Menace in Christmas River (Christmas River 8) (24 page)

He let out a sigh.

“I didn’t mean to hurt her or embarrass her, but I had more important things to consider.”

“Things like what?” I said, looking over at him, already knowing the answer but wanting to hear it anyway.

He stared deep into my eyes.

“You know what,” he said with a small smile. “I had you to think about, Cin. I had
us
to think about, too.”

I felt my heart swell with pride.

A little while later, I slowed down and turned on the resort drive.

“Seeing how poorly Julie handled the Chocolate Championship, the county must be glad that she quit her job with them anyway,” I said.

“Yeah,” Daniel said. “Could be that she’s done in that field. From what I heard, the Chocolate Championship folks weren’t too happy about all the negative publicity that came out of it. There was also something about her being unprofessional with Mr. Copperstone in some manner. Would you happen to know anything about that?”

I tilted my head off to the side again.

“I might,” I said, leaving it at that.

Kara had cracked that part of the mystery – impressing me to no end with her perceptivity and sleuthing skills.

It wasn’t that I wanted to see a woman lose her livelihood and reputation – even someone as unpleasant as Julie Van Dorn.

But I believed that when people did wrong, they needed to own up to the consequences. And it was particularly hard to have sympathy for somebody who wouldn’t admit her own faults and take responsibility.

“I guess none of it matters much anyhow,” Daniel said, letting out a short yawn. “The Chocolate Championship is over and done with. Never to return to our sweet little town of Christmas River ever again.”

I pulled up to the front of the resort and put the car in park. Then I looked over at him.

“Thank goodness for that.”

I leaned over and pecked him on the cheek.

Chapter 54

We walked through the massive doors of the resort and into the lobby. Just like the times I’d been there before, an enormous fire was crackling in the hearth, and the place smelled gloriously of fresh pine, cedar, and apple cider. The towering floor-to-ceiling windows showcased a landscape of beautiful snow-covered forests and slopes that stretched out for miles in the distance.

The Valentine’s Day decorations had been taken down, but the place didn’t feel any less festive to me.

I nodded toward the front desk.

“You stay here,” I said. “I’m just going to see if that concierge is available to talk now.”

Daniel nodded.

“Sure,” he said, rubbing his hands together. “It’ll give me a chance to warm up over by King Henry the Eighth’s fireplace.”

I grinned.

I left him, heading for the front desk where the girl who had been there the night I’d driven Cliff back was standing behind a computer.

When she saw me, there was a hint of recognition in her eyes, but the judgement that she’d so handily dealt out that night was no longer present.

A moment later, I was back by Daniel’s side, in front of the fire, my good hand buried in the pocket of my wool coat.

“She said that she’s got a break in about five minutes and that she’ll meet us up in the employee breakroom on the top floor,” I said.

He nodded again.

“You know, ever since they opened this place, I always thought it would be nice to stay here sometime,” Daniel said, still clearly admiring the massive hearth. “I guess it’s probably just something that only fancy rich folks could afford, though.”

“Yeah, probably,” I said, looking around the great room. “Still, it’d be nice to stay here some time. Get a big suite with views of the mountains. Drink champagne in a Jacuzzi hot tub. Eat chocolate fondue by a cozy, crackling fire…”

Daniel smiled, draping an arm over my good shoulder.

“Yeah, maybe someday,” he said wistfully. “After we go to Paris. And when you’re judging chefs on a reality television competition.”  

We headed for the elevators.

I bit my lip to keep from smiling.

Chapter 55

“It’s a little strange to have the employee breakroom on the top floor, don’t you think?” he said.

I shrugged with my good shoulder.  

“Who knows what they do in these fancy hotels,” I said.

“I certainly don’t,” Daniel quipped.

A few seconds later, the elevator came to a smooth stop and the doors slid open.

I led the way out, down a long, unfamiliar, beautifully decorated cedar hallway.

“She said it was just at the end of the hall,” I said.

I glanced back at him, studying his face for a long moment. Then I turned back around.

If he knew anything, he wasn’t letting on that he did.

“Did this concierge say anything more about what evidence she has in relation to the case?”

“No,” I said. “Just that she’d be up in five minutes. And that what she had to tell us was a matter of some urgency.”

I scanned the doors that lined the hallway, counting down the numbers until we got to 514.

Then I stopped abruptly, reaching into my pocket and pulling out the card the front desk agent had given me.

When I looked back at him, Daniel had a perplexed look on his face.

“You need a key card to get into the break room?” he said, a hint of disbelief in his voice.

“Apparently,” I said.

It was taking everything I had not to blow the cover off of the charade.

I slipped the key card into the reader. The dot turned green, and I opened the door.

We stepped inside, and I felt my cheeks burn brighter than a Christmas tree as I watched Daniel’s face lift into an expression of utter shock.

Chapter 56

“What… what’s all this?”

I had pulled it off to perfection.

I took off my shabby wool coat with my good arm, revealing the red silk sweet-heart neckline blouse I was wearing. I hung the coat up in the closet, and watched as Daniel surveyed the gigantic suite.

In the corner of the room, a large fire blissfully crackled. On the coffee table in front of it sat a flowing chocolate fondue fountain, a platter of fresh strawberries, and a bottle of fancy champagne on ice, just as I had requested. The rustic juniper-framed bed glowed in the dancing flames of the fire, and in the candlelight cast by several dozen tapered candles throughout the room.

