A Thrill of Hope

by Marie Higgins

  The man’s cheeks darkened more. “I’ve known her since junior high. I was friends with your brother, Steve.”

  “Oh, that’s right. You were in my brother’s grade with Holly.”

  “Yes.” He smiled widely. “She was such a nice girl.”

  Paul snickered and elbowed Brett’s shoulder. “She’s not a little girl any longer, is she?”

  Brett chuckled. “Nope. Milk does a body good.”

  Rafe rolled his eyes. Was he dealing with two more love-sick men? It was bad enough he had to put up with Luca’s infatuation.

  “Yeah, well, I’m glad you think she’s matured nicely. However, I don’t want either one of you to get in her way while she’s here. If she wants your help, she’ll ask for it. But you’re not to bother her while she’s at the ranch. Understood?”

  “Sure,” Paul said nonchalantly, “but you’d better tell your cousin the same thing.”

  Rafe narrowed his gaze on the guy. “Luca?”

  “No, Blake.”

  “What?” Curiously, Rafe shook his head. “Why would I need to tell that to Blake?”

  “Cuz he has the hots for her.”

  Rafe couldn’t possibly be hearing this correctly. “Are you sure?”

  “Oh, yeah.” Paul kicked his foot against a broken piece of wood on the floor. “Saw him the other day trying to flirt with her. And just now,” he jabbed his thumb in the direction of the other room, “when I saw him with Holly, he had his arm around her shoulders and he was whispering something in her ear.”

  Rafe bunched his hands into fists. “Oh, really?” Maybe his voice was harsher than it should have been, but the mere idea of Blake hitting on Holly left a bad taste in Rafe’s mouth.

  “Yeah, and she was flirting back,” Paul snickered as he and Brett left the room.

  Jealous? Yeah, probably, but Blake was very popular with the women, and the mere thought of Holly falling for that particular cousin... Rafe shook his head. He’d have to step up his game. But how when he had so many props to make?

  He surveyed the floor and sighed. This was a mess, and he didn’t know exactly where to start. But the first thing he needed was to get a broom and dustpan. He left the room and walked farther into the barn. Near the double wooden doors, Brett and Paul stood talking to Holly. In Rafe’s opinion, they were standing way too close to her.

  Casually, he moved toward them. Immediately, he noticed the discomfort on Holly’s expression. When she spoke, irritation coated her voice.

  Brett laughed and touched her shoulder in a flirtatious manner. “Oh, yeah. I remember in school that every guy wanted to go out with you, but you were the ice-queen.”

  She glared at Brett and slapped his hand off her shoulder. “And if I remember correctly, you, Steve, and...” she paused, “Jared. Yes, Jared. You three were the ones to spread that nasty rumor about me, which was why most guys wanted to go out with me.”

  Brett shrugged. “It wasn’t a rumor. We saw you coming out of the prop room with—”

  “That’s enough!” Rafe stepped between them and threw Brett a scowl. “No matter what you thought you had seen, you, my brother, and the other guy were wrong. You shouldn’t have spread rumors about that.” He moved directly in front of Brett and folded his arms. “And you’d better forget about that memory really quickly or else you’ll be without a job. I won’t tolerate that kind of talk around my ranch.” He arched an eyebrow. “Understand?”

  “Yes, Mr. Montgomery,” Brett muttered.

  Rafe pointed to the other side of the barn. “Now go find those trash barrels so you two can help me clean up the back room.”

  “Yes, sir.” Both Brett and Paul muttered at the same time.

  Once the two bozos were out of hearing range, Rafe turned to Holly. No longer did she appear uncomfortable. In fact, she gazed upon him as if he was some kind of hero.

  “Are you all right?” he asked.

  She nodded. “I am now.”

  “Good.”

  “Tell me, Rafe.” She stroked his hand softly. “How many times are you going to rescue me?”

  He laughed. “As many times as it takes to make you smile like that.”

  “Just to see me smile?”

  “Oh, yes.” He took hold of her hand and caressed her knuckles. “You have a beautiful smile and it makes your eyes twinkle.”

