Holiday Rogue Read online

  Holiday Rogue

  Rebecca Zanetti

  RAZ INK LLC

  Copyright © 2022 by Rebecca Zanetti

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  * * *

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Created with Vellum

  Note from the Author

  Howdy everyone! Thank you for so much support for his new series of mine. Sometimes, as an author, you have to write something a little different. This series is that for me.

  I’ve loved the emails and FB notes about this series, and I’m happy to keep writing about Anna and her family. Sometimes we need a little bit of humor, right? This is a side note for the family with a full romance, which was fun to write.

  Also, I am a lawyer, and I might live in a small town, but this is in no way autobiographical. It turns out that the name Albertini is a distant family name of my relatives, which is pretty cool. However, the story is all made up. The characters are all fictional and so are the towns and counties (like usual). Also, the law is correct. :)

  I hope you like Anna’s world as much as I do!

  Also, to stay up to date with releases, free content, and tons of contests, follow me on Bookbub, Facebook, the FB Rebel Street Team, and definitely subscribe to my newsletter for FREE BOOKS!

  Also, I like to pair up with other bestselling authors to cross promote and give away books in our newsletters, so I will be giving away copies of my friends’ books coming up. Just go to my website (RebeccaZanetti.com) to sign up for my newsletter.

  XO

  Rebecca

  Acknowledgments

  Thank you to:

  Tony, Gabe, and Karlina for being such a fun and supportive family;

  Asha Hossain of Asha Hossain Designs, LLC for the fantastic cover;

  Chelle Olson of Literally Addicted to Detail for the wonderful edits;

  Stella Bloom for the perfectly pitched narration for the audio books;

  Liz Berry, Jillian Stein, Asa Maria Bradley, and Boone Brux for the advice with the concepts for this new series;

  Caitlin Blasdell, for being my incredibly hard working agent;

  Anissa Beatty, for your hard work as my perfectly organized assistant and for being such a great leader for Rebecca’s Rebels (my FB street team);

  Thanks to Rebels Jessica Mobbs, Heather Frost, Kimberly Frost, Madison Fairbanks, Suzi Zuber, Asmaa Nada Qayyum, Amanda Larsen, Karen Clementi, and Karen Fisher for their assistance.

  Thank you to Writer Space and Fresh Fiction PR for all the

  hard work.Thank you also to my constant support system: Gail and Jim English, Kathy and Herbie Zanetti, Debbie and Travis Smith, Stephanie and Don West, and Jessica and Jonah Namson.

  About the Author

  New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Rebecca Zanetti has published more than fifty romantic-suspense and dark paranormal novels, which have been translated into several languages, with millions of copies sold world-wide. Her books have received Publisher’s Weekly starred reviews, won RT Reviewer Choice awards, have been featured in Entertainment Weekly, Woman’s World and Women’s Day Magazines, have been included in retailer’s best books of the year, and have been favorably reviewed in both the Washington Post and the New York Times Book Reviews. Rebecca has ridden in a locked Chevy trunk, has asked the unfortunate delivery guy to release her from a set of handcuffs, and has discovered the best silver mine shafts in which to bury a body…all in the name of research. Honest. Find Rebecca at: www.RebeccaZanetti.com

  Contents

  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

  Epilogue

  Wolf

  Also by & READING ORDER of the Series’

  This one is dedicated to you, the reader, for jumping in and having some fun with this Albertini Family.

  Chapter 1

  A dog blocked the entrance to her apartment.

  Not just a dog, but a massive mutt that stretched across the entirety of the doorway, lying on his belly, his nose on his paws. Slowly, he lifted his head to study her, his eyes a deep brown against the multitude of colors in the fur around his snout—black, brown, white…a commingling of hues that gave him an uneven look.

  Dogs were cute. They were fluffy. This one looked dangerous.

  Marlie faltered a few feet away, snow clinging to the tops of her boots, and then looked at the closed apartment doors on either side of her. The converted turn-of-the-century house held three apartments, and hers was at the far end. Guarded by a dog so ugly, he was adorable.

  He yawned and flashed sharp and deadly teeth.

  She swallowed and took a step back. This was so weird. How had he gotten into the house? She’d had to unlock the front door to even make it inside to the hallway. “Um, hello?”

  The dog blinked.

  She once again looked at the closed doors on either side of her and reached out to knock gently on the one to the right, not wanting to startle the beast. No sound came from within, so she moved to the other side of the hallway and knocked, keeping her gaze squarely on the animal. He seemed mellow enough, but he had to weigh around a hundred pounds and had seriously sharp teeth. No answer came from the second apartment, either.

  Breathing in, she slowly exhaled. “Um. All right. Okay.” She moved forward a couple of steps to see if he reacted. He didn’t. “So, um, you’re in front of my door.” She kept her voice gentle and non-threatening.

  His left ear twitched.

