Boughs of Holly

by Shanna Hatfield

  She shrugged and hefted the lidded box, carrying it to his pickup. Rhett jogged out of the garage and helped transfer the rest of her things from Dave’s SUV to the pickup.

  Dave gave Holly one last flirty grin and an invitation to call him for a good time before he left.

  Rhett rolled his eyes and turned to Holly with a smile. “Just ignore Dave. He’s harmless for the most part.” He held out his hand to her. “I’m Rhett Riggs. Seth and I go way back.”

  “It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Riggs. I’m Holly Jones.”

  “It’s just Rhett and it’s nice to meet you, too. Do you want to come in for a cup of coffee before you head back?”

  Seth shook his head and cupped Holly’s elbow in his hand, guiding her over to the passenger door of his pickup. “We left Pops alone and should really get back. I’ll catch up with you later, bro.”

  “Sounds good.” Rhett smiled at Holly. “Don’t let this guy boss you around. His bark is worse than his bite.”

  Holly grinned. “I’ll keep that mind.”

  Seth slid behind the wheel and lifted his hand in a brief wave to his best friend. At the moment, Seth felt like punching Dave, and Rhett, too. The fact he was angry and troubled couldn’t be because of Holly, could it? Why should he care if Dave flirted shamelessly with her and Rhett made her smile?

  He cast a quick glance her way as Holly stared out the pickup window. No logical reason existed why he cared about the woman, but he did.

  Perhaps far more than he dared admit.

  Once they made it back to the ranch and he helped her carry her things inside, he avoided Holly the rest of the day.

  The next morning, he made sure he was out of the house before she appeared in the kitchen. Mid-morning, he stepped into the barn to get a halter and heard singing. He moved further inside and saw Holly leaning over the door of Ivy’s stall, singing a Christmas carol his grandmother used to sing when Seth was a little boy. He’d forgotten about it until Holly’s voice brought the memories to the surface of his mind.

  Not wanting her to stop, he leaned his shoulder against the side of the tack room and listened to her sing a verse about a cow, all red and white, who gave Jesus her manger for a bed and her hay to pillow his head.

  When she finished the song about the friendly beasts who celebrated the birth of Jesus, Seth quietly made his way down the barn aisle toward her.

  “What do you think, Ivy? Would you give your manger and hay to a baby in need of a place to lay his head?” Holly asked, scratching the cow along her back.

  “Only if Pops asked her to,” Seth said, moving behind her.

  She whipped around and stared at him with eyes wide.

  The light gray color made him think of a pearl he’d found on a field trip to the coast when he’d been in the eighth grade. He’d given the pearl to a girl named Ashley, who’d lost it before they ever got back on the bus.

  That pearl had held the same gray-green hue and incredible luminosity that shimmered in Holly’s magnificent eyes.

  “I thought you said you couldn’t sing.” He took a step closer, almost boxing her in with the stall to her back.

  She shrugged, although her gaze never left his. “I don’t sing well, but I do sing when I’m alone sometimes.”

  “You sounded good to me,” Seth said, unable to stop himself as he tugged off his glove and let it drop to the ground. His hand reached out and traced the line of her jaw before he cupped her cheek, awed by the smooth feel of her skin against his rough calluses. “My grandma used to sing that carol. Pops would enjoy hearing it.”

  “I, um…” Holly searched his face, looking at him imploringly.

  He had no idea what she wanted, only what he needed. And that was to kiss her. He took a step closer, his body brushing against hers as his thumb lazily slid over her chin and along the long column of her slender throat.

  She moistened her lips, as though she’d suddenly discovered they were dry and Seth lost the ability to resist her.

  “Holly,” he whispered in a husky voice as his head dipped toward hers.

  He felt her breath on his face, the minty scent of her gum tickling his nose, and could almost taste her kiss when Ivy rammed into the stall gate and startled them both.

  Holly jumped away from him and raced down the barn aisle. “I need to get back to Sam.”

  Seth sighed and picked up his glove, slapping it against his thigh. His gaze narrowed as he glared at Ivy. “You just had to do that, didn’t you?”

