A Cold Christmas Read Online Free PDF Page B

responded to him like this, if she even gave him a hint she liked the feel of his body— She liked to cuddle, but she never said sexy things like Cindy, or that she appreciated him. She never reached out for him. If she had, maybe he wouldn’t be here.
    *   *   *
    When his heart stopped slamming against his ribs, he lay on his back, shoved another pillow under his head, and stared at the water stain on the ceiling shaped like the state of Alaska. He had one arm around Cindy, and her head rested against his sweaty shoulder. Cindy, beautiful Cindy. What the hell was he going to do?
    â€œRoy?” She leaned up on one elbow to look at him.
    He grunted.
    â€œTell me what you’re thinking.”
    He growled, hugged her, and playfully bit the tip of her nose. “You, you gorgeous thing.”
    She giggled, jabbed his ribs, and planted a quick kiss on his chin. “It’s Lillian, isn’t it? You were thinking of her.”
    â€œI don’t want to hurt her.”
    Cindy sighed. He stroked her back.
    â€œIt gets me too,” she said. “All the sneaking around, meeting in motels, having to leave separately.”
    â€œYou want us to forget it? Never see each other again? Except at school in the hallways and the parking lot?”
    â€œNo! I don’t know what I’d do if I couldn’t be with you. It’s just— Life is such a mess. And I have to go home to Harley. If he ever knew I was seeing you, he’d kill me.”
    Roy gently rubbed her bare shoulder and slid his hand up and down her arm. He didn’t know what Lillian would do. Probably take Jo and Mandy and move to the ends of the earth, make it as hard as she could for him to see them. He couldn’t allow that.
    â€œRoy?”
    â€œYeah?”
    â€œWhat if Tim Holiday tells people about us?”
    â€œWe’ll just have to see that doesn’t happen.”
    *   *   *
    â€œHey, Harley, if you can take off to go screw your wife, why can’t I? I just got married. You’ve been married since God created the earth. Aren’t you supposed to be tired of it by now?” Jimmy hung his coat on a hook and slid his time card into the machine.
    â€œWhat are you talking about?”
    â€œMy wife saw your Jeep outside that motel in Oskaloosa.” Jim leered. “Or was it somebody else’s wife you were boffing?”
    Harley felt a hot rage start in the pit of his stomach. It spread through his chest, rose to his throat, nearly choking him, and filled his head with black tar. Taking deliberate steps, he left the store through the rear door.
    *   *   *
    Standing at the sink in his kitchen, he poured bourbon in a glass and tossed it off, poured another and downed that as quick. After pouring the third, he was calm enough to sit at the table and sip it.
    An hour later he heard Cindy drive the car into the garage. She looked startled to see him. Setting her shopping bag on the table, she shrugged off her coat.
    â€œHarley? What are you doing home so soon?”
    He rose from the chair.
    â€œYou’re shaking. Are you sick?” She came toward him, wifely concern on her face.
    Drawing back his hand, he slapped her with an open palm, all the force of his body behind it. The sharp crack and the tingling in his hand brought joy.
    She cried out, fell back against the wall and slid to the floor, a hand over the red splotch on her cheek. A thin line of blood trickled from her mouth.
    He stood over her. “Where were you?”
    She looked up at him, her eyes wide. She smelled of fear. He breathed it in with a sense of fulfillment.
    â€œWhore.” He slapped her other cheek. “Where were you?”
    She cringed, tears dribbled down her face. When she tried to crawl away, he grabbed a shoulder, jerked her up, and threw her back. Her head bounced against the wall. “Answer me!”
    â€œShopping—” She scrabbled