by Liz Isaacson
A steady stream of cowboys followed Bear, and Squire’s spirits cheered with each one. He shook hands with Ranger and his wife, Oakley, and he pulled Bishop into a hug and laughed lightly with him.
“Where are you burying him?” Bishop wanted to know.
“Right here in the church cemetery,” Squire said.
“Ah, so a bit of a drive when you want to talk to him.” Bishop gave him a sad smile. “I bet my daddy wishes he didn’t rest only a few hundred yards from where I live. I’m sure he’s sick of listening to me ask him what to do.” He chuckled and moved forward with his fiancée’s hand secured in his.
Squire marveled at the thought of talking to his father in the cemetery, and the idea made perfect sense. Yes, he’d have to drive a little bit to do it, but that was okay. He was already formulating their first chat.
Jeremiah Walker stepped into the room, and Squire gave him a big hug too. He somehow felt like he was comforting Jeremiah, not the other way around, and he liked that. “You remember my wife, Whitney,” Jeremiah said.
“Of course.” Squire hugged her too. All the Walkers had come, and Squire basked in the warmth of their friendship.
When it was finally time for the funeral to start, Squire kept one hand in Kelly’s and one in his mother’s. Libby held Mom’s other hand, and they walked down the hall after the casket to the chapel.
The moment Squire sat down, a clear sense of comfort came over him. He looked up to the colorful glass and admired the bright light shining down onto the floor up on the dais.
Daddy was okay.
Squire would be okay too.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Holly Ann closed her eyes and pressed her palms against them. Bright white lights popped in her vision, but she gained great relief from the pressure. She needed to go to bed, but she had a luncheon tomorrow, and her timeframe to get the food set up and leave the venue so she could do her last shift as Santa Claus at the mall was very slim.
Not only that, but her clients had ordered frozen desserts, and she had to get the ice cream in the freezer tonight or she wouldn’t have it for the luncheon. So she kept whisking and flavoring. She cleaned her ice cream machine and churned the next flavor. She scraped it into molds and used a rubber spatula to smooth it all out.
Molds got pressed together and set on sheet trays. Those went in her deep freezer in the garage, and she got busy with the next task.
Her hands stayed busy, but her mind strayed down the highway and up into the hills. She sucked in a breath and held it while she slid new sticks into the last ice cream bar mold.
She’d ruined everything with Ace with a few half-truths and a red Santa suit. She wanted to explain everything to him, but when she’d called on Monday, he hadn’t answered. He’d texted a minute later with, I just need some time to myself.
Holly Ann knew then that she’d really hurt him. Ace hated being by himself, and he never took too much time to dwell on anything. She hadn’t known how to press him though, and in the end, she’d respected his wishes and left him alone.
It had only been five days, but this week had been one of the longest of her life. Without him to text, she felt adrift. Knowing she wouldn’t see him that day made every hour eternal.
She sniffled as she finished the last ice cream bars, pressed the molds together, and put them in the freezer. She cleaned up her kitchen methodically, making sure everything went back where it was supposed to so she could find the ingredients and utensils easily next time, and then she went to bed.
As tired as she was, Holly Ann laid in bed, her eyes closed and sleep eluding her. “Just make it to New Year’s,” she whispered. If she could make it nine more days, she’d be done with the Christmas Festival. Then maybe she’d know what to do about Ace.
Holly Ann smiled at the soft, white light emanating from Daddy’s tree. He’d once again met her on the front step, taking the laundry basket of gifts from her with a “My goodness, Holly Ann. What is all of this?”
“Santa’s arrived,” she’d said, her voice as perky as she could make it.
She had no children who she could spoil, which was why she’d sponsored four families full of children this year through the Santa Shops For Kids program. Bethany Rose and Kevin didn’t have children yet. It would be four adults for Christmas Eve dinner and gifts, and Holly Ann missed the loud, vibrant atmosphere of Shiloh Ridge Ranch.
Her emotions wobbled on the edge of a cliff. One wrong thought would push them over the edge, and she’d burst into a sob that would break her heart all over again. Her stomach trembled with the effort it took to keep her smile on her face as Bethany Rose finished spreading her gifts under the tree.
“Girls,” Daddy said, and Holly Ann tore her eyes from the tree. He sat in his recliner, the same one he’d been relaxing in for the past two decades. She and Bethany Rose had tried to purchase him a new one for Father’s Day, and he’d vehemently opposed them.
Holly Ann had given up trying to change her father, and she tried to just embrace him for who he was now, security cameras and old, plaid recliners and all.
Bethany Rose sat on the couch next to Holly Ann and sank into Kevin’s side. “Merry Christmas, everyone,” she said with a happy, chirping voice.
“Merry Christmas,” Holly Ann said. “Daddy, what were you going to say?”
