by Elle Linder
Copyright © 2021 by Elle Linder
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, without prior written permission.
Elle Linder/Ocean Dreams Publishing
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Thief River Falls, MN 56701
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Publisher’s Note: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Locales and public names are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or to businesses, companies, events, institutions, or locales is completely coincidental.
Cover Design by Sunset Rose Books
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Mistletoe Hearts/ Elle Linder-- 1st ed.
A Harts of Idaho Series Book
ISBN 978-1-952423-25-3 print format
ISBN 978-1-952423-24-6 eBook format
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THANK YOU!
This book is dedicated to the growing number of fans and followers of my books and novellas. It is for you I write. I hope you love reading romance as much as I enjoy writing it. It means the world to me and keeps me going every day to write…. FOR YOU! Thank you so much.
All the love,
Elle
MISTLEOE HEARTS
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Six
Seven
Eight
Nine
Ten
Eleven
Twelve
Epilogue
Acknowledgements
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
One
A WEDDING FOUR days before Christmas was a splendid idea. Piper Ridge’s armory was the largest facility capable of hosting such a grand event, one where the whole town appeared to be attending. The banquet room was tastefully decorated in red, white, and silver. Clusters of Christmas trees sparkled with twinkling lights in every corner with fake snow nestled under them. There must have been a thousand battery-operated votives glowing everywhere the eye landed. The hall was romantic and magical.
Love swirled through the air. Cherish’s cousin Tanner and his beautiful bride, Bailey, looked dreamy-eyed and deliriously in love. It warmed her heart but also made her uncomfortable. Anything love or romance-related put a knot in her stomach.
If only Cherish Hart could get her head into the spirit of the season and the celebration surrounding her. How could she though, when she lost her job two days ago? Betty’s Boutique had only been a paycheck. It was comfortable and familiar. Cherish knew everyone who shopped there. She should have paid closer attention. Business had slowed significantly since the end of summer, but she refused to believe Betty would close her doors after forty years. Finding a new job was all Cherish could think about. She had bills to pay and no savings. For most of her life, she’d barely made ends meet, even while living with her grandparents. At thirty-one, she should have her crap figured out, but she didn’t. It scared her to think she never would.
Jobs were scarce this time of year in her small rural town in Western Nebraska. Sure, her daddy could put her to work on the ranch, but she had never been interested in the family cattle business. If she didn’t find something to cover her expenses, she might have no other choice but to swallow her pride and accept his handout.
She pursed her lips together. Don’t be a sourpuss. Liven it up already, girl.
Her gaze drifted to the stage where the band would play. She always enjoyed live music over a DJ. Strange that nobody had mentioned who was playing this evening. Probably townfolks getting together to jam. A garage band of teachers or teens. It didn’t matter one way or the other. Listening to live music would take her mind off her problems. For a spell anyway.
Cherish didn’t notice many handsome men around her age. Most of the gentlemen were either much younger or too old or had a woman at their side. Typical for a small town.
What did she care? She never liked to dance anyway.
Fighting the urge to sulk in her chair, she twirled a lock of her brown hair around her finger. She adored her Uncle Conway and his family, and she needed to snap out of her funk. Her eyes darted around. Large groups of people overwhelmed her. Ecstatically joyful people made her anxious.
Speaking of joyful people. Cherish’s eyes locked on Sofie, grinning like a fool across from her.
“Today was wonderful. No, incredible. No, it was… perfect.” Sofie sighed dreamily, her hazel-green depths flitting around the room. The two had known each other for years. Sofie had been cousin Dylan’s best friend since they were in preschool. After all these years, Sofie was like another cousin to Cherish, except it always took her a little time to warm up to Sofie, who was high energy and extroverted. She was the complete opposite of Cherish.
Cherish nodded, raising her glass of water to her lips. “It was.” While most people were drinking alcohol, Cherish refrained after her one glass of Pinot with dinner. She wasn’t a big drinker and prided herself on being like her momma in that regard.
“Where’d that pretty ball of mistletoe go?” Sofie searched around the centerpiece on the table.
Cherish’s heart seized as she clutched the kissing ball in her lap. She had snatched it off the table when she took her seat for dinner. She wasn’t sure why she’d done such a silly thing at the time. Instinct maybe? After the first clinking of wine glasses echoed in the room for the bride and groom to kiss, it became clear. Dozens of people lifted the mistletoe above someone’s head, then lots of kissing occurred.
“Why, you wanna use it on Dylan?” Cherish playfully wiggled her brows. Sofie could deny it all she wanted, but the entire Hart clan believed Sofie and Dylan would one day get married. They both just needed to own up to their true feelings.
Sofie rolled her eyes, but she didn’t fool Cherish—not with her cheeks turning pink. “You’re so not funny, Cherish Hart.” She turned to her bestie beside her as if seeking help.
