Page 107 of Mistletoe and Mischief

“I appreciate it, Beth. You’re a good neighbor.”

“So are you.”

The harnesses were in the storage shed, and John helped Beth hitch the two horses to the sleigh.

Danielle had come out of the house but remained on the porch until that was done. John left, and the girls climbed on board the sleigh to arrange the blankets.

Danielle looked uncertain, as if she wasn’t sure a sleigh ride was something she wanted, after all. “It’s cold out here.” She squinted at the sky. “And it looks like it’s going to snow. Plus, I’m expecting a phone call.”

“Snow! Isn’t thatwonderful?” Bailey sounded as if snow was the most magical thing that could possibly happen.

“I’m not used to the cold.”

“Then you need to sit between us,” Sophie said. “Bailey and I will keep you snug and warm.”

Kent helped Danielle into the sleigh, and Bailey and Sophie immediately covered her lap with blankets and wrapped an extra one about her shoulders. By the time they’d finished, all that showed was Danielle’s pinched face.

Not until Beth climbed into the worn front seat did she realize that the only place left for Kent to sit was next to her. He seemed to realize that at the same time she did. They stared at each other until Kent got into the sleigh. They sat as far apart on the bench as humanly possible.

“Would you like me to take the reins?” he asked, refusing to look at her.

“If you’d like.” She handed them over, knowing he was capable of managing the horses and sleigh.

They started off with a jolt and Danielle let out a cry of alarm. After the initial jerk, the ride went smoothly. The horses’ hooves made muted clopping sounds as the sleigh glided over the snowy road.

“You going to be my navigator?” Kent asked.

“Sure.”

Kent had moved toward the middle of the seat and she did, too, for fear of falling off if the sleigh hit bumpy ground.

Kent seemed willing to overlook her earlier comment. She was grateful and wished she could take back the lie. “Go left at the fork in the road,” she told him, pointing in that direction.

“How many acres do you have here?” he asked, sounding genuinely interested. The trees had been trimmed and shaped until they were the perfect size for Christmas. Now they glistened with bright, fresh snow.

“Forty acres in total, but only twenty are planted in trees. I’m planting another five acres each year and replacing the ones we’ve cut.”

Kent held the reins loosely. “I assumed most families bought artificial trees these days.”

“Certainly that’s the trend, but there are still plenty of people who prefer a fresh tree, especially if they can chop it down themselves. It makes for wonderful memories. And after Christmas, people cut them up for compost, so ecologically speaking, you could argue that they’re superior.”

“That’s good.”

“In addition, a lot of my trees are shipped overseas.”

“Really.”

She chatted easily, explaining what she’d learned in the past three seasons and her hopes for the future. After a while, she paused, embarrassed that she’d talked for so long. “I apologize. I didn’t mean to drone on like that.”

He gave her a quick smile. “You really love it here, don’t you?”

“It’s a very different lifestyle from California, but I needed a change. I was in a horrible rut.” The instant the words were out, she regretted being so honest. “I didn’t mean that the way it sounded. What I said earlier, it...isn’t—I wish...”

“Don’t worry about it,” he murmured.

Kent had always been ready to forgive and forget; she admired that about him. She was the one who held on to hurts far longer than she should.

“We should sing Christmas carols,” Bailey suggested, and then broke into “Silent Night.” Sophie joined in and so did Kent. Beth added her own voice. The last one to sing was Danielle. Unfortunately, she was off-key and sounded terrible.

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