Page 3 of Silver Hills' Christmas Miracle

The shopping cart squeaked to a halt. “Are you asking me that as a friend or as my bodyguard?”

Rook’s face was unreadable as I squinted at him. When he didn’t clarify, I sighed deeply and shoved the cart onward. He followed, but at a distance this time.

Maybe that was petty of me to ask, but out of everyone in my life, Rook seemed to be the only normal one. Sure, he was ex-military, and I was the daughter of his rich friend for whom he was doing a favor, but he didn’t come from money. He seemed like the salt of the earth, and I liked that.

Or it’s because he’s hot.

I rolled my eyes and wheeled into the next aisle where an array of delicious festive scents hit me like a wall of heat. Christmas was just over a month away, and it used to be my favorite time of the year, but even the snow hadn’t fallen yet. It was like the entire town was on pause, holding its breath in the hope that my father would cancel his deal.

I knew that wasn’t going to happen.

“Miss Morgan?”

“Hmm?” I picked up a caramel and peppermint candle, pressing it to my nose as a man approached the other end of my cart. “Yes, that’s me.”

“I thought so,” the man muttered, keeping his voice low. “You have the same ruthless aura as your bastard father.”

“Excuse me?”

2

ROOK

Another friend from school?

I didn’t want to make the same mistake twice, so I hung back, watching from afar. My rules were strict—no interaction unless necessary, and no presence unless it needed to be felt. Be a shadow and let Kitty live her life without the pressure of a bodyguard.

These were my own rules and a challenge to get by her father when it came to laying down exactly what he was hiring me for. It had been quite a few years since I’d heard from him, but when he called and told me he needed help protecting his family, I wasn’t going to turn him down. There was so little love left in this world that a father seeking to protect his daughter was something I could absolutely help with.

However, things had been tense ever since my arrival. Samuel was throwing his whole heart into this new deal with some construction company, and Kitty was doing everything she could to stop it. I’d overheard countless arguments between the two, and she was clearly very passionate about this town. It was a passion her father didn’t share, and I’d seen similar things play out like this before.

Money always won.

On top of that, Samuel wanted me to lock down his daughter as much as possible in order to keep her safe, but I refused. My job was to keep her safe while living her life, not turn her into some kind of prisoner.

I kept one eye on the stranger as he and Kitty became involved in a discussion I couldn’t quite overhear from back here. My only tells were Kitty’s posture. I’d watched her enough over these past few months to know almost every subtle detail she gave off with her body.

I knew when her smile was genuine and when it was a picture painted on for the public. I knew when she was holding back tears after an argument or when she was contemplating something unwise, like sneaking out to her best friend’s bar. Of course, I wasn’t here to police her, and Kitty’s decisions were her own. I was here to keep her safe.

“You don’t know what the hell you’re talking about!” Kitty snapped suddenly, raising her voice. Her back straightened like a board, and I knew this interaction was now over, whether she wanted it to be or not.

I started to move toward them as Kitty threw her hands up in the air. “You’re talking like you know every fucking detail, but let me tell you something,asshole, I’m not my father, okay? I don’t want to see this town get fucked up any more than you do.”

“Bullshit,” the stranger snarled. “The mayor isn’t going to listen to reason because the rich fucks in this town only listen to one thing. Money. Well, you know what makes those elite fucks listen? When you take something they care about, and since we can’t make a dent in their millions?—”

I reached them just as the flash of a blade came into view from the stranger’s pocket. His reasoning didn’t matter to me. Nothing did. The only focus I had, the only thought in my mind was keeping Kitty safe by any means necessary, so I threw my entire form into the attacker and sent him sprawling back intothe shelves. Multiple candles and ornaments clattered down around him as he stumbled. I raised one fist and punched him hard in the face. I grabbed his wrist and twisted it sharply, using the momentum to wrench his arm up his back.

He cried out in pain and the knife slipped from his grasp. As it landed on the ground, I kicked it under the shelving unit and then slammed the stranger down onto the ground. In any other situation, I would take care of him properly, but my goal here wasn’t to subdue this asshole. It was to keep Kitty safe.

The attacker lay winded on the ground, gasping desperately. I kicked him once, hard, in the ribs. Then I spun around to face Kitty.

She had pressed herself back against the shelves and looked as white as a sheet. Her lips parted but no words came out, then she pointed past me to the stranger as he attempted to climb to his feet.

“Come on.” It was my only warning because I surged toward her a moment later, wrapped one arm around her waist, and swept her right up into my arms. Kitty squealed in fright, then wound both her arms around my shoulders and clung on.

She was light, not that it was a concern, but with her grip, I was then able to carry her in one arm while reaching for my phone with the other. A single text was sent to the head of the security team informing him that there had been an incident and that I would follow protocol. Then I rushed Kitty right out of the shop.

Outside, I made a beeline for my car, which was parked across the street. Dodging a few vehicles on the road, I made it there within thirty seconds and unlocked it with a press of a button. Kitty was placed down in the passenger seat, and then I leaned over her and buckled her in place. She still didn’t speak, not until I was in the driver’s seat, bringing the car to life.

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