A Mistletoe Christmas: Santa's Mistletoe MistakeA Merry Little WeddingMistletoe Magic

by Carla Cassidy

  “I don’t know how my grandmother did it.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “She watched the boys after they were born while I went back to school to finish my business degree.”

  “Do they miss their grandmother?”

  She nodded. “I think that’s why they’ve taken such a liking to Burt.”

  “I’m not sure what’s wrong with my father,” Cooper said. “He’s been acting strange for a while now.”

  “How so?”

  “He drives all over without telling me where he’s going. And stealing from your store...” Copper shook his head. “He’s never done anything like that before.”

  “I told you he wants attention.”

  Cooper stiffened.

  “I’m guilty of the same thing,” she said. “Tuff and Flint have been rebelling lately, and it’s because I spend so much time in the store and they’re left to entertain themselves.”

  He didn’t feel bad now that she’d pointed out her own flaws.

  She brushed a strand of hair from her eyes. “I knew it would be challenging starting a business, but I didn’t expect it to be this time-consuming.”

  Ask her out before that butthead Jenkins gets to her first.

  Finley didn’t have time to date. And why start something when it couldn’t go anywhere as long as Cooper had Burt to look after? “What about the boys’ father? Can he help you?”

  “He lives in Iceland.”

  Iceland was a long ways away. Cooper suspected Finley felt as alone as he did—they were both shouldering all the responsibility for their loved ones.

  “With my busy schedule I shouldn’t have volunteered to do a float, but I thought it would give the boys something to look forward to.”

  “I’ll put them to work in a little bit. Come check this out.” He walked behind the barn, where an old buckboard sat. “We don’t use it anymore, but it’s in decent shape. The boys and I can paint it red and hang Christmas lights on it. I thought we could pile hay in the back and use one of the fawns as Rudolph.”

  “That’s a great idea.” Finley’s eyes sparkled. “The twins can wear their elf costumes from the school Christmas play.”

  “I’ll hitch two of our horses to the wagon and you and Burt can drive the buckboard down Main Street.”

  “You don’t want to drive?”

  The sun bounced off Finley’s hair, creating a ring of light above her head. He wished he could run his fingers through the locks and decide for himself if it was as soft as it looked. “I think Burt would really enjoy being part of the parade.”

  “I love the idea. But are you sure you want the boys to help you paint?”

  “If you keep Burt busy this afternoon, I can handle them.”

  Her smile tugged at his gut. “You’ve got yourself a deal.” She offered her hand. When he grasped her fingers, his gaze zeroed in on her mouth. Tiny puffs of warm air escaped from between her lips and feathered across his chin. Then her pupils darkened until her brown eyes appeared black.

  A powerful yearning spread through his chest, across his shoulders and down his spine. He brushed his fingertip over her cheek and a shudder shook her body. The groan he’d been holding hostage in his throat escaped as she tilted her face toward his.

  “Mom! Where are you?”

  Finley jumped away from Cooper. “I’d better check on the boys.”

  Cooper rummaged through the paint cans in the barn’s storage room while he waited for his body to cool down. He’d almost kissed Finley. What the heck had gotten into him? He grabbed the paint, a tarp and a couple of old dress shirts he used as polishing rags. When he flipped off the lights, he almost bumped into the twins hovering in the doorway.

  “My mom said you’re gonna let us paint,” Tuff said.

  “Follow me.”

  The boys trailed after him. “Is that gonna be our float?” Flint asked when Cooper stopped next to the buckboard.

  “We’ll turn this into Santa’s Christmas wagon.” Cooper spread the tarp beneath the front end.

  “Who’s going to be Santa?”

  “No Santa, but your mom said you two can wear your elf costumes.”

  The twins groaned.

  “I’ll bring one of the fawns and we’ll pretend he’s Rudolph.”

  “Do we get to ride in the back with the reindeer?” Tuff asked.

  Cooper nodded. “Put on the shirts so you don’t get paint on your clothes.” He helped the boys button the smocks before handing over the brushes. “Have you two ever painted before?”

  They shook their heads.

  “It’s easy. After you dip the brush into the paint, scrape the sides against the edge of the can like this. That way we don’t waste paint and it doesn’t drip on you or the ground.”

  “Where do we start?” Flint asked.

  “You paint the seat.” Cooper lifted Flint and set him in the front of the buckboard, then placed a can of paint next to him. “Tuff, you work on the side of the wagon.” Cooper confiscated two stools from inside the barn. “Stand on this one, Tuff, and I’ll set the can on the stool next to you.”

  “This is fun,” Flint said, slopping red color all over the seat.

  “I’ll do the tailgate.” Cooper poured paint into a plastic bowl and retreated to the back of the wagon.

  “Mr. Cooper?” Tuff asked.

  “What?”

  “How come you and Burt have so many deer?”

  “We raise them so other ranchers can start their own herds.”

  “Do you like deer?” Flint asked.

  Cooper hadn’t really thought much about liking deer. “What I like most about raising deer is getting to work outdoors.” Ever since his father put him on a horse, Cooper had loved riding. Even now he preferred to ride on horseback to check the herd and used his truck only when it was cold or rainy.

