Page 8 of The Christmas List

I try to push down the memory, even as I recall every scrape of his stubble, the feel of his rough palms as they ghosted along my heated flesh.

I toe off my wet boots and leave them next to the other shoes.

An array of his boots, pink tennis shoes with butterflies, and princess dress-up heels.

“Miss Josie!” Lucy exclaims, sliding along the hardwood and nearly colliding with me. “I’m so excited you’re here! And you brought the list, right?”

I nod. “Of course.” I lift the small folder in my hand and smirk. “We’ve got lots of planning to do if we’re going to win this thing.”

Her eyes twinkle with excitement as she nods. “Yes, and I already told Daddy that he’sgotto make us his famous hot chocolate. I think my best when I have hot chocolate.” She taps her temple.

Wyatt laughs. “She does.”

Goodness, could she be any cuter?

Her tiny fingers lace with mine, and she tugs me into the living room. There’s a fire burning in the large fireplace, the flames crackling and popping as they flicker. The raw wood mantle is decorated with photos of Lucy and Wyatt, the lovebetween the two of them so powerfully evident that it tugs on my heart. There’s a handful of handmade decorations from his daughter next to the photos, handprints made into reindeer, small painted figurines, a homemade garland made of popcorn.

This little girl clearly has him completely wrapped around her little finger.

“Here, we can sit here!” Lucy says as she plops down onto a deep red pillow on the floor in front of the coffee table. “I already got crayons and colored pencils and construction paper from my art stuff.”

My lip curves, and I nod, walking over to sink down beside her, putting my bag next to me. I love that she’s so excited that she’s carefully thought out and planned exactly what she thinks we would need.

“So, the first thing on the Christmas List this year is… the festival of trees. That’s down at the town hall. Every team gets to decorate one of the trees that are around town. There’s a ton. The city plants a few new ones every year, and by Christmastime, they are ready to be decorated. Oh, and next… building a celebrity snowman. We have to build a snowman based on our favorite celebrity. That’s fun!” I waggle my eyebrows at Lucy, who giggles. “Wow, there’s a ton of fun stuff on here.”

I list the events off one by one, and with each one, Lucy gets more and more excited. She’s full of energy, bouncing on her knees, hanging on to each word.

“How about you start brainstorming team names for us? You can draw your ideas in pictures.” I say.

She nods. “Yes! I can come up with the best team nameever.”

Grabbing the construction paper, and crayons, she immediately sets in to work, her brows drawn tight in concentration.

Wyatt watches from the doorway, leaning a broad shoulder against the doorframe, an unreadable expression on his face. “Josie, wanna help me with the hot chocolate?” he murmurs.

“Sure,” I say with a small smile, rising to my feet and following after him. I absolutely do not let my gaze drop to the tight, faded Wranglers he’s wearing and admire the way they hug his ass.

Definitelynot.

I probably should’ve stayed put next to Lucy on the floor because being alone with him is likely not good for my heart or any other part of my body.

Especially when my mind keeps recalling in vivid fashion the nights we spent in front of that very fire as teenagers.

“You good, Jos? Your cheeks are flushed,” Wyatt says as he pulls a set of green mugs out of the cabinet and sets them on the reclaimed wood counter.

“Yes, just a little… hot in here.”

His lip tilts into a lazy grin. “I didn’t get a chance to tell you the other day, but I just wanted to thank you for doing this for Lucy. She’s had a rough time this year, and while she’s excited to be in Strawberry Hollow with her grandparents, I know relocating around the holidays is hard on her. Seeing her this happy… it means a lot.”

I nod. “Of course, Wyatt. It’s nothing, truly. She’s a wonderful kid, and she deserves a special first Strawberry Hollow Christmas. I’m happy that I could do it.”

“It’s everything to me, Josie.” His voice is low as something flickers in his gaze. A wave of emotion settles in the base of my throat. Before I can respond, he continues. “This move wasn’t expected, and I hated having to pull her from her school in the middle of the year, away from her friends, the familiarity of the only home she’s ever known. But there wasn’t a choice, and I’ve been so damn worried that she would hate it here. That shewould resent me for moving us here, but she’s blossomed so far, coming even more out of her shell, making new friends. I think you and your class have had a lot to do with that.”

“I’m glad that my classroom is a happy place for her. That’s all I ever want for my students. It makes me feel like I’m doing something right hearing that. God, when you walked into the classroom, Wyatt… I just, I couldn’t believe it wasyou.”

Wyatt nods, his throat bobbing as he holds my gaze. “I was surprised to see you too. When Lucy told me about Miss Josie, hell, I didn’t even put two and two together. I’ve been too busy with the damn ranch, taking care of my grandparents, and trying to keep everything from piling up to pull my head out my ass.”

I laugh, the sound echoing softly around the kitchen, and he smirks. “When did you decide to become a teacher?”

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