Silent Night by C.J. Kyle Read Free Book Online Page A

cut. “Looks clean, but keep an eye out for infection.” She placed a dollop of ointment on the cut, then a square of gauze before wrapping it securely. Miranda handed him several packages of gauze and the tube of cream. “Clean it a couple times a day, but don’t use that for more than forty-eight hours. If it gets red or puffy, see your doctor.”
    “Yes, ma’am.” He tucked the items into his pocket and took an uninvited seat at the table. She grabbed a cup and spoon from the sink, poured half her soup into it, and passed it to him before sitting down. “So what made you become a nurse?”
    “I wanted to help people.” She shrugged, concentrating on her soup for several spoonfuls before continuing. “Taking care of people, making a difference in their lives, giving them a little hope when they have none, means something important.”
    He nodded, completely understanding. Miranda’s reasons for joining the medical profession weren’t that different from his reasons for being a cop. He hadn’t been able to help his sister, but he could potentially help someone else’s. He’d given up his way of life, his family, everything he knew for the chance to give hope to those who didn’t have any.
    Blue-collar work. His father hadn’t been happy about that at all.
    “Corny, huh?”
    Tuck looked up from his soup. “Not at all. In fact, we have a lot in common. Those reasons are exactly why I joined the police academy.”
    Miranda tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. The smile on her face warmed the room better than the newly repaired heater. He found himself watching her eat. It wasn’t until she tried to smother a yawn behind her hand that he realized how long they’d been sitting at the table.
    “I didn’t intend to hang out half the night.” He placed his mug in the sink. “Thanks for the doctoring.”
    “Sorry,” she said around another yawn. “Thanks for fixing the heater and for the soup.”
    “My pleasure.”
    “Night.” She shut the door, and he stood staring at it for a long moment, trying to gather the nerve to knock again and ask her to dinner. The click of the deadbolt locking stilled his hand. Frustrated that he was so rusty with women, he bent his head against the cold and walked back to his place. He opened the door, then glanced back toward Miranda’s cottage. The curtain ruffled, falling back into place. He smiled.
    There was more to Miranda than a pretty face and he really wanted to get to know every aspect of her.

Chapter 5
Thursday
    M IRANDA CURLED IN the recliner in front of her living room window and stared out the frosty window at St. Catherine’s. She didn’t know how the people of this town dealt with Christmas year-round. For most people, herself included, it wasn’t an easy time to survive when it came only once a year. Three hundred and sixty-five days of ho-ho-hos and sleigh bells would turn her suicidal.
    She clutched her backpack, slipping her hand inside the outer pocket to check for the ninth time to make sure the cameras were still inside. She’d gone over her plan at least a dozen times, had made two practice runs by Anatole’s home. The minute the Mass bells rang . . .
    She prayed like hell this break-in attempt would go unnoticed. If she got caught, the priest would know that she was on to him. What that would mean to her safety . . . She shuddered, not even wanting to think about what Anatole might do to her.
    As the mantel clock’s hand ticked slowly, she thumbed through the newspaper she hadn’t had time to read that morning. There was no mention of Tucker’s missing teen. Highlights of the festival dominated the front page of the thin Christmas Chronicle . The remaining three pages were filled with upcoming parties, an engagement announcement, and a call for volunteers to help out with a local Baptist church’s food bank.
    Small-town life at its finest . . .
    By the time the clock read five-fifteen, she’d zipped her parka to her chin and was well