Page 40 of The Lie That Stole Christmas

She watched Carter disappear into the hallway to gather the staff.Even after everything that had just happened, he never hesitated.Winterridge was in chaos, and he simply kept it moving.

Chapter thirteen

Carter

Cartertossedandturnedfor the nineteenth time that night.No matter how comfortable he was, he couldn’t turn his mind off.The gingerbread house competition wasn’t a total failure.He’d consider it more like fifty-fifty, and with this family, that might as well have been declared a total victory.Though what Gabe had said to him still played on repeat in his mind.

No matter what, Gabe would always look down his nose at him.And it shouldn’t matter.His dad used to say, “They may have the money, but without us, they couldn’t boil a pot of water.”

Gabe could look at him as if he were a nobody.All he could see was their class status, as if the estate manager was nearly a peasant amongst him.

It was why he was so angry when he discovered Carter coming out of the stables after Ashley all those years ago.He could still feel the blast of Gabe’s fist to his kidney as he was caught by complete surprise.The way the ice-cold snow seeped through his jeans and burned his skin when he doubled over and lost his balance.

Carter knew how to fight, but when he was sucker-punched, he had been at a disadvantage.He’d quickly recovered, forcing the pain aside as he’d jumped back to his feet.He didn’t want to hurt Gabe because hurting Gabe would inevitably hurt Ashley, but Gabe squared off with him.

He tossed the blankets from him, refusing to go down that road.He kicked his legs over the side of the bed and headed toward the kitchen.Tiny usually left a few biscuits out.If he couldn’t sleep, he could always eat.

He closed the door of the bedroom that once belonged to his father.It had been his for years, yet sometimes it still felt borrowed.

The hallways were long and dark, but he’d walked them so many times he could do it blindfolded.When his dad died, he almost expected Bill to toss his ass out, but kept him on, giving him the option of moving out of the small bedroom he was in or moving into his dad’s old room.It took a year before he finally moved in.

It had been weird at first.Almost as if he were invading a space that was never his.He’d thought about moving off the estate, but living expenses were too high.Bill covered all of that on top of his salary.So he stayed.Because of that, he had a decent amount of money in savings.

Somewhere along the way, Winterridge had stopped being the place he worked and had become the only home he had left.

With Winterridge being his life, and Bill and the rest of the staff at Winterridge being his only friends, he really had no need to spend money.He invested in good suits because he knew it made Bill happy.It was his subtle way of saying thank you to the man who kept him housed and employed when the only family he ever had died.

Carter stepped into the kitchen, about to flick on the light, when his eyes caught the faint glow of the refrigerator.He froze for a second, eyes lingering on the silhouette.The light caught her, spotlighting the green silk pajamas that clung to her thin frame.Her dark hair hung over her shoulder in a single braid, and he imagined wrapping it around his hand as she screamed his name.

Ashley stood barefoot in front of the open refrigerator, tapping her lip and tilting her head as she pondered the items inside.

For a moment, Carter forgot how to breathe.

She shifted slightly, the green silk tightening across her hip.He let his gaze linger for longer than was proper.Ashley grabbed a bottle of sparkling water and a container of fresh-cut strawberries.She spun toward the counter, a high-pitched squeak bursting from her mouth as her entire body jolted backward.Her hand slammed against her chest.

“Jesus!You scared me,” she said as he stepped farther into the kitchen.“Do you always sneak around like that?”

“Sorry.”His voice roughened with lack of sleep and desire.“Didn’t mean to startle you.”

The refrigerator door closed, plunging them into complete darkness.“Oh,” Ashley muttered.

Carter turned to the wall, flicking the switch that turned the light above the counter on.A dim glow illuminated above them.

“Thank you,” Ashley said, placing the bottle of sparkling water and strawberries on the counter.“Couldn’t sleep either, huh?”

“No,” he admitted, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning against the counter.“Thought I’d look for some of Tiny’s biscuits before she hides them from Clint tomorrow morning.”

“He’s still putting back the food like a trash compactor?”

“Yup, and still fit as can be.”

“Most people's metabolism slows down as they age, but clearly Clint’s didn’t get the memo.”

“He’s also slinging saddles and wrangling horses all day, so that might have something to do with it.”

“I haven’t seen the horses yet.Is Mabel still here?”

A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.“Yeah.Old girl’s still here.”