A Christmas to Dismember by Addison Moore (best desktop ebook reader TXT) 📕

resistance my brain put up once someone’s mind decides to take a walk on the raunchy side. And believe me, I’m grateful for the sexy shield. Especially now. The last thing I want is a preview of Mack and the lessons she’d like to teach my brother.

“Fine. I’ll think of something,” I hear myself say. “He’s my brother, after all, and if you’ve somehow figured out how to cast the right spell to make him happy, then the least I can do is help winnow out the right proposal for him.”

Mackenzie sighs as she looks my way. “That was somewhat sweet—despite the fact you threw a zinger into the mix.” She checks her phone. “I have to go. The fire department is here shooting a poster for the Cider Cove Christmas Spectacular, and they’ll be holding me up as I lie horizontally in their arms.” She darts to our right where I see Macy lying horizontally while a herd of shirtless Santas hold her in their arms.

“Hey!” Mackenzie barks. “Get down, Macy Baker! Those are my naughty Santas you’re messing with.”

Georgie gives a wistful shake of the head. “You’re really lucky, Bizzy. She’s going to make a great sister-in-law. I always ended up with the fuddy-duddies.”

“I’m ending up with something, all right.”

“Don’t worry, kiddo. You’ll always be my favorite fuddy-duddy.” She gives me a pat on the back before heading toward the naughty Santa scene herself.

“Hey, wait! I thought I was pretty great.”

Hux takes off after his plus one, and Jasper comes my way with both Rudolph and Sherlock running circles around him.

“I think you’re pretty great.” His brows flex as if he was still as perplexed by my actions as he was when he arrived. “How about finding a tree with me?”

“It’s a date,” I say.

“Does this mean I made it past round one?”

“Maybe,” I tease. “When we get home, I’ll let you show me what you’ve got.”

“Challenge accepted. I’ve got a few night moves I think I can impress you with.”

“Ooh, you’re confident. I like that.” I reach for the nearest tree blindly as I grin up at my handsome hubby. “And I think I like this tree. Our wicked work is done.”

“Someone is in a hurry to get home.”

“Someone is about to impress me with their night moves. Can you blame me?”

“Not if I’m the one with the moves.”

We pay for our evergreen, scoop up our menagerie, and head back to the cottage where Jasper Wilder impresses me with a few new night moves he managed to pull out of his sleeve.

Score one for the singles mingle.

Now to even the score with whoever killed Quinn Bennet.

Arthur Silver had better watch out because I have an axe to grind with him next.

Chapter 9

The very next day I spend the entire morning and afternoon trying to figure out creative ways that Leo could propose to Emmie, ways that Huxley could propose to Mackenzie, and ways that Mackenzie can propose to Huxley. A part of me proposes my brain take a break from all the proposal madness.

Now if Emmie comes up and tries to enlist me to help her propose to Leo, I’m going to propose we all go out for margaritas and tacos before we hit the Little Chapel of Love on the way home for a couple of quickie nuptials.

Lord knows there isn’t enough peppermint bark in the world to help figure this all out. I know this firsthand because I’ve polished off an entire platter on my own, and now I’m buzzing off a sugar high that there might be no coming down from.

But I needed the distraction of all these potential weddings, and boy, does chocolate ever deliciously distract. And not just from the bevy of brides in my future. Before Jasper left for work, he made me promise on the lives of our furry menagerie that I wouldn’t go off on my own to hunt down Arthur Silver. In return, he promised that should he track Arthur down, he’d bring me along on his investigative efforts.

Which is precisely why I find myself in Edison, a seedy town just east of Cider Cove, staring up at this dicey town’s famed Radio Hall with a neon flashing sign that reads The Mistletoettes, Edison’s small town version of the Rockettes. Jasper tracked down Arthur Silver and graciously extended the investigative invite my way.

Mom shakes her head up at the building before us. “I used to bring you and your siblings here every year just before Christmas. That was back when your dad and I were still together and I thought I was taking the family off his hands for a few hours so he could pick up something nice for me for the big day. But as it turned out, he was picking up something nice for himself, the saleswoman at the lingerie shop.”

Georgie rocks her head onto Mom’s shoulder. “Look at it this way, she was testing out all those lacy frilly numbers for you. I’m sure Nathaniel was only bringing home what he liked.”

“Oh, he did,” Mom is quick to answer. “He brought home the girl from the lingerie store. She was wife number two.”

Juni grunts, “Don’t worry, Ree. He did the same thing to me, only it was a girl from the jewelry store. Teaches us to send our husband out for Christmas gifts.”

Georgie nudges me. “Where’s Jasper?”

I gulp at the thought. “He—uh, fine. He said he needed to pick a special something up for a special someone’s Christmas gift, but that he wouldn’t miss the show.”

Juni ticks her head to the side. “Would that make you or the other woman the special one in this equation?”

Mom growls, “Don’t listen to her, Bizzy. Jasper wouldn’t dare step out on you.”

“Here’s hoping,” Georgie says as she slings an arm over my shoulders.

This afternoon Jasper called and let me know that he had it on good authority Arthur Silver was coming down to see the Mistletoettes Christmas Extravaganza tonight, and that we should join him—him