Mistletoe In Montana: A Christmas Novella

by Belle Calhoune

  Luke scrunched his nose up. “How are the townsfolk treating you?”

  A sigh slipped past her lips. “It’s been nice reconnecting, but answering questions about my Hollywood acting career is downright humiliating. Someone asked me when my next blockbuster was coming out.” She twisted her mouth. “I have no idea of whether they were serious or mocking me.”

  A frown occupied Luke’s face. “Hold on now. You have nothing to be ashamed of, and no one in Merry would ever dream of mocking you. Everyone here thinks you’re a big deal.”

  Brenna snorted. “Seriously? I’ve never had a leading role other than starring in a deodorant commercial. And my highest-grossing film went straight to DVD.”

  Luke tried to stop himself from laughing, but she could see the corners of his mouth twitching. “Go ahead and laugh,” she instructed him.

  “Brenna, what you don’t understand is that people in this town admire you. You stepped out on a limb of faith and reached for that brass ring.”

  “Only I couldn’t see that it was tarnished.”

  “That’s not the point.” Suddenly, Luke’s tone was sharp. Serious. “Despite your mistakes, you took a chance to live out your dreams. Most people don’t allow themselves to chase after what they want. You did.”

  “I did, didn’t I?” she asked, feeling a burst of pleasure at the notion that despite the hard times, she had been brave and adventurous. She had never hidden in the shadows. “Acting is something I’m very passionate about. I may not be destined to win an Academy Award, but I still want to be in that field.”

  “Then go for it,” Luke encouraged.

  “I actually submitted an application to Merry Public Schools offering my services as a drama teacher. I’ve been quietly working towards my teaching certification over the last few years.”

  Luke’s jaw dropped. “You sure are full of surprises,” he said, his voice full of awe.

  “Never let it be said that Brenna Santiago is boring.” He threw back his head and let out a tremendous roar of laughter.

  Luke held out his arm and asked, “Care to stroll for cookies with me? I’d like to get one of those coconut treasures, not to mention a few more sugar cookies and snickerdoodles.”

  Brenna nodded and hooked her arm through Luke’s. “Yes, I’d love to. And by the way,” she said, leaning close to his side, “the snickerdoodles are all gone.”

  He let out a sound of frustration. “I knew I should have started gathering my cookies on the other side of the room,” Luke said with a shake of his head.

  “No worries,” Brenna said with a flirty wink. “I know a place where the snickerdoodles are plentiful this time of year. You’re welcome to come by anytime.”

  Brenna’s open invitation earned her a sweet smile from Luke. As they continued to stroll around the hall, Brenna couldn’t ignore the stares and the whispers of the community. A few people smiled while others openly looked back and forth between her and Luke. She wasn’t going to let it bother her.

  God had brought her back to Merry for a purpose—to reconnect with her family and to demonstrate that she had grown as a person. Her rekindled relationship with Luke was the cherry on the top of the sundae.

  For now, she was simply going to enjoy the way it felt to be in the presence of such an amazing man. Yes indeed! Blessings were everywhere.

  The next few days passed without Luke being able to drum up a reason to visit Half Moon Ranch. He hadn’t seen Brenna since the cookie stroll at the church. Hector had been a bit under the weather, and since the Christmas party was fast approaching, he’d indicated that he wanted to focus on being well in order to entertain his guests. Luke tried to keep busy with his realty business, but his thoughts kept straying toward Brenna. Out of the blue he’d received a phone call from Lucy. Rather than string her along, he had invited her to coffee in town. Even though it had been awkward, he had told her about Brenna being back in town and how his heart had been reawakened. Although he and Lucy had only been casually dating, he was scared to death about wounding her.

  “So you’re still in love with her?” Lucy had asked as they sipped their hot chocolates.

  After taking a deep breath to fortify himself, he’d been able to answer the question. “Much to my surprise, yes, I am. I’m not sure that my feelings for her ever truly died. They were just buried under a lot of pain and anger and hurt.”

