Her Christmas Detective - Laura Ann Page 0,3
me up for thinking otherwise.”
Her delightfully soft-looking lips twitched at his comment. “Glad to hear it.” She pulled her hand out of his and stepped back, running a hand down her hair. “So...Emory made donuts this morning. If we’re careful, we could sneak a couple and compare notes?”
Her grin was entirely too alluring and Hank found himself grinning back automatically. “Actually, I doubt we have to sneak at all. She offered me one earlier, before you arrived.”
Bella gave a jerk of her head. “Dang. I miss all the good stuff. What kind of journalist does that make me?”
Hank chuckled. “A normal one, I suspect.”
She sighed and rolled her eyes. “Come on, Sherlock. I’ll show you where my cousin keeps her sweets.”
Hank dutifully followed along, thinking that Bella, despite her enthusiasm, might prove to be sweeter than any donut. Hopefully this case will be over quickly so I can take a little time to get to know this stunning woman before she goes back home.
CHAPTER 2
BELLA LED HANK INTO the kitchen, heading straight for the cupboard she knew Emory kept the leftover pastries in. Bella’s cousin was an incredible baker and had slid seamlessly into the role as the kitchen manager at the inn. Bella opened the cupboard and reached up, but found herself slightly too short to reach what she wanted. Grunting in frustration, she bounced on her toes and was able to pull the Tupperware container out just to the edge of the shelf.
“Here. Let me.” Henry’s smooth baritone came from close behind Bella, but it was the warmth of his presence that had her jumping slightly.
“Oh!” she squeaked. Taking a deep breath, she forced her body to calm down. Knock it off, she scolded internally. You’ve dealt with attractive men before.
His large arm reached over her head, retrieving the storage container, then he stepped back and offered it to her.
“Thanks,” Bella said, boldly giving him a wink. She held back a laugh at his surprised look. She absolutely loved putting people off balance. “I’ll just warm a few of these up.” She opened another cupboard, grabbing a plate, then put a few of Emory’s delectable apple cider donuts on it. After a few seconds in the microwave, they were wafting an irresistible scent that had Bella’s mouth watering.
“I have to admit those smell good,” Hank said, his hands on his hips. “Emory might be everything Bill said she was.”
A small pang of jealousy hit Bella, but she pushed it away. If he was interested in Emory, he wouldn’t be in here with me. Plus, Antony might have something to say about it. However, the fact that she was even feeling jealousy at all let Bella know that she was unusually attracted to this man. I better slow myself down, or he’s gonna think I’m some crazy stalker chick, instead of a cool-headed journalist. “Oh, she is,” Bella said, walking away from him with the goodies. “And she’s also very picky about who she lets in her kitchen, so if you don’t want to see her cleaver skills first-hand, I’d recommend heading to the dining room with me.”
Henry chuckled and followed her just like she’d asked. “Are you saying your cousin is dangerous?”
“Nope.” Bella popped the ‘p’ at the end of the word. “But she is scary when she wants to be.” Bella set the plate at the table and sat down. “I don’t mess with her...ever. You never know when she’ll cut off your carb intake.”
“So noted.” Henry took the chair across from her.
“Napkins!” Bella jumped up and ran to the sideboard, grabbing a stack. She smiled as she sat back down. “You’ll end up with cinnamon and sugar all over your fingers by the time you’re done.”
“The kid inside of me says I should just lick it off,” Henry teased. “The adult in me says I’ve been taught better manners than that.”
Bella laughed. “It sounds to me like you had a good childhood.”
“The best.”
She waited while he took a donut and groaned after the first bite. “So what made you want to become a detective then?”
Henry put up a finger while he finished off the donut. “Sorry. I couldn’t make myself stop,” he said sheepishly. “Bill was right. Your cousin is an angel in the kitchen.”
The jealousy tried to rise to the surface again, but Bella refused to listen. “She is.” Bella nodded. “No one else can handle a treat like she can.” Bella made a face. “Although, I’ve heard Antony’s bakery is pretty amazing.”
Henry nodded slowly.