Page 37 of Roaring Fork Rockstar

Luna laughed so hard she snorted, which only made everyone chuckle more.

Holt settled onto the sled and patted the space in front of him. “Hop on, Keltie and Luna. Your chariot awaits.”

After I seated myself with my back against Holt’s front, my daughter climbed on slowly, her small body tense with anticipation. Holt’s arms were long enough to wrap one securely around both of us while he held the sled’s rope with his other hand.

“Ready?” he asked.

“Yes!” Luna shouted with glee.

“Okay, on three. One… two…three!”

We pushed off and went sliding down the hill, gathering speed. Luna squealed with delight, her hands gripping my arm that was also around her middle. The cold air whipped past us, snow spraying up from the runners of the sled.

“Wee!”Luna cried, her voice carried away by the wind and our momentum.

At the bottom of the hill, we glided to a gentle stop, well short of the hay bales. Luna immediately twisted around to look at us, her face bright with joy.

“Can we go again?”

I glanced over my shoulder at Holt, whose smile was as big as hers.

“I’m in,” he announced.

“How about I let you two go on your own this time?”

Luna clapped her hands. “Then, we’ll go even faster!”

“Remember that Holt promised to take Buckaroo too,” I reminded her.

Luna looked from me to him. “It’s okay if you want to take him first, Mr. Holt,” she said, blinking her eyes quickly as though she was fending off tears.

“Nope. It’s you and me, kiddo. We’ll go as many times as you want. Or, err, as many times as your mommy will let us.”

The hillside transformed into a symphony of laughter and shouts over the course of the next hour. While Luna went on rides with nearly everyone, it was Holt she kept begging for “just one more.” With every successful run, her body relaxed and her trust in him built.

The wind picked up as the afternoon wore on, bringing with it heavier snow. I’d gone on a couple of runs on my own, crashed both times, then called it a day. After that, I stood and watched my daughter, my initial worry giving way to enjoyment as I watched her uninhibited excitement.

“I think it’s time to head in,” TJ called after a particularly strong gust sent snow swirling around us. “Hot chocolate for everyone who’s frozen!”

Luna pouted but didn’t argue when I suggested we follow the others inside. I looked around for Holt and saw he was helping Cord gather the sleds.

“Your girl’s got spirit,” Buck commented, walking inside with us. “Way more energy than Buckaroo, and he’s a handful on a slow day.”

I ruffled Luna’s hair when she pulled off her cap once we were inside. “I’ll admit she’s pretty special,” I said, smiling for the millionth time in the last hour.

Buck grinned in my direction. “Holt thinks both of you are, seems like.”

“Well, we think he’s pretty awesome too, don’t we, Luna-bug?”

“He’s theawesomestever,” she said before looking in the direction of the boys, who were back to playing with Christmas toys.

“Go ahead,” I said, giving her a gentle push.

I laughed when she raced off.

“I better get dinner started,” Flynn said on her way into the kitchen.

“I’ll help,” offered Juni.

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