  “My mom says our dad works outside.”

  “Oh?” Cooper didn’t want to push the boys into talking about their father, but he couldn’t deny he was interested in learning more about the man who’d attracted Finley’s interest.

  “He likes rocks,” Tuff said.

  “How often do you see your dad?”

  The boys exchanged puzzled glances. Then Tuff said, “We don’t see him.”

  “Never?” Cooper had a difficult time believing a man wouldn’t want to visit his own flesh and blood.

  “Mom says he lives too far away.”

  Iceland was far away. A plane ticket probably cost a small fortune.

  “Mr. Cooper?”

  “Yeah?”

  “How come you’re not a dad?”

  “I’m not married.”

  “Our mom’s not married and she’s a mom,” Tuff said. “Don’t you like kids?”

  “Sure, I like kids,” he said.

  “Do you like us?” Flint squinted over the seat.

  The conversation grew trickier by the minute. “Of course I like you guys.”

  “What did you ask Santa to bring you for Christmas?” Tuff changed the subject and Cooper breathed a sigh of relief.

  “I haven’t decided what I want.” If he thought Santa would come through for him, he’d ask for one night alone with Finley.

  “I want a train set like Jacob’s,” Flint said.

  “What kind of train does Jacob have?” Cooper asked.

  “It doesn’t have any controls,” Tuff said. “You have to push the trains with your hands.”

  Cooper and his father could make the boys a train set. “What are you two getting your mother for Christmas?”

  The twins shrugged. Then Flint said, “We don’t have any money.”

  “You could make her something.”

  “Like what?”
Tuff asked.

  “What sort of things does your mother talk about all the time?” He wanted to know what captivated Finley’s interest.

  “Mom likes chocolate,” Flint said.

  “And birds,” Tuff added.

  “What about building your mom a birdhouse?”

  “We don’t know how to make a birdhouse,” Tuff said.

  “I’ll help you. You can come out to the ranch next week and we’ll work on it.”

  “But we can’t tell Mom what we’re doing,” Flint said.

  “Yeah, we gotta keep it a secret,” Tuff added.

  “It’ll be our secret.” Cooper set aside his paint bowl and checked on the boys’ progress. “You’re doing a good job, Flint.” The kid beamed at the praise. Then Cooper spoke to Tuff. “You, too. Lookin’ good.”

  He predicted it would take at least a couple of hours to paint the wagon. Hopefully, Finley could put up with Burt for that long.

  * * *

  “THOSE COOKIES SMELL GOOD,” Burt said. He sat in his scooter in front of the family room window.

  “Would you like a few?” Finley asked.

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  She placed two chocolate-chip cookies and an oatmeal one on a plate, then poured a glass of milk. “Here you go.” She peered outside. “How far do you think they’ve gotten?” Finley worried that the boys would grow bored, but to her amazement neither of them had called it quits.

  “I bet they’re almost done. I saw Cooper throw one of the paint cans in the garbage.” Burt bit into his cookie. “You sure can bake, Finley.”

  “Granny taught me.”

  “Never knew your grandmother, but when I drove through town, she was always on her knees in the flower bed at the front of the house.”

  “Granny loved her rosebushes.” Finley wished she had more time to work in her grandmother’s garden, but she was lucky if she could keep up with the weeds.

  “Tell me, young lady. Are you and Jenkins all cozy now?”

  Finley retreated to the kitchen to clean up. “We’re not cozy anything, Burt. He’s just a friend.” Not really even a friend.

  “You think he’ll be mad when he finds out Cooper helped you with the float?”

  “No.” Jim’s ego was too big to allow him to be jealous of other men. Cooper, on the other hand... She recalled the determined set of his jaw when he’d insisted on helping with the float—a definite sign he was jealous of Jenkins. But now wasn’t the right time to become involved with a man. She had her hands full managing her and the boys’ lives—adding a significant other to her list of things that needed her attention was crazy.

  Can’t you be friends? She admitted the idea appealed to her.

  “How come you aren’t married?”

  “Are you always this nosy, Burt?”

  “Yes, ma’am.” He finished the cookies. “You got two young boys out there that need a father.”

  “They have a father.”

  “Any man who abandons his kids isn’t worth the dirt he walks on.”

  “It’s complicated, but our split was amicable. And the boys are doing fine.” Except that her sons were missing out on all the things little boys and their dads did together—camping, sports and...painting buckboards.

  “You should set your sights on a man and marry.”

  “I don’t have time to date.” Besides, there wasn’t a man in town who interested her. Cooper’s face flashed before her eyes—their almost kiss behind the barn called her a liar. Even now the image of his mouth inching toward hers made her pulse race.

  Good thing the boys had interrupted them, because she feared one kiss from Cooper would never be enough.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  “FINLEY?”

  “Right here.” Finley entered the parlor room on the first floor of the Victorian and found Viola Keller browsing the display of scented pillow sachets and assorted body lotions and sprays. “I didn’t see you come in.”

  The children’s-choir director avoided eye contact with Finley. “I can’t make heads or tails out of all these products.” She motioned to the bottles and jars. “What’s the difference between a body butter and body glitz?”

