Page 47 of The Holiday Gift

She tried not to visibly react to yet another stunner. For years, Pat had been one of the men who played Santa Claus at The Christmas Ranch. His wife had died just a few months after Uncle Claude.

She digested the information and the oddrightnessof the idea.

“You absolutely should,” she finally said. “He’s a great guy.”

“He is. Truth is, we went out a few times three years ago when I was living in town and we had a lot of fun together. I didn’t tell you girls because it was early days yet and there was nothing much to tell.”

She shrugged her ample shoulders. “But then Travis died and I moved back in here to help you with the kids. I just didn’t feel like the time was right to complicate things so Pat and I put things on the back burner for a while.”

Oh, the guilt. The nugget turned into a full-on boulder. Had she really been so wrapped up in her own pain that she hadn’t noticed a romance simmering right under her nose?

What else had she missed?

“I wish you had told me,” she said. “I hate that you put your life on hold for me. I would have been okay. Celeste was here to help me out in the evenings and I could have hired someone to help me with Lou and Barrett when I was busy on the ranch and couldn’t take them with me.”

Mary frowned. “I didn’t tell you about Pat to make you feel guilty. You didn’t force me to move in after Travis died. You didn’t evenaskme. I did it because I needed to, because that’s what family does for each other.”

Mary and Claude had been helping her and her sisters for eighteen years, since they had been three traumatized, frightened, grieving girls.

Her aunt, with her quiet strength, support and wisdom, had been a lifesaver to her after her parents died and even more of one after Travis died.

“I can never repay you for everything you’ve done,” she said, her throat tight and the hot burn of tears behind her eyes.

Mary sat back in her chair and skewered her with a stern look. “Is that what you think I want? For you to repay me?”

“Of course! I wish I could.”

“Well, you’re right. I do.”

She blinked. “Okay.”

“You can do that by showing me I taught you a thing or two over the years about surviving and thriving, even when the going is tough.”

She stared at her aunt, wondering where this was coming from. “I... What do you mean?”

“Life isn’t meant to be lived in fear, honey,” Mary said.

It was so similar to her recent conversation with Chase that she had to swallow. “I know.”

“Do you?” Mary pressed. “I’m just saying. Chase won’t wait around for you forever, you know.”

Faith pulled her hands from her aunt’s and curled them into fists on her lap. “I don’t know what you mean.”

Mary snorted. “Of the three of you, you were always the worst liar. You know exactly what I mean. That boy is in love with you and has been forever.”

She felt hot and then ice-cold. First Celeste, now Aunt Mary. What had they seen that she had missed all this time?

She wanted to protest but even in her head, any counterargument she tried to formulate sounded stupid and trite. Was it true? Had he been in love with her and had she been so preoccupied with life that she hadn’t realized?

Or worse, much worse, had she realized it on some subconscious level and simply taken it for granted all this time?

“Chase is my best friend, Mary. He’s been like a father to the kids since Travis died. And you and I both know we would have had to sell the ranch if he hadn’t helped me pull it back from the brink.”

Her aunt gave her a hard look. “Seems to me there are worse things to base a relationship on. Not to mention, he’s one good-looking son of a gun.”

She couldn’t deny that. And he kissed like a dream.

“I’m so scared,” she whispered.

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