  Ivy gave him what could only be described as a self-satisfied grin.

  By Friday evening, Seth thought he might go mad. He couldn’t be in the house around Holly because every time he saw her, all he wanted to do was kiss her. Yet, if he was outside, he found himself constantly looking toward the house, wondering what she was doing. She’d cleaned and baked. Yesterday, when he came in after spending most of the day plowing snow and riding fences, she’d hauled all the Christmas decorations in from the storage room in the garage. After unpacking the tubs and boxes, she set his family’s holiday treasures all around the house. For the first time in a long time, their home looked and smelled like Christmas. Seth didn’t know whether to be outraged or excited.

  It was probably a good thing his grandfather had taken him aside after lunch and insisted he go hang out with his buddies, just like he always did on Friday night.

  Seth started to argue but glanced up and saw Holly standing on a stepstool, hanging garland. Her jeans stretched across her delectable backside and he abruptly changed his mind.

  Now, as he sat with Rhett at Drew and Drake’s apartment, he found it challenging to focus on the old John Wayne movie playing on the television. The pizza they were eating could have been cardboard coated with sawdust shavings for all the attention he paid to it.

  “Hey, man,” Rhett waved a hand in front of his face. “Is everything okay?”

  Seth set down his half-eaten piece of pizza and leaned back in his chair. “Not really.”

  “If it’s woman troubles, join the club,” Rhett said, tossing a wadded-up paper towel on his plate.

  Drew set down his plate and stared at them. “There’s a club for that? I want in. Does undue suffering caused by confusing female creatures who torture us with beguiling smiles and mixed messages count as dues paid to join?”

  Seth chuckled. “Only if you’re feeling conflicted, angry, and frustrated, but can’t wait to see her again even though you know she’ll just cause more of the same misery.”

  Rhett playfully punched Seth on the arm. “Yep, that’s exactly what I’m talking about.”

  Drake, who appeared interested in the conversation, remained uncharacteristically quiet. He was usually the first to drop a joke, yet he sat back and said nothing.

  Seth might have given more notice to it if he wasn’t so involved in listening to Rhett complain about Cedar ignoring him and Drew question what he should do about Joy. He voiced his own concerns about Holly.

  “That woman drives me nuts. You should see that ridiculous car she drives. I have no idea how she even made it to the ranch in that thing. And you know what she told me?”

  His three friends offered questioning looks.

  “She said if I cared to challenge her, she could beat me down the mountain with one eye closed. That’s a joke! Trying to out-drive me in that mint green sardine can she claims is a car would be like entering a three-legged half-blind Chihuahua in a race against a greyhound. Holly is so…she’s just… she’s…” Seth couldn’t recall what he wanted to say when a vision of her hanging the garland above the fireplace and smiling at his grandfather kept popping into his mind. He released a perturbed sigh.

  “We get it, bro. We really do,” Rhett assured him.

  Seth returned home even more perplexed about his unexpected although not completely unwanted houseguest.

  Chapter Seven

  “Everything is going well, Julie. Sam is making remarkable progress. If he continues at this rate, my work here will
be done around the first of the year,” Holly said as she gave her supervisor her daily report.

  The only way Julie had agreed to the plan for Holly to stay at the ranch for the duration of Sam’s recuperation was if Holly called every weekday with a report so she could make sure she was doing fine.

  Holly appreciated Julie’s concern, but it was unnecessary. Seth was a perfect gentleman and Sam doted on her, as though she was his favorite grandchild. Perhaps Seth was jealous of how kind the older man was to her when he could sometimes be quite prickly with his grandson.

  No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t figure out what made Seth Stafford tick. He was polite, courteous, and kind. But he made certain there were no more stolen moments alone when the opportunity for a kiss might present itself. It was as though he went out of his way to avoid her and when that was impossible, he treated her as a polite stranger.

  Honestly, they were polite strangers, having only met a few weeks ago, but Holly felt like she’d known him forever. And for the first time in her life, she felt completely at home at Stafford Ranch.

