“So,” she said, desperate to focus on something concrete, “where exactly are we supposed to be going? Did whoever organized this provide any kind of itinerary or route?”
Lincoln chuckled bemusedly, shaking his head. “That’s an excellent question. Apparently I’m supposed to just… drive around until the magic happens? It does seem pretty strange that this free sleigh ride would come with no directions whatsoever and require the recipient to actually operate the sleigh themselves.”
The absurdity of the situation hit them both at the same moment, and Imogen found herself laughing—really laughing—for the first time in what felt like weeks.
“Oh my goodness,” she gasped between giggles, “we’re probably violating at least a dozen safety regulations right now. Do you even have a license to drive a horse-drawn vehicle?”
“I don’t think those exist,” Lincoln said, his own laughter mixing with hers. “Although I’m pretty sure there should be some kind of training involved. What if these horses decide they want to go home? What if they get spooked by something? What if?—”
“What if this whole thing is just an elaborate prank?” Imogen finished, wiping tears of laughter from her eyes.
“Now that,” Lincoln said, “would actually make sense.”
As their laughter subsided, Imogen felt some of the nervous energy leave her body. This was better—this easy camaraderie felt more familiar, more like the Lincoln she remembered. Maybe they could get through this evening without it being a complete disaster.
“You know,” she said, settling back against the cushions, “this reminds me of when we rented that taxi to get to prom because our parents said no to the limo. We didn’t know that there weren’t taxis here, and that the driver had to come from out of town to get us there. We’d have been better off just taking your truck.”
“Oh gosh,” Lincoln groaned, but he was smiling. “I can’t believe you remember that. I was so embarrassed. I still can’t believe that driver managed to get lost in Fir Tree Grove. I didn’t think it was physically possible.”
“And we were late for prom after all of that.” Imogen sighed, a nostalgic sound that seemed to hang in the air between them. “It was still wonderful though, wasn’t it? I feel like we had the best prom. I loved my dress, and you looked so handsome?—”
She broke off as Lincoln looked at her, their eyes meeting.You still are,she almost said, and bit the words back. She wondered if he could see that she was thinking it.
“You were so worried about missing the dancing,” Lincoln said, his voice growing softer with the memory. “But honestly? I was kind of glad we were late.”
Imogen looked at him, surprised. “Why?”
He smiled. “Because it meant I got to spend that extra time with you in the backseat of that taxi, just the two of us. You looked so beautiful in that blue dress, and you were laughing about the whole situation instead of being upset about it. I remember thinking that if this was what the rest of my life was going to be like—just you and me figuring things out together,finding the humor in whatever went wrong—then I was going to be the luckiest guy in the world.”
The confession hung in the air between them, and Imogen felt her heart skip a beat. She remembered that dress clearly—midnight blue satin that she’d begged her mother to let her buy, with straps that were thin enough they barely passed dress code and a flowing skirt that made her feel like a princess. She remembered how Lincoln had looked at her when she came down the stairs that night, like she was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen.
She missed someone looking at her that way. She missedhimlooking at her that way, she realized. It had never felt quite the same with anyone else.
“It was wonderful though,” she repeated softly, her voice barely audible above the sound of the horses’ hooves. “That night. Despite everything that went wrong, it was still perfect.”
Lincoln’s eyes were still on hers, and for a moment she thought she could see the past fifteen years drifting away, evaporating until the eighteen-year-old boy she’d fallen in love with was looking back at her. It felt, for a second, as if everything that had happened since then had vanished, and they were stillthem, Lincoln and Imogen, in love and able to take on the world.
The spell was broken when one of the horses snorted loudly, shaking his massive head and causing the bells to jingle more vigorously.
“Easy, Jingle,” Lincoln said, his attention returning to the reins. “Or is it Belle? I’ve already forgotten which one is which.”
“The one on the left has the white marking on its forehead,” Imogen said, grateful for the distraction as she snapped back to reality. She couldn’t believe how lost in the moment she’d gotten. “That must be Belle.”
Lincoln raised an eyebrow. “How do you know that?”
“I don’t, actually. I’m just guessing.” She grinned at him. “But it sounds like I know what I’m talking about, doesn’t it?”
“It does,” Lincoln agreed solemnly. “I’m impressed by your horse identification skills.”
They continued through the streets of Fir Tree Grove, past houses decorated with elaborate light displays and front yards filled with illuminated reindeer and snowmen. The snow was falling more steadily now, creating a soft hush that made it feel like they were the only two people in the world. Despite the cold, Imogen felt perfectly warm, cocooned in the sleigh with Lincoln and surrounded by the magic of the winter evening. They chatted easily about the changes in the town, about classmates they’d both lost touch with, about the businesses that had come and gone over the years. It felt easier than Imogen would have imagined, the awkwardness of the impromptu sleigh ride vanishing the longer they spent out together.
“The snow is really starting to come down,” she observed, watching the flakes swirl around them in the glow of the street lights. She held out a hand, watching the flakes melt on her palm.
“It’s beautiful,” Lincoln agreed, but when she looked over at him, she found him watching her instead of the snow.
Her pulse quickened, and she quickly turned her attention back to their surroundings, trying to ignore the way her heart was beating against her ribs. “I wonder how much longer this ride is supposed to last,” she said, aiming for casual conversation. “I should probably get back to Katie before too long.”
“Vanessa seemed pretty determined to keep her entertained,” Lincoln said with a chuckle. “I get the feeling she’s more than happy to play babysitter for the evening.”
