On Christmas Eve, my parents’ living room oozed festive cheer. The massive Christmas tree stood in the living room, shining with perfectly arranged lights and ornaments. The room was all designer furniture and expensive art on the walls. The presents under the tree had been sorted and stacked to maximize the beauty of the wrappings and ribbons.
I winked at Dallas and withdrew a few strands of tinsel from my pocket and then draped them on the backside of the tree, while I held my breath so my laughter wouldn’t give us away.
“If she blames me for that, I’m selling you out,” he said, tickling me until I laughed and then pulling me into his arms.
“Fair enough,” I said, giggling as I nuzzled his neck, inhaling the deliciously woodsy scent that was all him. Yum.
Connor came into the room with a pitcher of steaming cider. “Tinsel, Morgan? You’re aware that Mom’s going to blame me, right?”
I shrugged. “She’ll never see it.”
Mom entered the room, wearing a red sweater and black slacks, and carrying a tray of sugar cookies that gave off a heavenly scent. “I won’t see what?”
“Nothing!” Connor, Dallas, and I said at the same time.
“Oh, you kids. I’ll find out sooner or later, you know.” Mom set the cookies on the side table next to a silver-framed picture of Grace. She smiled fondly at the photo and then straightened a few throw pillows on the leather couch.
“Do I hear laughter going on in here?” Dad said, coming into the room. He had forsaken his usual suit and tie for a green sweater with a brown reindeer in the center, a red nose, and gold bells dangling off its antlers. “What am I missing?”
Mom’s lips twisted. “You can’t be serious, William. Where on earth did you get that sweater?”
“Secret Santa at work.” Dad tugged at the hem. “Don’t you love it? Perfectly festive for Christmas Eve, right?”
I broke into laughter. “Dad, that sweater’s awful.”
He sighed. “I had a feeling you wouldn’t appreciate it.”
Connor groaned. “I’ll have to find out who your Secret Santa was and get them back next year by giving them a reindeer sweater gift of their own.”
“That sounds like just the thing to do, Connor.” Mom nodded as if that kind of payback was perfectly acceptable. She took the pitcher of cider from him and arranged it next to the cups already on the coffee table. “Who would like a cup of cider?”
Connor raised his hand. “I’d love one, Mom.”
“I’d love one, Ivy,” Dallas said.
She gave him a warm smile. “Anyone else?”
Dad and I chimed in that we’d love a cup.
Dallas sat next to me on the couch, lacing his fingers through mine. My folks had invited him for our traditional Christmas Eve gift opening and his being here meant everything to me. It meant they had accepted him, finally, and my heart felt so light and free that I was surprised it didn’t float out of my chest and hit the ceiling.
Mom tapped Connor’s arm. “Sweetheart, would you poke at the fire, please? I love watching the flames while we open gifts.”
Connor dutifully headed to the fireplace while Mom poured five cups of cider. We arranged ourselves on the couch near the tree. I took a cookie and munched on it, letting the sweet and crumbly thing break between my teeth. Delish.
The doorbell rang then and a slight crease appeared between Mom’s eyebrows. “It’s Christmas Eve. Who could that be?”
I stood. “I’ll get it.”
I headed for the door and peeked out the peephole. “It’s Coraline.”
Dallas came up beside me. “Our landlady?”
“Yes.” I opened the door and gaped at the woman standing there. Coraline had wild, curly hair that not even the tan bowler hat she’d jammed down on her head could tame. I stared at her, trying not to laugh as I took in her outfit, which included the bowler hat, a pair of beige riding pants, high boots, and a heavy coat over a blue silk blouse accented by colorful scarves.
“Hello, Morgan,” she trilled out, pulling me into a hug. “Oh! And, Dallas Parker, you’re here on Christmas Eve. How interesting . . .”
The teasing tone of her voice made me pause as I stepped back. “Um, please come in, Coraline,” I said, curious about the smug look on her face.
Coraline stepped into the foyer, trailing scarves behind her. “Hello, Ivy. Love your manicure. Are those snowmen I see?”
“Yes,” Mom said, putting a hand to her chest. “Morgan did them. They’re a little more festive than my usual mani, but I thought it would be fun. She’s doing my hair next month.”
“How wonderful.” Coraline waved a tanned hand. “I hear I missed a lot of excitement here in town while I was off on safari. Not that I mind. You have no idea how glorious Africa was, the trip of a lifetime, I tell you. The lions tried to eat us one night, and they did eat one of the tents—and how that played out on their digestive systems is a mystery I don’t want to solve. Then there was that pesky rhino that thought our jeep was its toy, but. . . I’ve gotten off track as to why I’m here tonight. I received a lot of messages from Morgan and Dallas. I seem to have made a faux pas and rented my business space to you both.”
