Free Making Spirits Bright by Fern Michaels, Rosalind Noonan, Nan Rossiter, Elizabeth Bass

her luggage once more, making sure she had double of everything. Just in case. A slinky black dress, a slinky black sheer blouse, a slinky pair of formfitting black slacks. Black bikini undies with a matching bra. Yep, this would do for a weekend. She would wear her black leather boots on the flight, so she didn’t have to pack an extra pair of shoes. Seeing there was nothing left to do, she closed the luggage again, placing it on the floor next to her bed.
    She couldn’t believe how her life had changed in just a matter of a few days. What a fantastic Christmas season. Now all she had to do was wait for Miss Krause’s phone call confirming that her background check was clear, which she knew to be a fact since she’d never had so much as a speeding ticket. Then she could honestly say that her life was close to perfect. Well, if you didn’t add that one teeny little element about marriage, then her life would be as close to perfect as it was ever going to get.
    Odie yawned, reminding her of the late hour. Too keyed up to sleep, she retrieved her novel from the living room, then washed her face and brushed her teeth. She stripped down to her undies, slid into her favorite pair of sweats, and an old T-shirt from her high school days. Once she’d gently moved Odie and Clovis to their side of the bed, she opened her book and began to read about the latest saga in the vampire world. Within minutes, she was sound asleep.
     
     
    Bryce finally gave up. In bed tossing and turning for the past two hours, he couldn’t have stayed still if his life depended on it. Shoving the heavy covers aside, he decided to get up and go downstairs in search of a snack. Grace always had some type of baked goods just waiting to be sliced into. Thankful there were no residents staying at Hope House, he didn’t bother putting on a shirt.
    Downstairs in the kitchen, he poured himself a glass of milk, then spied a plate of brownies sitting next to the stove. He grabbed a saucer from the cabinet, stacked three large brownies on top of one another, and headed back upstairs.
    It was going to be a long night, he thought as he entered the guest room. Switching on the lamp next to the bed, he placed the glass of milk and plate of brownies on the night table. Grace usually had a stack of fiction novels tucked inside a drawer. He opened the drawer on the night table and was not disappointed. James Patterson’s, Vince Flynn’s, and Harlan Coben’s latests were neatly lined up side by side. Grace must’ve known he wouldn’t be able to sleep, because those were three of his favorite authors. He hadn’t read any of the three novels, either. He picked up Vince Flynn’s newest. He read the jacket copy, read the dedication, then the prologue. When he realized he’d read the prologue but hadn’t a clue what he’d read, he closed the book.
    Normally, after a day on the slopes like the one he’d had today, he would’ve crashed hours ago. Instead, he felt renewed, like he’d just run an easy marathon and won. It was Melanie. He couldn’t stop thinking about her. He’d met her casually a few times, thought she was a knockout, but for some reason hadn’t pursued her. When she’d tossed that cup of water in his face, well, it’d been an opening for him. Not having a clue why she’d acted in such a manner, he was glad she had. Of course, he wouldn’t tell her that.
    He couldn’t believe she’d accepted his invitation to spend the weekend with him in Vegas. It almost seemed too easy, but he wasn’t going to question his good fortune. Tomorrow, he would help her chop down a Christmas tree; heck, he might even chop one down for his room. Then they’d go back to her place and decorate. He’d never been inside her condo and found himself suddenly curious about her. Did she prefer the right or the left side of the bed? Tea or coffee? Sugar or cream or both? Such inconsequential things. But he found he wanted to know all about her. He wanted to feel her