Ella’s eyes widened in surprise, clearly unprepared to rescue Sofie at the drop of a hat. Her bottom lip went between her teeth as if thinking of what to say. “Oh, um… Bailey was a stunning bride, don’t you think?” Ella grimaced at Sofie and shrugged. Cherish didn’t know the blonde beauty with electric blue eyes too well. She had only seen Ella a few times but liked her well enough.
“And glowing,” Cherish added, hoping to move the topic into a different direction. Love and romance didn’t interest her. It was true though, Bailey glowed brighter than all the sparkling Christmas trees in the room. Cherish couldn’t help but wonder if her pregnancy hormones were part of the reason. She’d heard about the “pregnancy glow” but never took it seriously. Never bothered herself to know anything about what a woman goes through when pregnant. Why would she? She didn’t want any kids of her own.
Sofie clapped her hands giddily. “I’m so excited about the baby.”
Cherish faked excitement. “I’m thrilled for Tanner and Bailey. I gotta say though, I never thought he’d settle down. And here he is, married and having a baby.”
“Hey, cuz, gonna dance with me?” Cousin Brady plunked into the sea
t on Cherish’s right. He flashed a charming grin. He was the spitting image of his dad, Wyatt, who was Uncle Conway’s twin brother. They were fraternal twins and younger than her daddy, Hudson.
A nervous laugh bubbled out of Cherish. “No. You know I don’t dance.”
His dark eyes widened, a sheepish grin pulling at his lips as he looked at Ella across from him. “What about you, dollface?”
Ella hiked an unamused brow. The two stared at each other for an intense moment. “The name is Ella Severson. Not dollface. Mind your manners, cowboy.” She tilted her head, crossing her arms over her shoulders.
Cherish stifled a laugh.
“Damn, she’s a frigid little filly,” Brady mumbled and playfully elbowed Cherish. He was the perfect blend of stubborn like Uncle Conway and goofball like his dad, yet he was handsome like all the Hart men with dark wavy hair and intense brown eyes.
Ella rolled her eyes and sipped her beer, ignoring Brady.
He elbowed Cherish again. “I’ll get on her dance card before the night is over.” Cocky was another Hart characteristic.
“I’m sure you will.” Cherish shook her head, taking in the stage again as a dark-haired man strolled toward the microphone stand.
“So just you and the grandparents this trip?” Sofie asked Cherish.
“Mhm, just the three of us. My dad sprained his ankle last week and decided to stay behind.” His injury wasn’t so bad. He could have come if he wanted, but her dad didn’t like leaving Nebraska. He’d only visited Uncle Conway a handful of times in the last thirty years. Same with Uncle Wyatt in Montana. Grandma Peggy had told Cherish he was never quite the same after her momma died giving birth to her. Cherish wouldn’t know the difference. Her daddy had always been a quiet, gruff man, even with his other kids and wife, Denise.
“What are your brother and sister up to?” This was typical Sofie. The girl never ran out of questions or stuff to talk about.
Cherish twisted her lips, trying to form a proper response.
Brady peered at her, his gaze soft. He knew Cherish’s feelings about her younger siblings. They were similar to his with his older step-brother and sister. In the Hart family, the kids were all raised to love unconditionally. Family was family, no matter blood related or not. But Cherish, Brady, and his sister Everly all agreed: the older folks didn’t know diddly squat about how it felt being a kid in a blended family.
Cherish’s fake smile hurt her face a little more. “They’re fine. Chance is running the ranch with Dad. He wanted to attend Tanner’s wedding, but you know how it is with ranchers. The cattle are their priority.” She shrugged and drank her water.
“And Cady?” Sofie asked.
“She decided to stay behind to be with… well, her family.”
Cady and Chance were half her blood. Of course Grandma Peggy would chide Cherish if she admitted her feelings out loud. She couldn’t help how she felt. Chance and Cady had invaded Cherish’s life. Stolen all the attention being the youngest and got all the hugs and kisses. She cared about them. Wouldn’t wish them any harm or ill will. Heck, she even loved them. But she wasn’t close to them because of the large age gap between them. Observing her daddy doting on them from the sidelines or Denise doing all the things Cherish never experienced with her momma didn’t help.
Brady leaned in. “Can I get you a drink? You might need something stronger than water.”
“I appreciate the offer. Maybe later if my evening doesn’t improve.” Talking about her daddy and his other family hurt. Again, Brady and Everly understood when no one else did. She wished Everly were here. She’d gone on a cruise with her boyfriend. Being on the open sea sounded lovely right now.
“How y’all doing tonight?” A voice flowed through the room. It was the dark-haired man on the stage. “Let’s give a round of applause to the happy couple, Tanner and Bailey Hart!”
Clapping and whistling filled the air. Cherish joined in, a genuine smile on her face.
“My band and I are almost ready to party. How about you?”
More cheering and clapping. Cherish narrowed her eyes at the man. He seemed familiar but wasn’t sure.
“Whoop! That’s what I like to hear. But first, I need all the single ladies to get on the dance floor so Mrs. Hart can toss the bouquet.”
“I’m out.” Cherish was on her feet, rushing toward the bathroom.