  “I’ve never had a dog, but we’ve had cats and fish through the years.” She took several steps closer. “I need to get inside, and you’re in the way. So, if it’s okay, how about I gently reach over you and unlock my door?” Fishing her key out of her bag, she held her breath and unlocked it, pushing it open. “Good boy,” she murmured. “Or girl. My guess is boy.” She caught her breath. “I’m going to step over you—”

  The dog stretched to his impressive height, turned, and sauntered right into her apartment.

  “Oh.” She bit her lip. What if he had to go to the bathroom? “Do you need to go outside?”

  He scouted the boxes set neatly against the far wall of the living room, his tail wagging.

  “I don’t have furniture yet.” She moved in behind him, keeping the door open. Should she call the dogcatcher? The animal looked healthy and well-kept. Certainly, he had a family. “I just can’t figure out why you’re here. How you got here.”

  He ignored her and continued sniffing through her boxes.

  The outside door opened, and Marlie turned, her breath catching as a man loped inside the building. The winter sun poured in behind him, shrouding his face, but he filled out the space nicely with hard-packed muscle.

  He paused. “Fabio?” His voice was a low rumble that slid right over her skin.

  The dog barked once and bounded out, heading toward the man at full speed. The guy crouched and took the full impact of the hit, wrapping his sinewed arms around the animal and chuckling. “I missed you, too.” He vigorously scrubbed both hands through the dog’s fur and then stood,
moving toward her.

  She instinctively stepped back and then stopped herself.

  “Hi.” This close, his features took shape, and…man, what features he had. His hair was a shaggy light brown, his eyes a golden brown, and several cuts and scrapes looked at home on his angular features. It looked like he hadn’t shaved in a few days. He wore an olive-colored shirt and camouflage pants with matching boots, all of which stretched nicely across a body honed for muscle and strength. A battered hat with an Air Force emblem on it covered the mass of hair.

  “Hi.” She swallowed and looked down at the happily panting dog butting against his leg. “Fabio?”

  “Yeah.” The guy held out a hand. “Sorry about that. My brother was going out of town for the week and dropped him off an hour earlier than he was supposed to so we could hang. Usually, Fabio just waits at my door. But he likes people, and he loves mysteries.” He angled his head to see past her to her rows of boxes.

  She faltered and then accepted his callused hand. “Oh.” Warmth instantly slid up her arm.

  “Bosco Albertini. Happy Monday, and it’s nice to meet you.” That intense gaze shot right into her eyes, and all sorts of feelings headed south.

  Bosco? Very cool name. “Marlie Kreuk. Your new neighbor.” Should she invite him in? Why? It wasn’t like she had a place for him to sit. “I didn’t know we could have pets in the building.”

  He released her and flashed a charming grin with an intriguing edge. “We can’t. Fab isn’t my dog, but he stays with me sometimes when my brother is out on a job. We keep it a secret around here.”

  “No problem.” She smiled at the happily panting mutt. “He’s adorable.”

  Bosco chuckled. “Well, he’s something. Mrs. Balerto, who used to live in your apartment, snuck him doggy treats. She moved with her niece to Florida, and Fabio hasn’t gotten the message yet. He was probably looking for yummies.”

  Marlie pressed a hand to the doorframe. “I’ll have to keep that in mind.” Then her gaze ran over the cuts and bruises on his face. “Rough mission?”

  “Normal mission with an extra side of training thrown in.” He wiped a scab near his chin, emotionally withdrawing without moving a muscle. “I’d invite you in for food or something as a welcome to the building, but I haven’t been home in two months, and there’s nothing in the fridge.” His hand dropped to pet the dog’s head. “My place is probably full of dust and discarded mail, anyway.”

  She smiled. “That’s okay. Fabio was a lovely welcome to the building, and it was very nice to meet you.” She wanted to start unpacking and stop looking at the too-hot guy who’d just become her neighbor.

  Bosco nodded. “Yeah. Welcome to Timber City, Marlie.” He turned and headed toward his apartment with the dog dancing around his feet.

  She swallowed and shut her door. Wow. She had just moved to town and definitely wasn’t looking for romance. But even so. That was one fine male body. Sighing, she turned to unpack. It was time to get organized, and she’d do it without thinking about her sexy neighbor. Yeah, right.

  As darkness started to fall, Bosco carried bins of Christmas decorations to his door, narrowly escaping tripping over the dog. “Would you please get out of the way?” He chuckled. “I should’ve left you at Nonna’s house.” He opened his door, stepped inside, and set the containers safely against the wall. The entire apartment smelled musty and deserted. He kicked his boots out of the way, and even though he’d wiped off the snow at the entrance to the house, more still scattered on the wood.

  A small cry had his head shooting up.

  Fabio barked and ran into the hall, dashing so hard toward Marlie’s door that he hit it head-on.

  Bosco followed, automatically scanning for any threats. He knocked, edging sideways in case he needed to break down the door. “Marlie?”

  The door opened, and she stood there, blowing hair out of her face. A dollop of dust smudged her smooth cheek, and her wild hair gave her a just-kissed look. “Hi. Sorry. I slipped on the counter.”

  His eyebrows rose. “Why were you on the counter?”