  Lucy had reached across the table and squeezed his hand. Tears had misted in her eyes. “I’m not going to say that I don’t wish it was me. I do. But the one thing I know for certain, Luke Templeton, is that we were put on this earth to love one another. God is surely rejoicing that those feelings have been stirred up again.”

  “I think He is. After all, I truly believe that He’s pulling a lot of the strings on this one. Brenna coming back during the Christmas season is too much of a blessing to even question. It’s as if the good Lord plopped her right back here in Merry and tied her up with a big, red bow.”

  “Divine providence,” Lucy murmured. “I hope Brenna realizes how fortunate she is to have a man like you in her life.”

  “I think she does…or she will. She’s different now, Lucy. Before, she was really spoiled and headstrong. It was always her way or the highway. She put herself before others.”

  Lucy raised an eyebrow. Her red hair glinted under the soft glow of the café lights. “And that’s changed?”

  “Yes,” he said in a firm voice. “She’s changed for the better. She’s more caring and compassionate. And she doesn’t think twice about pitching in and helping out. She’s still beautiful, but she doesn’t spend as much time on make-up or her hair as she once did. Less shallow, I guess one could say.”

  Lucy nodded. “She’s a different woman now.”

  Luke raked his hand through his hair. Had he gone on too much about Brenna? “I’m sorry for blabbering on about Brenna. I don’t want to hurt you even more than I already might have, Lucy.”

  Lucy shook her head fiercely. “Don’t apologize. I someday hope that a man is as crazy about me as you clearly are about Brenna.”

  Relief flooded him. Lucy was one of the kindest women he had ever known. Hurting her feelings would have felt terrible. “So…are we still friends?”

  Lucy nodded her head and smiled. “Of course. And if things go swimmingly, I’ll expect a wedding invitation in the mail.”

  Attaining closure on his budding relationship with Lucy made him feel as if he was truly ready to start something real with Brenna. Something lasting. And he was hoping and praying that the feelings Brenna once felt for him had come roaring back to life. Luke had never stopped loving Brenna. Through it all—the despair, pain, and anger—he had loved her still. And he knew as surely as he was breathing, that his love for her would never fade. It was a forever type of deal.

  Now, all he had to do was convince Brenna that a happily-ever-after was their destiny.

  With Christmas less than six days away, the Santiago family had opened up their home and Half Moon Ranch to a multitude of guests. Old friends. New friends. Neighbors. Their faith community. It seemed to Brenna as if everyone she had ever met in her entire life was walking through the doors of their home. When Rosalia walked in to the great room, Brenna burst into tears. With hugs and kisses and tears they had enjoyed a sweet reunion.

  “You haven’t aged a day,” Brenna gushed, marveling at how youthful Rosalia looked. Brenna could only hope to look as good in her mid-sixties.

  “And you are more beautiful than ever,” Rosalia said with a twinkle in her eye. “If that’s even possible.”

  Brenna stood with Rosalia by the Christmas tree. They both chuckled as they tried unsuccessfully to find the hidden pickle ornament. As Rosalia went to mingle with some old friends, Brenna looked around the room at all the festive decorations. The house looked spectacular. Isabelle had brought out every single decoration the family had ever owned, including ones from when she was growing up in Mexico. They were heirloom pieces, treasured items fr
om her grandparents. Wreaths. Ornaments. Jingle bells. Glittery table cloths. Beautiful stockings hung by the chimney with care.

  Brenna had decided to jazz things up tonight with her appearance. Her long hair hung in loose waves around her face. Dangling red earrings hung from her lobes. She was wearing a silver pair of fancy jeans and a sparkly rhinestone top. A pair of red cowgirl boots put the finishing touches on her outfit.

  “You’re as sparkly as the Christmas tree,” Lizette teased as she put her arm around Brenna and pulled her to her side.

  “I’ll take that as a compliment, considering how gorgeous that tree looks,” Brenna said. They both gazed over at the tree and regarded it with admiration. They had all pitched in and decorated it last night. One last Christmas tree at Half Moon Ranch decorated by the Santiago family. It had been an emotional evening filled with quiet moments of grace, boundless laughter and a deep appreciation for their family history and heritage.