“Cherish, come back. It’ll be fun,” Sofie hollered. It didn’t stop Cherish. Gathering with a group of desperate women, hoping to catch a bouquet so they could be next to get married, was the silliest tradition.
Her cousin Tori wouldn’t even be in the mob. She’d found herself a sweeter-than-honey man, an older man, and a daddy at that. Cherish met Rex Knoll and his little girl Lyla last night at the rehearsal dinner. Tori didn’t need to catch a bouquet to be next to walk down the aisle. She had already found her a terrific man, and Cherish had it on good authority from Auntie Elise that wedding bells would ring soon for Tori and Rex. Of course, Auntie Elise said the same for Cherish’s cousin Dawson and his girl, Piper. Her auntie seemed eager to get her children married off so they could fill her home with grandchildren. It was precious. If anyone should be a grandma, it was her auntie.
Cherish ducked into the ladies’ room and exhaled a relieved breath. Nobody was in it, so the peace and solitude were a blessing.
Might as well do my business while I’m in here…
Moments later, she washed her hands. In her haste, she’d left her small purse at the table, so she couldn’t apply lip gloss. She eyed the mistletoe on the counter. It had been in her clutches when she nearly ran out of the banquet hall. Well, she’d just have to take it back with her. Guilt would consume her if she tossed it in the trash or left it in the bathroom.
Cherish exited the bathroom, slowing her steps to listen. She couldn’t hear music playing. What could be taking so long to toss the bouquet? Then she remembered the groom had to throw the garter.
Rather than rejoin her table, she stepped outside and was hit with a stiff breeze. “I should’ve brought my coat.” Her teeth chattered as she wrapped her arms over her chest. She was never quick thinking on her toes.
“Is everything all right?” asked a deep voice.
Cherish jumped and let out a soft scream, dropping the mistletoe on the ground.
“I’m sorry, didn’t mean to spook you.” He stepped into the soft light.
Her heart stopped upon settling her eyes on the most handsome man she’d ever seen. His blue eyes twinkled, and his cheeks were turning pink. Probably from the frigid temperature.
Cherish bit her bottom lip to keep from smiling too wide. Dropping her gaze, she noticed his black snakeskin western boots. It struck her as odd for some reason. The gray knitted beanie hat on his head and the Carhatt jacket didn’t go with the boots. None of the ranchers she knew would ever wear fancy… anything.
“Ma’am?”
Her eyes flashed up to his. “Do I look old enough to be called ma’am?” Her stomach flip-flopped when his eyes danced with mirth.
He chuckled, scratching his scruffy chin. “Not at all. In fact, you look mighty fine in that purple dress, but you must be freezing. What’re you doing out in the cold?”
She was so entranced, she hadn’t noticed the cold anymore. He likes the way I look in my dress? Her insides heated like a furnace.
“Um… I was…” She wrapped her arms around herself again, hating the sound of her stuttering like a fool because a beyond gorgeous man found her mighty fine. “I was avoiding the bouquet toss.” Finally, she got the words out.
His eyebrows raised as he considered her. “Already taken, are you?”
“What? Me?” She pointed to herself and laughed. “No. Never.”
“Never?”
“Well, I… I mean… I’m not…” She snapped her stuttering mouth shut. What in tarnation was happening to her? No man ever made her tongue-tied.
“We should get you inside.” He grabbed the door handle. “Shall
we?”
Suddenly, she remembered the mistletoe she dropped. “Yes, but I need…” She looked around on the ground. When she spied it, he retrieved it before she could.
“Did you drop this?” He examined it with a devilish smirk playing on his lips. “It’s mistletoe.”
“Yes. Very good. May I have it?” She presented her palm.
“If I lift it above your head, aren’t you required to let me kiss you?” He took a step toward her.
She stepped back. “Required?”
“It’s tradition.”
“We don’t know each other.” Her heart raced, eyeing his tempting lips.
“I don’t think that’s in the mistletoe rule book.” He took another step forward.
She moved another step back. “Rule book? There isn’t one.”
“Even better.” His arm wrapped around her waist and tugged her against his body, and his other hand went over her head and dangled the little kissing ball. “If you tell me no, I’ll release you.”
Is he for real? If he wasn’t so damn gorgeous, she’d scream. What was she thinking? Serial killers didn’t usually look like a killer. Oddly, her stranger-danger alarm wasn’t blaring with this over-confident cowboy.
“You don’t know me.” She shivered as his warmth encircled her body. He smelled really, really good. If a cozy winter’s evening by a fire with a glass of bourbon had a scent, he would be it. He also had a panting-melting smile. No exaggeration. Her panties melted.
“But I want to know you.” He lowered his mouth to hers, hovering within a breath of hers. Her heart fluttered in time with her stomach. “Are you going to stop me?” The heat in his voice caressed her lips.
She closed her eyes, giving way to the wild desires coursing through her veins. “No…”
His soft, supple lips descended on hers and kneaded slowly, thoroughly. The handsome stranger hummed, wrapping his strong arms around her. She responded with her own moans, fisting his jacket.
