Read Misfortune: Christmas With Scrooge for Free Online

arms.
    Taken aback, Laura instinctively grasped his
neck. It took a full five seconds before she thought to argue.
“This is not necessary—”
    “Quiet.” He looked straight ahead, his face
completely blank, except for the revealing taut lines around his
mouth as he carefully scaled the slope before him. With the added
burden of a woman in his arms.
    Chafed, she turned her eyes away wondering
what she had done to make him so angry. Her view fell upon the
rocky wall of the gorge and like a jolt from her nightmare, she was
faced with the reality of the situation. Impulsively, she clutched
Dexter tighter and sucked in a cowardly gasp.
    “Shouldn't have looked away.” His voice was
oddly calm as he rebuked her. “You know what they say, never look
down.”
    Laura turned back to him, momentarily struck
dumb from the lack of scorn in his voice. Always full of anger, she
didn't think it could be healthy. She wondered what made him that
way and if he had always been so full of antagonism. With
surprising assuredness, she knew he hadn't.
    “I'm surprised you remembered my name.”
    He glanced at her, briefly frowning. “Why
wouldn't I. Mother introduced us.”
    “But I didn't honestly think you took
note.”
    Dexter didn't like that comment. More reason
because it was true. He never, ever, took note of people let alone
their names, unless of course they were useful to him or business.
Certainly not a little someone, at a function of no concern, in a
room full of nobodies.
    But, at that moment, when their fear was
about to be realized, he had no difficulty in shouting out her name
in order for her to move like the bullet.
    “Don't flatter yourself. You share your name
with my secretary,” he lied.
    “I wasn't flattering myself.” He immediately
brought her to the defense. “You barely looked my way, let alone
acknowledged me.”
    “There was no need.”
    “No need?” Laura's jaw dropped. “How can you
be so rude?”
    “Comes naturally, I suppose.” He hadn't even
flickered at her insult.
    Appalled, she stared at him. Then, “Please
put me down.”
    He ignored her, simply tightening his grip as
he continued cautiously upward. “My dear Miss Witherow, if you
honestly believe you've been the first to tell me that, then you're
mistaken. I'm not famous for my charm.”
    She felt utterly sick. How could anyone
actually appear to enjoy this type of reputation? Desperately, she
needed to get as far away from this man as possible, as if it could
possibly be contagious.
    Kicking her legs, she felt him heave a deep
sigh before he allowed his arms to give way and allowed her to drop
to the ground. Standing on her own two feet in the snow once again,
she turned on him. On the verge of telling him exactly what she
thought of him, it struck her.
    “You called me Miss Witherow.” A smile
appeared and began to spread across her face. “Does your secretary
share my last name as well?”
    The strained mug he bit hard to control did
little for his cover. “Don't be foolish. It's just a bloody
name—”
    At that point, however, she was outright
laughing at him.
    “For pity’s sake!” With an angry jerk, he
moved away from her. “This is ridiculous. I'm getting out of this
ravine now—”
    Laura followed him, cold feet and all.
“Fraud.”
    “Confounded woman, stop it. You are one
vexing female who I've had the misfortune of being trapped in a
gorge with, let alone meeting.”
    He was really angry now. Maybe she pushed him
too far. But the truth was, as she knew it, under that hard cold
exterior was a warm caring man who desperately needed softening.
She tripped over her clumsy frozen feet, and would have landed on
her knees in the snow if Dexter hadn’t instinctively reached out
and gripped her elbow, stopping her from falling. Clearly, he was
still seething with anger, yet he bent and swung her back into his
arms. She smiled her thanks, which he completely ignored.
    “No need to get so mad.” Deciding it might be
best