Page 3 of Mistletoe and Holly

I smiled, grateful that someone who had a hell of a lot more expendable income than I did had volunteered for that job. One of the perks of being friends with an internationally famous pop star, I guessed.

“Um, anyway…Shep, do you think you could watch Harper during the nights when I have carriage rides until Mandy’s healed enough to babysit again?”

“You know I’ll never say no to spending time with my niece.” He glanced over at Julian. “Jules, is it okay if I duck out a little early for the next few weeks?”

“Absolutely,” Julian said immediately. “We’ll manage.”

I blew out a sigh of relief. “Thanks, Shep. And Jules. I’m so sorry to drop this on you at the last minute.”

“Anything you need, Holl,” Shephard murmured as he pulled me into his arms and squeezed tight. “You know that. And no one plans for something like this.”

For just a moment, I let myself sink into his embrace. To relish in the feeling of safety, security, and comfort that always overtook me when I was in his arms. To briefly imagine what might have been if things were different. If his brother – who had been ripped away from me by a drunk driver – hadn’t been the love of my life.

But things weren’t different. He was my brother-in-law. My daughter’s uncle. And even entertaining thoughts of anything else was a slap in the face to my husband’s memory.

CHAPTER2

SHEPHARD

When I pulledup in front of Holly’s ranch house an hour early, I saw her outside attaching the horse trailer to her truck, and my heart squeezed watching her do it.

I knew she hated this almost nightly ritual around the holidays. But ever since Owen had died, leaving her to care for Harper by herself, she’d had to find any way she could to bring in extra cash. And that included using her beloved horse, Mistletoe, as a cheesy tourist attraction.

Mistletoe was one of the few things she had left from Owen. My father had left this ranch – and the family business – to Holly and Owen when he died from a heart attack five years ago. They’d struggled to keep the business afloat when a recession hit the area hard, which had led to Holly getting a part-time job at the nail salon to bring in extra income. Finally, after Owen died, she’d had to call it quits and sell most of the horses so she could take full-time hours at the salon. But Mistletoe washerhorse, a Christmas gift from Owen back when she was just a foal, and she hadn’t been able to part with her.

I wished like hell that Holly would let me help her more so she wouldn’thaveto do things like make Mistletoe pull around carriages full of people oohing and ahhing over Christmas lights to pay the bills. But, in true Holly fashion, she always insisted that she didn’t feel right accepting handouts from anyone.

“Shep,” she panted when I got out of my car, her breath coming out in wispy clouds in the crisp Vermont winter air as she looked up from the towbar on the back of her truck. “You’re early.”

I smiled. “Had a little free time. Thought I’d give you a hand with things before you leave. Want me to finish hooking up the trailer for you?”

She shook her head. “I’m almost done.”

I had to fight the urge to roll my eyes. I was here, literallytellingher that I wanted to help her, and she was still trying to do everything on her own.

She’d been like this ever since I’d known her, but more so since Owen’s accident. Trying to shoulder every single burden herself so she didn’t have to depend on anyone at all. Because the last time she’d depended on someone, he’d been ripped away from her in an instant, and she just couldn’t handle any more loss or heartache.

Not that she’d ever admit that. Honestly, I didn’t think she even realized she did it.

Maybe I saw it because I cared about her so much. More than I should have. I always had, ever since I’d met her when she’d started attending my middle school, when she was eleven and I was thirteen. But by the time she was old enough to date, she’d fallen head over heels for my brother, who was the same age, and I’d loved her enough that I was willing to let her be happy with him, even if it meant killing myself in the process.

And now? Now, it felt wrong to even think about pursuing anything other than a friendship with Holly. As far as I was concerned, she would always be Owen’s girl, even if he was no longer with us. Even if I loved this brown-haired, brown-eyed beauty so much it physically hurt. So I’d forced myself to be content with loving her silently and taking care of her and Harper the way my brother would have wanted me to. The way he would have if he was still alive.

“I’ll head inside, then,” I told her, already formulating a plan for how to take some of the work off her shoulders when she wasn’t looking. “Did Harper finish her homework already?”

Holly nodded. “Yep. She didn’t have much to do tonight.”

“That means we get to find something to get into while you’re gone,” I teased.

She rolled her eyes. “Just don’t burn the house or stable down and I’ll be happy.”

I snorted. “Give me alittlecredit. I’ll at least get the fire extinguisher out first.”

That made her laugh. A real, honest-to-God laugh. I swore my heart expanded as I listened to it, an all-too-rare sound lately.

“And…done,” she announced as she finished attaching the trailer to her truck. “Come on in. Let me just grab a shower really quick, and then I’ll feed you two before Mistletoe and I head out.”

I gave her a smile as I started to follow her into the house. “So, have you heard anything from Amy?”

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