They were going to be even deeper in the hole now. So deep that selling wouldn’t just be the smart option—it would be the only option.
And Leo had made sure of it.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
The sleigh rides would have started thirty minutes ago.
That is, if Leo was actually giving them.
But he wasn’t.
Instead, he stood in the barn, aggressively oiling a harness that was already perfectly conditioned, working the leather with more force than necessary. The familiar smell of saddle soap and hay should have been comforting. Tonight, it just smelled like guilt.
Around him, the reindeer shuffled in their stalls, restless with the energy of animals who knew they should be working. Comet kept looking toward the barn door, ears swiveling at every distant sound from town. Even Vixen—perfectly healthy, perfectly fine Vixen—seemed to be judging him from her stall.
Had he done the right thing?
The question had been circling his mind for days now, growing louder with each unanswered text from Jade, each disappointed call from townspeople, each moment of sitting here in self-imposed isolation while the festival happened without him.
He’d protected himself. That was something. Saved himself from the inevitable pain of watching her leave, of Lila getting attached only to be abandoned again, of caring about someone who was just passing through.
Except the protection felt an awful lot like cowardice.
And the pain he’d been trying to avoid had shown up anyway, settling into his chest like a stone.
The barn door crashed open with enough force to make all four reindeer startle. Brice stood silhouetted against the early evening darkness, snow dusting his shoulders and something dangerous in his expression.
“Why aren’t you giving sleigh rides?” His voice was flat, controlled in a way that suggested he was working very hard not to yell.
Leo didn’t look up from the harness. “You know why. Vixen’s leg?—”
“Yeah, yeah, I heard about Vixen’s leg.” Brice crossed the barn in three long strides and went directly to Vixen’s stall. The reindeer greeted him with a friendly nuzzle, shifting her weight easily from leg to leg. “Seems fine to me. In fact, she seems downright chipper for an injured animal.”
“It’s a mild strain. She just needs rest?—”
“Cut the crap, Leo.” Brice turned to face him, his usual easy-going demeanor completely absent. “There’s nothing wrong with Vixen, and we both know it. So I’m going to ask you again: why aren’t you giving sleigh rides when half the town is counting on them?”
Leo set down the harness, his jaw tight. “That’s my business.”
“Is it? Because from where I’m standing, you made it Jade’s business when you let her set up three cocoa stations that depend entirely on sleigh-ride traffic.” Brice crossed his arms. “You want to be a coward? Fine. But you’re taking her down with you, and that I can’t let slide.”
“She’s selling the bakery anyway,” Leo shot back, the words coming out defensive. “What does it matter?”
“Selling?” Brice stared at him. “Where the hell did you get that idea?”
“She told me. The other day, when the electrical inspection happened. She said, selling was the only option.”
“And you believed her? Just like that? Didn’t think to maybe, I don’t know, check in after a few days? See if anything had changed?” Brice shook his head in disgust. “Leo, Jade’s not selling. She’s down there right now at the gazebo booth, serving hot cocoa with a smile on her face even though her whole festival plan is falling apart because you’re too scared to show up.”
The words hit like a physical blow. “What do you mean she’s not selling?”
“I mean, she’s fighting. Has been all week. Baking cookies until two in the morning, organizing volunteers, setting up booths, texting you about logistics you were too chickenshit to respond to.” Brice’s voice was getting louder now. “She set up three stations—three!—spaced for sleigh-ride traffic because that was the plan you made together. And now she’s watching them fail in real time because you decided to protect your feelings instead of keeping your word.”
Leo felt something crack in his chest. “I thought... she said the numbers were impossible. That there was no way?—”
“So you assumed she’d give up? Just pack it in and leave?” Brice laughed, but there was no humor in it. “If you didn’t act like a selfish moron, you would know that Jade Bennett doesn’t give up. She came back here to save something that mattered. She’s been busting her ass for weeks, learning to fix things and bake things and be part of this community. And the moment things got hard, you decided she was just like Lisa and bailed on her.”
“That’s not?—”
