Page 357 of A Merry Mountain Christmas

“Thank you, but I finally feel ready. I want to focus on the present…and on starting my future with you.”

He smiled at her. “I already have plans for our future, starting tonight. Dirty plans.”

She grinned back. “I should hope so.”

The front door opened and Iris’s face appeared. “The neighbors are texting River, telling him there’s an indecent couple on Beau’s front porch.”

Maisie laughed.

“If they think we’ve been indecent, then let’s give them something to talk about.” He shot his sister a look. “Go inside, Iris.”

She squealed, then slammed the door.

“Should I be concerned that your sister is excited we’re about to do something indecent?”

“Probably, but it’s too late to change her now. Just be thankful for her blessing.” Then he kissed her with a hunger he’d suppressed for the last hour. She met his passion with her own, until they were both breathless.

“Do you think that was indecent enough?” Maisie asked playfully.

“I don’t know, but I fully intend to keep on working on it.”

EPILOGUE

“Oh my God, I forgot to ask. Does Molly like pizza?” Iris asked anxiously. She’d started reading Molly’s column, and much to Maisie’s amusement, she now acted like Molly was a celebrity.

“Iris,” she said as she slung an arm around her shoulders. “If my sister didn’t like pizza, I would disown her myself.”

“She means it too,” said Jack, touching her hip. They stood like that for a moment, the three of them linked together next to the dining room table, the dogs at their feet, sniffing hopefully at the scent of fresh pizza in the air, and Maisie felt a swell of emotion. Her house was becoming a home again. And now her sisters were coming to visit, finally, to spend New Year’s with them. Although Maisie would have preferred to see her nephew too, Mary had decided—after a long bout of hemming and hawing—to come alone.

All these months without a visit, and apparently all Maisie had needed to do was find a boyfriend…arealboyfriend, as Mary referred to him…to convince them to come. Of course, she suspected Molly also intended to needle them all for details of the epic Christmas Eve engagement party that had ended up getting Prescott Buchanan and Vic-tor-ia arrested…along with half a dozen other employees from Buchanan Luxury. AlthoughPrescott and Victoria had both been granted bail, the evidence that had been collected against them, thanks to Lee, was fairly damning.

Didn’t matter why they were here. If she was permissive of pandering and the occasional white lie to secure a dog’s adoption to a good home, she was even more so of her sisters’ behavior.

A knock landed on the door—the pattern one she and Molly had perfected in childhood and taught to River—and Iris flinched as if she expected Taylor Swift might walk through the door.

The dogs dashed toward the door, Chaco still wearing the jingle bell collar Dottie had gotten her for Christmas, much to Jack’s annoyance. He’d told Maisie they should “lose” it on a walk, but she’d insisted they wait for at least a full week to ensure believability.

“Go,” Jack urged her, smiling and giving her a little push toward the door. “You’ve been waiting all day.”

She had. She would have gone to the airport to pick them up if Mary hadn’t insisted on renting a car. Inside, Maisie was dancing in place like Ein, but rather than dash for the door, she tugged Jack with her and snagged a wide-eyed Iris too, bringing them both with her. Because they’d spent a lifetime being left out of things, and she never, ever wanted them to feel that way with her. Because they couldn’t meet her mother and father, but Mary had their mother’s practical outlook, bluntness, and complete inability to read sarcasm, and Molly had their father’s slightly wild streak, and they all had the O’Shea laugh.

She released Jack and Iris to open the door, and Molly flew into her arms in a tackle hug that almost sent them both flying to the floor. Both of them burst out laughing, and Mary gave them a long-suffering smile. “You shouldn’t encourage her.”

Then Molly pulled her into the hug too, and Mary hugged them back in a way that said her bluster was just that. Ein andChaco pawed at them as if they wished to be let in on the fun, and Molly squealed and picked up Chaco. “Finally, we meet in person!”

Which reminded Maisie.

She pulled away and reached for Jack and Iris, who stood to one side of the door, looking a little shell-shocked. Understandable. The O’Shea girls could be like a tornado when they were all together. She and Molly were the only ones who could pull Mary out of her ordered universe.

“Molly and Mary, meet Jack and his sister Iris.” She could see them taking her sisters in, Molly with her long, wavy strawberry blond hair and hazel eyes, Mary with her short brown hair, which only showed hints of red in the sun.

“The famous Iris!” Molly cried, pulling her into a hug while Mary greeted Jack in a more sedate manner. Iris looked a bit startled but very pleased.

“Did you miss the New Year’s Eve Countdown to be here?” she asked. From what Maisie had gathered, the gist of it was that Molly was supposed to go on several blind dates on New Year’s Eve, with men chosen by her fellow blogger. Her goal was to guess which of them had been selected to be her date at midnight. Apparently they’d intended to vlog it.

Molly waved it off. “Yeah, but I get to meet you and your hunky brother instead.” She winked at Jack. “I call it even.”

“Shameless,” Maisie said, giving her a little shove. She shut the door and turned to face them, her heart full.

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