Must Love Santa, The Sweet Version: a short, humorous holiday romantic suspense novella
By Nina Bruhns
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About this ebook
New York Times and USA Today Best Selling author Nina Bruhns hopes you enjoy this short holiday story!
All NYPD Vice Detective Nick Palladin wants for Christmas is a transfer to the K-9 Unit. He just needs to close this one last big case first—shutting down a human trafficking ring run by a scummy veterinarian. Which is why he’s out on a street corner dressed as Santa Claus, ringing a bell and taking covert photos of the vet’s customers, hoping one of them might be the link he needs to put the bastard out of business for good.
But Nick’s irrepressible terrier has a very different Christmas wish. Airedale Zenon—cleverly disguised as Rudolph—has set his sights on a cute little perfumed fluff ball trotting his way...along with the adorably sexy lady holding her leash. When the two are suddenly accosted, well, what’s a gentleman—canine or Santa—to do? Why run to the rescue, of course! And hope for the best holiday gift ever...true love.
Nina Bruhns
The mother of five children, Kylie Brant claims she began writing to save her sanity. Plotting stories became her method of escape from the reality of constant ball games, chauffeuring kids, and refereeing minor disagreements between her perfect offspring. In 1992 she was elated to get a call from Silhouette offering to buy her second novel. Home with laryngitis at the time, she still managed to croak out agreement, and her career was born. A few months later she went on to sell Rancher s Choice, the first manuscript she'd written. Kylie is married to her high school sweetheart, and they make their home in Iowa. She insists that all her heroes are based on her husband of 23 years because he possesses that most heroic of all qualities - ironing skills. Those abilities come in handy, as she juggles a full time teaching job with writing and a family. Doing things the easy way has never held much appeal for this multi award-winning author. She graduated with high honours from the University of Northern Iowa. A graduation photo shows her in cap and gown holding her two sons, one aged 16 months and the other three weeks. She went on to obtain a teaching job working with learning-disabled children while completing her master's degree at night and during summers. There was a time in my life when I could imagine myself as a life-long student, she recalls. I actually toyed with the idea of pursuing a doctorate. But instead, my life took a spin and I ended up writing romances. I've never regretted it! Her family has since been completed by the birth of another son and a set of twins, a boy and a girl. Kylie's books are regularly featured on bestseller lists. With over a million copies of books in print, her novels have been distributed in 20 countries and released in seven languages. Family and friends are the main focus of Kylie's life. When she isn't writing or teaching, she enjoys reading and flower gardening. She loves traveling, preferring beach, ocean, and room service. Readers may write her at: P.O. Box 231, Charles City, IA 50616.
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Must Love Santa, The Sweet Version - Nina Bruhns
Table of Contents
MUST LOVE SANTA
•• 1 ••
•• 2 ••
•• 3 ••
•• 4 ••
•• 5 ••
•• 6 ••
•• 7 ••
•• 8 ••
•• 9 ••
•• 10 ••
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•• 12 ••
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•• 18 ••
•• 19 ••
•• 20 ••
•• 21 ••
•• 22 ••
•• 23 ••
•• 24 ••
•• 25 ••
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MUST LOVE SANTA
The Sweet Version
by
NEW YORK TIMES & USA TODAY
BEST SELLING AUTHOR
NINA BRUHNS
Author of more than 35 award-winning novels
Over 2 Million copies sold worldwide
•••
All Detective Nick Palladin wants for Christmas is a transfer to the K-9 Unit. He just needs to close one last case in Vice first...by going undercover as Santa. But Nick’s irrepressible canine partner has a very different Christmas wish for them—namely, a cute little fluff ball trotting his way...and the knockout holding her leash. When the ladies accidentally stumble into their op and are accosted, Santa and Airedale fly to the rescue! Who knew they’d end up getting the best holiday gift ever...true love.
•• 1 ••
December
New York City
The scummy veterinarian was doing a brisk business in rabies shots today.
NYPD Vice Detective Nick Palladin reached for the camera remote in the pocket of his oversized red plush suit with one hand, and kept ringing his obnoxious bell with the other. Come on, baby. Smile for Santa.
He pressed the trigger, and the tiny, camouflaged GoPro camera mounted on his donation stand photographed yet another person emerging from his prime suspect’s office, beagle in tow.
