Page 9 of Bah Humbug Mate

Dash thought for a moment and then said, “If it comes to that and you think he might win, I want you to negotiate a deal. He can have everything that is coming to me, but he leaves my grandmother’s herd and their territory alone.”

“What about the arrangement you have with Noel’s herd?”

“I’ll see that they’re taken care of. I don’t care what it costs me personally, I want to make sure that Noel and her people and my grandmother’s people aren’t harmed by Rudy. But that’s a worst-case scenario. Rudy is wrong. There is no sham or fraud.” He needed to give Blitz cover as well. “Noel and I are fated mates.”

“Dash, the last thing you need to do is lie to your lawyer.”

“I’m not. You’ll see how wrong Rudy is when Noel and I are married. I’m going to expect you to come to the wedding.”

Blitz chuckled. “I’ll be there with bells on.”

This had gone on long enough. He needed to find Noel and he needed to do it now. If she’d had a change of heart, he needed to know. He’d need to find someone else to marry. Even the thought of that made him feel sick to his stomach. Any marriage other than one to Noel would be a sham, a fraud, a travesty. No; he’d been right to tell Blitz if it came to anything that had to do with Rudy, he wanted to protect his grandmother’s herd. She may not have been there for him, but she had tried. She just hadn’t found him in time.

Picking up the phone, he tried calling her yet again. No answer. He sent another text.

Rudy is threatening to challenge the validity of our marriage and the will. There is more at stake here than just you and me. I don’t understand. Talk to me. You owe me that.

And finally, a reply:

You’re right. I’ll be at the shop tonight after it closes. We can talk then.

“I don’t know what you’re thinking,” said Colby, who had managed somehow to slip into the bar and be looking over Dash’s shoulder, “but I’d go with romantic and pleading versus whatever sick revenge scenario you have playing in your head.”

“You don’t know what I’m thinking.”

“‘You owe me that?’ Doesn’t make me think hearts and flowers.”

“I would point out you don’t have any romantic interest in your life.”

“I do, but she’s being difficult, which is another problem altogether. But I will tell you that if I were you, I’d pull out all the stops—moonlit sleigh ride, gourmet treats, bottle of wine, engagement ring, the whole shebang. Unless of course you fancy either giving up your inheritance—and I don’t just mean the money—or marrying someone else in order to get it.”

Pure anger flowed through Dash’s veins. The problem was, Colby was right. The thought of marriage to anyone other than Noel was abominable. Dash chuckled. “Abominable… as in snowman.” Yeah, he could see Rudy as an abominable snowman.

“What the fuck am I supposed to do?” asked Dash.

“Fight for her—not like with your fists or a knife, but let her know you aren’t the Bah Humbug mate she’s afraid you might be. Your mate is a woman who believes in the miracle of Christmas. She believes in Santa Claus, for fuck’s sake. But the point is, she believes. You need to make her believe in you.”

Dash nodded. “You’re right. She was delighted with the sleigh ride the other night. That’s a good idea.”

“I do have them occasionally,” chuckled Colby.

Dash spent the rest of the day getting things ready. The sleigh was available for another private commission.

“If you’re looking for something romantic, we could go up to the Point,” suggested the driver. “We could also use the smaller sleigh. It has just two horses but is easier to maneuver and is so pretty. It’s like right out of a fairytale.”

“That sounds like what I’m thinking. What’s the Point?”

“It’s a spot up above the town that overlooks Mystic River and the ocean. We have a really nice firepit with a kind of heated booth behind it so that you can light a fire, snuggle up, and have the most beautiful view. It’s romantic and peaceful and really encourages intimacy. The path up to the point is more meandering, but it’s worth the trip.”

Hanging up, Dash called a flower shop down in Kodiak. Flowers at this time of year could be expensive and hard to find—especially the roses Dash wanted. He spent more than two hours in the back booth locating and arranging for delivery of two dozen of the exotic tea rose hybrid Osiria, but more commonly known as the dragon rose. That might not sound romantic, but the beautiful white petals tipped with deep red were gorgeous.

Flowers: check.

Now onto the gourmet goodie basket and wine. He called Nicole Wells, an event planner who could work miracles, especially where love and romance were concerned.

“Nicole? It’s Dash Samuels.”

“Dash. How’s Noel?”

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