Page 25 of A Collier First Christmas
“Stop before you make me cry.”
Sydney laughed. “A little too late for that. But between this and the decorations we did yesterday, I think we’re ready to light this place up tomorrow.
I was so excited and overcome with happiness that the time flew by. Soon we were all there, standing around at sunset, crowding the streets of Collier when Thomas began the countdown.
“Ten!”
“Nine!”
“Eight!”
“Seven!”
“Six!”
“Five!”
“Four!”
“Three!”
“Two!”
“One!”
I was waiting with bated breath as Thomas flipped the switch, but then nothing happened.
There was a sigh of disappointment.
“Found it! The cord got stepped on and unplugged,” Austin yelled. “Try again.”
There was no countdown or excitement this time, but Thomas flipped the switch for the second time and this time the entire town lit at once.
I looked up and around, grinning. It was more beautiful than I could’ve imagined.
There was a festive feel in the air as cheers went out at the sight.
A horse whined nearby and I looked in that direction to see the old horse drawn carriage. Ruby and Bran were at the reins and waving us over.
“As requested. How about a ride through town?” she asked.
“But I thought we took this off the list because it was too old.”
“Oh, it was. Cruz, Brady, Clay, and I spent the last few days practically rebuilding it and painting to make it presentable, but it was important to my girl that it be done in time for tonight,” Bran explained.
“Thank you so much. This is perfect. Everything I’d hoped for.”
We rode through town as if on parade, waving to people cheering as we passed by. Cammie was snuggled against mychest fast asleep. She wouldn’t remember this moment, but it was a night I would never forget.
Thomas wrapped an arm around me and covered us in a blanket as we rode out of town towards the ranch. Houses were lit all along the trail, but nothing as awe inspiring as the barn.
“You did it,” I whispered.
“Told you I would.”
“It’s beautiful, Ruby,” Thomas admitted.
Finally, Christmas was starting to fall into place. All my hard work and ideas were coming to fruition. Tonight would be a Christmas celebration to remember that the Pack would be talking about for quite some time.