Nick hoped to hell this dog owner would be the link he’d been seeking for four years, the link that would tie the shady vet to a ruthless human trafficking ring. He was convinced the scumbag was the brains behind it.
Too bad no one else believed him. Including his lieutenant.
Which explained why Nick was spending his two precious days off standing on a street corner, sporting a bright red suit and hat, white beard, and going deaf from ringing a goddamn silver bell.
Whose insane idea had this been, anyway?
Oh, yeah. His own.
It was a measure of how badly he wanted to nail this bastard...and how desperate he was to get out of Vice. Closing this case would finally allow him to transfer to the K-9 Unit, something he wanted more than anything. He was burned out big-time on the coldblooded crimes and the brutal violence they dealt with in Vice, and he needed a change. Preferably to something kinder and gentler.
Such as the K-9 Unit.
Nick loved dogs, and nothing would make him happier than working with steadfast, cheerful canines every day for the rest of his career.
But he’d made a promise to a dying girl with big green eyes once clear and innocent, which had been haunted by cruel abuse as he’d gazed back into them, their light fading. He’d sworn to avenge her.
He was not about to leave Vice before fulfilling that vow.
He glanced down at his own faithful, four-legged companion, and gave an inward sigh. Not that Zenon the Terrible would help his chances of making it into the K-9 Unit, even if he were free of his promise. The young Airedale had seemed a perfect fit when Nick was scouring the city dog pounds and rescue groups for a canine partner a year ago. The two-year-old was smart, lively, and eager. But terriers weren’t called terrors
in jest for nothing.
As if in perfect understanding, Zenon beamed mischievously up at him. If he could, Nick was pretty sure the big Aire-head would be waggling his bushy eyebrows. But it was impossible to be irritated with the Aire-ball. Grinning back, Nick gave him a scratch behind the ears and adjusted the reindeer antler headband that kept wanting to slide off. The showoff was just too damn cute—and too damn grateful for his rescue from that God-awful dog pound. Zenon might be a royal pain in the ass, but he had a heart of gold, and there wasn’t a chance in hell Nick would ever trade him in for a more obedient model.
They’d just have to work harder at his training, right?
Nick was just giving him a biscuit for being good when footsteps approached from behind them.
Hello, Detective Palladin.
The smooth, educated voice cut through his gut like a razor. I thought it was you under that ridiculous beard,
Frank Kraznov said with amusement as Nick turned to face his nemesis. Love your disguise. Santa. Very clever.
Nick balled his hands into fists to keep from doing something he’d regret. At his side, Zenon growled.
The veterinarian studied the sign on the collection pot and pretended to be surprised. Oh, I see! You’re taking donations for the Police Widows and Orphans Fund. Here. Let me make a contribution.
The bastard held up a hundred dollar bill.
Nick clamped his teeth. Keep your dirty money,
he spat out. We don’t want it.
Ignoring the insult, Kraznov deliberately folded the bill and slid it through the slot in the donation pot. Do have a very merry Christmas, Detective.
With that, he strolled leisurely toward his office.
Zenon kept growling.
Good boy,
Nick murmured, and fed him another biscuit. The dog definitely had good instincts.
Mommy! Wook!
A little girl danced around Nick and Zenon, pulling her mom along by the hand. It’s Santa and Woo-doff!
Gathering himself, Nick put on a smile and winked at her. Have you been a good little girl for your mommy this year?
I have, I pwomise!
She jumped up and down. Awe you and Woo-doff going to bwing me lots of pwesents, Santa?
You bet,
he answered, and aimed a jolly, Ho, ho, ho!
at the mom. But on the inside, Nick was anything but jolly.
The little girl had big, green, innocent eyes.
Which made him more determined than ever to nail the greedy scum who would willingly steal this girl’s sweetness and feed it to the highest bidder.
Oh, yeah. Frank Kraznov was going down, if it was the last thing Nick ever did.
•• 2 ••
Oh, God. Not another Santa.
Emily Milan groaned inwardly. Red velvet-clad, bell-ringing Santas were everywhere in Manhattan, it seemed, and she always felt like a Grinch if she passed them by without dropping at least a few coins in the pot. But if she kept it up, she’d be totally broke before Christmas.
Not that she had far to go.
Emily gripped the pink, bejeweled leash in her hand, at the end of which her frisky charge, Pogo, perked. Pogo’s ears went straight up, and her front paw paused in midair.
Emily did a double-take at the Santa up