CRIMINAL CHRISTMAS: A Set of 8 Holiday Suspense Stories, page 54
“What is it?”
“Nothing.”
“I know there’s something. Spill.”
“It’s just these kids. They made some threats.”
Rage boiled Sabrina’s blood. “Who?”
After a slight hesitation, she said, “Chet and Marcie. They said I was going to get it for sucking up to you and getting them suspended.”
That figured. Freaking bullies. Just before the break, they’d shoved Halley partially into her locker, then laughed and took pictures, posting on the internet about how she was so fat, they couldn’t fit her all the way in.
Sabrina had reported it and demanded they be punished. They would be suspended after the break, and Chet wouldn’t be able to play in the next few football games. But that was a slap on the wrist. Those two and their friends had tormented Halley all year.
She blinked back tears of sympathy. She was already too emotionally involved with her students, Halley in particular. She shouldn’t reveal how much this affected her. But she was determined to do something about it when she returned to school.
“Promise me something. If they bother you again during break, let me know, okay?”
“Okay.”
In the background, a woman’s strident voice came from the hallway. Halley’s mother screamed something unintelligible, and Halley’s face tensed. “I guess I need to go.”
Sabrina offered a smile. “Take care of yourself and try to have fun okay? We’ll talk again in a few days.”
“Sure, yeah. Talk to you soon.”
As soon as the connection was broken, the room thrummed with loneliness. She should go down to the lodge. The owner, Theresa, didn’t believe in Christmas, so Sabrina never had to worry about trees, decorations, Christmas music, or other reminders.
The wind howled against the windows, and she shivered. Maybe she wasn’t ready to go back out just yet.
She started an oldies playlist on her MP3 player. With the songs of Otis Redding and Elvis Presley filling the room, she felt less lonely.
A pot of spaghetti was simmering on the stove when a noise came from the front door. Someone trying the knob. The living room and kitchen were one big open space, separated only by a long bar. Her gaze flew to the door.
Who could that be? Surely, Mitch hadn’t driven up. If he had, he would have knocked. Someone was actually trying to get in.
She grabbed a knife from the counter. Her heart fluttered into her throat as she crept to the front door. Before she could reach it, the door flew open. Two men stood on the threshold.
Jerking her arm high over her head, holding the knife in what she hoped was a threatening gesture, she yelled, “Stop right there. I have a weapon.”
The younger, smaller man jumped back with a squeak.
The taller guy held his hands up. “Whoa, whoa, careful now. You want to put that thing away?”
She clutched the knife more tightly. “You want to tell me who the hell you are and how the hell you got in here?”
“My name is Josh Cravens, this is Dustin Reynolds. We got in because I have a key. We’re here to make some repairs to the bathroom. Who are you?”
“Why didn’t Jess tell me you were coming?”
He kept his hands raised and shrugged. The guy next to him remained silent, his eyes rounded, his trembling hands above his head. She almost felt sorry for him. But he could be a thief, a rapist, a murderer. She’d reserve her sympathy until she knew.
“I don’t know why he didn’t tell you, but I promise, we’re contractors. We were hired by Jess Cofield. He owns the cabin. I’ve done work for him before.” His eyes narrowed. “Come to think of it, how do I know you’re supposed to be here?”
She barked out a shaky laugh. “You’re questioning me?” She backed up a few steps, heading to the bar where her cell phone lay. “You stay right there. I’m calling Jess.”
The Josh guy gestured with his hand. “By all means. Please do. My arms are getting tired, and Dustin here is about to have a coronary.”
Sabrina punched in the speed dial for Jess, keeping a wary eye on the intruders. Admittedly, they looked like contractors. Looked harmless, but why wouldn’t Jess have told her, and why were they coming in the evening to begin work on a job?
Jess answered. “Hey, Sabrina. Did you get settled in?”
“Yes, thanks. Uhm, but there’s a little bit of a problem.”
“What’s that, hon?”
“These guys, Josh and…” She’d forgotten his name. She lifted her brows toward the trembling one. He opened his mouth, but rather than words, chattering came out.