  “In case I haven’t told you, sis, I’m thrilled that you’re back in town,” Lizette said. “Even though I gave you a hard time the day you arrived.”

  Brenna hugged her sister as tightly as she could. “I’m happy too,” she whispered in her ear. “I feel very blessed to be spending the most sacred holiday of them all with the ones I love the most.”

  “Does Luke fall into that category?” Lizette asked. “Don’t think I haven’t noticed all the romantic tension hovering in the air.”

  “I never managed to get him out of my system, I guess,” she said with a shrug. “There’s still a lot of emotion there.” Although she wanted to be open with her sister, she was still figuring things out herself.

  Lizette’s stunning eyes widened. “I can’t say I’m surprised, but doesn’t that complicate things with him buying the ranch?”

  Brenna bit her lip. She had been trying not to think about it. But her sister’s question brought it into sharp focus. “It complicates things, that’s for sure,” she admitted. “I still haven’t wrapped my head around the fact that this place won’t belong to us anymore.”

  “Try to hold on to the good memories we made here at the ranch,” Lizette urged. “In the long run, I think it’ll help us all.”

  It was difficult for Brenna not to feel sad about the sale of the property. It wasn’t a subject she had brought up again with Luke. Things had been going so smoothly between them. She hadn’t wanted to shatter that civility by bringing up the elephant in the room. Luke would be living at the ranch in a matter of weeks. How in the world was she going to separate her poignant feelings about her family home from the man she loved?

  Whoa! Loved? Had that word really just rattled around inside her head? She let out an incredulous laugh. Despite all her best intentions, she had fallen back in love with her ex. And these feelings weren’t going anywhere, she realized. They were stuck to her like glue. She walked around the party in a daze, stunned by her discovery.

  Food was in abundance. Servers walked around carrying trays of small lamb chops, crab cakes, mushroom caps and beef sliders. Flutes of champagne and sparkling cider were being consumed by the guests. In the dining room there was a table laden with desserts. In honor of their Mexican heritage, Isabelle had prepared flan, empanadas, churros, tres leches and sweet rice pudding. It had been a long time since Brenna had indulged in any of these treats. She couldn’t wait to get a plate and dig in to her favorites.

  All of a sudden she spotted Luke’s parents, Dorothy and Cord, standing nearby with their son. She froze up and made a move to retreat to an isolated corner of the house. What would she even say to them? Why had they even decided to come tonight after everything she’d done to Luke?

  “Brenna!” Luke’s voice called out to her. Even though she wanted to pretend as if she hadn’t heard him calling out to her, she knew that the new and improved Brenna would never do such a thing.

  She turned back toward him, her stomach clenching as he walked towards her accompanied by his parents. Not one to feel tongue-tied, Brenna struggled to push a greeting past her lips.

  “H-Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Templeton.” Somehow she managed to get a few words out of her mouth.

  Dorothy, a pretty, petite redhead, gave her a shaky smile. Tall, silver-haired Cord eyed her curiously. Brenna thought she heard him utter a grunt by way of hello.

  Luke looked back and forth between them. He urged his parents to say something by widening his eyes and making a subtle motion with his hands.

  “Thanks for having us,” Cord said in a strained voice.

  “It’s a lovely party,” Dot said in a hollow tone. She looked at her husband, a helpless expression etched on her face.

  “I know this is awkward,” Brenna acknowledged. “And I’m sorry for it. So many years have gone by. We were once so close and then it all came to a halt. Because of me.”

  “Brenna, you don’t have to apologize. It’s all water under the bridge,” Luke insisted.

  She sent him a fierce look. “Yes, I do, Luke. As much for myself as for them. We were close. We were supposed to be family one day. I hurt your son. And, in the process, I hurt both of you. I could make a lot of excuses about being young and foolish, but the truth is, I was reckless and selfish. I like to think I’ve grown. In my faith. In my maturity. The past can’t be erased, but it can be a bridge to the future.”

  Dorothy reached out to grasp Brenna’s hand. “In the beginning I was so furious and hurt over how you broke up with Luke. I’d like you to know that I stopped being angry at you a long time ago. God doesn’t want us to carry bitterness around with us. It weighs us down in the end.” She shrugged. “We just didn’t know what to say to you after all this time.”

