Page 21 of Holly and Ivar
"See?Told you he loves it."
"Surely he's not strong enough to pull both of us."
"He's stronger than he looks.But we'll take turns."
Ivar hitched Al to the small sled and explained as he worked."He knows the route.All you have to do is hang on."
He climbed on first, gave Al a pat, and called, "Hike!"
They shot forward, gliding across the edge of the frozen pond.The sled hissed over the snow, Al's harness jingling in rhythm.By the time they looped back, Holly's expression had shifted from skepticism to curiosity.
"See?Easy."
"I don't know about this."Her eyes narrowed."Why do I think you're trying to scare me off the land?"
"I doubt you scare easily.Now, on you get.Sitting down."
She hesitated, but lowered herself onto the sled anyway."The things I do for my family."
"Say 'Hike!'to go.'Whoa!'to stop.Ready?"
Holly inhaled deeply."Hike!"
Al surged forward, the sled jerking into motion.Ivar gave a quick push and watched as they circled the pond.There was Al and a flash of teal snowsuit, and a high-pitched yell.
At first it sounded like fear, but as she rounded the last corner, he heard genuine joy.
Holly was laughing.
"You're a natural," he called out.
When she returned, breathless and flushed, her eyes sparkled."That was amazing.I think I'm addicted.Can I go again?"
"You sure can."Wow.He hadn't expected that.
He hadn't expected her.
She was an enigma.A contradiction wrapped in a teal snowsuit.And he wanted to know every layer of her story.
CHRISTMAS EVE COUNTDOWN
DAYS
11
merry little crisis
Holly
Thesmellofcinnamondrew Holly out of bed long before her alarm sounded.
She wasn’t sure which was more intoxicating—the promise of coffee or the buttery sweetness wafting up the stairs.Either way, it beat the green smoothies she usually forced down before work.
Downstairs, a buffet of pastries sat under glass domes that could tempt the most disciplined of souls.
She poured herself a mug of coffee, still steaming, and claimed a cinnamon bun, then found a table by the window overlooking the forest.Snow clung to the pines, and the morning sun shimmered on the branches.
She opened her watch app, syncing her sleep data out of habit.
