Magic in Christmas River: A Christmas Cozy Mystery (Christmas River Cozy Book 7) by Meg Muldoon Read Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Meg Muldoon
his coat.
“But if you think all that sugar and honey you laid down on me just now gets you out of the doghouse, then I’m afraid you’ve underestimated your wife’s ability to hold a grudge,” I said.
He smirked. Then he stood up, grabbing my coat and holding it out for me.
“I thought as much,” he said. “I figured it’d take a lot more to get outta there. But you know me…”
I slid into my jacket and he leaned down, pressing his lips close to my ear.
“ Whatever it takes ,” he whispered.
The hair on the back of my neck stood up.
I turned around.
“ Daniel Brightman ,” I said again, pretending to be shocked by what he was implying.
He winked at me, then settled up our tab.
Chapter 11
“Cin, watch out!”
I heard the warning too late.
By that time, the SUV had already started peeling out backwards, roaring like a red monster in the darkness of The Pine Needle Tavern’s parking lot.
I watched in stunned horror as it rumbled toward me like I wasn’t even there at all.
It was too late to do anything, I realized.
There was no way of getting out of this one.
I shut my eyes tightly, bracing myself for the inevitable impact.
A moment later, it came.
I hit the asphalt with a hard, painful thud, my lower back taking the brunt of the hit. I let out a small gasp and waited for whatever bone-breaking lay ahead when the back tires of the SUV rolled over my body.
But nothing happened.
When I opened my eyes a few moments later, Daniel was lying next to me on the pavement. The car, which had backed up and narrowly missed us, had its headlights shining deep into the night.
The driver’s door slowly opened.
“Damn, you okay, Cin?” Daniel said, pushing himself up off the ground and coming towards me.
I sat up, feeling a sharp pain radiate from my spine as I did. I looked down at my hands – they were red and raw from their impact with the rough asphalt.
“Oh lordy, oh lordy, oh lordy…”
A high-pitched, youthful voice sounded from somewhere behind the headlights.
“Cin, are you hurt?” Daniel asked, kneeling over me and touching a hand to the side of my face.
“I… uh…,” I mumbled, lost in some sort of fuzzy daze.
“ Oh, lordy . I am so, so, so sorry,” the high pitched voice continued.
I glanced up, squinting through the headlights. The figure of a woman running flashed in front of the glare.
A moment later, her red hair and familiar young face came into focus.
“I didn’t even see you guys walking!” she said. “Are you okay, Mrs. Brightman?”
Bethany Reid, Harold the bartender’s niece, who had started working at The Pine Needle Tavern this past summer, stood over us, a deathly worried expression on her face.
Though whether her concern had more to do with us being hurt, or with her car insurance premium going up on account of this accident wasn’t immediately clear.
Daniel stood up, ignoring her for the time being. He reached both hands out to me. I took them, and a moment later, I was standing on my own two feet.
I would be sore tomorrow, that was a given. But as far as I could tell, nothing was broken.
“We should get you to the hospital,” Daniel said.
“No, no. I’ll be fine.”
The thought of waiting for a doctor to see me at this hour wasn’t in the least bit appealing.
But Daniel persisted.
“It’s important, Cin,” he said. “If you hit your head, you could have a concussion. And that’s something that—”
“I didn’t hit my head,” I said. “I’m okay. Really.”
“Oh, thank heaven ,” Bethany said, closing her eyes and placing a hand over her heart in a dramatic gesture. “I seriously don’t know what I would’ve done if I ran over you all.”
Anger flashed across Daniel’s eyes, and I knew that Harold’s niece was in for a sharp scolding.
“Have you been drinking tonight, Ms. Reid?”
Her face turned whiter than a ghost. She clasped a hand over her chest again, her dark blue nail polish catching
“But if you think all that sugar and honey you laid down on me just now gets you out of the doghouse, then I’m afraid you’ve underestimated your wife’s ability to hold a grudge,” I said.
He smirked. Then he stood up, grabbing my coat and holding it out for me.
“I thought as much,” he said. “I figured it’d take a lot more to get outta there. But you know me…”
I slid into my jacket and he leaned down, pressing his lips close to my ear.
“ Whatever it takes ,” he whispered.
The hair on the back of my neck stood up.
I turned around.
“ Daniel Brightman ,” I said again, pretending to be shocked by what he was implying.
He winked at me, then settled up our tab.
Chapter 11
“Cin, watch out!”
I heard the warning too late.
By that time, the SUV had already started peeling out backwards, roaring like a red monster in the darkness of The Pine Needle Tavern’s parking lot.
I watched in stunned horror as it rumbled toward me like I wasn’t even there at all.
It was too late to do anything, I realized.
There was no way of getting out of this one.
I shut my eyes tightly, bracing myself for the inevitable impact.
A moment later, it came.
I hit the asphalt with a hard, painful thud, my lower back taking the brunt of the hit. I let out a small gasp and waited for whatever bone-breaking lay ahead when the back tires of the SUV rolled over my body.
But nothing happened.
When I opened my eyes a few moments later, Daniel was lying next to me on the pavement. The car, which had backed up and narrowly missed us, had its headlights shining deep into the night.
The driver’s door slowly opened.
“Damn, you okay, Cin?” Daniel said, pushing himself up off the ground and coming towards me.
I sat up, feeling a sharp pain radiate from my spine as I did. I looked down at my hands – they were red and raw from their impact with the rough asphalt.
“Oh lordy, oh lordy, oh lordy…”
A high-pitched, youthful voice sounded from somewhere behind the headlights.
“Cin, are you hurt?” Daniel asked, kneeling over me and touching a hand to the side of my face.
“I… uh…,” I mumbled, lost in some sort of fuzzy daze.
“ Oh, lordy . I am so, so, so sorry,” the high pitched voice continued.
I glanced up, squinting through the headlights. The figure of a woman running flashed in front of the glare.
A moment later, her red hair and familiar young face came into focus.
“I didn’t even see you guys walking!” she said. “Are you okay, Mrs. Brightman?”
Bethany Reid, Harold the bartender’s niece, who had started working at The Pine Needle Tavern this past summer, stood over us, a deathly worried expression on her face.
Though whether her concern had more to do with us being hurt, or with her car insurance premium going up on account of this accident wasn’t immediately clear.
Daniel stood up, ignoring her for the time being. He reached both hands out to me. I took them, and a moment later, I was standing on my own two feet.
I would be sore tomorrow, that was a given. But as far as I could tell, nothing was broken.
“We should get you to the hospital,” Daniel said.
“No, no. I’ll be fine.”
The thought of waiting for a doctor to see me at this hour wasn’t in the least bit appealing.
But Daniel persisted.
“It’s important, Cin,” he said. “If you hit your head, you could have a concussion. And that’s something that—”
“I didn’t hit my head,” I said. “I’m okay. Really.”
“Oh, thank heaven ,” Bethany said, closing her eyes and placing a hand over her heart in a dramatic gesture. “I seriously don’t know what I would’ve done if I ran over you all.”
Anger flashed across Daniel’s eyes, and I knew that Harold’s niece was in for a sharp scolding.
“Have you been drinking tonight, Ms. Reid?”
Her face turned whiter than a ghost. She clasped a hand over her chest again, her dark blue nail polish catching
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