Christmas Housekeeper Wanted
Brandy Golden
Genre
Contemporary Romance, Suspense
Publication Date
08/12/2023
Series Name
Heaven’s Gate
Book Number
1
About the Book
Christmas Undercover: A spirited housekeeper, a brooding highlander, and a holiday wrapped in mystery.
Lucerne MacNamara has a problem only a Christmas miracle can solve. Her agency’s housekeepers are fleeing from Darro MacCandish’s remote Heaven’s Gate estate, leaving her business teetering on the edge. Facing a damning lawsuit, her last resort is to disguise herself as just another employee to face the surly highlander head-on.
In the depths of the Scottish Highlands, Darro MacCandish is a man with little patience for incompetence, demanding a housekeeper who can handle his home’s chaos and his children’s needs. If Lucerne MacNamara can’t deliver on her contract and provide him with a competent employee for the holidays, then he’ll have her in court on Christmas day if that’s what it takes.
As Lucerne braves the winter chill and Darro’s icy demeanor, she delves deeper into the tangled web of deceit and frayed relations that turn up way more than she bargained for. Amid the stark beauty of the highlands and the warmth of holiday cheer, will she discover the truth behind her employees’ discontent and mend a heart as forbidding as the landscape? Or will the secrets she uncovers ignite a yuletide showdown that will change their lives forever?
Book Excerpt
Chapter 1
Lucerne watched in dismay as her newest employee of Happy Housekeepers, Christy McDougal, who was assigned to the MacCandish contract, came bursting through the door. The poor girl’s face was as red as a pickled beet, which didn’t match well with her red hair. She huffed indignantly, eyeing Lucerne with fire in her greenish-colored eyes.
The wreath of holly and berries hanging on the hook above the door took a nose dive to the wooden planks on the floor from her passing, landing softly amid the dust particles permeating the light beams from the nearby window.
Anger radiated throughout her entire body as she hastily flounced up to Lucerne’s desk and slammed her contract down, her outraged scream echoing off the walls of the small tidy office.
“I quit!”
Not again!
Lucerne groaned inwardly but stood up to make her coming point hit home while she fiercely held Christy’s blazing gaze. She stabbed the contract in front of her with vigorous fervor.
“Ye can’t quit, ye signed a contract!”
It was a useless argument and she knew it. The young woman was well within her rights to quit; she had thirty days to do so if she wished. But for the love of the Scottish bluebonnets, this was the third girl this month to quit after being assigned to the MacCandish croft.
“Ye can’t pay me enough to work for that…that…heavy-handed woman hater,” she replied with a passionate fury, her lower lip quivering suspiciously. “I said I quit, and I meant it!”
So much for being the heavy-handed boss. Lucerne suddenly noted the moisture glimmering near the surface in her employee’s eyes. Come to think of it, she looked like she’d been crying hard.
“Are ye all right, Christy?” she asked gently.
Christy drew herself up and sniffed, then took a handkerchief from the pocket of her navy blue peacoat and swiped at an errant tear that was sneaking down her cheek.
“I’ll no talk about it, Lucerne, but I wish ye luck. Ye’ll never find someone to please that old sheep-buster.”
With a heavy heart, Lucerne sat down in resignation and watched the jiggling jean-clad backside of overly plump buttocks stride out the door. The walls echoed her words behind her. There was no point in trying to stop her, and Lucerne didn’t even try. She’d just lost another contract and an employee to boot. Mayhap once Christy calmed down, she could get her to consider coming back and taking a different contract, but right now, she was too upset. The door slammed behind her with a resounding whump, leaving Lucerne mystified once again.
Wearily, she rubbed her temples. What was she going to do if she couldn’t provide a housekeeper for Darro MacCandish through New Year’s Day? He would take his business elsewhere, that’s what he would do.
And she couldn’t afford to let that happen.
It was five days until Christmas though, and the holiday marched relentlessly closer. All the other girls were working their jobs and seemed happy with their assignments. Without Christy, she was short one employee and still had a contract that needed filling…again.
Blast that MacCandish arse!
Lucerne gazed around her brightly decorated office with pride wondering if Christmas miracles really did happen. And if someone would come striding through the front door desperate for work and be willing to take on a crusty sheepherder who might be a woman abuser?
Not a chance.
