Page 33 of Novalie's Little New Year

“You wanna know a secret, Nova?”

“A horse secret?”

“Yeah,” Arlo told her with a grin.

“I didn’t know horses had secrets.”

“Well, I usually save these for after these two are done with their jobs for the day but I have their favorite treats in my pocket. You could give Herc and Atlas their treats tonight if you wanted.”

Part of her wanted to say no because it felt like she was giving up on Linc. If she gave Atlas and Hercules their treats, that meant they were done for the day and sleigh rides were over, and Linc wasn’t coming like he’d promised. Then again, giving the gentle beasties a reward for a job well done sounded fun and well deserved.

“What do they like? You don’t have apples. Or carrots.”

The juvenile part of her brain piped up with “Is that a carrot in your pocket or are you happy to see me?” Good thing she kept that to herself, although she would’ve whispered it to Sadie or Quinn if her friends were here.

“Nope. I mean, they like those and will happily devour them. But their absolute favorite is… peppermints.”

“What?”

“Yeah. We get these made special so they’re not quite as sugary as the ones people eat but they’re still the red and white swirls. Here.”

Arlo plopped a couple in her hand and she had to laugh. They were bigger than the ones for people but looked exactly the same otherwise. They made her feel like a little kid. “Do you think they’d like candy canes?”

“Oh, for sure. Maybe Santa will bring them some next year,” he told her.

She squealed as the draft horses snuffled at her palms and plucked the small candies up with their big ol’ teeth. Her parents had never kept horses of any sort, but some of her friends back in Idaho had a few. She’d forgotten how fun it was to feed horses. After she’d given them their treats, she spent a little more time petting and nuzzling them.

“Sorry, Nova,” Arlo said with a wince after checking his phone. “It’s eight-thirty and I’ve gotta get Atlas and Hercules back in the barn and warmed up. You should head inside too.”

She probably should but she couldn’t stand the idea of walking back into the party cold, alone, and not having been on the sleigh ride. Linc had turned out to be the same old unreliable jerk after all. Well, at least she knew better now.

Some parts of her had matured a great deal since high school—she was a badass at her job, she could hold her own in a room full of men who thought they were smarter than she was, and she had a much better haircut—but her heart wasn’t one of them.

Unlike back in Kartoff, at least Linc standing her up was the ripping off of a bandaid instead of a painfully slow realization that nothing had changed, and nothing would ever change. He saw her as nerdy Nova Marchand and he’d kissed her on a bet, nothing more. And possibly worse, he’d lied about wanting to do it again. That part had been flat out cruel. He wouldn’t have the chance this time. He might’ve fooled her all week long but his true colors were on full display now.

“Seriously, it’s freezing out here,” Arlo chided. “You oughta get inside and warm up. That’s what I’ll be doing after I get these guys bedded down.”

Nova nodded and wished him a good night, then watched as he led the two enormous horses back toward the barn.

Yes, the cold and creeping numbness in her fingers and toes said she should go inside, but the freezing, sharp weather out here matched her mood far better than the warm, glowing light of the lobby and how much fun everyone inside seemed to be having. And besides, she really wanted to see the light displays before they were taken down for the season.

Nova drew herself up and stomped her feet. She wasn’t going to let Lunkhead Linc ruin everything. She wouldn’t be able to see the lights from a cozy sleigh while snuggled up with Linc, but she could still see them. The horses and the sleigh had left tracks in the snow, and she could follow them. Hopefully by the time she made it back, the frigid air would have chilled her heart to indifference.

Chapter 20

He’d had a nice dinner date with Callie—Nova had been right, they got along well, and Callie was very sweet. She’d even grown up in the Northwoods of Minnesota and still went out hunting and fishing with her family when she went back to visit. Plus the food had been great and the conversation easy. It should’ve been an amazing date not just a nice one. But for as perfect as Callie was on paper, there was something missing, and Linc didn’t live his life on paper.

At the moment, he was solidly regretting his life choice to agree to have a drink with April. He wasn’t opposed to women pursuing him, but she was too aggressive for his tastes. Probably real bratty as a Little and not in the fun way, and that wasn’t his jam either. But he’d promised Nova he’d make a good faith effort and he wasn’t a liar.

After getting their drinks, April had steered them to a low-lit and kind of isolated sitting area by the currently closed cafe. Linc had tried to make conversation, but April didn’t seem as interested in chatting and getting to know him as she was in talking at him. He’d had to excuse himself to the restroom early on just to take a breath because it felt as though this date was lasting forever. Was it seriously not time to take Nova on the sleigh ride? He’d been looking forward to it since last night.

“You know, it’s rude to keep checking your phone like that,” April said pointedly. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you weren’t having a good time.”

April snaked her hand up his thigh, and Linc stopped her with his own hand. He was definitely not interested in April, but he could still be polite but firm.

“I have had a good time, but I need to be going. My phone says it’s not seven yet, but it feels like it’s been a lot longer than that.”

April’s expression soured.

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