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CHAPTER ONE–NATALIE
“Are you sure you want to do this?” my editor asked.
I popped my cute plaid Vera Bradley weekender bag into the trunk of my rented SUV. I needed something that could make it up the snowy mountain roads I was bound to find in Crystal Springs this time of year. At least, that was what the website said, and I was positively giddy just thinking about it.
“Yes, I’m sure.”
“It’s Christmas Eve, Nat. Look, why don’t you just come over? You can spend it with me and Rick and the kids,” she continued.
I closed my eyes and counted to ten. I was crazy about Joanie. She was the in-house editor at Manhattan Special Publishing, and she was amazing. I’d been with them ever since I released my first Detective Smith novel, and I have not regretted it since. In fact, I was dedicating this next book to her, but the last few weeks I’d been unable to write.
It all started when I received an invitation to my ex-husband’s wedding. We’d been divorced for over a year now and it should not have come as a shock. He’d been cheatingon me with his secretary while we were married. Now she was pregnant, and they were getting hitched on New Year’s Eve.
Was it tacky their invitation was a closeup of her swollen belly and the big fat diamond on her hand while he hugged her from behind? Not necessarily. But it was definitely in poor taste that I was on the invite list.
Like what the actual fuck?
“Joanie, I hope you and the family have an awesome holiday, but I need this. Now I am getting in the car and plugging the address into the GPS.”
“Ohmygawd, fine. But the weather report says you’ll be arriving right before a blizzard hits, Nat. Like an actual blizzard?—”
“I know, Joanie. The cabin is stocked with food and there’s even a backup generator,” I replied.
“Ugh. Fine. But call me when you get there,” she said.
“Okay,mom. I am hanging up now.”
A little Christmas music and a travel mug filled with rich, hot chocolate beside me, and I was ready to roll.
“Crystal Springs Getawayshere I come!”
Six hours later, I pulled up to cabin 1225, double checking the number from the confirmation my travel agent sent me. I frowned, looking at it several more times before determining something was wrong. I’d passed theCrystal Springs Getawayssign a few miles back, and that was before the snow had started to fall.
It was coming down now in big fat flakes, and I pulled on my hat and gloves before exiting the vehicle. I grabbed my mug,my bag from the trunk, and hoped like hell the other car in the driveway was just some staff member doing a last-minute check.
Of course, that hope was dashed when, after entering my private code on the lock pad and opening the door, I was greeted by the sight of a man in an apron cooking a steak and sipping on a glass of something amber.
“Who the hell are you?” he growled at me.
“Uh, Natalie?” I replied, but it came out more question than fact.
“Are you asking me?”
I shut the door and stomped my feet on the mat, unzipping my coat because it was really warm inside the cabin.
“Lady, what are you doing?”
“Natalie, my name is Natalie. And this is my cabin for the weekend, see?” I said, showing him my confirmation.
The handsome man—and yes, he really was handsome with silver streaks throughout his thick, dark hair and silver eyes sparking like flintstone at me—took my phone and read the confirmation. His lips pursed, he reached for his own smart phone and pulled up a similar message.
“Sorry, you see, I already booked this cabin,” he said, showing me the message.
“Maybe it’s the wrong—” I paused, checking the numbers. But nope. He was right. He had booked cabin 1225, same as me.
“Hang on, let me call my travel agent,” I said, and started dialing.
Of course, I was not really expecting to connect with anyone since it was already afternoon and Christmas Eve to boot. The confounding man didn’t make a move to help, sure that he was in the right. That didn’t help improve my opinion of him, but he sure looked good in his expensive jeans and long-sleeved shirt.
