Page 26 of Silver Hills' Christmas Miracle

“What? Why?”

“Anton is my connection. To everyone else, I’m just a rich bitch. Not all of the protestors know I’m on their side.”

Shit.

It was a revelation to learn just how passionate Kitty was about saving her tow, but that didn’t change the single most alarming thing.

Those threats were real.

Which meant someone out there, whom she could accidentally come into contact with, had a very real desire to hurt her.

11

KITTY

Sleep was rough. Arriving back at the manor had been a whirlwind, especially when my parents arrived. While I’d expected them to be shaken up about the invasion of the protestors, I hadn’t anticipated them bringing the meeting back to our home to finish it up. It felt like a slap in the face after all my effort.

There had been a few tense moments when I was sure Rook would shop me in for helping the protestors, but to my surprise, he remained quiet. He didn’t say a word about it, but the knot of tension it left in my gut stayed with me all through a restless night's sleep.

I woke with a crick in my neck and a strange ache in my lower back from my constant tossing and turning. Lying in bed, I stared up at the ceiling and ran through the events from the day before. It was hardly a success if the meeting had concluded here after all that ruckus, and clearly, the presence of the protestors did nothing to make my father rethink his stance on this highway.

Was I fighting a losing battle?

Was there really no way to stop this? I felt like I was alone, fighting against a growing mudslide that was utterly unaffectedby my efforts to stop it. No matter how I tried, my father didn’t care. And my mother was so in her own world that as long as the Yuletide Ball went ahead, she didn’t care either.

Strangely, I didn’t blame my mother as much. All my life, she had been endearing but somewhat… floaty. As if she were in her own wee world and only visited ours on occasion. I doubted she had much sway with my father when it came to business.

Part of me wanted Rook to tell the truth. Maybe that would be shocking enough to finally derail my father. At this point, I would try anything new because I was running out of ideas.

After a long shower to repeat those thoughts running through my mind, I headed down to breakfast with a dejected weight in my heart. Rerunning everything hadn’t brought me any closer to a solution, and I was pretty much out of ideas.

The house was quiet. I passed a few of the morning staff and greeted them with smiles, but I didn’t see anyone else until I reached the kitchen. Rook was standing at the far end near the coffee maker, his head tilted down and his attention fixed on the timer as it slowly ticked down.

“Fresh coffee?” I asked softly, admiring the way his back straightened and he turned to look at me. God, his olive eyes made me melt a little inside every time I saw them. We stared at each other for a few long moments of silence. Was he admiring me as much as I was admiring him?

Or was he debating when to tell the truth?

“Yes,” Rook replied finally. “You want some?”

“Please.”

Rook turned back to the machine, and I moved toward the opposite counter. Two slices of wheat toast slid into the toaster, and as I pressed the button, Rook had my attention once more. From here, I could smell his familiar scents of basic soap and coffee, but they were comforting scents.

When we’d been interrupted in the safe house, I’d spent a few minutes breathing him in from the pillow.

“Did you sleep well?” I asked, seeking to end the silence that only contained the soft whirr of the machine.

“Yes.” Rook’s head bobbed. “You?”

“Not even a little.” I sighed softly and slid one hand to the back of my neck. Applying gentle pressure, I kneaded my fingers back and forth along the stiffness. “You know when you’re trying to sleep for so long but it doesn’t really work out that way, so you just get snatches of sleep that don’t even feel like sleep? You just glance at the clock and see twenty, thirty minutes have passed.”

Rook turned to face me again. “To an extent.”

“That was me last night.” My head fell forward, and I groaned. “All my muscles feel twisted up the wrong way.”

“I’d ask if there was anything on your mind,” Rook said as his presence forced a warm wall behind me, “but we both know the answer to that.”

Before I can say anything in response, he moves my hand away from the back of my neck and places both of his there instead. A delighted shiver wormed its way down my spine and I placed both my hands on the countertop.

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