Page 37 of A Merry Mountain Christmas

When Rowan touched me, it felt like fireworks were exploding beneath my skin.

My mood sours further.

“Well, you don’t need to worry about me.” I step over to the basket and lift out the book, waving it at him wildly. “I have fantastic reading material. Now, I really have to—”

“Oh,” he takes a step back. “Your stomach’s acting up again, huh? Sorry. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

Good God, what did Harry tell them, anyway?

“Yeah, I’m feeling pretty lousy,” I say, because at least that much is true. “Thanks for stopping by, though.”

“Hey, do you think you’ll be better in time for horseback riding tomorrow?”

“Maybe.”

His mouth stretches into a grin that should be devastating but is only mildly pleasant. “You might not want to miss it. I have a surprise prepared for Jonah.”

If he thinks that will make me want to be there, he doesn’t know me very well. All the same, I’m ready for him to leave, so I smile and say, “I guess I’d better try to improve, then, huh? I’ll check in with Harry in the morning.”

He beams at me and waves, then says, “Parting is such sweet sorrow that I shall say goodnight till it be morrow.”

My smile feels as fake as a Halloween mask. I mean, it wouldn’t be surprising if Jonah thought it was romantic to quoteRomeo and Julietto a woman, but I’d had higher hopes for Marcus. I can’t decide whether it’s better or worse that he didn’t perform it for the cameras. Actually…

My gaze flicks behind him, and I catch sight of a camera at the curve of the hall.

Did both visits get filmed?

Of coursethey did. Where did I think Jonah got all that stuff anyway? Either he brought it with him, or the PAs helped him acquire it.

I’m upset, without quite understanding why I’m upset. Wasn’t getting filmed the point?

“Well, thanks,” I say. “I’ll see you soon.”

At the last instant, he pulls a single flower from behind his back. My first reaction is confusion. Has he been holding that behind his back the whole time we’ve been talking? My second reaction is annoyance. Because all of this feels so completely processed, it’s like a chicken nugget of a moment. I don’t blame Marcus. He’s just doing as he’s told. It just… I can’t say it takesme out of the moment, since I wasn’t particularly feeling it anyway, but it’s a wakeup call nonetheless.

I take the flower. I smile. I act my part too.

Needless to say, all the guys come by at some point throughout the afternoon. Jeff brings me a contraband holiday romance book, so he isde factomy favorite. They all come with offerings, in fact, one of them giving me a heated blanket that is also very welcome. By the time someone knocks just before ten, after I changed into my pajamas and rejected most of my dinner tray—my stomach too twisted up by thoughts of Rowan and Jay to eat much—I’m sick and tired of guests. All of them have come and gone, anyway, so what is this? A group lullaby singalong? I open the door quickly, eager to see them off, only to find Rowan Mayberry behind it.

And he’s wearing the same shirt I am and carrying a large reusable shopping bag.

“You’re wearing my shirt,” I blurt.

“We match,” he says, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly. “My sisters would give me so much shit about this.”

I glance both ways down the hall, then drag him inside by the arm.

It’s also not lost on me that something inside of me has started to glow, like holiday lights flickering into brightness.

It isn’t until he’s inside, the door closed after him, that I get a good eyeful of him. He looks like crap—tired and sad, almost defeated.

“Oh my God,” I say, my hand lifting to my lips. “Did Jay…is he?”

“They think he’s going to be okay,” Rowan says with a sigh, then paces to the opposite side of the room and leans against the frame of the big picture window. There are low book cases beneath it, covered with more crap. He reminds me of the lion I saw at the Chicago Zoo when Olive’s mother brought us there.“They’re going to keep him for a few days, though, maybe a week. To be honest, I don’t really want to talk about Jay right now. I wanted to distract myself from all that for a little while.”

I swallow. I should tell him about Kerry. He needs to know, doesn’t he? If I fail to say anything, he’ll find out another way, most likely when she brutally tells him herself.

“There’s one thing I need to fill you in on before we shove it onto the shelf.”

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