Wrapped Up (Stone Cliff #4)

  Wrapped Up

  Cathryn Fox

  Contents

  Copyright

  ISBN

  WRAPPED UP

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Afterword

  About the Author

  Crashing Down

  Also by Cathryn Fox

  Copyright

  Copyright 2016 by Cathryn Fox

  Published by Cathryn Fox

  Edited by Theresa Cole

  Cover design by Cover design by Crocodesigns www.crocodesigns.com

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This book contains material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the author/publisher.

  Discover other titles by Cathryn Fox at www.cathrynfox.com.

  Please sign up for Cathryn’s Newsletter for freebies, ebooks, news and contests: https://app.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/c1f8n1

  Created with Vellum

  ISBN

  First edition February 2016.

  ISBN ebook 978-1-928056-18-8

  WRAPPED UP

  (A Stone Cliff Series Novella)

  When naughty meets nice

  1

  Carter Reed stuffed a stack of legal papers into a manila folder and tried to ignore the distress on Mayor Walker’s face as he glared from the other side of the boardroom. Turning sideways, Carter snapped his briefcase shut with a little more force than necessary. At least the loud clicking sound gave him something other than Walker’s anger to focus on.

  “Carter—” Walker began, clearly refusing to let it go.

  “The deal is done,” Carter said. “You signed the final agreement yesterday. The contract is legal and binding.”

  “That was before I found out the buyer wanted to turn the church into a casino,” the older man retaliated. Walker ran his hands through graying hair, and Carter studied the letters emblazed on his briefcase to avoid the concern in his opponent’s dark eyes. It was not his concern. “There must be something you can do,” Walker continued.

  From his peripheral vision, Carter caught the mayor shifting his gaze. Carter didn’t need to turn to know Walker was scanning the ski vacationers through the boardroom’s glass walls as they bustled around the lobby at Stone Cliff resort. “This is a small community, Carter, and the resort caters to those wanting to get away from it all, not those wanting to gamble. We don’t need that kind of trouble around these parts.”

  “What my client does with the property after purchasing it is not my business.” Carter grabbed his wool coat from the rack near the door and picked up his suitcase. He’d check out of his room earlier that day and brought his bags to the meeting, wanting to put Stone Cliff Resort and the festive town of Deerfield in his rear view mirror, sooner rather than later. All the Christmas music, carolers, lights and parades were giving him a damn headache. “I’m just here to see that the legal work gets taken care of. Any problems you have from here on out will have to be taken up with the purchaser.”

  Mayor Walker rested his elbows on the table and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Come on. It’s Christmas and that church is currently being used as a food bank. Right at this moment, the space is filled with volunteers preparing meals for those less fortunate. We can’t just close up in the dead of the winter, especially since we’ve yet to find another location to set up a kitchen. When we started this deal, your client said he wouldn’t be touching the property until spring and we would continue to use it.”

  “Things change.” Carter wrapped his gray woolen scarf around his neck and pulled up his collar.

  “Right, so then why can’t the deal? Let’s face it. If we had known things were going to go down—”

  Carter held his hand up. “The law is the law, Mayor.” He really didn’t have time to keep rehashing the same argument. He was going to be late for his flight. “I don’t make the rules, I just abide by them.” Besides, even if Carter could reverse the sale—and there was no way he could—he wasn’t going to blow his first job out of law school.

  He’d worked his ass off to get where he was, and in fifteen years, he’d never asked anyone for anything. There were times he had even held down two jobs between classes. He was here to prove himself to the law firm that hired him straight out of university. The last thing he was about to do was go soft and dig for some loophole in the contract. Someday, he’d like to make partner at McMillian and Stratton. Failing to return east with a binding contract in hand because the town decided they didn’t want a casino wasn’t in his best interests. Carter had learned the hard way that survival and getting what he wanted meant he needed to play life like a game of chess—each move careful and calculated. Sure, the deal could very well hurt the town, but emotions played no part in this job. Or in life. Another lesson he’d learned the hard way.

  Walker’s dark eyes moved over Carter’s face. His brow furrowed, and in an almost sad voice, he asked, “You’re still young, Carter. Is this the guy you really want to be?”

  This is the guy I have to be.

  “Just doing my job,” Carter countered.

  “But it’s Christmas…” Walker said, like that meant something to Carter.

  It didn’t. Not anymore anyway. There was a time he believed in the magic of Christmas. Believed that someday Santa would give a scared and lonely boy the only thing he’d always longed for when he was being tossed around from foster home to foster home. He could only assume Santa had permanently placed him on the naughty list because he never did get that family he’d wished for year after year. And really, can anyone blame a kid for acting up when the real kids in the home woke up to a tree full of gifts, and the puppy Carter had asked for was nowhere to be found?