“Dustin,” Josh supplied.
“Dustin,” she said to Jess. “They say you hired them to do some work on the cabin?”
“Oh, shoot. Yeah, I forgot to tell you. Sorry. With the kids and grandkids coming for the holidays, Marge and I have been running around like chickens with our heads cut off. I hired Josh and his friend to make some repairs. Sorry it coincides with your time there, but Josh has a few weeks off his regular job, and it’s the only time he could do it. He’s the one who built that new utility room off the kitchen. I put in a washer and dryer last week. Now you don’t have to lug your laundry up to the lodge.”
Relief and embarrassment flooded her. “No problem. I just wanted to make sure. Thanks again for letting me use the cabin.”
“You’re welcome, dear. Marge says hi and Merry—” He stopped. “Uh, enjoy the cabin.”
She cringed. She hated the fact that she couldn’t look at Christmas normally, like everyone else did. She was an oddity, but she couldn’t control it. “Thanks, Jess. Give her my love, and you guys enjoy your kids and grandbabies.”
She punched the end button and tossed her phone on the bar. Feeling foolish, she lowered the knife. “I’m sorry. I just…Jess didn’t tell me.”
Josh dropped his hands. “No problem. I’d have reacted the same way. Except, I might have used a bigger knife.” He grinned.
She looked at the four-inch paring knife she still held. Josh could have easily disarmed her. She flushed. “It was the closest one.”
Josh elbowed Dustin. “You can drop your hands now, she’s not going to filet us to death.”
Dustin’s cheeks reddened. “Oh, yeah.”
“Let’s start over. I’m Sabrina Spencer. Nice to meet you. Come on in.”
“Thanks.” They moved inside, and Josh pushed the door shut.
“Can I ask why you’re starting so late? Wouldn’t it be better to wait until the morning?”
“We just wanted to come by and assess the work so we’d know how much time to plan and what tools to bring. Jess didn’t tell us about you either. We were just as surprised as you were.” His lips curved in a grin. For the first time, she noticed his dimpled jaw and ice-blue eyes. Her heart performed an annoying little flutter. She attributed it to the remnants of her fright, rather than the unexpected male attractiveness that suddenly landed in her living room.
“Feel free. Do whatever you need to.” She pointed down the hallway. “Bathroom’s that way.”
“Got it, thanks.” They shed their coats and hung them on the rack by the door, then headed to the back of the house.
Half an hour later, the two men reemerged.
“That’s all we need,” Josh said. “Sorry for the scare.”
Sabrina lifted a shoulder. “Sorry for brandishing a knife.” The thought of them leaving produced a trickle of unease. She’d be alone…and it was so much worse after having human contact. “Listen, I made spaghetti. Would you guys like to stay for dinner?”
Dustin rubbed his hands together. “Spaghetti’s my favorite. Can we, Josh?”
Josh ruffled his hair. “Sure. Let’s go wash up.”
During dinner, Sabrina thought she’d be uncomfortable, trying to make conversation with two strangers, but Dustin eliminated that problem by chattering non-stop, between stuffing his mouth full of spaghetti and garlic bread.
She learned that he and Josh lived in Green Bay, they were neighbors, and Josh worked for the City of Green Bay as an engineer. He hired Dustin to help on side jobs he did for friends and family. They’d done some work on Lambeau field, which launched Dustin into a praise session of the Packers, how much he missed Brett Favre, but what an awesome quarterback Aaron Rodgers was, on and on. Although Sabrina had lived in Wisconsin her entire life, she didn’t follow football. In this part of the country, that made her an oddity, but her youth had been spent partying, and her young adult years studying and teaching. Football never appealed to her.
Josh held up a hand. “Let’s let the lady talk for a bit, ’kay, bud?”
Dustin nodded. “Sorry. I’m a chatterbox.”
Josh favored him with an affectionate grin, and Sabrina warmed toward him. He was obviously good to the kid—well, maybe ‘kid’ wasn’t accurate. Dustin was probably in his early twenties, but he was obviously slightly mentally challenged.
