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He shrugs. “I try to avoid it. I am not close with my family. I spent most of the holiday season getting ready for the Vegas competition, just trying to stay busy.”
“I read online that you might be retiring?”
He nods. “I’ve been thinking about it. I think it’s time.”
“So, Christmas just...”
“Doesn’t feel like Christmas,” he finishes. “Tucker was nice enough to let me crash at your ranch and help out until I can figure things out.”
I smile. “So, then we’re both kind of Grinches.”
“We’re definitely Grinches,” he agrees. “You want to talk about your mom?”
I sigh, and he adjusts the heat and puts his hand back on my arm. I glance down at it and smile back up at him. “Christmas has always made me feel lonely. And I’ve always missed my mom, even more this time of year. She died a few days before Christmas when I was little. Christmas stopped being magical after that.”
He listens, and his hand feels warm on my arm, protective and safe.
“So, to sum it up, it’s a hard time of year for me.”
He pulls into a parking space. “What if this year we made it better?”
“What do you mean?” I ask, confused.
He gestures around town. “What if this year we just...made it fun? For both of us.”
I blink. “That’s not a bad idea.”
“Maybe like a Vegas 2.0. Only it’s Christmas in Bridger Falls. We could make it special.”
That sounds fun, actually. “We could make a bucket list?”
He nods. “We’ll need a tree. I bet we can get one for us on the ranch.”
“We could bake,” I suggest. “We could stop at the general store and stock up on baking supplies. I haven’t baked in a long time.”
He smiles. “I think you’re getting into this, Jenna Jessop.”
“Oh, so serious. Using my government name now,” I tease.
“I do like you as Jolene,” he says with a smirk.
“Okay, first things first. There’s a hot chocolate stand over here that is so good that I’m pretty sure it should be illegal. We have to get some. It’s on the list. I don’t make the rules.” I shrug and my joke makes him smile.
“Oh, you make the rules.” He winks as he holds the door for me, and I jump out of his truck.
Just maybe Christmas won’t be so bad after all.
10
ty
How Right it Feels to be Here
Christmas at Bridger Falls is not going the way I thought it would. I thought I’d help out on the ranch to earn my stay, then hide out in the bunkhouse and avoid Christmas altogether. But now everything has changed, and nothing is going the way I expected.
I’m falling hook, line, and sinker for my best friend’s sister.
She’s everything I didn’t know I wanted or needed. Now she’s got me snowshoeing into the woods to find the perfect tree, making hot chocolate, and decorating. Decorating. What has happened to me?