He hadn’t wished them a Merry Christmas, and it took him several long seconds to pull his gaze from the crackling flames in the fireplace. “Girls, I’m going to sell the house.”
Holly Ann opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out.
“Why?” Bethany Ann asked.
Holly Ann knew why. Daddy was seventy-four years old, and yard work wasn’t as easy as it used to be. He prided himself on taking care of things, and she’d never known him to pay for an oil change or to service the swamp cooler. Year after year, he was the one on the roof, flushing out the tubes and setting everything right.
He trimmed the trees, and he built bookcases. He fixed holes in the sheetrock, and he’d finished their entire back porch into a screened-in area, complete with new windows, proper supports, and automatic blinds.
“It’s time,” he said simply. “I’m looking at a smaller house in a planned community, where they have people to shovel the snow and mow the lawns. Or I’m thinking about one of those new condos on the northeast side of town.”
“You’d be closer to us,” Bethany Ann said. “In fact, why don’t you just come live with us?” She straightened and looked at Kevin. “We have that big farmhouse, and he could be on the main level.”
Holly Ann tucked her hair behind her ear and slid a glance at Bethany Rose’s husband. Kevin was a saint, that was for sure, but he didn’t want his father-in-law living with him.
“Beth, baby,” he said. “Your daddy doesn’t want to come live on a noisy ranch. I think the whole point is for him to have a place to relax.”
“Don’t get a condo then, Daddy,” Holly Ann said. “Go with the planned community. Is it that one over by Wilde and Organic?”
“Yep, that’s the one.” He looked from Holly Ann to Bethany Rose. “I know this house is where you grew up. I just can’t take care of it anymore, and I have this feeling like the Lord needs it for someone else. A young family like we were once, who wants a big yard with lots of room for their kids and dogs to run around in.” He smiled fondly, and Holly Ann’s memories streamed through her head too.
“It’s okay, Daddy,” Holly Ann said. “We’ll be okay coming to a different house for holidays.” She nudged Bethany Rose’s knee, and her sister looked at her with wide eyes. “I’m a little worried about one thing, though,” she said.
“What’s that?” Daddy asked.
“Will they let you put up your own security cameras on the exterior of the house in that planned community?” She cocked her head and grinned at him. “They have rules about that kind of stuff, you know.”
Bethany Rose burst out laughing, and Daddy rolled his eyes.
“All right,” he said, heaving himself out of the recliner when the timer on the oven went off. “Come eat. We’ll do presents after dinner, just like we always do.”
Holly Ann got to her feet and pulled her sister to her feet. “Come on, Bethy.” She drew her into a hug. “You don’t want Daddy at the ranch. Can you imagine?” They giggled together, and Holly Ann whispered, “Besides, aren’t you and Kevin trying for a baby?”
“Yes,” she whispered back. “It’s just not going very well.”
Holly Ann increased her grip on her sister. “I’m so sorry, sweetie.”
Bethany Rose held her tight too, and Holly Ann pressed her eyes closed, a prayer streaming through her mind for her sister and her husband. When they parted, their eyes met, and Holly Ann simply nodded.
“Where’s Ace?” Bethany Rose asked. “I thought he’d be here. Christmas Eve and all, with you two being so serious.”
Holly Ann yanked on the chain holding her emotions in place. “Uh, yeah. He broke up with me.”
“What?” Bethany Rose screeched, and that brought Kevin’s and Daddy’s attention to them from the kitchen.
Holly Ann waved at Bethany Rose to get her to be quiet, but she either didn’t see or didn’t care. “Why did he break up with you? You two are so cute together, and he—I just know he loves you. He came to my birthday dinner alone, for crying out loud.” She stared at Holly with wide eyes filled with shock.
Holly Ann looked at Daddy, pleading with him to help her. She hadn’t told him about the break-up either, but surely he would connect all the dots as to why Ace had broken up with her. He was a brilliant detective, after all.
But he said nothing. He stood in the kitchen with a serving spatula in his hand, his face full of surprise too. Kevin seemed to know when to stay out of things, and he simply took a seat at the dining room table.
Holly Ann couldn’t hold back a hurricane, and her eyes filled with tears. Her chest tightened as if someone had put it in a vice, and everything felt so twisted. Her life made no sense without Ace Glover in it.
“I just needed to get through the Christmas Festival,” she said as the tears fell down her face. Bethany Rose rushed at her and held her tight again, and a few moments later, Daddy arrived on the scene. “I was just too busy and didn’t have time for him.”
“Holly Ann,” he said, his voice firm but full of compassion and kindness. “He knew about the Christmas Festival.”
Translation: There has to be something more.
She hiccuped, which sent a sharp pain through her ribs and into her spine. She wanted to be alone, but if she was, this storm would howl for a while. She hated the cramped, hot feeling that came with crying, but she couldn’t stop herself.
