“I’m not looking for work.”
As if on cue, everyone looked at him, at his threadbare flannel shirt, his obvious air of less than notable prosperity. “I’ve got work after Christmas,” he explained. “Due on the job Christmas Day, as a matter of fact. I’m just passing through, looking for a way to kill some time until the job comes up.”
They seemed to swallow that. After all, it was nothing more than the truth. “Well, you’re welcome to spend your time in Angel Falls. Unless you’ve got family . . . ?”
There was that question again. He didn’t know about Gabriel Falconi, but Emerson MacVey didn’t have a relative to call his own. “No family,” he said.
“We have something in common then,” Carrie said, her face smooth and unlined, her voice casual. And yet he felt her pain, as sharply as he’d ever felt his own. “Orphans of the storm. Stay and spend Christmas with us, Gabriel. We’re a friendly town. We share what we have, no matter how little it is.”
He wished he could tell her no. He wanted to get out of this warm, friendly community, away from the concern of strangers, the gentle prying. But Carrie Alexander was one-third of his ticket to heaven.
Gertrude Hansen was seated on his other side. She put a gnarled hand on his, and her eyes behind the thick bottle-lens glasses blinked sincerely. “Stay with us, Gabriel,” she said, and he was suddenly, forcibly, reminded of Augusta.
Ridiculous, of course. This stooped-over, gentle creature had nothing to do with the harridan of heaven. He tried to move his hand, but her grip was surprisingly strong. “Stay,” she said again, and her sweet, soft voice was joined by a chorus of others.
“Stay,” Carrie said. “You’ve never experienced anything until you’ve experienced a real Scandinavian Christmas. We’re all of Norse descent around here—Swedes and Danes and Norwegians. We know how to celebrate Christmas.”
“And you wouldn’t believe the food,” Mrs. Milsom leaned across the table to inform him.
He’d cleared the mound of food on his plate, he, who seldom ate anything more filling than tapas. “You’ve convinced me,” he said, glancing toward Carrie.
It hit him, harder than the windshield of his truck, harder than the blows of the paramedics as they’d labored over his chest, harder than anything he’d felt in his short, self-absorbed life. She smiled at him, her blue eyes filled with warmth and pleasure, and he was lost. The emotional pull was immediate and shocking, so intense that he felt mesmerized. It no longer mattered what his task was, what Augusta’s orders were, what his observer, whoever he was, would tell him to do. It no longer mattered about the two other people he was going to save.
He had no intention of leaving Carrie Alexander’s side until he was forced to do so. Come hell or high water. And he doubted high water would have anything to do with it.
Falling Angel
* * *
Next stop: Hell. Unless . . .
He was a driven, heartless businessman, trampling anyone who got in his way, until one night when his grinchy-heart exploded. Now, he’s back on earth with a second chance...
About the Author
Anne Stuart has been writing since the Dawn of Time. She’s been published by every major publisher, and made the NYT, USA Today, and Publisher’s Weekly Bestseller lists. She’s won numerous awards, including four RITAs, as well as RWA’s Lifetime Achievement Award, and she’s known for her dark heroes, black humor and hot sex.
Follow her on her website at Anne-Stuart.com social media at:
Also by Anne Stuart
THE FIRE SERIES
Consumed by Fire
Driven by Fire
Wildfire
* * *
THE ICE SERIES
Black Ice
Cold as Ice
Ice Blue
Ice Storm
Fire and Ice
On Thin Ice
* * *
THE HOUSE OF ROHAN
The Wicked House of Rohan
Reckless
Breathless
Shameless
Heartless
* * *
TROUBLE AT THE HOUSE OF RUSSELL
Never Kiss a Rake
Never Trust a Pirate
Never Marry a Viscount
* * *
DON’T LOOK BACK—THE MAGGIE BENNETT BOOKS
Escape Out of Darkness
Darkness before Dawn
At the Edge of the Sun
* * *
HISTORICAL ROMANCES
The Devil’s Waltz
Hidden Honor
Lady Fortune
Prince of Magic
Lord of Danger
Prince of Swords
To Love a Dark Lord
Shadow Dance
A Rose at Midnight
The Houseparty
The Demon Count Novels
The Spinster and the Rake
Lord Satan’s Bride
Angels Wings
Demonwood
Cameron’s Landing
Barrett’s Hill
* * *
WOMEN’S FICTION
* * *
ROMANTIC SUSPENSE
Into the Fire
The Widow
Silver Falls
Still Lake
Shadows at Sunset
Shadow Lover
Ritual Sins
Moonrise
Nightfall
Now You See Him
Special Gifts
Break the Night
The Fall of Maggie Brown
Winter’s Edge
Hand in Glove
Tangled Lies
The Catspaw Collection
Against the Wind
* * *
SUSPENSE
Seen and Not Heard
* * *
ANNE STUART’S GREATEST HITS
Cinderman
The Soldier, the Nun and the Baby
One More Valentine
Blue Sage
Night of the Phantom
Falling Angel
* * *
CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE
The Right Man
A Dark and Stormy Night
Rafe's Revenge
Heat Lightning
Chasing Trouble -
Lazarus Rising
Rancho Diablo
Crazy Like a Fox
Glass Houses
Cry for the Moon
Partners in Crime
Bewitching Hour
Rocky Road
Museum Piece
Heart's Ease
Chain of Love
Against the Wind
* * *
COLLABORATIONS
Dogs & Goddesses – with Jennifer Crusie and Lani Diane Rich
The Unfortunate Miss Fortunes with Jennifer Crusie and Lani Diane Rich
* * *
NOVELLAS
Blind Date from Hell
Night and Day
A Midnight Clear
Burning Bright
Dark Journey
Date with the Devil
* * *
MANGA
A Dark and Stormy Night
Night