A Knight Before Christmas
by Alicia Dean
The Wild Rose Press
www.thewildrosepress.com
Copyright ©
First published in 2010
NOTICE: This eBook is licensed to the original purchaser
only. Duplication or distribution to any person via email,
floppy disk, network, print out, or any other means is a
violation of International copyright law and subjects the
violator to severe fines and/or imprisonment. This notice
overrides the Adobe Reader permissions which are
erroneous. This eBook cannot be legally lent or given to
others.
This eBook is displayed using 100% recycled electrons.
2
A Knight Before Christmas
by Alicia Dean
CONTENTS
Kudos for Alicia Dean and...
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
A word about the author...
* * * *
3
A Knight Before Christmas
by Alicia Dean
4
A Knight Before Christmas
by Alicia Dean
Heath's eyes found hers in the gloom, and he placed a kiss
on the back of her hand.
"Truth is, you know another reason it bothers me? Another
reason I don't want to meet my sister?"
"Why's that?" Nicolette asked, trying to ignore the warm
spot where his lips had touched her skin.
"Because, it makes me wonder...makes me realize that I
could be just like him."
"Like your father?"
She barely saw the nod.
"Disloyal. To Rudy."
"In what way?" she asked, but she thought she knew, and
her heart seemed to beat loud enough for him to hear in the
silence of the elevator. She waited breathlessly for his
answer.
He sighed heavily. "In the way I want you. In the way I
wanted you even while you were married to my best friend."
In spite of the guilt she heard in his voice, there was also
longing. She turned her head just slightly. She wasn't sure
exactly how it happened, but in the next moment, his lips
found hers. He tangled his hand in her hair and pressed her
more closely to him as his mouth moved urgently over hers.
She moaned in the back of her throat, and he answered it
with a growl.
Dear God. She was kissing Heath King. Those were his lips
on hers. They felt as good as she'd always dreamed they
would. Firm and skilled, his tongue warm and seeking. Her
heart lurched, and for a moment, all the angst of the past
5
A Knight Before Christmas
by Alicia Dean
year flew away. This was it. This was what it felt like to be
kissed by Heath King.
6
A Knight Before Christmas
by Alicia Dean
Kudos for Alicia Dean and...
HEART OF THE WITCH:
WITCH. She's woven a riveting story of murder, witchcraft &
the paranormal into a contemporary, heart-stopping romance
and made me believe it. From the moment I sat down to
read, to the very last page I was hooked!"
~Sharon Sala, best-selling author of The Warrior (Mira
Books, April 2009)
NOTHING TO FEAR:
"Ms. Dean has written an explosive story filled with action
and adventure. The action will have you sitting on the edge of
your seat."
~Sherry, Coffee Time Romance
TRULY MADLY:
"The unpredictable storyline carries the reader through a
whirlwind of emotions—not only from fear, to gratitude, but
to downright hate. An amazing and powerful murder,
romance, and more."
~Snapdragon, Long and Short Reviews
POETIC INJUSTICE:
"If you love a good police story filled with action,
suspense, and some steamy romance on the side, you will
like Poetic Injustice!"
~Steph B., The Romance Studio
[Back to Table of Contents]
7
A Knight Before Christmas
by Alicia Dean
A Knight Before Christmas
The Three Kings, Book II
by
Alicia Dean
[Back to Table of Contents]
8
A Knight Before Christmas
by Alicia Dean
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and
incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or
are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons
living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales, is
entirely coincidental.
A Knight Before Christmas: The Three Kings, Book II
COPYRIGHT (C) 2010 by Alicia Dean
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or
reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written
permission of the author or The Wild Rose Press except in the
case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or
reviews.
Contact Information: info@thewildrosepress.com
Cover Art by Angela Anderson
The Wild Rose Press
PO Box 706
Adams Basin, NY 14410-0706
Visit us at www.thewildrosepress.com
Publishing History
First Champagne Rose Edition, 2010
Print ISBN 1-60154-855-9
Published in the United States of America
[Back to Table of Contents]
9
A Knight Before Christmas
by Alicia Dean
Dedication
To my fantastic editor, Cindy Davis and my wonderful writing
partners,
Claire Ashgrove and Dyann Love Barr.
