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“Remember your mommy telling you she asked us not to say anything so the two of you wouldn’t worry?” Chace intervened.
“Yeah. ‘Cuz he was hurt really bad,” Emme replied.
“Yes, he was,” Holly concurred.
“We got to talk to him. He looks like he’s been in a fight, but Mommy said not to worry, that he was healing up real good.”
“And Daddy said it really doesn’t hurt much anymore. Except when he takes a deep breath,” Wren added. “So we told him to just take little breaths.”
“Good idea,” Holly agreed. Unsure of how to proceed since they seemed to be taking Sean’s injuries in stride, she didn’t want to ask or say anything that might upset them.
“Even though we’re sorry he got hurt, it means he’ll be here for Christmas.” Emme’s face was wreathed in excitement. “Isn’t that awesome?”
Holly nodded. “It sure is.”
“Okay, dinner’s ready, so go wash up,” Chace instructed.
As they sprinted past Chace, Holly set her bag on the parson’s bench and removed her coat. “They seem to be taking the news well.”
“Yeah. The doctors want to monitor him through the weekend to ensure there are no signs of infection and that everything is healing properly before shipping him stateside. Since that could happen as early as Monday, they wanted to prepare the girls.”
“Makes sense.” Holly bridged the gap between them. “Sorry I wasn’t here when Lyss and Sean called.”
“Lyss had texted to tell me their plan so I wasn’t blindsided.” He shook his head. “But Lyss explained everything to them before Sean joined the video chat. It went well from start to finish.”
“Guess we worried for nothing, huh?”
“Seems that way.” Chace shrugged. “I figure the best thing is to follow their lead. If they want to talk, we listen. If they appear okay, we just continue to monitor the situation.”
Nodding, Holly braced her palms against the solid wall of his chest. “Sounds like a plan.”
Chace captured her lips with his. “How was your day?”
She curled her fingers into the fabric of his shirt. “It’s a week before Winter Break. The kids are bouncing off the freaking walls. Andthey’rehigh school students.” She shook her head. “I can’t even begin to imagine what it’s like at the elementary level.”
“I think what you just witnessed was a double hint of what those teachers face at this time of the year.”
“I don’t even want to think about it.” She shivered at the notion. “Something besides you smells awfully yummy,” Holly observed, inhaling deeply to savor the aroma.
Chace took her hand and led her into the kitchen. “I made meatloaf.”
“With cheese?” Holly asked hopefully.
“Do you actually think I’d serve you meatloaf without any cheese in it?”
“I didn’t know if you remembered.”
He caged her between his body and the counter. “Baby, there isn’t anything about you that I don’t remember,” he growled against her ear, the warmth of his breath sending a different kind of shiver through every nerve cell in her body.
“Uncle Chace, there isn’t any mistletoe above your head.”
Sighing in frustration, Chace and Holly both looked up. Sure enough, there wasn’t a single sign of mistletoe in their general vicinity. “Guess I’ll need to remedy that first chance I get,” he replied.
“Yes,” Holly agreed, tapping her forefinger against his lips. “See that you do.”
“Are you growing fonder of the mistletoe, Miss McCade?”
“Well, I will admit it was definitely a pleasant surprise this morning,” she murmured for his ears only before skirting around him to join Emme and Wren at the table.
