The Christmas Thief Read Online Free PDF Page B

it was out there.” She accepted the smoky brew from Tasha and took a seat at the dining table, rivulets of water scurrying down her cheeks. “Wish George could be home tonight. Can’t be much fun for him to watch the rain tonight with a bunch of sweaty men.”
    “Speaking of George, what would he say if he knew you were over here tonight?”
    Her boss and friend waved a chubby hand at her. “Not to worry ... where’s your ladder?”
    Tasha frowned. “Oh Lorena.”
    Lorena returned Tasha’s frown with a smug smile. She pointed toward the ceiling. “Hear that? That’s the sound of rain clearing. We might very well be getting a break here any minute, so chop-chop.”
    Tasha glanced outside to the darkening sky. The wind and rain had indeed subsided, but a steady drizzle remained. They’d have to work quickly. She grabbed her coat on the way out, with Lorena right behind her.
    “Hold up,” Lorena said. “Tell me your ladder’s not in that shed down there.” She pointed to a tiny barn-like shed about halfway between the house and the street.
    “Only if I lie.”
    Lorena shook her head. “Mud’s too thick. Shoot.” She reached out and gave the deck rail a good shaking, but it didn’t budge. “I’m no stick like you, but I’m pretty sure this’ll hold me.”
    “I’ve already stood on it, so I know it’s sturdy. A little slippery, though, so we’ve got to be careful.”
    Lorena nodded. “Well, I’m convinced. I’ll go up first. All we need is the plastic.”
    Back inside, the women shoved the couch into the cramped kitchen and unrolled the sheeting as far as possible. They unraveled enough to cover four times the size of the room, folding layers upon each other, then Tasha cut the section from the roll. She handed Lorena a hammer and a box of nails. “Just a quick fix, okay? I’ll hire a roofer when the rain clears.”
    Together the women hauled the plastic out onto the deck. Lorena set her end of the sheeting down, climbed atop the railing, and then pulled herself up to the low end of the roof. “Shove the tarp up here as best you can, Tasha.”
    Tasha pushed a heavy section of plastic onto the roof.
    “Got it!” Lorena called out. “I’ll drag my end to the top and then sit up there until I’ve pulled up at least half of it.”
    Tasha scrambled behind her, and pulled up the remaining sheeting that hung down along the side of the house. She spread the covering out as far as possible on the low end, while Lorena continued her ascent, spreading the plastic out as best she could.
    About a half hour later, Tasha looked up to see Lorena perched on the roof’s peak. “Everything all right up there? I’m ready to go ahead and start nailing this down.”
    “Sure is. I’ll do the same and be back down in a jif.”
    Clambering up the gritty shingles came easily enough, but with the cold bursts of rain, moving across a plastic-wrapped roof was not so simple. Tasha bit her lip, thinking about Lorena up there in the dark. She sidled along the lower edge of the roof, careful to plant her hiking boots on the exposed outermost edge where she could get some traction. She then shot a look up to the peak, but Lorena was missing.
    “Still doing all right up there?” she called out.
    Nothing.
    “Lorena?”
    Still nothing.
    On her haunches now, Tasha braced herself, intending to stand up enough to crawl up and over the peak—until Lorena’s voice sailed through the night.
    “Whew! I think I’m done!” she hollered.
    Tasha’s heart beat against the inside of her chest. “You scared me to death!”
    Lorena chuckled. “You worry too much.”
    Tasha sighed with a little groan mixed in. “Can I at least help you down now?”
    “Don’t you dare. I’ve got this.” Lorena lowered herself to her hands and knees and inched her way along the roof’s edge.
    “You sure I can’t help you?” Tasha called up to Lorena.
    “I’m good.”
    Tasha sucked in a breath. She watched Lorena continue to creep down