“So,” Josh took a drink of tea. “Tell us about you.”
“I’m a high school science teacher,” she said. “I’m renting the cabin for the holidays.”
Dustin swallowed a mouthful. “You’re going to be all by yourself during Christmas?”
“It’s all right. I don’t like Christmas anyway.”
Dustin’s eyes rounded. “How can anyone not like Christmas?”
Sabrina grimaced. “It’s just…too much of a hassle.” No way was she going to tell her life story to these strangers. But then again, anyone from the area likely knew what had happened. When a serial killer wipes out an entire family, except one member he kept locked up and tormented for a week, it was big news.
If they recognized her, they didn’t let on. It had been ten years, but everyone in Wisconsin knew about the Rosewood murders—dubbed so because the house they lived in, that her family died in, was on Rosewood Lane.
In an attempt to shift the focus off her distaste for the holiday, she said, “Even worse than that, I don’t like football.”
Dustin jumped to his feet. “You what? No Packers?”
She shook her head. “If I were going to like football, it would definitely be the Packers. Does that help?”
He scrunched his nose. “Not much.”
She laughed. “Sorry.”
Josh stood. “Thanks for dinner. We’ll help you with the dishes then get out of your way.”
“No need to help, I can handle them.”
“I insist. We’re not leaving you with a mess after your hospitality.”
Dustin frowned. “Don’t you need to get to Shady’s? I thought Chastity was meeting you there at eight.”
Sabrina lifted her brows. “I’m keeping you from a date?”
Josh shrugged. “Not a date. I just—”
“Chastity is a girl,” Dustin cut in. “Her hair’s red, not dark like yours, and she’s got bigger…” He stopped, his cheeks reddening. “Bigger eyes. But her eyes are green instead of brown like yours. But she’s not his girlfriend. Josh don’t date. He just hooks up. I drive him.”
Josh clamped a hand over Dustin’s mouth. “Hey, buddy, we don’t need to spill all our info, right?”
Sabrina’s estimation of him dropped by about a hundred points. “You have this young man drive you around to your hook ups? What, does he wait in the car while you…?” She cut a look at Dustin. His expression showed misery. She didn’t want to make him feel worse. “Sorry, none of my business.”
“It’s not like that,” Josh said. “Sometimes when Dustin and I go out, I have him drive if I’ve had too much to drink. That’s all he meant.”
“Yeah, me and Josh hang out together, but I drive home ’cause sometimes Josh is too wasted. When he hooks up, he takes a cab so I don’t have to wait all night.” Dustin beamed up at Josh like he’d rescued a kitten from a tree.
“Well.” She turned a sarcastic expression on Josh. “That’s quite admirable that he doesn’t make you wait outside all night.”
Josh flinched. “I guess we will let you take care of the dishes. We’d better head out. See you in the morning. Is six too early?”
“I’ll be up. I’m an early riser.”
“Thanks for dinner.” They grabbed coats from the rack by the front door. “Hope we’re not wrecking your vacation by working these next few days.”
“Not at all.” In spite of her less than stellar opinion of Josh, she liked Dustin, and it would be nice to have company.
Two
Early the next morning, Sabrina went out back to set up a recorder, nestling it inside a box and placing it in a nearby tree. She hoped to catch the adorable little birds in person, but in case that didn’t happen, she wanted to get them on tape.
Her students would love this. Well, most of them. Brutes like Chet thrived on tormenting rather than learning and discovery. Why couldn’t she get through to him? She’d tried on more than one occasion, but he’d been more focused on her breasts than her words.
Cold wind seared her unprotected face between her scarf and hat. She might have to start wearing a ski mask as much time as she’d be spending outside.
Once everything was set up, she hurried into the cabin. She peeled off her coat, gloves, and scarf and poured a large mug of coffee.
A knock came, and she went to the front door to let in Josh and Dustin.