  Chuckling, she shook her head. “You are impossible, do you know that?”

  He narrowed his gaze suspiciously. “What exactly does that mean?”

  Her laughter grew, but she didn’t answer. Instead, she turned and walked out of the barn. Now he was the one grinning like an idiot.

  HOLLY CLIMBED OUT OF her car and hurried up the sidewalk to Sandra’s Crafts. This was the only shop in town that sold material. Holly’s mom had made a list for her to pick up while she was shopping this afternoon.

  In front of the grocery story, a man dressed like Santa stood by the donation bucket, ringing a bell. He smiled as people passed by and wished them a Merry Christmas. If someone dropped money into the bucket, he handed them a candy cane.

  Holly grinned. She missed this kind of hometown friendliness. The people who lived in small towns were always kinder and happier. She rarely saw this in California. This particular Santa didn’t have to worry about muggers trying to steal the money in the bucket. She couldn’t say the same about the places she’d frequented in California.

  As she passed, she gave him a nod. Inside her coat pocket, she felt the twenty-dollar bill her mother had given her to buy fabric. Holly stopped, and quickly turned around.

  “Merry Christmas,” she told Santa as she dropped the money in the bucket.

  The older man’s smile widened. The corners of his eyes crinkled with line. Strange, but he wasn’t wearing a fake beard like most Santa’s. His real whiskers were full and very white.

  “Well, well, well. If it isn’t Miss Holly Kidman.”

  She studied his face, and his eyes through the square glasses he wore, but nothing looked familiar about him. Not even his voice. “Do you know me?”

  He released a jolly laugh like any man playing Santa would, giving her the ho-ho-ho as most kids wanted to hear.

  “Of course I know you, Holly. I’m Santa. I know everyone.”

  She chuckled. He wanted to play that game, did he? Then again, he was in costume. He had to play that game.

  “You’re right, Santa.” She turned to leave, but he stepped in front of her, keeping her from going anywhere.

  “Tell me something, Miss Holly. Have you found the Christmas Spirit yet?”

  She wanted to laugh again. She would be filming a movie about it soon, so she’d had better be in a Christmas mood. “Have I found it? Santa, I didn’t know it was lost.”

  It took him a few seconds to figure out the joke, and then he laughed deeply, shaking his round belly that didn’t appear to be fake, either. “It’s lost for some people, but has it been lost for you?”

  “No. I think I’m good.”

  He shook his head and folded his beefy arms over his large middle. “You might want to rethink your answer.”

  She snorted a laugh. “Santa, I was raised to celebrate Christmas the right way. If you know me, you’ll know who my mother is and what she’s done every year since I was five. And this year, I’ll be taking over the Christmas program this time.” She shook her head. “No, I don’t think I’ve lost the spirit at all.”

  Arching one of his bushy white eyebrows, he tapped his white-gloved finger on his cheek. “Do me a favor, Miss Holly. I want you to really think what Christmas means to you, and then I want you to take a good look at your life. When you’ve finally figured it out,” he motioned toward the front doors of the grocery store, “you’ll know where I’ll be.”

  Was he joking? Apparently, he didn’t know her at all. “Yeah, good advice, Santa. Thanks, and Merry Christmas.”

  “And a very, Merry Christmas to you.” He handed her a candy cane.

  She took the candy an
d stuffed it in her pocket as she continued walking to the craft shop. With each step, irritation burned inside of her. How dare he tell her she didn’t have the Christmas Spirit! It had been drilled in her head since she was five... and still, every year after she moved to California. Obviously, the old man didn’t know what he was talking about. She was named after Christmas symbol, for goodness sake!

  Holly quickened her steps until she reached the crafts store. Once she entered, she glanced around at the several aisles. She hadn’t been in this store for many years. It surprised her how much it’d grown. There was so much more than she remembered.

  She headed toward the back of the building where she recalled the fabric was kept. As a young girl, Holly had followed her mother around the shops in town while she collected those items needed for the play. Holly had watched and learned everything she could because, one day, she was going to be just like her mother.