I have so enjoyed working with you ladies.
And,
To my nephew, Jared. It's been a joy watching you grow from
a terrific little boy into an amazing young man. I am so very
proud of you. Love you much!
[Back to Table of Contents]
10
A Knight Before Christmas
by Alicia Dean
Chapter One
Given a choice between smearing honey all over his naked
body and leaping into a bear cave, or returning to Kansas City
for Christmas, Heath King would have stripped off his clothes,
popped the top from a bottle of Cloverleaf, and asked for
directions to the nearest den.
But no one had given him
a choice, so here he was, driving
along I-35, sixty miles north of Wichita, his dread ratcheting
up with every click of the odometer.
He looked forward to seeing his mother and his brothers,
Alex and Clint, but the memories he left behind were still too
raw. The last two trips to Kansas City had been for funerals,
his father's this past July, and his best friend's in January.
His friend, Burke, was looking out for Heath's security firm
during his absence, so at least he didn't have to worry about
stomach tied in a knot the size of Texas. It was the news he'd
received nearly two weeks ago.
Heath, we have a sister.
Just like Alex to come right out with it, no softening the
blow.
Dad conceived a child with another woman. When he was
in Viet Nam.
Translated: the father Heath grew up believing could move
mountains, could part the sea, would be the one person he
could always trust, the one he learned his values from, was a
cheating liar.
11
A Knight Before Christmas
by Alicia Dean
Loyalty schmoyalty.
What really pissed him off was that his mother seemed
okay with it. Well, maybe not okay, but accepting, forgiving.
She actually wanted to meet this woman, this mascot of
betrayal.
He'd done a background check on his sister, Keeley
Jacobs, and he didn't mind admitting he'd hoped to dig up
some dirt. His quest had been unsuccessful. She was either
on the up and up or good enough not to get caught.
He tilted a Pez dispenser to his lips and tapped a couple of
candies into his mouth. Out the windshield ahead, a few
snowflakes fell. It hadn't snowed at home in Oklahoma City
yet, but it looked like there was a good chance they'd have a
white Christmas in Kansas City, something he used to enjoy
and hope for. Now he could care less. He just wanted it to be
over.
The radio was dialed to a country station, the volume low,
but Heath still heard the start of "Blue Christmas" and
punched the power button to Off. He might have suffered
through the song in spite of his uncharacteristic Grinch-ness
had it been the version by Elvis. This one was by the
Chipmunks, and their squeaky voices grated on his already
frayed nerves.
His cell phone rang, and he checked the display, managing
a smile as he answered. "Hey, Jesse, what's up?"
Jesse was a childhood friend who'd grown up with the King
brothers. She was more of a sister than some stranger could
ever be.
"Just checking on you," Jesse said. "How's the trip going?"
12
A Knight Before Christmas
by Alicia Dean
"The usual, long and uneventful, just enjoying the
spectacular scenery."
She laughed. "Yeah, the plains of Kansas are breathtaking.
What do you have planned for tomorrow night?"
Heath's only plan for the entire visit was to get through
each excruciating moment as painlessly as possible. "Nothing
yet."
"Great. Wasn't sure if you knew yet, but they're holding a
dedication ceremony tomorrow night to honor Rudy Morgan. I
knew you'd want to be there."
Did you now? Well, what would you think if I said it's the
last place I wanted to be? The last place and the first,
actually, which he had to admit, was pretty fucked up.
"Heath, you there?"
"Yeah. I'm here. Thanks for letting me know."
"So you'll go?"
"I'll try."
"I'm sure Nicolette would love to see you."
And there it was. Nicolette. The person he both dreaded
and desired to see more than anyone else in the world. His
best friend's widow. The woman Heath had been in love with
since college.
He tried not to reveal his turmoil as he said, "Yeah. It'd be
great to see her."
"I'll let you go so you can get your attention back to your
driving. See you when you get here."
He flipped his phone closed and turned the radio back on.
He felt marginally better after Jesse's call. Not because of the
news she'd delivered, not by a long shot, but somehow, just
13
A Knight Before Christmas
by Alicia Dean
hearing the voice of his childhood pal brought a small
measure of peace.