Josh wore a white Henley shirt, faded jeans, and a tool belt around his hips. His dark hair was sprinkled with crystals of snow. Her heart gave a little skip, much to her dismay. He was even better looking than she remembered.
She stepped back and swept her arm out. “Come in. Coffee?”
“Sounds great.”
She poured Dustin and Josh a cup. Josh leaned his hip against the bar and sipped his coffee.
She sat at the table and wrapped her hands around her mug. “So, did you have fun last night?”
Dustin grinned. “He must have ’cause I ended up picking him up this morning.”
Josh shoved his shoulder. “What did we talk about?”
Dustin pursed his lips. “About me being a blabbermouth.”
“Right. Keep it on the down low.”
“On the down low.” Dustin stuck his clenched hand out, and they fist-bumped.
Of course the guy was a whore dog party hound. Figured. But, that was actually a good thing. It might keep her from noticing how his blue eyes sparkled when he smiled, and his deep dimples creased on either side of his full mouth…
She clenched her jaw. At least, she hoped it would.
The guys headed to work in the guest bathroom while she pulled out her laptop and made notes about the chickadees, along with grading papers the students had turned in before the break. The sounds of hammering and the murmur of male voices filtered to her—soothing, comforting. Once in a while, a loud burst of laughter came from Dustin.
Three hours passed, and Sabrina’s attention was caught by a loud howling wind that creaked the house. Tiny shards of ice pelted the windows.
She rose and looked outside. If Josh and Dustin didn’t leave soon, they’d have trouble traversing the icy roads. She was about to go suggest they knock off for the day, when a ping sounded from her laptop.
The strains of “Twelve days of Christmas” started. Her legs went weak. What the hell?
She rushed over to the computer. Another image wavered on the screen—a length of rope, this one with the text, On the second day of Christmas…
Chills washed over her. Probably just some kind of odd pop up glitch. Nevertheless, a shudder ripped through her body.
She went into Chrome settings to turn off pop ups and changed it to “Do not allow any pop ups.” That should stop it.
But the first one was on your phone…
Well, she wasn’t a computer expert, but her phone had internet as well. It was all connected, and the changed setting would likely resolve the issue in both places.
She headed down the hall and stopped in the doorway to the bathroom. Josh was setting cream-colored tiles into the shower wall. Dustin was meticulously spreading grout between new tiles on the floor.
“Hey guys, the roads are getting bad. Thought you might want to go home before it gets too treacherous.”
Josh looked at her over his shoulder. “We’re not at a good stopping place. The snowplows will take care of the roads. We’ll be fine.”
She shrugged. “Suit yourself.”
She left them to their work, put on her coat and gloves, poured another mug of coffee, and went outside on the deck to watch the feeder. It was empty at the moment, but might not be for long. The little birds were hardy. The weather wouldn’t keep them away, and if she hoped to catch a glimpse, it needed to be in the daytime. At night, they were still. They possessed the amazing ability of going into hypothermia to survive the bitter cold.
She’d been out for fifteen minutes, with not a single sighting, when the sound of the glass door sliding made her turn.
Josh came out on the deck. “Are you insane?”
“Why?”
“Oh, I don’t know, it’s ten degrees, and you’re sitting outside in an ice storm.”
“I’m hoping to catch sight of a chickadee.”
“You can’t watch from the window?”
“I like being outside.” In spite of the roominess of the cabin, if she didn’t get out a few times throughout the day, she started to feel short of breath, felt the walls closing in on her. This was more or less preventative maintenance.
“Dustin and I are heading out. See you in the morning. Are you sure you don’t want to come inside?”
“I’ll go in soon. Don’t worry about me. I’ll see you guys in the morning. Be careful out there.”
“Us be careful? You’re the crazy one.”
She made a face at him, and he grinned, sliding the door open and disappearing inside.
The cold seemed somehow more severe once he was gone.
~*~
The next day, Dustin and Josh had been hard at work for several hours when they came down the hallway.
“We’re going up to the lodge for lunch,” Josh said. “Want to come?”
“Sure.” She had been meaning to go up and say hi to Theresa anyway. And she was starving.