  Finding the fabric was easy, but waiting for one of the clerks to cut off the yards was frustrating. For the past few days, she’d felt rushed. She worried she was running out of time, and time was definitely important. She needed to get the scenes set up as best she could while she waited for Rafe and his cousins to do their part of it.

  Since kissing Rafe so passionately right after the light almost fell on them the other day, she hadn’t seen him. She had heard him in his shop, drilling, sawing, and whatever else he was doing. It wasn’t until late at night before she went to bed when she saw him. He wearily dragged himself through the back door and sat down at the table to eat whatever food was leftover. And when she awoke in the morning, he was already in his shop.

  At long last, an employee of Sandra’s Crafts came to help her, and it didn’t take long to pay for the items. She grabbed the several bags and headed for the door. Just as she reached it, the door opened and a woman walked in. Their gazes locked. Immediately, Holly felt the chill in the air.

  The blonde woman who looked like a model, offered a faux smile. “Hello.”

  Holly nodded. “Hi, Katie.”

  The awkward silence stretched between them as the seconds ticked by. Holly didn’t know what to say to her. Sure, she was sorry that Katie and Rafe broke up, but Holly wasn’t sorry for kissing the irresistible man. It was inevitable. Rafe had called it fate.

  “How...” Katie cleared her throat. “How is your movie coming along?”

  “I’m still setting things up at the Montgomery ranch. We won’t actually start filming for another week. Everyone needs time to practice their parts.”

  The blonde nodded as she stuffed a wayward curl under the knitted cap on her head. “It sounds like you’re very busy.”

  “Yes. We all are, in fact.”

  “Even Rafe?” Katie arched an eyebrow.

  “Yes, even Rafe. He’s building the walls for the manger and the outside of the inn. His cousins are also helping.”

  “How nice.”

  Holly doubted the woman meant that since her tone of voice was quite harsh. “Yes, well... It was nice seeing you.”

  “Yeah. You, too.”

  Holly moved past Katie and exited the building. She exhaled a pent-up breath. That was a difficult few minutes. She hoped she didn’t have to endure that again with that woman.

  “Hey, Holly?”

  She stopped and looked behind her. Katie had left the store and walked toward her. This time, her expression wasn’t pleasant. She frowned and aimed a deadly glare at Holly.

  Katie stopped in front of Holly. “I just want you to know one thing about Rafe.”

  “What’s that?” Holly wondered.

  “Don’t get your hopes up like I did. Rafe isn’t the kind of guy who settles down. He’s afraid of commitment.”

  Holly’s gut twisted. “Why are you telling me?”

  “Because I think he wants to make you his next girlfriend. I thought I’d warn you before you let your heart get involved.”

  Holly laughed uncomfortably. “We’re just friends.”

  “Good.” Katie lifted her chin in arrogance. “Because he’s not husband material.”

  Before Holly could answer, Katie spun around and hurried back into the store. Sighing, Holly continued walking to her parked car. Her heart wrenched with doubt as sadness crept over her. She tried to push it away.

  “What’s she talking about anyway?” she muttered to herself. “I’m not looking for a husband, so why should I worry?”

  And yet, telling herself that, and trying to ignore the pain in her chest were two different emotions – neither of which she wanted.

  TWELVE

  Holly stood with the cast of her new Christmas movie inside the barn. Although she didn’t know a lot of them, she knew their older siblings, or their parents and grandparents. In the past three days, she’d worked hard on trying to get the sets ready – or at least ready enough to start rehearsal. She mapped out where she wanted each scene on the ranch, and as she took the cast around to each spot, Blake and Luca followed, helping her with whatever she needed.

  Brett and Paul followed her around, too. Feelings of resentment still boiled inside her when she looked at these two. They were horrible to her in junior high. Brett had been friends with Steve, and Brett was probably the biggest instigator of the rumors since he’d seen her leave the prop room. The image of him, Steve, and Jared laughing so hard their faces turned red, churned her stomach. Paul was a year older, and although he hadn’t seen what the other boys had, she was sure he helped spread the rumors, too. Hopefully, they didn’t say anymore to her. But dang, she enjoyed the way Rafe had swooped in from out of nowhere and stopped the conversation. It surprised her when he had threatened their jobs. She nearly sighed aloud the words my hero.

