Page 179 of A Merry Mountain Christmas

Mary did that, just like she’d gathered four of our neighbors and coordinated a plan that would put any general in abattlefield to shame. I’m still struggling to mesh this confident, take-charge woman with the shy woman I took to bed last night. It only makes me more furious at Glenn for making her think she was anything less than the sexiest woman alive. Then again, I suspect the prick was intimidated by her, and the only way he could compensate for his inadequacy was to paint her as frigid and unsexy.

The neighbors start to leave, and I take a peek at my phone to see which area I’ve been assigned to canvass.

“You’re with me,” Mary says. “But first you need to change out of shorts. I’m not letting you catch a cold.”

“But…” Multiple thoughts are going through my head. That Mary is about to see my apartment. That she’s worried about my health. That she put us together.

“Don’t just stand there,” she says. “Go change.”

Relief washes through me. She means for me to go alone. But the relief is short-lived.

“Roger, you call or text us if you hear anything,” she’s saying as she follows me. “And we’ll do the same.”

I don’t stick around long enough to hear his answer. By the time he responds, I’m already in my apartment, headed to my room to change. I leave the front door open for her to follow me in, and when I emerge from my bedroom about thirty seconds later in jeans and a long-sleeved T-shirt, Mary is looking around the living room and kitchen.

Her gaze jerks up. “The speediness of that wardrobe change puts you on par with stage professionals,” she says with an amused look in her eyes.

“No time to waste,” I say, grabbing my coat.

“I met your cat. Bingo, right?”

Bingo is sitting on the back of the sofa, judging me for not introducing him sooner.

“I shut the door so he wouldn’t escape,” she says.

I laugh. “He won’t run. He has it too good here. Cleo on the other hand…” We walk into the hall, and I lock my apartment. “She has a bit of wanderlust.”

We head outside and walk toward the section Mary has assigned to us.

“Not that I’m complaining,” I say, resisting the urge to hold her hand, which hangs agonizingly close to mine. “But how did we end up together when everyone else is walking alone?”

“Because if someone discovers something, you’ll need to go investigate while I continue canvassing.”

“And why willIhave to go investigate?” I ask with a grin.

“Because you’ve actually met Cleo and can confirm that he’s Roger’s cat. I’ve only seen photos.”

We start knocking on doors, and Mary again takes charge, telling the neighbors about Cleo going missing and how much Roger depends on her for emotional support. Most are sympathetic and take a flyer, promising to let us know if they see her. Between houses, Mary keeps checking her phone for any response to her various posts.

Ten houses in, she stops on the sidewalk and looks up from her phone. “Does this look like Cleo?”

She holds up the phone and shows me the screen. Sure enough, the cat in the picture is the spitting image of Cleo.

“Where was that taken?”

“A block outside of the perimeter I set. Next to Mrs. Rosa’s section. Someone saw her in their next-door neighbor’s yard. Then the homeowner went out and dragged her inside. The poster is positive it’s not his neighbor’s cat.” She taps on her phone, saying, “I’m sending Mrs. Rosa the address and asking her to check it out. In the meantime, the rest of us will keep canvassing in case it’s not Cleo.” When she’s done typing, she glances up. “What?”

I realize that I’m once again staring at her like a starstruck little boy meeting Santa. “You’re just so…”

Her face falls. “Bossy. Controlling. Anal.”

It’s obvious she’s heard this litany before, and I have a pretty good idea who has recited it to her.

“No,” I say. “Extraordinary. Organized. A badass.” I gently grab her upper arms and tug her closer. “You’re amazing, Mary O’Shea. If Bingo ever goes missing, I want you in charge of his search and rescue.”

Her cheeks flush. “I thought you said he never escapes.”

“True, but it’s nice to know I have you on standby in case he changes his mind.”

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