“Come on, we’re driving.”
“Nothing.”
“I know there’s something. Spill.”
“It’s just these kids. They made some threats.”
Rage boiled Sabrina’s blood. “Who?”
After a slight hesitation, she said, “Chet and Marcie. They said I was going to get it for sucking up to you and getting them suspended.”
That figured. Freaking bullies. Just before the break, they’d shoved Halley partially into her locker, then laughed and took pictures, posting on the internet about how she was so fat, they couldn’t fit her all the way in.
Sabrina had reported it and demanded they be punished. They would be suspended after the break, and Chet wouldn’t be able to play in the next few football games. But that was a slap on the wrist. Those two and their friends had tormented Halley all year.
She blinked back tears of sympathy. She was already too emotionally involved with her students, Halley in particular. She shouldn’t reveal how much this affected her. But she was determined to do something about it when she returned to school.
“Promise me something. If they bother you again during break, let me know, okay?”
“Okay.”
In the background, a woman’s strident voice came from the hallway. Halley’s mother screamed something unintelligible, and Halley’s face tensed. “I guess I need to go.”
Sabrina offered a smile. “Take care of yourself and try to have fun okay? We’ll talk again in a few days.”
“Sure, yeah. Talk to you soon.”
As soon as the connection was broken, the room thrummed with loneliness. She should go down to the lodge. The owner, Theresa, didn’t believe in Christmas, so Sabrina never had to worry about trees, decorations, Christmas music, or other reminders.
The wind howled against the windows, and she shivered. Maybe she wasn’t ready to go back out just yet.
She started an oldies playlist on her MP3 player. With the songs of Otis Redding and Elvis Presley filling the room, she felt less lonely.
A pot of spaghetti was simmering on the stove when a noise came from the front door. Someone trying the knob. The living room and kitchen were one big open space, separated only by a long bar. Her gaze flew to the door.
Who could that be? Surely, Mitch hadn’t driven up. If he had, he would have knocked. Someone was actually trying to get in.
She grabbed a knife from the counter. Her heart fluttered into her throat as she crept to the front door. Before she could reach it, the door flew open. Two men stood on the threshold.
Jerking her arm high over her head, holding the knife in what she hoped was a threatening gesture, she yelled, “Stop right there. I have a weapon.”
The younger, smaller man jumped back with a squeak.
The taller guy held his hands up. “Whoa, whoa, careful now. You want to put that thing away?”
She clutched the knife more tightly. “You want to tell me who the hell you are and how the hell you got in here?”
“My name is Josh Cravens, this is Dustin Reynolds. We got in because I have a key. We’re here to make some repairs to the bathroom. Who are you?”
“Why didn’t Jess tell me you were coming?”
He kept his hands raised and shrugged. The guy next to him remained silent, his eyes rounded, his trembling hands above his head. She almost felt sorry for him. But he could be a thief, a rapist, a murderer. She’d reserve her sympathy until she knew.
“I don’t know why he didn’t tell you, but I promise, we’re contractors. We were hired by Jess Cofield. He owns the cabin. I’ve done work for him before.” His eyes narrowed. “Come to think of it, how do I know you’re supposed to be here?”
She barked out a shaky laugh. “You’re questioning me?” She backed up a few steps, heading to the bar where her cell phone lay. “You stay right there. I’m calling Jess.”
The Josh guy gestured with his hand. “By all means. Please do. My arms are getting tired, and Dustin here is about to have a coronary.”
Sabrina punched in the speed dial for Jess, keeping a wary eye on the intruders. Admittedly, they looked like contractors. Looked harmless, but why wouldn’t Jess have told her, and why were they coming in the evening to begin work on a job?
Jess answered. “Hey, Sabrina. Did you get settled in?”
“Yes, thanks. Uhm, but there’s a little bit of a problem.”
“What’s that, hon?”
“These guys, Josh and…” She’d forgotten his name. She lifted her brows toward the trembling one. He opened his mouth, but rather than words, chattering came out.