  He hardened himself as he thought back to that Christmas some fifteen years ago. He’d spent that whole month of December being extra good, making his bed, studying every night, and doing additional chores around the foster house. All he wanted was for the nice family he was temporary living with to keep him forever, to love him like he was one of their own, and, because everything had been going so well, for Santa to give him the puppy he’d dared to ask for.

  Except that cold December morning had changed everything for him. That was the day he realized three things: no one gave a shit about the kid who’d been tossed away when he was a toddler; if he wanted something, he’d damn well have to get it on his own; and being nice never, ever paid off.

  The mayor stood, and the sound of his chair scraping across the polished tile floor pulled Carter’s thoughts back to the present. Walker crossed around the table and came up to Carter. The two stood nose to nose, and as he took in the fine lines bracketing the man’s eyes and the worry pulling down his face, Carter squared his shoulders, expecting another round of backlash. What the man did instead confused Carter and hit like a sucker punch.

  In a nurturing manner, Mayor Walker tightened the wool scarf around Carter’s neck. “It’s cold out there, son,” he said. “And be careful on the roads, the forecast is calling for more snow, and the hills around here are pretty tricky for those who aren’t used to them.”

  Disconcerted, Carter stood there for a moment longer, staring mutely at the man who had bundled him up with fatherly concern. What the hell? He sucked in air and took a distancing step back as something
inside his chest tightened, making it almost difficult to breathe. As the boardroom walls seemed to close in on him, he turned to leave, needing—almost desperately—to get out of there, but when Mayor Walker said, “Merry Christmas, Carter,” he stopped mid-stride and forced down the lump climbing into his throat.

  Shifting his briefcase from one hand to the other and then cracking his knuckles to disguise his emotions, he took a quick moment to compose himself. He let his breath out slowly to expel the unwelcome things he was feeling and pulled the boardroom door open, ready to get out of the festive town that was making him…feel.

  Without turning back, he said, “Yeah, you too.”

  Carter stepped into the lobby, where he was bombarded with Christmas music, scents of pine and gingerbread, and smiling staff all dressed as Santa’s elves. He really needed to get out of this place and back to his one bedroom condo where he could forget that Christmas was just around the corner and lose himself in his work until the damn holidays were over.

  He pushed through the front glass doors, and the bitter wind whipped around his face. Knowing he wasn’t dressed for winter in this mountain town, he turned sideways to the hurricane force gusts and tracked across the snow covered ground to the parking lot. He drove his key into the salt and slush covered rental vehicle, then hopped in and blasted the heater. Winter might be damp and cold on the east coast, but it was nothing compared to the dry, frigid temperatures in the mountains.

  Once the windows cleared, he began his drive down the slippery mountainside, following along the frozen lake. Numerous sirens sounded as he crawled through the town’s center, and he shot a glance around. He slowed even more and drove around a mid-size car with a smashed in bumper. Negotiating the turns carefully, he passed another car that had slid into a lamp pole. As he crept through the town, the snow turned to ice pellets and pounded against his window, reducing his visibility.

  By rights, he should have holed up for another night. Only a fool would be on these treacherous roads. He turned his wipers on higher and kept going. Call him an idiot, but he’d had enough of the town and their damn holiday spirit.

  Peering through the streaks on his windshield, he caught a glimpse of a road sign just up ahead. Snow stuck to the edges and blurred the markings, but he was sure it was the connector road that took him to the highway. From there, it was just a short drive to the airport. Then he’d be free and clear of Deerfield forever.

  He eased his vehicle onto the icy side road and drove a few miles, keeping an eye out for more signs. The farther in he went, the higher up the mountain he seemed to be climbing. Shit, he had to be going the wrong way.

  He gripped the steering wheel harder, looking for a place to turn, but there wasn’t a house or driveway to be found in the blinding storm. Deciding to do a U-turn right in the middle of the ice-packed road, he spun the steering wheel. His tires slid, and before he could get the vehicle under control, something ran in front of him. The car turned directions, and all he could see was a flash of blue before the back end of the vehicle hit something solid, sending his rental fishtailing toward the ditch.

  “Jesus,” he cursed. Once the car stopped sliding, he slammed it into Park and looked in his rearview mirror. With his heart still racing, he searched the ground and tried to see what he’d hit. Something moved, and he spotted a large white dog, a streak of red blood staining the freshly fallen snow.

  Shit. Shit. Shit.

  His stomach tightened and he swallowed as his mind raced to catch up. What the hell was a dog doing out here in the middle of nowhere? Seriously, with the way it had darted in front of him, it was almost like it was asking to get hit.

  Carter looked out his ice-crusted window, but since he hadn’t passed a house in miles, it wasn’t like he could knock on a door and find an owner. No, helping the animal meant taking it back to town and searching for a vet—none of which he had time for. He pounded on the steering wheel and considered his next move. What the fuck was he supposed to do now? He looked in the mirror again. The dog lift its head and meet his gaze, and he felt a small measure of relief. At least he hadn’t killed it.

