Fern Michaels - Making Spirits Bright

Books by Fern Michaels

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
Annies Rainbow
Saras Song
Vegas Sunrise
Vegas Heat
Vegas Rich
Whitefire
Wish List
Dear Emily
Christmas at Timberwoods

The Godmothers Series

Late Edition
Exclusive
The Scoop

The Sisterhood Novels

Home Free
Dj 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
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

Books by Elizabeth Bass

Wherever Grace Is Needed

Miss You Most of All

Books by Rosalind Noonan

The Daughter She Used To Be

In a Heartbeat

Miracle on Main Street (in Snow Angels )

One September Morning

Books by Nan Rossiter

The Gin & Chowder Club

FERN MICHAELS

Making Spirits Bright

ELIZABETH BASS ROSALIND NOONAN NAN ROSSITER

ZEBRA BOOKS
KENSINGTON PUBLISHING CORP.
http://www.kensingtonbooks.com

All copyrighted material within is Attributor Protected.

Table of Contents

Making Spirits Bright

FERN MICHAELS

Chapter 1

Placerville, Colorado
November 2011

Melanie McLaughlin positioned her cursor on the SEND icon, double-clicked, and waited for the window telling her that her mail had been sent to pop up. She signed off her e-mail account, then moved her mouse to exit the complicated graphics program shed helped design last year. It was her biggest job to date, and she was happy to be finished. She didnt want to work during the upcoming Christmas season. Fortunately, she was her own boss, so she made the rules. She just wanted to enjoy the holidays without any professional commitments, no last-minute all-night projects to finish. Shed worked diligently through the Thanksgiving holiday to make sure her schedule was completely cleared until after the new year.

Shed promised Stephanie Marshall, her best friend, that shed watch her girls, Amanda and Ashley, today, so that Stephanie and her fianc, Edward Patrick Joseph OBrien, Patrick to his friends, could spend Black Friday Christmas shopping. She thought it very courageous of the couple to tackle the crowds. Melanie had promised the girls she would take them skiing at Maximum Glide, then they would come back to her condo, where they would spend the afternoon learning to knit.

Melanie had been an avid knitter since junior high, long before it was fashionable. Both girls were eager to learn, telling her they wanted to learn to knit so they could give their mother handmade Christmas gifts. Melanie smiled, remembering the first scarf shed made for her own mother. Uneven stitches and a horrid fluorescent orange; her mother had been delighted with her gift. Shed kept the scarf packed in a shoe box in the back of her closet all these years. For safekeeping, her motherd said. Personally, Melanie thought her mother kept it out of sight to prevent temporary blindness to those unfortunate few whod been forced to admire her handiwork. At the time, Melanie had reasoned the color would stand out on the slopes, her mother easily spotted in case of an emergency.

Shed made sure to purchase plenty of red and green yarn for the girls first project, a pot holder. No way would she subject Stephanie to such a horrific color as her mothers!

She pushed the POWER button to turn off her computer. For the entire month of December and what was left of November, she vowed not to turn it back on unless it was a dire emergency. That didnt mean she couldnt check her e-mail. Shed just do it from her cell phone.

Melanie rolled her chair away from the desk and almost ran over Odie, her three-year-old boxer. Hey, bud, dont sneak up on me like that. Youre liable to give me a heart attack.

Woof, woof! Odie stood up on all four paws, his shiny brown eyes beseeching her not to leave him behind.

She gave him a quick scratch between the ears. Youre a lucky boy today. I promised Candy Lee Id let her dog-sit, so there. Candy Lee, a high school student who worked part-time at The Snow Zone ski shop was a diehard animal lover. Melanie brought Odie to the store whenever she knew Candy Lee was working. Today would be crazy busy, but Melanie knew there were three staff members on loan from their ski-lift positions to assist Candy Lee since both Stephanie and Patrick had taken the day off.

An ear-piercing meow directed her attention to her newly adopted cat, Clovis. He had a rich butterscotch coat and giant jade-colored eyes, which were staring at her to demand her attention. Another ear-splitting meow. She reached down and scooped up the giant ball of fur. I guess this means you want to come, too? Another meow, and two quick slaps from his bushy tail, and Melanie knew she couldnt leave Clovis alone.

Weighing in at twenty-seven pounds when shed spied him at the local animal shelter, hed caught her attention two months ago when, on a whim, she decided Odie needed a pal. Though her intent was to adopt another dog, Clovis had glowered at her from his cage as shed walked through the shelter. Shed heard his manlike meow, and decided a cat would be a perfect companion for Odie, who was docile and lived for belly rubs and the occasional bit of rare steak. A cat would be perfect given the boxers disposition.

When shed taken the husky feline out of his cage, hed licked her face just like a dog. Hed captured her heart on the spot. The dog and cat had taken to each other like jelly to peanut butter.

She rubbed her nose against Cloviss before placing him on top of her desk. Let me load up the ski equipment, guys, Melanie said, sure both animals understood her.

Odie dropped down on his haunches, and Clovis perched upright as though saying, Okay, but speed it up.

She made fast work of getting her skis, poles, boots, and helmet from the front closet. She grabbed a tote that held her ski pants and all the miscellaneous gear one needed when skiing. She peered inside the bag just to make sure she had a full bottle of sunscreen. The morning sun blazed like a giant lemon in the powder blue sky. Given that and the blustering winds, sun- and windburn was a sure thing without proper protection.

That day, Melanie was thankful her condo had its own private garage. The temps were supposed to be in the low teens. Her Lincoln Navigator took forever to warm up when left outside. After stuffing her equipment in the back, she tossed her tote on the front passenger seat.

She made three trips to the condo and back to the Navigator before she had all her supplies. Since she was bringing Odie and Clovis to The Snow Zone, shed brought their beds just in case Candy Lee needed them out of the way. Odie didnt like being shifted to the small office at the back of the store. Melanie was sure he understood the difference between the rows of sweaters and ski coats and the actual ski equipment. Shed often commented to Stephanie that if she were ever in a pinch, Odie was sure to be a great assistant. Neither animal liked being relegated to the back office, yet they seemed to make the best of their situation. Both animals got along famously. So far, theyd remained in the office without any signs of mass destruction.