“Dustin,” Josh supplied.
“Dustin,” she said to Jess. “They say you hired them to do some work on the cabin?”
“Oh, shoot. Yeah, I forgot to tell you. Sorry. With the kids and grandkids coming for the holidays, Marge and I have been running around like chickens with our heads cut off. I hired Josh and his friend to make some repairs. Sorry it coincides with your time there, but Josh has a few weeks off his regular job, and it’s the only time he could do it. He’s the one who built that new utility room off the kitchen. I put in a washer and dryer last week. Now you don’t have to lug your laundry up to the lodge.”
Relief and embarrassment flooded her. “No problem. I just wanted to make sure. Thanks again for letting me use the cabin.”
“You’re welcome, dear. Marge says hi and Merry—” He stopped. “Uh, enjoy the cabin.”
She cringed. She hated the fact that she couldn’t look at Christmas normally, like everyone else did. She was an oddity, but she couldn’t control it. “Thanks, Jess. Give her my love, and you guys enjoy your kids and grandbabies.”
She punched the end button and tossed her phone on the bar. Feeling foolish, she lowered the knife. “I’m sorry. I just…Jess didn’t tell me.”
Josh dropped his hands. “No problem. I’d have reacted the same way. Except, I might have used a bigger knife.” He grinned.
She looked at the four-inch paring knife she still held. Josh could have easily disarmed her. She flushed. “It was the closest one.”
Josh elbowed Dustin. “You can drop your hands now, she’s not going to filet us to death.”
Dustin’s cheeks reddened. “Oh, yeah.”
“Let’s start over. I’m Sabrina Spencer. Nice to meet you. Come on in.”
“Thanks.” They moved inside, and Josh pushed the door shut.
“Can I ask why you’re starting so late? Wouldn’t it be better to wait until the morning?”
“We just wanted to come by and assess the work so we’d know how much time to plan and what tools to bring. Jess didn’t tell us about you either. We were just as surprised as you were.” His lips curved in a grin. For the first time, she noticed his dimpled jaw and ice-blue eyes. Her heart performed an annoying little flutter. She attributed it to the remnants of her fright, rather than the unexpected male attractiveness that suddenly landed in her living room.
“Feel free. Do whatever you need to.” She pointed down the hallway. “Bathroom’s that way.”
“Got it, thanks.” They shed their coats and hung them on the rack by the door, then headed to the back of the house.
Half an hour later, the two men reemerged.
“That’s all we need,” Josh said. “Sorry for the scare.”
Sabrina lifted a shoulder. “Sorry for brandishing a knife.” The thought of them leaving produced a trickle of unease. She’d be alone…and it was so much worse after having human contact. “Listen, I made spaghetti. Would you guys like to stay for dinner?”
Dustin rubbed his hands together. “Spaghetti’s my favorite. Can we, Josh?”
Josh ruffled his hair. “Sure. Let’s go wash up.”
During dinner, Sabrina thought she’d be uncomfortable, trying to make conversation with two strangers, but Dustin eliminated that problem by chattering non-stop, between stuffing his mouth full of spaghetti and garlic bread.
She learned that he and Josh lived in Green Bay, they were neighbors, and Josh worked for the City of Green Bay as an engineer. He hired Dustin to help on side jobs he did for friends and family. They’d done some work on Lambeau field, which launched Dustin into a praise session of the Packers, how much he missed Brett Favre, but what an awesome quarterback Aaron Rodgers was, on and on. Although Sabrina had lived in Wisconsin her entire life, she didn’t follow football. In this part of the country, that made her an oddity, but her youth had been spent partying, and her young adult years studying and teaching. Football never appealed to her.
Josh held up a hand. “Let’s let the lady talk for a bit, ’kay, bud?”
Dustin nodded. “Sorry. I’m a chatterbox.”
Josh favored him with an affectionate grin, and Sabrina warmed toward him. He was obviously good to the kid—well, maybe ‘kid’ wasn’t accurate. Dustin was probably in his early twenties, but he was obviously slightly mentally challenged.
