WG2E All-For-Indies Anthologies: Viva La Valentine Edition (3 page)

“I was just about to introduce you,” Nicky
rambled while stomping his feet on the rug, which sent huge chunks
of snow off the edges of his boots and onto the kitchen floor.

“No you weren’t,” I said, and knew for a fact
he wasn’t. He was not good at that kind of stuff at all.

“Oooo…I’m gonna like havin’ you around,”
Molly said, while helping me off with my coat. “You’re absolutely
right, My Dear. Sir Nicholas was not about to introduce you to me.
His manners aren’t all that good.”

I smiled, which didn’t happen much these
days. I was totally going to luuuvvv Molly.

“Molly Masterson, please meet Samantha
Aldredge, Editor Extraordinaire…also known as Allwitch,” Nicky
said, only because he knew he’d been bested by two women who knew
him all too well.

Molly and I just smiled at each other. I
think she enjoyed watching him squirm as much as I did.

Chapter Five

After a round of the most delicious hot cocoa
I’d ever had, complete with sticks of peppermint to give it the
perfect kick, we decided to call it a night.

Molly bid us farewell and returned to her
living quarters located in the addition I learned that Nicky had
built for her.

I couldn’t wait to get to know this feisty
little dynamo. But for now, I really was exhausted, both physically
from my travels, and mentally and emotionally from dealing with
Nicky much longer than I’d expected to have to today.

Nicky lead me upstairs to the second floor of
the farmhouse.

His home was something else. From the pocket
doors, to the gorgeous hardwood floors, to the amazing high
ceilings and huge windows with hand-crafted shutters, it was its
very own treasure. I was looking forward to exploring it in the
weeks ahead.

“This will be your suite,” he said, ushering
me through the last door on the right of a long hallway.

When I entered the room, I stopped and
gasped.

There I was, surrounded by the world’s
cheesiest of all things- Valentines.

Huge teddy bears in all colors, holding
everything from boxes of chocolates to lit-up roses. A bedside
table holding what must have been ten boxes of assorted high-end
gourmet chocolates. Gigantic cards with puffy hearts, hearts that
lit up, hearts that were playing music. Hearts, hearts and more
hearts.Along with obscene, X-rated games for lovers with dice,
cards and spinners.

The only thing missing was a champagne
flute-shaped, step-up hot tub to go with it. And who knows…maybe
there was one of those in here too!

I guess we also could have used some sort of
blinking neon-lit sign like you’d see in some kinky Vegas Motel or
Poconos Resort themed-room saying “Viva La Valentine”.

I looked at Nicky, who had the most adorable
but goofy grin I’d ever seen, and I just laughed out loud.

The orneriness immediately left him and a
look of utter amazement took hold of his countenance.

“Oh my God! I can’t believe it. Allwitch
laughs!”

And just like that, I stopped laughing.

Why?

Because Nicky was right.

“I’ve never seen you laugh. I didn’t think
you had it in you.”

“I didn’t either,” I said, lowering my head
and taking new interest in the patterns of the hardwood floors of
my guest suite.

Nicky used one hand to lift up my chin. Our
eyes met, which is what he must have wanted, but I sure didn’t.

“I’m making it my personal mission to see to
it that you laugh a bunch more. At least while you’re living under
my roof.”

“You won’t have time. You’re on a deadline.
Remember?”

“Watch me.”

“Oh, I will be. Count on it. That’s why I’m
here,” I said, unable to control the shakes that were making my
voice more of a whisper than my normal conversational tone.

“I hope you enjoy your Valentine’s Day
treats. I wasn’t sure what your tastes are for Cupid’s Big
Day.”

He picked up some sort of lovers game where
the packaging indicated you picked a card then treated your lover
to whatever the card instructed.

“Now, personally, I enjoy these,” he said,
giving me that cagey grin I’d seen him use on multiple women in my
old Manhattan office.

“Somehow, that does
not
surprise
me.”