On the opposite side of the suite, a large Jacuzzi hot tub bubbled beneath a plethora of fresh rose petals. Next to the tub were two folded Turkish bathrobes and two plush white towels.

Out the floor-to-ceiling windows, you could see nothing but white powder trees and snow-capped peaks glowing in the low winter sun for as far as the eye could see.  

I watched as Daniel’s mouth dropped open slightly.  

“Cin, what’s—”

But he stopped midsentence when he turned around and caught a glimpse of what I was wearing.

His eyes grew wide as he drank me in.

“Cin, you look…”

He trailed off, his Adam’s apple bobbing slightly as he swallowed hard.

I felt glad that my blouse had that effect, even with the big ugly sling crossing my chest the way it was.

“Hot damn, I, uh, I don’t know what to…”

I couldn’t help but beam brightly.

“I know you said you thought this place was only for fancy rich folks,” I said, closing the door behind me. “So I hope you won’t think me too much of an elitist for booking the suite for the weekend.”

His eyes did a little more bulging at that.

He started saying something more, but once again, he stopped.

Cleary, I had taken his breath away.

“Cin…” he finally said. “Cin, this is… what about the dogs?”

I smiled.

“Warren and Aileen are taking care of them.”

Fresh off the heels of their own rebooked Phoenix vacation, my grandfather and his wife had graciously agreed to look after the two pooches at the last minute.

Daniel swallowed again. Seemingly at a loss for words.

“You did all of this?” he finally said.

I nodded.

“But I thought you had to work all day today,” he said. “You were saying about how business was finally picking up.”

I reached up with my good arm, peeling off his coat. We both let it drop to the floor.

“I closed the shop early,” I said. “I couldn’t stand the thought of being away from you for a moment longer today, Daniel. And since we both ended up having one of the most stressful and insane Valentine’s Days of our lives a few weeks ago, I thought we could have a Valentine’s Day of our own today. Done the right way, this time.”

That got a slight smile out of him. His arms reached around my waist, and he gently pulled me closer.

“You sneak,” he said, playfully. “You didn’t need to do any of this. You know I don’t need this kind of thing.”

“No, I wanted to, Daniel,” I said, looking deep into his eyes. “I’ve been doing some thinking. And you see: I don’t want to lose you.”

He clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth.

“Is this because of the Julie thing?” he said. “
Cin
, you don’t need to worry. I mean, I know I’m awfully pretty, but you could never lose me to another, darlin.’ I’m afraid you’re stuck with me, whether you like it or not.”

I swatted at him playfully.

“No,” I said. “It’s got nothing to do with Julie Van Dorn. What I mean is that sometimes it’s so easy to miss out on what matters the most. Between the pie shop and these competitions and the growth of the business… it’s easy to lose sight of the big picture.”

I took in a deep breath, keeping my eyes glued on his.

“What I’m trying to say, Daniel Brightman, is that some days I feel like I don’t always get a chance to fully appreciate the greatest, grandest, most important and beautiful thing in my life as much as I should.”

I swallowed hard.

It wasn’t always easy speaking from the heart.

“I need you to know something,” I said.

I pulled him closer to me.

“Our life together means more to me than any opportunity or accolade or business, or any money for that matter. Our future together, and everything that we want in it, means more than anything.”

I pressed my good hand up to his face and stroked it.

“Daniel, you’re
everything
,” I said.

He reached up, pressing his hand over mine.

He gazed back at me with the look of infinite, unconditional love.

“I already know all that, Cin,” he said. “You know how?

I smiled.

“How?”

“Because you’re
everything
to me,” he said, taking my hand, placing it to his chest. “This heart? It beats strong and fast. And it beats for you. And only
you
.”

We just stared into each other’s eyes for a long, long moment, complete understanding between us.

Love could be such a mystifying thing. When you saw the dark side of its face, there was nothing so painful or excruciating in the whole world.

But if you were lucky enough to see only the good side of love, then it was as though nothing could stop you from sprouting wings and flying away with pure joy.

That was how I felt whenever Daniel was near me.

A second later, I was up off the ground, resting gingerly in his strong arms.

I laughed at the suddenness of the move.

“I don’t suppose it would hurt to act like a couple of rich folks for the weekend,” he said, looking around the beautiful room.

“Honey, we don’t have to pretend,” I said, gazing back up into his eyes. “We’re wealthier than sin.”

He grinned and stared back at me lovingly.

He knew exactly what I meant by that.

“I love you with all the fire in my heart, Mrs. Brightman,” he said, carrying me into the suite.

“Happy Valentine’s Day, Daniel.”

Stacks of green, career success, fame… none of it could hold a candle to the wealth that true love could give a person.

I kissed him softly and fell deeply into the absolute bliss of our boundless riches. 

The End

Look for these exciting books from Meg Muldoon in 2016!

Bulldogs & Bullets: A Dog Town USA Cozy Mystery (Book 2)

Ginger of the West: A Broomfield Bay Cozy Mystery (Book 1) (with Jools Sinclair)

Missing in Christmas River: A Christmas Cozy Mystery (Book 9)

Buried in Broken Hearts Junction: A Cozy Matchmaker Mystery (Book 3)

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Murder in Christmas River: A Christmas Cozy Mystery
(Book 1)