  Yesterday, she’d typed up the script for everyone, adding her own little twist. After all, this was her version of Christ’s birth. Every writer added their own little twists, and she was quite pleased with what her imagination had created.

  They all stood together as she explained what new things would happen that they weren’t used to doing if they’d been in the Christmas program before. As they asked questions, she studied each one, looking at them as the character, wondering if they could play their parts the way she wanted. Her mother had done a great job choosing the cast this year. But, Holly didn’t like the boy her mother had chosen to play the main shepherd. He was young, but it was more than just his age that bothered her. He was too shy. She couldn’t have one of the main characters being shy. She’d have to ask him to play a lesser part. Today, if possible.

  For that particular shepherd, she wanted someone with good acting qualities. After all, in her version of this story, the shepherds were the main characters. Although Joseph, Mary, and the Christ child were very important characters, they only had minor speaking parts.

  As the day progressed, Holly’s patience was strained. She wasn’t used to working with amateurs, especially when she’d worked with California producers. Several times she snapped at the cast, but then quickly apologized. She called for more breaks than she really should have, but she needed a breather just to calm herself.

  Evening was drawing closer, so she finally sent everyone home. She emphasized to them how important it was to learn their parts. Frazzled, Holly wearily went inside the house. Her mom sat at the kitchen table – the very same table Rafe had made with his own hands. Her mother expertly fashioned one of the costumes on the sewing machine from the fabric Holly had purchased.

  When she entered the kitchen, she shrugged out of her coat. Her mother’s gaze bounced up to hers. Wrinkles marred the skin around the older woman’s eyes and mouth.

  “Hey, Mom.” Holly slumped on the chair next to her.

  “What’s wrong, dear? Are you having problems?” She glanced out the window. “I thought I’d heard you getting upset a few times.”

  Holly sighed. “It’s hard not to get upset. I’m used to working with people who want to be the best actors they can be, but this group—” she waved her hand toward t
he window, “is mostly kids. I need adults.”

  “But dear, you must remember that they aren’t actors like the people you’ve worked with. This group that I have chosen enjoy being in the Christmas program. That’s it. They aren’t going to be perfect. They are here to have fun and enjoy the Christmas season.”

  “I know.” Holly threaded her fingers through her long hair. “But this is going to be my first movie. I want... no, I need perfection.”

  Her mother arched an eyebrow, giving Holly a critical, motherly look. “Then hire real actors.”

  Holly shook her head. “There’s no time. Besides, they just need to take their parts more seriously. Which reminds me,” she leaned toward her mother, “I need you to replace the main shepherd. The person who’ll play this part has a much bigger role. He will have more lines, and will do more acting.”

  “And I repeat,” her mother turned back to her sewing machine, and pushed the material through the feeder, “hire a real actor.”

  Irritation rose within Holly, and she pushed away from the table. Why didn’t her mother understand? In fact, nobody on this ranch understood. They had never worked on a real movie set like she had. They didn’t know the first thing about making a movie.

  She left the house and stormed down the porch. Luca sauntered toward her. She didn’t want to talk to anyone, especially not him. Hoping to pass him, she quickened her steps, but he grasped her arm, stopping her.

  “Whoa, little lady.” He smiled. “What’s wrong?”

  “I’m just upset. I need to sort through my thoughts right now.”

  He moved closer. “Why don’t you tell me about it? I’m a good listener.”

  “No. I really need to be by myself right now. I can think better that way.” She offered a sympathetic smile. “Please understand.”

  Without giving him a chance to speak, she quickly moved away. Her knee-boots crunched in the cold snow as she kept walking. In the horizon, the sun dipped lower in the sky.

  On the other side of the barn, there was a snowmobile. She hurried to the vehicle and checked for keys. She was in luck! She climbed on and quickly started the engine and drove off away from the house.