out to Drake House in one of the garden center’s trucks with her workers, Marie drove her into town. They left the car in the parking lot near the church and walked the short distance to the B&B, which was situated on the harbor.“I just wish you the same happiness I rediscovered with Brandon.” The sun had set and Marie pulled her wool coat closer. “I never thought it would happen, but it did. Who’s to say it can’t happen for you? You just have to learn to let go.”

  “Katie is my life.”

  “I didn’t mean let go of her, just…”

  “I know. But every time I look into her eyes, I see Simon. Maybe I’m not meant to be with anyone else.”

  Maybe that’s why her life consisted of running the family business a
nd raising her twelve-year-old daughter. Period. No time off for good behavior.

  “Or maybe you’ve just decided to protect yourself against potential loss,” Marie said. “You don’t know what will happen in that room. Maybe you’ll learn the truth about what happened to Simon. Isn’t that worth the risk? The truth can give you peace. And then you can move on. You can’t protect yourself from love forever, Lexie. Love is a good thing. Simon wouldn’t want you to be alone. He would want you to find someone to fulfill you as a woman, as well as a mother.”

  Lexie sighed. “Now you’re romanticizing.”

  “You could use a little romanticizing. If only you could commune with Simon, perhaps you could let him go, move on to someone new. It’s more than time, Lexie.”

  “When you’re right, you’re right.”

  No use arguing with Marie when she got an idea into her head.

  Lexie figured that giving in to her friend’s insistence that she visit the psychomanteum was romantic enough for anyone. Basically, she’d agreed in order to get Marie to stop fretting over her. And, she had to admit, there was something else.

  Even though she wasn’t a believer, a little part of her wished she could see Simon one last time….

  They circled the House of the Seven Gables with its long, two-story porch. The bed-and-breakfast faced the harbor and was situated directly across from a seafood restaurant, a prime stopping place for tourists who came to sail or take boat rides to see the waterfront estates.

  As they turned the corner, the wind whipped up with an odd wail and Lexie pulled the front of her brown suede Sherpa jacket closed against the chill. The wind out of nowhere and the late afternoon mist coming off the water seemed to be omens of some kind.