Christmas at Timberwoods - Fern Michaels [0]
Christmas at Timberwoods
Betrayal
Southern Comfort
To Taste the Wine
Sins of the Flesh
Sins of Omission
Return to Sender
Mr. and Miss Anonymous
Up Close and Personal
Fool Me Once
Picture Perfect
About Face
The Future Scrolls
Kentucky Sunrise
Kentucky Heat
Kentucky Rich
Plain Jane
Charming Lily
What You Wish For
The Guest List
Listen to Your Heart
Celebration
Yesterday
Finders Keepers
Annie’s Rainbow
Sara’s Song
Vegas Sunrise
Vegas Heat
Vegas Rich
Whitefire
Wish List
Dear Emily
The Godmothers Series
Late Edition
Exclusive
The Scoop
The Sisterhood Novels
Home Free
Déjà Vu
Cross Roads
Game Over
Deadly Deals
Vanishing Act
Razor Sharp
Under the Radar
Final Justice
Collateral Damage
Fast Track
Hokus Pokus
Hide and Seek
Free Fall
Lethal Justice
Sweet Revenge
The Jury
Vendetta
Payback
Weekend Warriors
Anthologies
Making Spirits Bright
Holiday Magic
I’ll Be Home for Christmas
Snow Angels
Silver Bells
Comfort and Joy
Sugar and Spice
Let It Snow
A Gift of Joy
Five Golden Rings
Deck the Halls
Jingle All the Way
Published by Kensington Publishing Corporation
FERN MICHAELS
Christmas At Timberwoods
ZEBRA BOOKS
KENSINGTON PUBLISHING CORP.
http://www.kensingtonbooks.com
All copyrighted material within is Attributor Protected.
Table of Contents
Books by Fern Michaels
Title Page
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
MAKING SPIRITS BRIGHT.
MR. AND MISS ANONYMOUS,
Copyright Page
Chapter 1
Timberwoods Mall was ablaze with Christmas cheer. Busy shoppers fought their way from store to store with good-natured directness; garlands of evergreens hung from on high, artificially scented to add to the delicious atmosphere of the holidays. The glittering displays, the noisy fun of the puppet shows and animated seasonal displays, the Christmas train that carried its young passengers in a wide circle around the promenade level, and the general feeling of goodwill and peace on earth were all enhanced by the piped-in Christmas carols.
Heather Andrews, head security manager, turned away, feeling a little overwhelmed. She left the high balcony where she’d been keeping an eye on the crowds and retreated to the relative calm of her office to make herself some coffee. The ritual of making it was soothing, even though the caffeine jolt she was after would be the exact opposite.
Premeasured pod in the basket. Filtered water in the upper part. Glass pot, ready and waiting. Flip, click, push the button.
She went to her desk with a cup of the freshbrewed coffee and sat down in her swivel chair with a sigh, taking a sip and glancing out of habit at a bank of video monitors that offered views of every aspect of the gigantic mall and the swarm of shoppers. The system was state-ofthe-art. One click of a mouse could narrow the focus to individual faces, enabling her and the security team to keep an eye on suspicious characters and record their activities.
Bryan, her assistant, came in with a sheaf of printed reports. Heather sat up straight.
“Sorry. Didn’t mean to startle you,” Bryan said.
She looked intently into the monitors, following the progress of a female figure. “You didn’t. I just saw someone I knew on the video feed.”
“Bad guy or good guy?”
“Not a guy. A girl.” She swiveled the monitor around so Bryan could see. “Angela Steinhart.”
“Who? Uh, I mean, the last name is familiar,” Bryan corrected himself.
“It’s on the plaque at the entrance. You see it every workday, genius. Her father’s architecture firm built this mall,” Heather said crisply. “Angela designed some of our best Christmas displays this year, and she hasn’t even graduated from college yet. Check out the number of people around that one.”
She switched the focus from Angela at the outer edge of the crowd, and zoomed in on a charming Victorian skating scene featuring larger-than-life mice in vintage