  She loved it here. Loved going outside to pet the dogs and see Ivy and baby Rudy. Seth had asked her if she wanted to name the calf. Excitedly, she’d agreed. Because of his little pink nose, she’d decide to call the calf Rudy after the famous reindeer.

  “Are you sure everything is okay?” Julie asked, interrupting Holly’s musings. “If you need a break, I could see if I can find someone who can make it out there.”

  “No, Julie. I really am fine. And unless they own a big four-wheel drive pickup, they won’t make it. Seth is keeping the driveway plowed, but the snow is deep and hard to navigate through. I’m not sure how I’ll get my car out of here when it’s time for me to leave.”

  “We’ll figure it out.” Julie’s voice faded out and Holly could hear a muffled conversation before her supervisor came back on the line. “I need to go, Holly. Stay warm and if you need anything, call me.”

  “I will. Thanks, Julie.”

  Holly pocketed her phone then walked over to the window in her bedroom and looked outside. For a change, the sun was shining and the world outside glistened as though someone had dropped a million diamonds on a blanket of white.

  In no rush to leave her room, Holly sat down in the antique chair and looked around her. The day Seth had told her he found someone to bring her things, Holly had called one of her roommates and asked her to pack up all her stuff. It wasn’t like she owned much more than her clothes, anyway. She had a box of memorabilia from her childhood and a few household essentials she hadn’t even bothered to unpack since one of her roomies owned the house where they lived and had provided everything from kitchen utensils to the sheets on her bed.

  Holly had told them to go ahead and rent out her room since she wouldn’t be there for two months. If Sam healed as quickly as she expected, she might be homeless sooner than she liked, but she’d worry about that later.

  Today was too lovely to do anything but enjoy the sunshine and the special feeling of Christmas magic lingering in the air.

  When Sam asked her to bring in the Christmas decorations last week, Holly had been more than happy to do so. He talked about each piece as she unpacked it, sharing memories of his wife and family. She’d enjoyed every minute of it until Seth strode inside and clenched his jaw so tightly, she thought he might crack a tooth.

  Yesterday, though, he had mentioned how nice everything looked and thanked her for setting out the decorations.

  The man was sweet and friendly one minute, and aloof and distant the next. Holly had no idea what his problem was or what to do about it. She tried to convince herself she shouldn’t care, but she did. She cared entirely too much.

  With a final glance out the window, Holly opened her bedroom door and checked on Sam. He was awake and dressed, although he lingered on his bed.

  “Ready for breakfast?” she asked, holding the walker steady while he pulled himself upright.

  “I’m so hungry, I could even eat Seth’s cooking and like it.” Sam grinned at her. “You’ve sure been a blessing to us in more ways than one, honey. You take such good care of me, you’ve polished and shined until the house is spotless, and made us so many delicious meals. Why, that pie you made last night was one of the best things I’ve eaten in a long time.”

  Holly patted Sam on the back. “It’s my pleasure. I enjoy cooking and cleaning. I never got to do it when I was a kid, so the novelty of it hasn’t dimmed my pleasure in it yet.”

  “You’re going to make some lucky fella a fine, fine wife someday, Holly, girl. If I was forty years younger, I’d give you a run for your money.”

  She laughed. “If you were forty years younger, I might even let you catch me.”

  They walked into the kitchen to find Seth getting a package of bacon out of the fridge.

  “You gonna blacken up some pork for breakfast?” Sam asked, shuffling over to the table.

  “I wasn’t planning on burning it, Pops.” Seth scowled at the old man and opened the bacon.

  “Have you ever tried cooking it in the oven?” Holly asked before Seth could drop the bacon into a heavy cast iron skillet.

  “The oven?” he asked, turning to look at her with a piece of limp bacon dangling from his fingers.

  “Sure. It’s easy and you don’t have to clean up a big mess off the stove afterward.”

  Seth stepped back. “Let’s see how it’s done.”

  Holly retrieved a large baking sheet from the cupboard next to the stove and lined it with aluminum foil. She placed the bacon strips on the pan, and then slid it into the oven. “In about fifteen minutes, you’ll have perfect bacon.”

