“Wait!” she interrupted, her hands flying out between them. His words sparked a light bulb in her brain. “You shouldn’t be telling me all this. Scumbag or not, he’s your client. If anyone finds out about this, won’t you be in deep trouble?”

“This is just between us, Shayna. No one will know.”

“We’ll know, and you’ll hate yourself. The one thing you aren’t, Kyle, is dishonest. If you violate your client’s trust-no matter how much the man doesn’t deserve it-it’ll haunt you forever.”

She pushed to her feet and stepped around Kyle, who hadn’t moved a muscle. “Don’t say anything else.” She double-checked the contents of her makeup bag, added her toothbrush and toothpaste, a handful of hair pins and a can of hairspray. “I’m leaving. Right now. You have to finish this discussion with my attorney, who I promise you is a very sharp and loyal man.”

She rushed into the bedroom and grabbed the hanging bag that held her costume and her boots. Remembering her blasted pantyhose, she quickly snatched them from her drawer and wedged the hose and the makeup bag in a side pocket.

A quick mental run-through assured her she had all she needed for her transformation into Ms. Noel. With the rollers still twisted into her hair and her costume draped over her arm, she headed downstairs to find her purse and her keys. Kyle followed her down the stairs, trying to resume their conversation.

“It’s not a technical violation of attorney-client privilege.”

“Technicalities don’t change the truth. I can’t let you do this.”

Her purse sat on the kitchen table, a few feet from where Brinks waited patiently for his breakfast and his morning walk.

“Walker is no longer my primary concern. You-”

Man, she wanted to hear the end of that sentence, but she couldn’t let himself dig this hole any deeper. Purse on her shoulder, she leaned in and interrupted him with a kiss.

The heavy costume on her arm and the warm rollers on her head affected her balance and technique, but she still managed to stop his flow of self-incriminating words.

When she pulled back, they were both a bit dazed.

“Oh, and one other thing I’ve been meaning to tell you.”

“I don’t know if I can take any more revelations this morning, Shayna.”

“This one’s easy. The other night, I forgot to tell Santa what I wanted for Christmas, and I was wondering if you could give him a message from me.”

The dazed shake of his head was part agitation, part admiration. “What do you want Santa to bring you this year, little girl?”

“You.” She laid another hot, quick kiss on him. “All I want is you.”

Standing in the People’s Bank parking lot decked out in full Ms. Noel regalia, Shayna was still high from the stunned look on Kyle’s face. Her wish had definitely taken him by surprise, but judging by the way his lips had clung to hers, she was pretty sure it was a good surprise.

Happy enough to power every Christmas light in town, she surveyed the chaotic scene around her. The parade gods were certainly smiling down on them today. The morning’s crisp air had everyone in a Christmas mood. The sun dangled in a cloudless, endless blue sky, adding just enough warmth that the Fighting Lion cheerleaders didn’t have to wear sweatpants under their short skirts. Concession stands scented the air with funnel cakes, apple cider and sausage on a stick.

Perfect day for a parade.

A series of horn blasts announced the arrival of the youth center van as it entered the parking lot. The van’s door slid open, coughing out a dozen excited, costumed children. Their giggles and shouts carried across the crowd of parade riders and volunteers. Nothing summed up the joy of Christmas like a bunch of happy, hopeful kids.

She spied Danny making his way across the lot, flanked by his two precious daughters, Shelley and Tina, the reigning Junior Miss Noel. Tina would ride next to Shayna on the princess float. Danny, filling in as Santa since Elmer’s back was still out, was the parade’s grand finale, and as such, would be on the final float. Shelley would watch from the sidelines with Lindy and Travis.

After Shayna, Shelley and Tina had finished complimenting each other’s dresses, Danny, wearing the new, longer Santa pants she’d made for him, cleared his throat and nodded to his left. “Did you call out one of the major networks?”

“No. As far as I know, channel five is the only station planning on covering the parade. Why?” She looked over her shoulder, where a three-person television crew stood off to the side, panning shots of the pandemonium. None of them wore channel five’s signature bright blue jackets. “Oh. Well, extra publicity can’t hurt, right?”

“No, but I’m not real jazzed about the whole state seeing me in this getup.”

“Don’t worry. Once you get the padding and beard on, no one will recognize you.”

“I sure as hell hope so.”

“Daddy.” Shelley and Tina scolded together.

“Sorry, girls.” Danny gave a chagrined smile. “Let’s go find Lindy. It’s time for all of us to take our places.”

The next several minutes were a whirlwind of confusion. Nerves needed to be calmed, dresses needed to be fluffed, float decorations needed to be repaired, and for some reason, all these calamities ended up in her lap.

Once she had the barrage of last-minute details ironed out, she looked again for the production crew. Their presence had niggled around her thoughts, and she’d begun to question their purpose. Their lack of obvious station affiliation bothered her.

Hitching herself up on the princess trailer, she surveyed the crowd. A reporter she recognized interviewed the high school band’s tuba section. The crew surrounding her wore distinctive blue jackets.

A gaggle of goose bumps sprang up on her arms as she searched for the second, obviously well-funded crew. Her bad feeling quickly grew to a pit-of-the-stomach dread.

Finally she spotted them, standing on a knoll, high enough to take in all the activity in a single shot. Standing slightly behind the camera operator was a squat fellow she’d never met but recognized instantly.

Steven Walker.

Cold sweat covered Shayna’s body. What the hell was he doing here? Was this what Kyle had tried to warn her about? Her hands began to shake so badly she had to grip a waist-high candy cane to keep herself upright.