I took the package out of his hands then
handed if off to some goofy, big-ass white plush bear holding an
enormous red velvet heart between its paws.

“So you didn’t answer me. Which of these
would be your style?”

“All of it, I guess,” I said, again looking
at the floor.

Nicky once more tilted up my chin so that I
was held captive by his lake blue eyes.

“Being as those damn boots about killed you
off at a young age, I’m not sure why you’re so interested in your
feet.”

“It’s just…”

“What?” He asked, in the softest, sweetest
voice I’d ever heard pass through his vocal cords.

“I’ve never had a Valentine. So this is all
new for me.”

“Well then. I guess you’re not at all Stuck
with a Schmuck, are you?”

“No. I’m certainly not,” I said, this time
looking him straight in his eyes without him having to hold my head
in place. “Thank you. This is great.”

“You’re welcome,” he said, stepping back from
me and heading back toward the door. “That wasn’t so tough now, was
it?”

“What?”

It was my turn to ask the question.

“Enjoying something someone does for
you.”

“Asshole.”

“That’s my girl.”

“I’m not
your
girl.”

“Not yet…but I’ll be working on that project
too.”

And with that oafish answer, he closed the
door and left me to my Viva La Valentine fantasy land.

Chapter Six

I couldn’t remember a night in the past year
that I’d slept so well.

Maybe it was the feather-soft goose down
pillow and comforter on Nicky’s guest bed.

Or maybe it was the winter wonderland from
which I first drifted into my dreams and then back out into
reality.

But really. Okay. I’ll just come on out and
admit this. It could have been going to sleep surrounded by a ton
of reminders that at least one man I knew wasn’t a total frog.

Okay. Yes. Nicky Blane still had his
ultra-frustrating bullfrog moments. But somewhere amidst his
country-bumpkin lily pads was a guy with a warm and very giving
heart.

If I hadn’t been the one on the receiving end
of it, I’d have never believed it.

But to prove it even more, I was cuddled up
to a very soft, curly-haired golden teddy bear with a quilted heart
patch sewn to his tummy, compliments of Nicky Blane.

I snuggled deeper into the warmth of the down
comforter, actually looking forward to what the new day would
bring. And that, in and of itself, was a minor miracle. I couldn’t
remember the last time I’d gotten out of bed anxious to see what
the cards held for me on a particular day.

Thinking I’d lay here a bit longer and relax,
I had just curled into a little blissful ball when I heard a
blood-curdling scream.

The sound had come from outside the house, so
I jumped out of bed and ran to the window.

Looking out into the deep white depths, I saw
Molly dramatically waving her arms. I read her lips. She was
hollering for help.

I shoved my legs into a pair of sweatpants,
pulled on my Uggs, grabbed my parka out of the armoire and sprinted
for my door.

Running into the hallway, I almost ran into
Nicky flying out of his master suite and also heading for the
staircase.

“Did you hear that?” He asked.

“It’s Molly! I saw her waving her arms and
shouting for help outside my window.”

We took the steps, some three at a time, and
both reached the first floor landing at the same time.

“You’re going to need some gloves and put
that hood up. The wind chill factor is dangerous today,” Nicky
ordered while getting his own parka, hat, gloves and boots from the
mudroom.

I put up my hood and shoved my hands into my
pockets. I didn’t take time to find my gloves.

We dashed out the mudroom door, through the
garage and scrambled down the hill toward what looked to be an
abandoned chicken coop.

By this time, Molly’s face was as white as
the snow, and I truly feared she was about to faint. She couldn’t
even speak anymore. Instead, she just stood there frozen, holding
her gloved hands to her face. I noticed her fingers began to
tremble and tears were now cascading down her cheeks.

“What is it, Molly?” Nicky asked, wrapping
her in his arms.

Without a single word, she pointed to the
chicken house.

Nicky looked at me then asked me to stay with
Molly while he headed in the direction she was pointing.

He was only gone a moment.

When he came back out of the old and
rickety-looking wooden shack-like building, he didn’t have the same
bright color on his cheeks he’d had on the way in.