Now that the call had ended, though, the peace filtered
away like smoke in a wind gust. The only thing left was
silence. Unwelcome silence. Too much temptation to let his
thoughts roam...to Nicolette and to the new sister he hadn't
known about and didn't want.
The DJ finally played an Elvis Christmas song, but it was
"I'll be Home for Christmas" and again, Heath shut off the
radio.
He'd be home for Christmas all right, but home would
never be the same again.
Nicolette Morgan peered out the window, scanning the
street. She couldn't see the car now, but it had been behind
her when she pulled into the neighborhood. The dark blue
Crown Victoria had shadowed her, off and on, for nearly a
year.
The car didn't belong to her blackmailer. For one, his calls
hadn't started until August, four months ago. Besides, as long
as she did as he asked, as long as she made the payments on
time, he had no reason to follow her.
No. The occasional tail she'd glimpsed had to be the police.
They wanted to monitor her activities and see if they could
gather enough evidence to file charges. Even though they
hadn't bothered her much since their initial questioning
almost a year ago, she was still the prime suspect in her
husband's murder.
The thought seemed like such an abomination, especially
here, at Louisa's home where Rudy had grown up. Memories
14
A Knight Before Christmas
by Alicia Dean
of Rudy were everywhere in this house. Rudy as a smiling
infant; Rudy in a peewee football uniform; Rudy graduating
from high school. Rudy and Nicolette on their wedding day,
faces smiling with an assurance that their life together would
be perfect, that nothing could touch them. Boy, what naive
fools they'd been.
Leaving her post at the window, Nicolette retrieved the
watering can from the utility room. After filling the can, she
made her way through the house, watering plant after plant
until she worked her way into the living room where Louisa
sat glued to the TV screen.
Nicolette's heart warmed at the sight of the sweet old lady.
Louisa was still lovely, even though the ravages of severe
osteoporosis had taken a toll. The disease had engraved deep
wrinkles in her once flawless skin and caused her stately
bearing to bow until she nearly doubled over. Most of Louisa's
waking hours were spent in a wheelchair.
Louisa still had a sparkle in her eye, still had a zest for life,
in spite of her condition and the fac
t that she'd lost her only
child less than a year ago. Which brought up a question
Nicolette hadn't really thought about before. Was Louisa still
considered her mother-in-law, when the connection, the tie
that bound them, the son, was no longer living?
All that mattered was what they felt in their hearts, and
Louisa loved Nicolette as much as Nicolette loved her. They
would always be family. However, being around Louisa was
bittersweet, not only because of losing Rudy, but it reminded
Nicolette of the other things she didn't have.
15
A Knight Before Christmas
by Alicia Dean
Her own mother died when she was a teen. She hadn't
seen her father since she'd gone off to college. She had no
idea if he even lived in the same town. At the time, she'd
wanted to forget about everything that happened, forget
about the hell her family went through. Now she would give
anything to have her family again, even if her father was all
that was left of it.
Nicolette smiled, infusing her voice with mock irritation. "If
you had any more plants, your house could be declared a
rainforest."
Louisa spoke without pulling her attention away from the
episode of Dr. Lawrence, a talk show host/psychologist who
Louisa watched religiously. "Since you kill a few of them a
week, I thought I should keep back-ups on hand."
Nicolette laughed. Unfortunately, Louisa was right. A green
thumb was not one of Nicolette's attributes.
"Be right back with your dinner," Nicolette said.
After returning the can to the utility room, she went into
the kitchen where beef stew simmered in the crockpot. She
dished up a bowl and a slice of the cornbread she'd made
from a Jiffy mix. In the living room, Louisa still watched her
television show.
"That Doctor Lawrence is one smart cookie," Louisa said
proudly. "They can't pull the wool over his eyes, no siree."
"That's for sure," Nicolette agreed automatically.
Louisa's worshipful attitude toward Saint Doctor Lawrence
was the same every time she watched him, although the
cliches changed a bit from day to day. Sometimes it was,
"you have to get up pretty early in the morning to fool Dr.
16
A Knight Before Christmas
by Alicia Dean
Lawrence," or "that Dr. Lawrence is sharp as a tack," or "Dr.
Lawrence cuts right to the chase, doesn't he?"