Read Menace in Christmas River (Christmas River 8) for Free Online

Copperstone? Well, that’s the biggest news to hit Christmas River since… since…”
    She stuffed a giant forkful of pie into her mouth.
    “ Since ever ,” she said, sounding like a competitor in the final round of Chubby Bunny.
    I chuckled.
    “I wouldn’t say ever ,” I said, smiling. “But I guess it is a pretty big deal.”
    “Seriously, Cin. You need to have your heart rate checked,” she said, going in for another bite. “I’d be losing my mind if I were you right now.”
    She reached across and playfully pushed my shoulder back.
    “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me!”
    Tiana’s eyes grew as big as a pair of beach balls at Kara’s aggressive movement. A moment later, she had quickly exited the kitchen, going into the dining room with a stack of fresh blueberry pies.
    “Now look what you’ve done,” I grumbled, watching the dividing door swing back and forth. “You scared Tiana away. And probably all the guests in the dining room, too, for that matter.”
    Kara was unfazed.  
    “So how did they ask you to judge?” she said, moving on. “Did they call you or—”
    I shook my head.
    “They asked me to their committee meeting last night up at the Lone Pine Resort.”
    “Ooh!” Kara said, her eyes lighting up. “ Fancy .”
    “You know Julie Van Dorn? The lady who used to do PR for the county?”
    “You mean that floozy who went to the Children’s Benefit last year dressed like a brothel madam?”
    Floozy might have been taking it a little far, and saying she looked like a brothel madam was mighty harsh. But I wasn’t going to argue with my best friend on those finite points.
    “Well, she has her own public relations firm now and was hired to handle the publicity and some of the event planning for this year’s Chocolate Championship. Her assistant came here to the pie shop last night and told me that the committee wanted to see me,” I said. “The Bundt cake lady had to pull out because of an emergency at home.”
    Kara finished the last of the pie, and I could tell that she was going to need another slice.
    She never could resist the Lemon Gingersnap, and it was a rare occasion when she stopped at just one helping.  
    I grabbed her plate and lopped on another serving of the creamy, pale yellow pie.
    “When did you find out that Cliff Copperstone was going to be one of the judges?” she said.
    “When I saw him at the meeting last night.”
    Kara’s mouth dropped open in complete shock.
    “He was there? You actually met him ?”
    I handed her the plate and nodded.
    “Cinnamon Anne Peters!” she shouted again in a shrill tone, but this time there was a bright smile on her face.
    “Oh my gosh… What’s he like? Is he as handsome as he looks on TV? Does he have those cute dimples in real life too? Is that neck tattoo as sexy as it looks on…”
    Kara launched into a barrage of giddy questions. So many, that I didn’t even know where to begin.
    I struggled to answer her.
    “He’s… uh… he’s…”
    I scratched my chin, leaning forward on the kitchen counter.
    “Well…”
    I couldn’t exactly say the man was nice. Nor could I say that he wasn’t nice. In fact, I’d been so star-struck, I wasn’t sure if I’d actually been breathing the few times he’d said something to me.
    Kara let out a frustrated grunt.
    “Use your words, Cinnamon Peters!”
    I couldn’t help but laugh at the rabidity in her tone.
    “Okay, I guess to answer the first question, he looks exactly like he does on TV.”
    “You mean he’s good-looking.”
    “I guess you might say that.” 
    “And what else?” she said, lifting her eyebrows.
    “And… and his neck tattoo is there … ”
    Kara and I had two different perspectives on the tat. She seemed to think it added to his good looks. I, on the other hand, wasn’t so sure.
    Kara waited for more, but when she realized that was all I had, she let out a long, dissatisfied grumble.
    “That’s it?” she said.
    I shrugged.
    “His teeth