“What is it? What’s wrong in there?” I
asked.

“Let’s just say you’re no longer stuck with
just a schmuck on Cupid’s Big Day. Try being stuck with a stiff
too.”

“A stiff? As in a dead body?” I asked, well
aware of what the term meant. After all, I’d been a crime thriller
editor for over a decade now.

“Not just any stiff either,” Nicky said as he
approached me and Molly.

“What do you mean? You know the vic?” I
asked.

“So do you.”

“I do?”

“It’s Jack Collins.”

I gasped, taking in way too much of the
frigid cold air, and immediately began choking. I doubled over,
unable to regain composure.

Nicky shielded me with his body from the icy
blasts of wind that just wouldn’t stop and began to rub my
back.

“You okay, Allwitch?”

“No. Not really,” I managed to get out
between damn near hyperventilating breaths.

“Yeah. Me either. This doesn’t look
good.”

“I don’t get it. Why would Jack Collins, the
Number One New York Times and Amazon Bestselling Author be here? In
northern Indiana, in a blizzard, dead in your chicken coop?”

“Maybe because I’m Number Two on those same
bestseller lists,” Nicky said in an eerie tone just like Castle
does when beginning to spin theories for Beckett.

“Doesn’t he live in LA?” I asked, shivering
uncontrollably, and not just from the blasts of wind damn near
knocking us over.

“Not anymore.”

“Yeah. I got that,” I said, sometimes still
taken aback a bit by the morbid humor of the crime thriller world.
“Do you think you’re next?”

“No, I think whoever killed Jack wants people
to think I offed him to get to Number One.”

“Oh. Now that’s bad. And it’s only going to
look worse when the police put together who he is and who’s farm he
was found on.”

Nicky just nodded his head and helped me back
up the hill toward the house.

I looked around for Molly, who I’d actually
forgotten about. She must have already gone back into the house to
call the police.

“For the record, I’d definitely take being
stuck with a schmuck over a stiff,” I said, knowing this wasn’t the
time for more morbid humor, but really not knowing what else to
say.

“I hear yeah, Partner. And thanks. But
evidently, you’re not the only one who thinks I’m a schmuck.”

THE END…
WELL…NOT REALLY…
To Be Continued in The Samantha Aldredge Chronicles #1
STUCK WITH A STIFF…coming in Spring 2012.

NOTE FROM D. D. SCOTT

Welcome to my new Samantha Aldredge
Chronicles!

For all you superfab
Castle
fans out
there…

The Samantha Aldredge Chronicles are –

Castle
gone-country

This Spring, the first full-length Samantha
Aldredge Chronicle – STUCK WITH A STIFF – will release, where y’all
will find out how that body got in Nicky Blaine’s chicken coop as
well as who dumped it there to frame Nicky.

In the mean time, I’ve also got another
super-sonic thrill-ride of a Cozy Cash Mystery for you to enjoy –
CARATS AND COCONUTS – featuring Samantha’s cousin Zoey Witherspoon
and her for-real prince-of-a-mate Roman Bellesconi.

And in case you’re brand new to my
Bootscootin’, Cozy Cash and Samantha Aldredge Mystery Worlds,
start with my Bestselling
Boxed
Set
,
which includes my first 6 books for just
$2.99!

Happy Reading and Welcome to My Bootscootin’,
Cozy Cash and Samantha Aldredge Worlds! — D. D. Scott

ABOUT D.D. SCOTT

D. D. Scott is a Bestselling Romantic Comedy
and Humorous Mystery Author and a Writer’s Go-To-Gal for Muse
Therapy, plus the #1 Amazon Bestselling Author of Muse Therapy:
Unleashing Your Inner Sybil and the co-founder of The Writer’s
Guide to E-Publishing, your destination site for Everything
E-Publishing. You can get all the scoop on her, her books, her Muse
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from D. D. Scott-ville
http://ddscottville.blogspot.com
.