  “How does a vegetarian know so much about bacon?” Seth asked as he dropped a glob of butter in the skillet he was going to use for the bacon. It popped and sizzled, filling the air with a distinctive scent that made Holly’s stomach growl. Seth grinned at her as he cracked eggs into the skillet and added a dash of seasoning before he scrambled the eggs with a fork.

  “I wasn’t always a vegetarian,” she said, seeing Seth had retrieved a box of muffins from the freezer last night and left them on the counter to thaw. She set five of them on a plate and carried it to the table. “I decided about three years ago to give up meat.”

  “Your loss, my gain,” Seth said as he scooped the eggs into a bowl and set it on the table.

  The scent of the bacon made Holly’s mouth water, but she ignored it. She would not cave to the craving for bacon, especially not in front of Seth.

  She checked the bacon and pulled it from the oven then forked the slices onto a plate.

  “Talk about perfect,” Seth said, looking over her shoulder at the pile of crispy bacon. “No one can resist good bacon.” When she glanced back at him, his gaze collided with hers and he winked at her, taking the plate from her hand. He snitched a piece as he carried it to the table, making her grin.

  Both of the Stafford men seemed in a good mood as they ate breakfast and talked about the day’s plans.

  When she got up to refill her cup with coffee, she returned to her chair to find a piece of bacon on her plate. She looked at Sam and then Seth, but both of them maintained an air of innocence.

  “One of you not-so-wise guys put this on my plate. Who is the guilty party?” she asked, holding up the strip of bacon with her fork.

  The two men remained silent although they looked at each other and smirked.

  She thought about breaking the piece of bacon in half and dropping a piece on each of their plates. She should have set it back on the plate with the few remaining strips of bacon. She could have tossed it outside to Bullet or Pistol. But she didn’t.

  The aroma of the bacon combined with the near-crumbly perfection of its crispy edges found her taking a bite and relishing every delicious, smoky bit of it. When she came to her senses, she’d eaten the whole piece and reached for another.

  “Oh! Look what you two made me do!” she jerked her hand back and dropped i
t to her lap.

  Sam chortled and Seth waggled his eyebrows at her. “I told you, no one can resist good bacon.”

  Holly took another piece and ate it, determined not to feel guilty about that particular pleasure.

  “I think we need to get our tree put up,” Sam said, as he leaned back in his chair and slurped coffee.

  “Yeah, I was thinking about that, Pops,” Seth said, carrying his dishes to the dishwasher and loading them. “I have one picked out, I just need to cut it down and bring it in.”

  Sam popped the table with the flat of his hand and smiled. “Great! Holly will help you as soon as you finish up the morning chores.”

  “What?” Holly and Seth spoke at the same time, both gaping at Sam.

  “Now, Pops, I don’t think…”

  Sam waggled his gnarled index finger at Seth. “No, you don’t, son. That’s getting to be a problem. Good thing I’m around to do the thinking for you. You skedaddle on outside and get the chores done while Holly helps me with my exercises. By the time you come back in and warm up for a while, she’ll be ready to go.”

  “But I can’t drive out there, Pops, and I don’t want to take the ATV and get it stuck,” Seth argued, looking like he’d rather do anything than take Holly out to cut down a Christmas tree.

  “Then use four legs instead of two,” Sam instructed. He turned to Holly and softened his hard scowl. “Have you ever cut down a tree, honey?”

  “No, Sam. Most of the time, my mom and I weren’t somewhere we could have one even if she could have afforded it. Then I was busy with school and patients. The holidays are generally a busy time at hospitals between people who are sick and those who get into accidents.”

  Sam looked back at Seth. “You heard the girl. She needs to experience the wonder of cutting down a Christmas tree.”

  The ice in Seth’s glare hardened until his blue eyes appeared nearly translucent, but he didn’t say a word. He just walked through the kitchen to the back door. Holly pictured him pulling on his outerwear before she heard the door open and then shut with a loud slam.