A Little Country Christmas - Carolyn Brown Page 0,75

released her hand, and Dani trudged the rest of the way to her room where she collapsed on the bed, not bothering to take off her robe or her moccasin slippers, and willed herself to sleep.

She woke to shouting. Or was it singing? Whatever the sound was, it came from below.

For several moments she convinced herself it was pre-Christmas revelers at Midtown, but the voices sounded closer, like they were coming from the street. She remembered cracking her window the night before, wanting her room extra cold so she could burrow under the covers, head and all, and not come up.

Easy fix. She’d just shut the window and go back to sleep.

She climbed out of bed, blinking as her eyes adjusted to the waning light. Had she really slept until dusk?

She shuffled to her window, ready to slam it shut, but paused when she saw several clusters of people—some pouring out of the tavern—murmuring as they all headed in the direction of the town square.

She pulled her phone from her robe pocket and texted Casey.

What’s going on outside?

Casey’s reply was almost immediate.

Omg. I was just about to text you. You need to head to the square. Something about Mayor Cooper on the roof of the sheriff’s department.

“The roof?” she said out loud.

What the hell is he doing? Dani texted back.

I don’t know. But maybe you should go and make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid? Don’t you have a Chicken Little situation over there?

Oh god. The ceiling crumbling. Water damage from a roof that should have been replaced years ago. How had she even considered putting that ornament on the roof herself?

He was going to kill himself.

On my way, she texted back to Casey.

Dani didn’t bother changing. Or checking how wild of a mess her hair was. There wasn’t time for that. She simply tied her robe tight, grabbed her keys, and was out the door.

She started out speed-walking, pushing her way through small crowds who thought it appropriate to stroll toward the square when she needed to get there five minutes ago.

Her walk turned to a jog, which then turned to an all-out sprint.

Note to self: Sprinting in slippers will cause shin splints.

She was winded by the time she made it to the square and had to bend over to catch her breath. When she straightened, she saw him on the roof of the Meadow Valley Sheriff’s Department, just like everyone was saying. But it wasn’t just Mayor Peyton Cooper up there. With him was a life-sized ornament, one she was willing to bet cost $576.

“Peyton! What are you doing?” she called to him, exasperated.

He walked toward the roof’s edge, and Dani’s heart leaped into her throat.

He held his arms out wide, and she was half prepared for him to yell that he was a golden god before leaping off the roof.

“I’m doing what I should have done three months ago. I’m committing to this town, which means all of its quirks and traditions. No matter what other stuff I need to work through,” he said instead.

Okay. Good. No leaping. That was a start.

“That’s great, Peyton. But can you come down so we can talk about this?” she asked, trying to control the tremor in her voice.

“In a minute,” he called back. “I just need to hammer in the last nail so this thing doesn’t blow away, and then run the cord off the back.” He grinned at her. “Nice outfit, by the way, Deputy.”

She groaned. How was he teasing her at a time like this? He bought that stupid ornament for her. If anything happened to him, it would be Dani’s fault because she was too damned stubborn to give him the benefit of the doubt.

“Peyton, please!” she called after him. “The roof is a mess. You shouldn’t be up there.”

“Don’t worry,” he said. “I can see the weak patches. I know what I’m doing.”

Then he took a step back. One second he and the ornament were there, and the next they were gone. A loud crash sounded inside the building.

A collective gasp rose up from the crowd as Dani raced toward the department’s entrance.

Dani heard a siren in the distance, figured someone had called the fire station, and hoped it was an ambulance on the way.

She fumbled with her keys as she tried to find the right one for the door, adrenaline coursing through her veins until she somehow made it inside.

At first all she could see was dust and debris. Then she spotted the still-upright ornament