“So,” Josh took a drink of tea. “Tell us about you.”
“I’m a high school science teacher,” she said. “I’m renting the cabin for the holidays.”
Dustin swallowed a mouthful. “You’re going to be all by yourself during Christmas?”
“It’s all right. I don’t like Christmas anyway.”
Dustin’s eyes rounded. “How can anyone not like Christmas?”
Sabrina grimaced. “It’s just…too much of a hassle.” No way was she going to tell her life story to these strangers. But then again, anyone from the area likely knew what had happened. When a serial killer wipes out an entire family, except one member he kept locked up and tormented for a week, it was big news.
If they recognized her, they didn’t let on. It had been ten years, but everyone in Wisconsin knew about the Rosewood murders—dubbed so because the house they lived in, that her family died in, was on Rosewood Lane.
In an attempt to shift the focus off her distaste for the holiday, she said, “Even worse than that, I don’t like football.”
Dustin jumped to his feet. “You what? No Packers?”
She shook her head. “If I were going to like football, it would definitely be the Packers. Does that help?”
He scrunched his nose. “Not much.”
She laughed. “Sorry.”
Josh stood. “Thanks for dinner. We’ll help you with the dishes then get out of your way.”
“No need to help, I can handle them.”
“I insist. We’re not leaving you with a mess after your hospitality.”
Dustin frowned. “Don’t you need to get to Shady’s? I thought Chastity was meeting you there at eight.”
Sabrina lifted her brows. “I’m keeping you from a date?”
Josh shrugged. “Not a date. I just—”
“Chastity is a girl,” Dustin cut in. “Her hair’s red, not dark like yours, and she’s got bigger…” He stopped, his cheeks reddening. “Bigger eyes. But her eyes are green instead of brown like yours. But she’s not his girlfriend. Josh don’t date. He just hooks up. I drive him.”
Josh clamped a hand over Dustin’s mouth. “Hey, buddy, we don’t need to spill all our info, right?”
Sabrina’s estimation of him dropped by about a hundred points. “You have this young man drive you around to your hook ups? What, does he wait in the car while you…?” She cut a look at Dustin. His expression showed misery. She didn’t want to make him feel worse. “Sorry, none of my business.”
“It’s not like that,” Josh said. “Sometimes when Dustin and I go out, I have him drive if I’ve had too much to drink. That’s all he meant.”
“Yeah, me and Josh hang out together, but I drive home ’cause sometimes Josh is too wasted. When he hooks up, he takes a cab so I don’t have to wait all night.” Dustin beamed up at Josh like he’d rescued a kitten from a tree.
“Well.” She turned a sarcastic expression on Josh. “That’s quite admirable that he doesn’t make you wait outside all night.”
Josh flinched. “I guess we will let you take care of the dishes. We’d better head out. See you in the morning. Is six too early?”
“I’ll be up. I’m an early riser.”
“Thanks for dinner.” They grabbed coats from the rack by the front door. “Hope we’re not wrecking your vacation by working these next few days.”
“Not at all.” In spite of her less than stellar opinion of Josh, she liked Dustin, and it would be nice to have company.
Two
Early the next morning, Sabrina went out back to set up a recorder, nestling it inside a box and placing it in a nearby tree. She hoped to catch the adorable little birds in person, but in case that didn’t happen, she wanted to get them on tape.
Her students would love this. Well, most of them. Brutes like Chet thrived on tormenting rather than learning and discovery. Why couldn’t she get through to him? She’d tried on more than one occasion, but he’d been more focused on her breasts than her words.
Cold wind seared her unprotected face between her scarf and hat. She might have to start wearing a ski mask as much time as she’d be spending outside.
Once everything was set up, she hurried into the cabin. She peeled off her coat, gloves, and scarf and poured a large mug of coffee.
A knock came, and she went to the front door to let in Josh and Dustin.
Josh wore a white Henley shirt, faded jeans, and a tool belt around his hips. His dark hair was sprinkled with crystals of snow. Her heart gave a little skip, much to her dismay. He was even better looking than she remembered.