  “The butter is a thicker cream and the glitz is a spray that contains glitter.”

  “Glitter? Good Lord.”

  “Younger girls like to sparkle.”

  “What about scents? I’m looking for something...” Viola blushed.

  Finley took pity on her. “Special?” She reached for the tester bottle of Summer Sandalwood, which contained man-magnet pheromones. “Try this.” She pressed a drop of the lotion onto her palm.

  “Smells nice.”

  “Can I ask you a personal question, Viola?”

  The woman’s eyes rounded. “I suppose.”

  “Are you interested in Burt?”

  Viola gasped.

  Christmas was a magical time of year. Even though Finley didn’t have a husband or boyfriend to celebrate the holiday with, she wanted others to be happy. Maybe Viola needed a little nudge in Burt’s direction. “I saw the way you stared at him the other day, and it’s obvious he likes you since he offered to take you for a drive.”

  “Nonsense. He doesn’t even know I exist.”

  He will if you use that lotion. “Burt’s always glancing out the window toward the church when he’s in the store.”

  “Really?”

  Finley nodded.

  “I haven’t had much luck with men.”

  “The next time you think you might run into Burt, use this lotion. I guarantee he’ll notice you.” She crossed the room and selected two candles. “If you find the courage to invite him over to your place for dinner one night, light these an hour before he arrives.”

  “Why?”

  “The scent relaxes and soothes. You’ll feel comfortable with each other in no time.” Finley plucked a swag of mistletoe from the tree in the corner. “If Burt sees this hanging in one of your doorways, I bet he’ll kiss you.”

  Viola inched closer. “You won’t tell anyone I bought these things, will you?”

  “Absolutely not.” She bagged Viola’s purchases and sent her off with a smile, hoping the older woman found the courage to pursue Burt. While Finley straightened inventory, every few minutes her eyes strayed to her iPhone on the counter.

  Call him.

  She wanted to see Cooper again, but there was no reason to visit his ranch after he’d promised to put the finishing touches on the buckboard and deliver it in time for the children’s parade.

  The front door banged open, ending her daydream. Jim Jenkins stepped inside. “Hi, Finley.”

  “Hello, Jim.”

  He shoved his hands inside his coat pockets and rocked back on his heels.

  “Are you shopping for someone today?” she asked.

  He glanced over his shoulder at the two ladies chatting in the dining room. “About the other night.”

  “Other night?”

  “When I ran into you and Cooper Hollis in the town square.”

  “What about it?”

  Jim’s gaze narrowed. “Are you dating Hollis?”

  I wish. “No.”

  “Good.” He expelled a long breath. “Would you like to join me for dinner tonight?”

  Finley’s insides cringed. She wasn’t attracted to Jim—all she could think about was Cooper. “I’m sorry, but I have plans.”

  “You do?”

  As she searched for an excuse, her gaze landed on a stack of brochures advertising the town’s Christmas events. “I’m taking a sleigh ride.” Oops. She’d forgotten he’d asked her to go on one the other night.

  “With who?”

  “Cooper Hollis.”

  “
I thought you weren’t seeing each other.”

  “We aren’t. We’re...friends.”

  Jim shook his head. “Maybe next time.”

  “Sure.” The slamming door drowned out her answer. She reached for her phone, hoping Cooper would agree to join her on the sleigh ride—otherwise she’d be caught in a lie of her own making. Burt answered on the second ring.

  “Burt, it’s Finley. Would you and Cooper like to go for a sleigh ride with me and the boys tonight?”

  * * *

  BURT DROVE HIS scooter into the barn Monday afternoon. “You didn’t come in for lunch after you checked on the herd. What’s got you too busy to eat?”

  Cooper set aside the piece of wood he’d measured. “I’m making a train set for the boys.”

  “Tuff and Flint?”

  “What other boys do we know?”

  “Smart-ass.” Burt parked his scooter in front of the workbench.

  “I could use your help painting the cars,” Cooper said.

  “Sure. You gonna paint the track, too?”

  “Thought I’d stain it.”

  “Good idea. Why are you doing this?”

  “The twins said their friend’s dad built a train set and—” he shrugged “—since the twins’ father is out of the picture...”

  “You making anything for Finley?”

  “Why would I make something for her?”

  “Because you like her.”

  “Don’t get any matchmaking ideas in your head. Finley’s a nice woman, but I’m not interested in starting a relationship with anyone.”

  “You ought to be thinking about starting something with someone before you’re too old.”

  “Leave it alone, Dad.” Cooper and his father had had this conversation before, and each time it ended in slamming doors. He didn’t have the heart to tell the truth—that he couldn’t pursue a woman until after Burt wasn’t in the picture.

  “Did you give Seth Anderson a call?”

  “Yeah. He wants to hold off picking up his deer until after Christmas.” Cooper turned on the table saw, then cut out the caboose. “Here.” He handed the piece of wood to his father along with a square of sandpaper. “Make yourself useful.”

  “The Weather Channel is forecasting snow for our area. Lots of it.” Burt said.