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Sarah waved her friends into the kitchen. “Why don’t you get started and Anna Beth and I will join you in a moment.”
The ladies left the room, chatting amongst themselves. Jared shrugged into his coat and hooked Rip’s leash onto his collar.
“Jared,” Sarah whispered.
“Yeah?”
“You might want to button your pants before you go anywhere else.”
Anna Beth covered her mouth and Jared’s cheeks burned. He’d hoped no one would notice.
Sarah’s lips twitched. “I’ll let you say your good-byes.”
When she left the room, Anna Beth buried her face in his chest.
“Oh my God, I’m going to die.”
Jared chuckled, holding her in his arms. “I’m right behind you.”
Twenty-Two
The town square of Snowy Springs glittered with fresh snow that morning and twinkling lights hung above and along the buildings. Small tents lined the edge of the square and each one held a different activity for the citizens attending the festival to enjoy. The blue spruce in the center had to be forty-five feet tall and at least twenty feet wide. Every year, the mayor flipped the switch and the multicolored LED lights wrapped around the branches came to life.
Anna Beth carried three large containers of cookies over to the sweet treat station, smiling at Rachel and her husband, Dave. “Hi, Rachel. I have the goodies to contribute before this shindig kicks off.”
Rachel stood up and took the containers from her, setting them on the table. Anna Beth, Sarah, Rachel, and the rest of her aunt’s friends decorated the cookies she’d made with Jared yesterday. Unfortunately, the ladies had to leave before the frosting hardened, so, Anna Beth and Sarah finished slipping each cookie into a plastic bag and tying it with a cute cookie ribbon Anna Beth bought.
“You’re cutting it close,” Rachel scolded.
“I know, I just got caught up with writing today. I was on a roll.” She turned to Rachel’s husband, who looked less than ecstatic to be there. “Hey, Dave. Long time no see. How is the leg?”
Dave smiled below his full, silver mustache. Despite his gruff nature, he’d always been kind to her. “About tired of it, actually. How are you doing, little bit? Been a long time.”
“Yeah, I got back into town last week. It’s been great.”
“Glad to hear it. I wish more young people came home to visit their parents.”
Rachel huffed. “He’s talking about our oldest boy, Edward. He opened a Bed and Breakfast in Florida, right on the beach. Keeps trying to get us to go down there, but Dave’s being stubborn.”
“I hate Florida.”
“Oh, you hate everything!”
The couple glared at each other and Anna Beth cleared her throat. “You haven’t seen Jared, have you?”
Rachel broke the stare-down with her husband and pointed down the row of tents to a red shed at the end. “I saw him head that way to Santa’s Shack. Don’t know how they’re going to make someone so young and handsome look like Santa.”
“Honestly, I can’t wait to see it,” Anna Beth said.
Dave, who sat in a chair with his cast covered leg propped up on a chair, reached out to steal a cookie from the container closest to him. Rachel smacked his hand without looking away from Anna Beth.
“Woman, I’m not a child. Give me a cookie.”
“Doctor told you to lay off the sweets, Dave.”
Dave folded his arms with a huff. “I think you like having me laid up. You have me me right where you want me.”
“Oh yeah, I love waiting on you and listening to you gripe. I’m trying to keep you out of an early grave, but if you want the cookies, fine!” She set one of the containers on his lap. “Have at it, ya old grump!”