“Yes,” Dallas said, throwing me a questioning look.
I bit my lip. Did he want the business space all to himself? He was so manly that possibly the scent of shampoo and other products all day long was not his thing. But I loved the smell of wood that drifted into my side of the shop. I’d miss it so much if he were gone.
I gulped. “Yes, it was a mistake.”
The word tasted bitter and wrong against my tongue.
“Well, that’s unfortunate.” Coraline tugged her hat so hard it was a wonder her hair didn’t blow out the top. “So, does one of you want to break your lease?”
I turned to Dallas, biting my lip. I didn’t want to break my lease and I didn’t want him to break his either. Once upon a time, I would’ve done anything to get him out of my rented space and now I couldn’t imagine my business without him next door. He shuffled his feet, making me more nervous than ever about that question. What if he wanted to go?
His forehead creased. “I’m not sure how Morgan feels, but it would be difficult to uproot my store at this point. That furniture is heavy and I don’t know if any other space would be quite as perfect. And her part of the space seems to be pretty perfect, as well.”
I nodded enthusiastically. “I agree. Our businesses are good the way they are. I don’t know how you made such a mistake, Coraline, but I called you to ask and . . .” A strange thought halted me and I blinked. “Come to think of it, how did you manage to make such a big mistake? I just remembered that I looked at his lease that first day and it was dated well before mine.”
Coraline tried for innocence. “Was it? Silly me.”
I advanced on her. “Yes, and not by a day or two either. Almost two full weeks earlier than mine.”
Coraline burst into laughter. Her eyes danced. “Well, maybe my good friend Melody King told me Morgan was coming back to town and she might’ve mentioned what a cute couple you two would make, but that you both were stubborn and might need a push.”
“Ms. King told you that?” I asked, glancing at Dallas whose mouth had curved upward. I should’ve known. I’d have to remember to thank my loving mentor on Christmas night when all of us girls sang for her at the extravaganza.
“Merry Christmas to you all!” Coraline tossed a scarf over her shoulder. “I must be going now that the lease situation is settled. I have so much unpacking to do. You wouldn’t believe the amount of things one can accumulate on an African safari.”
Dallas and I walked Coraline out to her car and she left in a flutter of scarves and words about how great the businesses we’d opened together were doing. We stood in the driveway looking at each other. His eyes crinkled at the corners. “Well, then.”
I burst into more laughter. “I don’t even know what to say.”
He opened his mouth to answer, but then shut it and leaned toward me. He touched my hair, turning a few strands over with his fingers. Then he looked up at the sky. “Looks like you’re getting that miracle.”
I blinked. “Say what?”
“Snow,” he said, and then drew me into his arms.
“Really?” I looked up and saw tiny white flakes whirling down from the cloudy sky. “The first snowfall of the year,” I said, giggling with delight.
“I’d like to give you a present now, if that’s okay,” he said, brushing the backs of his fingers along my jawline and making my skin hum. “It’s private.”
“Oh, really?” I grinned, my belly doing a cartwheel. “You do know that my mom probably got the binoculars out and is staring at us through the windows right now.”
“I hope not. If she gets too close to the backside of the tree, she’s bound to see the tinsel,” he joked, drawing a small package from his pocket and then handing it to me.
“You didn’t have to get me anything,” I said, hoping he loved the gingerbread kit I had wrapped under the tree for him. I fingered the silver box before opening the lid. Then my throat tightened at what lay inside: a hand-carved wooden angel ornament. She was delicate and beautiful, with a small golden plate beneath her feet inscribed, “Forever Yours.” My vision blurred. “She’s so beautiful.”
“You’ve always been my angel,” he whispered, tucking my hair behind my ear, and then dropping his forehead to mine. “I thought you could put that ornament on our tree next year. Maybe one day, we’ll even have little angels of our own.”
“Oh, Dallas,” I said, lifting my lashes and peering into those warm caramel-brown eyes. “There’s nothing in the world that I’d love more.”
The snow began to fall harder, dusting the world with a sugar-colored frosting. My heart warmed and I let my lips find his. That kiss held everything I wanted to say. That I loved him. That I’d always loved him. And that I hadn’t just come home to Christmas Mountain. I’d come home to him and I would never leave again.
The End
If you enjoyed spending time with these characters, be sure to read the entire
Christmas Mountain Clean Romance Series!