  “The top cupboards are high up there,” she said, her smile simply adorable.

  His body warmed. The woman was about five-two with sandy-blond hair, stunning hazel eyes, and feline features. “I’m often used by family and friends to fetch things from a top shelf. I can help, if you want.” Then the scent of something freakin’ delicious caught his attention, and he lifted his head to sniff. “What is that?”

  She opened the door and gestured him inside a mess of boxes, crumpled packing paper, and garbage bags. “Comfort food. Cheesy noodle casserole along with sugar cookies with chocolate in the middle. Are you hungry?”

  “Yes.” He shouldn’t be, considering Nonna had just fed him. But with the delicious aroma, he could probably eat again. “Tell you what? Why don’t I put everything on the top shelves that you want there, and you can pay me in food?” It was a fair trade.

  “Okay.” She leaned down and petted Fabio.

  Bosco shut the door and headed into her kitchen. He was familiar with the apartment because Mrs. Balerto had pretty much adopted him as a grandson, which meant a lot of homemade food. The living room was quaint with a white-painted mantel over the fireplace, the kitchen updated with stainless steel appliances, and a cute powder room by the door. He’d never been in Mrs. B’s bedroom or master bath.

  “I just need those other two dishes up on the top shelves. I don’t use them.” Marlie pointed to some fragile-looking white bowls. She’d gotten a lot done during the day after their first meeting, and empty boxes littered the wall near the door.

  He gently lifted the China to the top shelf and pushed them back a little. “There you go.” Without waiting, he reached for a cookie and chewed happily. He looked around. “Do you have furniture coming?”

  She nodded. “Yeah. My bedroom set arrived today, and everything else is supposed to come tomorrow.” Then she dug into a grocery bag and drew out paper plates and utensils, looking around for something. “You know what? I forgot to buy drinks. Why did I forget that? All I have is water.”

  “I have beer,” he said, scratching his head and trying to ignore how adorable she looked with her eyes all befuddled. Stunning green-and-brown eyes—the perfect shade of hazel. Nope. Not going there. He wasn’t looking for a woman, and even if he were, it wouldn’t be the one living next door to him. Not with his life and considering he might get transferred to do what he needed to do. “I’ll go get the beer.” At the moment, he could really use one. He hustled toward the door and out to the hallway.

  Fabio didn’t follow him.

  He strode sedately into his apartment, grabbed the six-pack of beer, and fetched a bottle of red wine from the bin of decorations. Then he blew off the dust and moved back to her apartment. “Hey. I have a bottle of red from my nonna. She sent me home with Christmas decorations and wine this afternoon.” He placed the Cabernet on the counter and dug his multi-purpose knife out of his back pocket. “I have an opener.”

  “I have glasses.” She reached into the cupboard and drew down two wine goblets. “Where does your nonna live?”

  “She lives over in Silverville by the river. It’s a small mining town just through the pass.” He opened the bottle. “My whole family either lives in Silverville or here in Timber City.” He poured the wine.

  She accepted a glass. “I wasn’t aware there was an Air Force base in northern Idaho.”

  He grinned. “No. I’m stationed out of Fairchild on the other side of Spokane. I’m a pilot and work in air refueling support and hot-pit refueling.” He opened a beer. “As well as a couple other specialties we don’t need to talk about.”

  “Hot-pit refueling?” she asked.

  “The jet lands, keeps one engine running, and you refuel it right then and there so it can head off again.” He grinned, and his phone buzzed. He glanced down at the screen and then answered. “Hey, Rory. What’s up?” It was good that Rory had called. Things were getting
a little cozy, and he needed to get a grip.

  “Hi. We’re down at the Clumsy Penguin throwing darts. Get down here. I need a partner,” Rory said, boisterous laughter behind him.

  They’d just spent an entire weekend snowmobiling and camping in the freakin’ snow since Bosco had returned—he hadn’t even unpacked yet. “Yeah, okay. I’ll be there in an hour.” He clicked off and studied the pretty woman. “My brother and a bunch of buddies are partying down at a bar near the water. Want to see a little of the area?”

  She blinked. “Ah, well.”

  He laughed. “I’m not asking you out, Marlie. Just seeing if you want to meet some folks and see a nice local bar.”

  “Why aren’t you asking me out?” She tilted her head to the side, studying him.

  The directness threw him. “I don’t date. Not with my job and not right now—and I learned that the hard way.” His schedule was hectic and last-minute oftentimes, and a woman deserved more than that from him. Another lesson he’d learned the hard way. He scrubbed a hand through his shaggy hair, which was still a little damp from his shower earlier. “I’m all-in with friends with benefits, though.” Nonna would so kick his ass for saying that, but he had to be honest.

  A fine pink blush wandered across Marlie’s pretty face. “I appreciate the honesty. So, yes, I’d like to meet some people and check out a local bar. No, I don’t want to be friends with benefits. Finally, yes, I’d like to be friends.” She looked at the cooling casserole. “Do we have time to eat first?”