She sighed as her thoughts swung to her father. Living off him wasn’t an option. He would be happy for her to just live with him so he could take care of her. He was quite the social throwback from an era where women let men take care of them, but even if she accepted that he wouldn’t be around forever. Besides, she needed to have her own independent income.
There weren’t many opportunities for owning a business in Inverness, but she was determined to be successful. With a university degree in social healthcare, she had been in charge of a home healthcare options clinic in New Orleans. After her mother had passed away a few years ago, she’d returned to Scotland with her dad after the funeral and decided to start a similar business, except she would be the owner and would rent “happy housekeepers” in whatever capacity a household might need. The need was real, but employees were harder to come by, especially in the more rural areas.
The sudden blaring of the telephone startled her out of her musings. Instinctively she knew who was on the other end of the line. Dreading what was coming, she picked up the receiver.
“Happy Housekeepers.” Her voice was quavering but she couldn’t help it. Drat the surly Highlander anyway. She’d never met Darro MacCandish in person but even his phone presence intimidated her. His gravelly, unhappy voice brought images of a potbellied, scrubby-bearded, demanding yokel farmer to mind as his growly words rang through the lines with a snide jab to them.
“Yer happy housekeeper walked out on me a few hours ago. Can ye provide me with someone or not? I’ve certainly paid ye enough already, and if ye can’t keep to yer word, I’ll have no choice but to take ye to court.”
“Mr. MacCandish, I hardly think ye could get a court date five days before Christmas,” she replied tartly, “so there’s no need to make idle threats ye can’t keep.”
There was silence from the line for a few seconds and then his gravelly voice crawled along her nerves with a threatening touch. “Are ye challenging me, Ms. MacNamara?”
“And if I am?” Lucerne’s heartbeat picked up, her fingers playing with the pencil as she tapped it against the contract Christy had slammed in front of her.
“Then let me set yer mind at rest. I’ve plenty of favors to call in amongst the local constabulary if need be. Getting ye served with a court date on Christmas day would be possible if I wanted it to be. The question is, are ye willing to take that chance?”
Lucerne glanced at her watch with a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach, knowing he was probably right. The name MacCandish was an old name in these parts. Gritting her teeth in annoyance, she stared at her watch. It was 1:00 pm in the afternoon and she didn’t see any miracles walking in the front door, so there was no way she could get someone out there this close to Christmas. Apparently, no one was desperate enough to work for Darro MacCandish. Plus, it was a ten-mile drive in rugged highland country. However, he was her best-paying customer yet, and she needed the money for her struggling business.
Lucerne had already been mulling over a crazy idea lurking in the back of her mind as she waited for her miracle, but now the idea cemented together and she decided to bite the bullet and dive right in. “Aye, I’ll send someone right away, Mr. MacCandish, since ye are obviously helpless without a woman,” she replied, acidic sarcasm dripping from her words. If he could be an arse, then so could she.
“Ye had better! And for the record, it’s not me that’s helpless without a woman. The bairns need caring for over the Christmas holiday at least, and New Year’s is still up in the air. Ye promised to cover both of the holidays and so far, none that ye have sent even know how to cook. Right now, I’m in the middle of some emergencies and I have to have someone for the children.”
Lucerne’s heart softened at the mention of kids, she loved kids. “I promise I’ll get someone out there,” she replied crisply, thinking those poor kids probably needed relief from such a grouchy uncle as well as good food.
“Don’t be making promises ye can’t keep, Ms. MacNamara, or I’ll come looking for ye.”
His voice held a threat that danced along Lucerne’s nerve endings and had her neck hairs standing on end. Come looking for her? To do what exactly?
“There had best be a housekeeper out here tonight. And one that understands simple instructions and is willing to work hard. I don’t want any more of yer lazy layabouts, ye hear me? I pay a much higher wage because of my remote location. I expect more of a housekeeper than thin mutton stew and her sitting about polishing her fingernails.”
Lucerne opened her mouth for an indignant reply, but there was no need. The boorish lout had hung up on her, leaving the dial tone buzzing in her delicate ear…
About the Author
Brandy Golden
Brandy Golden is an international bestselling author who has written numerous stories utilizing the domestic power exchange between her hero and heroine. Humor, suspense, mystery, and romance are all in the recipe for gripping stories that grab your heart and won’t let go. And when a sexy spanking is thrown in, it’s even better.
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