Three Nights before Christmas Read Online Free PDF

she’s taken on my case pro-bono because she thinks I should’ve been better defended.”
    “I offered—”
    “I know .” Annoyance stopped her dead in her tracks and she grabbed his elbow. She took several deep breaths, tipping her head back to stare at the gray sky until her heart rate finally slowed to something approaching normal.
    I am outside. Everything else in life is manageable.
    Trying to sound calmer than she felt, she said, “I know, Sawyer. Maybe I’ve never told you how much I appreciate that. If I could go back in time, maybe I would’ve made a different decision, but the fact is that I am an adult, and I was an adult when I went on trial. I had a good career, my own apartment, lots of friends, and a life I loved. But I made stupid decisions, and I was the one who had to pay the price. Me . Not you. Not Mom and Dad. Not the kids you end up having with whatever poor woman finds your special brand of brooding sexy.”
    His brows drew together. “What do my nonexistent kids have to do with this?”
    “I assume they’ll inherit the house and land one day. How could I mortgage their future legacy?”
    He shook his head in obvious bafflement. “As long as I live, I’ll never understand women. How can you plan that far in advance?”
    “I’ve had a lot of time on my hands lately. Anyway, my decisions and my mistakes are mine. Mine alone. I don’t blame you. How could I? You sat behind me every day in court. You visited me every month, sent me care packages… And now you’re helping me have a fresh start. I can’t—”
    Suddenly, she was smothered in flannel, her face buried against her brother’s sweaty chest and his arms hugging her. “I hated every single second you were in there. Fucking hated it. You should’ve been at home, munchkin.”
    She groaned, the uncharacteristic display of mushiness trying to take root among the weeds that had grown inside her, the ones that had just grown weedier after the painful awkwardness of the past twenty-four hours. The hug that would’ve been so welcome yesterday felt intrusive today. She needed distance, so she injected some levity into her voice. “I’m so glad you never called me that in front of other inmates. I would’ve been shanked for sure.”
    His arms dropped. “You’re a sick puppy, joking like that.”
    “What? I thought it was funny.”
    He shook his head and walked away, muttering, “Demented.”
    He led her around the perimeter, pointing out the trees that were ready to cut and the ones that would bring him an income next year and beyond. Some of the information was familiar, but she’d needed this refresher course. She hadn’t helped on the tree farm since she’d graduated from high school; work had kept her too busy. Having the opportunity to do it again made her feel lighter than she had in ages, as if the snow-and-spruce scented air magically dissolved years of grime.
    That feeling stayed with her until they finally got back to Sawyer’s truck…but it skittered away as soon as she caught sight of the green-and-white SUV parked behind Sawyer’s, a terribly familiar vehicle with the words Copper Mountain National Forest Law Enforcement emblazoned on the side. A vehicle she’d once sat in the back of, her wrists cuffed tightly behind her.
    The driver’s door opened and out stepped Officer Wilder, unsmiling and staring at her from behind dark sunglasses. Slamming the door shut, he crossed the parking lot toward her.

Chapter Three
    ‡
    D amn it. Tension cramped the muscles between Austin’s shoulders as he locked eyes with the one person he’d hoped never to see up here. Fortunately, his sunglasses blocked his momentary surprise from her, while her face was wide open to his interpretation.
    “You allowed to be up here?” he asked.
    Lacey hadn’t actually been arrested on NFS land, so staying off it probably wasn’t part of her parole agreement. And he couldn’t imagine her being stupid enough to break parole the day