Why, oh why hadn’t she taken the low road and greedily listened to all the secrets Kyle had been anxious to spill?

Because Walker can no longer hurt you.

Just as quickly as the panic had spread a moment ago, peace now settled over her. She had nothing to fear from this man. Still, it might be best not to confront him until Walker also knew about his loss of negotiating power. No sense airing all that dirty laundry prematurely.

Before she got carried away imagining the stunned look on Walker’s perennially smug face, Shayna brought her attention back to today’s event. Parade time was almost here.

Trucks and tractors fired up, the rattle of diesel engines adding to the roar of excited voices. Recorded Christmas carols blared out over the PA system while the marching band tuned up.

She prepared to jump down and help the little ones line up, but from the corner of her eye she noticed a familiar blond head pushing his way to Walker’s side. Even from this distance, the anger and disappointment on Kyle’s face was clear.

He was obviously seconds away from telling off his biggest client and sabotaging his career. She couldn’t let him do that, not when the misguided man still thought she needed his protection.

She loved him too much to stand aside and watch him throw away a goal he’d worked half a lifetime for. No matter how good his intentions.

As the other parade princesses began climbing aboard the float, Shayna jumped off. She waved at a surprised, fully costumed Danny and started running through the scurrying crowd.

Behind her, Danny shouted her name, but she didn’t slow down, didn’t look back.

Her focus remained pinned on Kyle and Walker. Judging by the hand gestures and the distance the crew had given the two men, things were not going well.

By the time she reached them, Shayna was completely breathless. She had to stand there pulling in deep draws of air before she could alert them to her arrival.

“I haven’t been too impressed with your advice, Anderson, so I made an executive decision.” Walker was puffed up and red in the face.

“Surprising her isn’t the right way to handle this. You should have at least shown her the courtesy of an advance warning.”

“Advance warning?” That shrill voice stole what little breath Shayna had managed to recover. Dressed in white leather pants and an indecently tight red sweater, Patty stepped from behind a long, solid-paneled white van. “Isn’t that what you were giving my baby girl when you slipped inside her cabin this morning? Or maybe you were too busy slipping her something else?”

Her mother’s crude comment drew a loud hiss from Shayna, but Kyle’s “What the hell is she doing here?” overpowered the sound.

“I’m just here to enjoy the festivities,” Patty replied in a frighteningly normal voice. “And to support my beautiful daughter, of course.”

“Bull!” Shayna thundered her way into the conversation. She’d had enough of her vindictive birth parents and their nonsense. “You’re both here to intimidate me into reconsidering my refusal.”

“What refusal?” Walker shoved Patty aside, turning confused eyes to Kyle. “She responded and you didn’t tell me?”

Kyle nodded, but his attention remained focused on her. This morning’s intimate warmth was nowhere to be seen. “We received a fax yesterday, but I didn’t forward it because Ms. Miller’s response was ill-advised and poorly conceived. I was hoping to convince her to reissue the offer with a more acceptable set of demands.”

Shayna wasn’t sure which hurt more. The fact that the love of her life had just essentially called her an idiot or the ease with which he slipped back into power attorney mode.

Ms. Miller, indeed.

Even though she knew the two of them didn’t have a future together, it still stung to be so soundly reminded.

Knowing a clean break would be best for them both, Shayna called up every ounce of poise and self-control in her body. Back straight and head held high, she turned her back on Kyle and addressed her worthless, conniving parents.

“If you two want to continue to torture each other over a relationship that soured twenty-five years ago, then go right ahead, but I refuse to let either of you drag me into this mess ever again. I won’t take sides, and I won’t absolve either of you for the horrible way you treated me. From here on out, I never want to hear from either of you again.”

Their shocked, blanched expressions were priceless. She wished she had a camera, but then, she imagined the little red light on the huge television camera meant Walker’s own people were capturing this moment much better than her little digital ever could.

Unable to bring herself to look in Kyle’s direction, Shayna started to head back to her float-somehow, she had to rise to her role as parade hostess-but Kyle’s fingers captured her wrist.

“Shayna?”

In that moment, staring into the vivid eyes she loved so much, her heart actually felt broken. How could she have forgotten that she was nothing more than a case, the means of getting that promotion?

Drawing the shards of her pride up from where it had crashed around her ankles, Shayna stiffened her spine and forced the tears from her voice. “Mr. Anderson, my apologies for getting carried away earlier today. As you can see-” she swooped her hands dramatically over her costume “-I’m a Christmas fanatic. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I don’t want to hold up the parade.”

A shadow fell over Kyle’s face. Shayna looked over her shoulder, but the entire parade crowd was blocked by a large red wall. “Shayna, what’s going on here? Are you okay?”

She offered Danny a wobbly smile. “Yeah. Looks like you were right about the extra camera crew. I’ve explained that they’re not wanted here. Hopefully, they’ll clear out soon.”

“What about him?” He indicated Kyle with a head nod.

Swallowing her heartbreak, she strove for a light tone.

“I do believe Mr. Anderson’s business here is finished. I’m sure he’ll be leaving soon, as well.” Quickly, please.

“I’m not going anywhere.”

“Fine. I hope you enjoy the parade.” Afraid the tears would start flowing any second, she headed back to her post. She didn’t hear the actual words spoken, but she knew that behind her, Danny and Kyle had a short standoff. She held her breath, expecting-praying-Kyle would stop her at any second.