  He waited a moment longer and tapped his thumb on his leg. “Come on, boy. Get up, get up,” he murmured.

  As the animal continued to lie there, Carter looked at the ditch and how close he’d come to sliding into it. Not sure if the vehicle was stuck after spinning out, he put it into gear and held his breath. With the way his luck was running, he’d likely be stranded in this Podunk town until spring thaw. He pressed on the gas and let loose a sigh of relief when the tires gripped the slippery ground. The car slowly inched forward, snow crunching beneath the rubber treads. A spray of slush spit backward as he picked up momentum. If he hit the brakes now, he was likely to go off the road, which wouldn’t do him or the dog any good. Maybe when he got out to the main road, he could call the police although with the amount of sirens he’d heard earlier, they were probably pretty tied up with all the fender benders.

  He looked at the dashboard clock. If he kept going, he could still make it to the airport in time, and getting back home was more important than anything, right? Decision made, he looked over his shoulder, but when he caught site of the dog, he felt something inside him give.

  “Fuck,” he cursed and slammed the car into Park. He pulled on handle to get out, and a strong breeze snatched the door from his hands, nearly tearing it clean off its hinges.

  “Great,” he mumbled. At least he’d bought the extra insurance. He jumped from the driver’s seat, and the cold air stole the breath from his lungs as he tried to close the door against the strong winds. He put his weight in to it, but the metal latch was bent and twisted, and no matter how hard he tried, it still wouldn’t catch. After another round of curses, he left the door banging in the wind and turned toward the dog. Giving up on the idea that he was going to make his flight, he grabbed a blanket from the trunk and cautiously walked toward the animal. His leather dress shoes sank into the snow as he trudged forward.

  “Hey boy,” he said as he approached, not wanting to frighten the guy any more than it was. “It’s okay, boy.”

  The dog lifted its head and when Carter stared into the creature’s blue eyes—the bluest eyes he’d ever seen—his head came back with a start. What kind of dog was this?

  “Hey,” he whispered, going down onto his knees when the dog whined. He draped the blanket over it and bent forward. The dog licked his face, a big, sloppy kiss across the mouth. Carter winced and pulled back.

  “Come on, buddy. You’re not my type.”

  The dog started panting as Carter wiped the slop off his face with the back of his sleeve. “And a breath mint wouldn’t kill ya, either.” The hound lifted his head and tried to lick him again. “Oh, no you don’t.” Despite the situation, Carter laughed, and as the dog looked up at him with those big, soulful eyes, he wondered how he ever could have thought about just leaving him.

  “Is this the guy you really want to be?”

  Dammit, why the hell was he letting Walker into his head, letting his words get to him? Who he was and what he did was none of Walkers business, and he’d long ago given up caring what people thought of him.

  As something tugged at his emotions, he pushed that from his mind and ran his hand over the dog’s matted, white fur. “Easy boy. I’m going to get you to the vet.” When the animal relaxed against his touch, he picked it up, ready to carry him to his car, but the sound of a vehicle coming to a halt behind him had him turning. He felt a measure of relief when he saw a huge SUV, which was far better equipped for these icy roads than his rental. Perhaps the guy driving could give the dog a lift to town.

  The door opened, and while he expected to see some big lumberjack climb out, the petite girl hopping to the ground in a pair of arctic boots that came to her knees and a coat that met them from the top side had him doing a double take.

  “You okay?” she asked, her big brown eyes pretty much all he could see through the fur lined hood cover
ing ninety percent of her face.

  “I need to get this dog to the vet,” he shouted over the driving wind. “I hit him with the car.”

  She glanced at his driver’s side door banging in the wind, then took another step closer. Her eyes widened with something that looked like fascination as she zeroed in on the bundle in his arms.

  “What?” he asked, her reaction confusing him.

  “Uh, do you have any idea what you’re holding?”

  “A dog,” he said. What the hell was she getting at? Christ, he might not be from the country where dogs obviously ran free, but he knew a dog when he saw one. And he might be an idiot for driving in this weather, but he wasn’t a moron.

  She held a gloved hand toward the bundle in his arms. “Hate to break it to you, City, but that’s no dog.”

  2

  The fear in City’s eyes had Josie grinning, but she knew he had nothing to worry about. In fact, the mystical creature he was cradling excited Josie beyond words.

  “If it’s not a dog then what is…” His words fell off as understanding moved over his face. “Oh, shit.”

  “Come on,” she said. “Put him in the back seat of my truck. Your car isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.”

  “Are you sure?” he asked, those light blue eyes of his looking over the animal cautiously, like it was the big bad wolf and he was little red.

  “Positive. Now hurry before you freeze to death.” Josie’s glance left his handsome face and traveled downward to take in his wool coat, dress pants, and leather shoes. “You’re not dressed properly to be outside for any length of time, so you’d better hurry.”