Page 22 of Dancing in Lake Mistletoe

“Me? No.”

“Me neither. Not yet,” she says. “But I’m getting lots of practice now that Isaac and Cobie have come into my life.”

“Is Cobie’s mom close?” I ask.

“No. She and her new husband live in Texas. But she and Isaac have a great relationship, so we get a lot of time with her.”

“That’s good. Dutch seems to get a lot of time with Josie too,” I note.

“Well, he’s a widower, so he’s a full-time dad,” she says.

“Oh, that’s—I didn’t know,” I reply.

“It’s okay. It happened a long time ago. Josie was just a toddler at the time. And he’s mastered the single-parent thing.”

“It sure seems like it.”

The guys return with steaming mugs, and the four of us take a seat on the lawn as we watch the girls play with a group of other costumed children.

“The lake is twinkling,” I muse.

The surface is shimmering with the reflection of the pumpkins and the stars filling the night sky.

Dutch looks up. “Yeah, I love nights like this. Winter is around the corner, and snow will be blowing in soon.”

“Already?” I ask.

“Yep. And if you think the lake is beautiful tonight, imagine when it’s transformed into a winter wonderland.”

“I can’t wait.”

Dutch

The four of us fall into easy conversation as we watch the children play. Keller and Willa happen by with Beckham in his Peter Rabbit costume, and Mindi and Sela fawn all over the tiny tot, who is wide-eyed and taking in all the lights and people.

“Hoyt wants to get started right after church tomorrow,” Keller reminds me.

Hoyt owns the hardware store on Main Street and also happens to be our town’s mayor.

Halloween ends with the fall festival in Lake Mistletoe, and then Christmas begins. Thanksgiving is nestled in between, but we celebrate our gratefulness with a side of holly and jolly around here.

“I’ll be ready. When does the tree arrive?” I ask.

“Tuesday morning.”

I give a low whistle. “Are you guys going to be finished with the stand?”

He nods. “The top coat is curing now. We just need a few trucks and a lot of extra hands to get it assembled.”

“Count my truck and these two hands in.”

Hoyt’s voice comes over the intercom system to announce the winner of this year’s pumpkin carving contest, which took place earlier today. My and Josie’s Peanuts entry is awarded second place, being outdone by Keller’s oldest sister, Donna, and her brood, who created a jaw-dropping scene fromHow to Train Your Dragon. Josie doesn’t seem to mind coming in second and is thrilled with her ribbon and prize bag from the mercantile.

My parents, who’ve been helping Earl run the hayrides around the lake, find us. I stand to give Mom a hug, and her eyes fall to Mindi, who is seated beside me.

“Mom, this is Mindi. She’s a guest at the Gingerbread Inn,” I say.

“Oh, yes, I know. Trudy and Trixie told me all about you,” Mom says as she takes a seat next to Mindi.

---