She stepped back and swept her arm out. “Come in. Coffee?”
“Sounds great.”
She poured Dustin and Josh a cup. Josh leaned his hip against the bar and sipped his coffee.
She sat at the table and wrapped her hands around her mug. “So, did you have fun last night?”
Dustin grinned. “He must have ’cause I ended up picking him up this morning.”
Josh shoved his shoulder. “What did we talk about?”
Dustin pursed his lips. “About me being a blabbermouth.”
“Right. Keep it on the down low.”
“On the down low.” Dustin stuck his clenched hand out, and they fist-bumped.
Of course the guy was a whore dog party hound. Figured. But, that was actually a good thing. It might keep her from noticing how his blue eyes sparkled when he smiled, and his deep dimples creased on either side of his full mouth…
She clenched her jaw. At least, she hoped it would.
The guys headed to work in the guest bathroom while she pulled out her laptop and made notes about the chickadees, along with grading papers the students had turned in before the break. The sounds of hammering and the murmur of male voices filtered to her—soothing, comforting. Once in a while, a loud burst of laughter came from Dustin.
Three hours passed, and Sabrina’s attention was caught by a loud howling wind that creaked the house. Tiny shards of ice pelted the windows.
She rose and looked outside. If Josh and Dustin didn’t leave soon, they’d have trouble traversing the icy roads. She was about to go suggest they knock off for the day, when a ping sounded from her laptop.
The strains of “Twelve days of Christmas” started. Her legs went weak. What the hell?
She rushed over to the computer. Another image wavered on the screen—a length of rope, this one with the text, On the second day of Christmas…
Chills washed over her. Probably just some kind of odd pop up glitch. Nevertheless, a shudder ripped through her body.
She went into Chrome settings to turn off pop ups and changed it to “Do not allow any pop ups.” That should stop it.
But the first one was on your phone…
Well, she wasn’t a computer expert, but her phone had internet as well. It was all connected, and the changed setting would likely resolve the issue in both places.
She headed down the hall and stopped in the doorway to the bathroom. Josh was setting cream-colored tiles into the shower wall. Dustin was meticulously spreading grout between new tiles on the floor.
“Hey guys, the roads are getting bad. Thought you might want to go home before it gets too treacherous.”
Josh looked at her over his shoulder. “We’re not at a good stopping place. The snowplows will take care of the roads. We’ll be fine.”
She shrugged. “Suit yourself.”
She left them to their work, put on her coat and gloves, poured another mug of coffee, and went outside on the deck to watch the feeder. It was empty at the moment, but might not be for long. The little birds were hardy. The weather wouldn’t keep them away, and if she hoped to catch a glimpse, it needed to be in the daytime. At night, they were still. They possessed the amazing ability of going into hypothermia to survive the bitter cold.
She’d been out for fifteen minutes, with not a single sighting, when the sound of the glass door sliding made her turn.
Josh came out on the deck. “Are you insane?”
“Why?”
“Oh, I don’t know, it’s ten degrees, and you’re sitting outside in an ice storm.”
“I’m hoping to catch sight of a chickadee.”
“You can’t watch from the window?”
“I like being outside.” In spite of the roominess of the cabin, if she didn’t get out a few times throughout the day, she started to feel short of breath, felt the walls closing in on her. This was more or less preventative maintenance.
“Dustin and I are heading out. See you in the morning. Are you sure you don’t want to come inside?”
“I’ll go in soon. Don’t worry about me. I’ll see you guys in the morning. Be careful out there.”
“Us be careful? You’re the crazy one.”
She made a face at him, and he grinned, sliding the door open and disappearing inside.
The cold seemed somehow more severe once he was gone.
~*~
The next day, Dustin and Josh had been hard at work for several hours when they came down the hallway.
“We’re going up to the lodge for lunch,” Josh said. “Want to come?”
“Sure.” She had been meaning to go up and say hi to Theresa anyway. And she was starving.
“Come on, we’re driving.”
