Bunny Elder Banks opened her eyes. She blinked against the bright winter sunlight streaming into the sleeping loft through the floor-to-ceiling window in the great room below.
She yawned and stretched. Muscles still cramped from the long flight from her home in Houston ached with resentment at being called upon to rise so early.
Her bare toes dug into the nap on the fluffy lambskin bedside rug, seeking warmth in the cold room.
She questioned her decision to buy this A-frame chalet in the woods near the small seaside town of Bannoch, Oregon. The uncurtained window wall lost much of its charm when it let in harsh morning light to disturb her sleep her so early.
She ran her fingers through her fading dark blond curls and pushed herself out of bed with a moan.
A gust of wind swayed the firs and pine trees surrounding the cabin. Clumps of snow fell from the branches onto the still dark forest floor where they joined ragged drifts lurking in the shadows.
Looking at the dismal scene, Bunny frowned as she put on her robe and slippers.
She’d come here from her modern high-rise condo in Texas hoping an old-fashioned white Christmas would lift her out of the doldrums.
She needed something to inspire her to finish what her publisher hoped would be another bestselling thriller.
In the past she’d scoffed at the concept of writer’s block, but this latest work hadn’t flowed like her others. The prospect of writing yet another thriller based on a true-life crime didn’t excite her anymore. She was suffering from a lack of motivation. Maybe she would feel more inspired if she needed the money from future royalties.
When her second husband, Max, a successful businessman, had died a few years before, Bunny accepted an offer from his partners to buy her out. She was shocked to learn how much her share was worth. After spending most of her life pinching pennies, it was hard for Bunny to adjust to being embarrassingly well off. However, it had enabled her to indulge a life-long dream of becoming a novelist.
Even so, when Max had died in a plane crash, Bunny was devastated.
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