Page 4 of His Christmas Star
“Yet,” she finished with a grin. “We’re renting one out of Eau Claire. It will be here by the twentieth.”
Okay, this was a joke, right? I was dreaming, and I would wake up in a few minutes and laugh at how ridiculous this all was.
“Where are you holding the dance?”
“In the barn at Bison Ridge,” Heaven answered.
“Sounds like a job for a Bison Ridge hand then. I’m sorry, I’m quite confused by this whole discussion,” I admitted, glancing between them. “Are you just trying to distract me from my angst?”
“Is it working?” Dawn asked deadpan.
They burst into a fit of giggles, Eden joining in the fun at my expense. Dawn glanced at me and immediately ceased her giggling.
“Apparently not,” she muttered, standing carefully. “I’m going to lay her down. Be right back.”
She disappeared down the hall while Heaven stared at me expectantly. I didn’t know what she expected, but there was something on her mind.
“Guys,” I said with a sigh. “I’m sorry if my attitude is bad today. That’s why I don’t mingle on this day. If you’d just let me go out to the barn now, I promise tomorrow will be a better day.”
“That’s nonsense,” Cece said. “Caleb used to say the same thing, and look where that got him.”
I sighed. Caleb lost his family years ago in North Dakota. Last year, he nearly lost his life to myasthenia gravis when he was so caught up in the past that he didn’t see a future. Cece brought him back to us, but not before she thought I was trying to break them up. As though a guy like Caleb, or hell, any guy, would be interested in a girl like me.
“I know you guys mean well, and I love you for it, but he was my twin brother. There’s no way not to have a bad day on the date of his death. I’ve tried, trust me, but he fills my head every November twenty-sixth to remind me that he didn’t die by accident. Somehow, I have to prove it.”
“That sounds like something you need to leave up to Sheriff Nash,” Heaven said pointedly.
I rolled my eyes all the way to the back of my head so she could see me. “Jo-Jo Nash isn’t interested in finding out how my brother died. He’s half the reason he’s dead!”
“Jo-Jo!” Eden shouted, clapping her hands. “Jo-Jo!”
“She loves Sheriff Nash,” Heaven said with a wink.
“I love to hate Sheriff Nash,” I said with another eye roll.
“Sure, okay,” Heaven said, tongue in cheek. “Keep telling yourself that.”
“Heaven,” I warned as Dawn walked back into the room.
“What did I miss?”
“We were just talking about Tobi’s crush on Jo—”
“So, Cece,” I said, jumping in to interrupt Heaven. “When are you and Caleb getting married?”
“We haven’t set a date yet,” Cece said. “He’s so busy getting the school open that we haven’t even talked about it.”
“One thing at a time,” Dawn said, trying to get us back on track. “First, the Christmas dance, then the wedding.”
I clapped my hands with feigned excitement. I would do whatever I had to do to distract them today. Once I had, I’d ditch this party and hide where no one could find me. “What about if they get married at the Christmas dance!”
“Was that a question or a statement?” Heaven asked, sitting up straighter in her chair.
“Both?” I asked and glanced at Dawn and Cece. They were staring at each other.
“I’m sure Cece doesn’t want to get married at the Christmas dance,” Dawn said. “The whole town will be there, and she has to do the catering.”
“I can help with the cooking,” Amity said. “The food will be done before the dance anyway.” Amity pulled Eden from the highchair and started wiping her face of the sticky frosting and cinnamon.
