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Chapter One

There was snow on the lawn and on theledges Looking out fro in the driveway, looking up at the house It must reseht red front door and all

In the distance, I saw Jasper appear froed behind hih the snow, covering his tracks The tree was easily as big as Jasper was, probably bigger But nothing stopped Jasper when he put hisBen’s clock tower if the mood took him

I put ain the delicate silver chain with its key lock I’d repeated the gesture countless tiiven it toIt was a foral clout of nificance

Now that I wore this elegant little version of a collar, I belonged to Jasper lock, stock and barrel The lock bit was particularly appropriate, I thought, twisting a fingernail in the tiny keyhole

He saw me at theand stopped to take a rest I could see the stea breaths He lifted a gloved hand to wave and I waved back

I moved away from the , ran into the hall and pulled open the handsome, wide front door

‘Do you want a hand?’ I called from the porch

‘No, love,’ he called back ‘Get back inside and keep warm You’re not exactly dressed for backwoodsman duties’

True enough I had forgotten, until a blast of frigid north wind struckbut a basque and stockings, a light silky robe covering my shoulders

This was the hen Jasper and I had no reason to leave the spacious environs of his house Our house, I mentally corrected myself, still unable to accept my status as co-resident there

The museum where I worked had closed for Christmas and Jasper had little to do but kick his heels and wait for a call about funding for his next feature fil for festive fare to do but, besides that, our ti for sex, having sex or cleaning htly lit as the festive displays around the village and in the town centre I felt pered up, ready to spill white heat froave me one of his looks

I skipped back inside the house, but kept the door open for Jasper to enter with the tree High-heeleda planter tub fro one in froh the kitchen and into the hall Where would the tree stand to its best advantage? By the staircase, I thought, and I put the tub there in readiness

A few minutes later, Jasper was in the hall and the tree lay on its side on the black and white tiles, drippingsnow into a puddle around it

‘That’s a big one,’ I commented