  “Luke made it clear to us to be on our best behavior,” Cord said with a chuckle. “So we were afraid to say the wrong thing.”

  Luke groaned and put his head in his hands. Brenna burst out laughing. He looked so adorable when he was embarrassed.

  Brenna’s heart felt light and joyous. A huge weight had been lifted off her soul. “You’ve both said the perfect words to me. Forgiveness is the best gift I could ever receive. Not just during this time of year, but all year round.”

  “We’d like to go say a few words to Hector and Isabelle,” Cord said. “It’s been a long time since we all socialized together.”

  “Too long. Let’s go make up for lost time,” Dorothy said as she grabbed her husband’s hand and led him across the room toward Brenna’s parents.

  Brenna and Luke watched as their parents greeted each other like old friends. All the animosity and strain of the past had been forgotten. Was it the Christmas spirit that had smoothed things over so tremendously? Or was it something else? Brenna was beginning to realize that by returning to Merry, she had created ripples that stretched well beyond her relationship with Luke.

  “Can I grab you for a moment?” Luke whispered in her ear. His slight stubble tickled the side of her cheek and she let out a giggle.

  “Of course. Where are you taking me?” she asked, feeling almost as if she were a teenager again. Her pulse raced with excitement. Adrenaline pumped through her veins.

  Luke put his fingers to his lips and led her down the hall to the kitchen. As they moved past the throng of guests, all Brenna could wish for was to be alone with Luke.

  He led her through the back door of the kitchen, pausing along the way to grab two coats from the hook in the butler’s pantry. Luke helped Brenna into the big winter coat that belonged to her father. Even though it was several sizes too big, Brenna snuggled into it, comforted by its warmth and the scent of home. Once Luke had shrugged into his own coat he continued to guide her into the dark, Montanan night. She held onto his hand tightly as they trekked down the snowy road toward the pasture.

  Suddenly, Luke stopped in his tracks and pointed up to the heavens.

  “What am I looking at?” Brenna asked. “Other than a stunningly beautiful Montana sky.”

  “On my way over here I spotted that moon from my truck. I’ve seen a
lot of luminous moons in my lifetime, but I think this moon might be the most spectacular of all,” Luke said, his tone infused with appreciation.

  “Oh, it’s beautiful,” she gushed. “I’ve been fortunate to travel all over the world,” Brenna said with a sigh, “but there’s no place more beautiful than this little slice of heaven. And I know it can’t be true, but for some reason the moon looks even bigger from this vantage point.”

  “It’s funny,” Luke said, his face tilted up toward the sky. “But I’ve never wanted to roam too far from Merry.” He shrugged. “Some might say I missed out, but all I ever truly wanted was right here in Montana.” Luke swung his gaze toward her. “Until you left of course. That left a huge void.”

  Guilt speared through her. She had hurt Luke with her selfishness and immaturity. As much as she wished she could turn back the clock, it simply wasn’t possible. The choice she had made eight years ago couldn’t be undone. She would regret it for the rest of her life.

  “I’m sorry for hurting you. All I can tell you from the bottom of my heart is that in breaking your heart I did the same thing to my own. I married Hank, but I could never get the memory of what we shared out of my head. It stayed with me.”

  He reached out and gently traced her lips with his finger. “Do you have any idea of the memories this place holds for me?”

  Brenna didn’t even trust herself to speak. Was it possible that Luke remembered just as well as she did? Were those memories still as powerful for him as they were for her?

  “This was where we shared our first kiss. It was where I told you that I loved you for the first time.” The tone of his voice was husky with emotion. “It was also the place where you shattered my heart.”

  She shook her head, afraid to tumble back into the darkest moment of her life. “I remember all of those moments. Each and every one of them. Breaking your heart was the single worst moment of my life. And if I could go back in time and change things I would, Luke. But I can’t. I made a choice that was born out of immaturity and wanting a shallow lifestyle that never made me whole. Saying I’m sorry doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface. But I have lived with regret pretty much ever since.”