“He’s smart,” she said, her voice pinched and pitched toward the rafters. “He figured some stuff out and knew I’d been lying to him.”
Daddy pulled in a breath, but Bethany Rose stepped back, frowns for miles on her face. “Lying to him? About what?” She looked toward Daddy, who had his eyes trained on the ground. She retreated further. “Something’s going on that I don’t know about.”
Holly Ann’s panic reared again. Bethany Rose hated being left out of things, and the three of them didn’t keep secrets. They confided in one another, and they’d been close for decades.
This was going to devastate her too.
Holly Ann couldn’t bring herself to say anything to her sister, just like she hadn’t to Ace. Everything scrambled in her head, and she sank onto the loveseat she’d been about to pass on her way to dinner.
She put her head in her hands and commanded herself to think.
When problems arose during the festival, she stopped and brainstormed solutions. She and Rachel and the rest of the team found ways to fix the issues, by all of them coming together for a common purpose: put on the best festival Three Rivers had ever seen.
They’d done it.
Well, almost.
There was still one more event—the New Year’s Eve parade, but everything was set for it. There were no more craft classes, and no more tastings. No more contests, and no more free movie nights or ice skating afternoons.
No more Santa visits.
“Daddy,” Holly Ann said as she lifted her head. “Ace knows. Bethany Rose deserves to know.”
“Did he tell anyone?”
Holly Ann shrugged. “I have no idea. We broke up a week ago.” She thought of Ace, and his good heart. His kind, hardworking spirit. She thought of his quick smile, and his acceptance of her schedule, her desires, her life. Just her. He accepted her.
“I doubt he told anyone,” she said quietly. “He’s not that kind of man.” He wasn’t vindictive or revengeful. He was hurt, and he felt betrayed. She’d seen that in his eyes seven days ago.
How do I erase that from his soul? she wondered. How?
She rose to her feet, her mind clear and the solution forward obvious. “Bethany Rose,” she said. She wiped her face and squared her shoulders. She stood taller than her sister and weighed at least forty pounds more. “Daddy’s been—”
“Holly Ann,” Daddy said sharply.
She met his eye with a glare of her own. “The truth is how this family stays strong,” she said evenly. She gestured to Kevin. “Come sit down for another minute, okay? Then we can eat.”
Her tiredness almost overcame her, but Holly Ann could do this. Then she’d eat candied ham and plenty of bread, mashed potatoes, and pie. Everything would feel good again, and she’d sleep in her childhood bedroom for one more Christmas Eve.
Kevin joined Bethany Ann on the couch, and Holly Ann stepped over to her father’s side. He still didn’t look happy, but he didn’t try to stop her again.
“Bethany Rose,” she said. “Daddy’s been playing Santa for the Christmas Festival here in town for forty-seven years.”
Her sister’s eyes flew to their father. “What?”
“Remember how we used to be so confused when he’d just disappear? He said there were cases, but there weren’t. He’d tell Mom that he had to run to the station, but then he’d be gone all evening.” She cut a look at Daddy out of the corner of her eye. “He was dressing up as Santa and going to the mall.”
Bethany Rose looked half-confused and half-scared.
“Well, he passed the torch to me four years ago,” she said. “The Broadbents have been playing Santa for generations here in this town, and it was my turn. But no one knows who Santa is, right? It’s always been a hugely guarded town and festival secret, and Daddy swore me to secrecy. It’s even become part of the festival—guess who Santa is.” She swallowed and centered her thoughts again.
“I haven’t told anyone—not you, my favorite person on the planet—and not Ace.” Fresh tears threatened to burn down her face again, but she managed to keep them from doing so. “He found out anyway, because I guess that’s what happens when you spend a lot of time together with someone, and you tell them things you’ve never told anyone, and you open doors in your life you’ve never opened before.”
Holly Ann wished the ground would open up and swallow her whole. It would be far less painful than standing there, talking about Ace and the relationship she’d allowed herself to have with him. It would be far less horrifying than watching Bethany Rose’s betrayal roll across her face.
“We should’ve told you,” Holly Ann said. “Both of you. I’m so sorry.” She pressed her palms together, forcing her mind to quiet again. “There. That’s it.” She looked at Daddy. “Unless you have something to say?”
He looked torn for a moment, and then he sighed. “I was taught that the secret of Santa Claus should be kept no matter what.” He moved his eyes from Holly Ann to Bethany Rose and Kevin on the couch. They’d clasped hands, so at least she wouldn’t be dealing with this alone. Kevin actually smiled, like this
was no big deal.
Holly Ann realized something then—this was no big deal. This was a children’s fantasy, and while she didn’t want to break any hearts by telling them Santa wasn’t real, she certainly didn’t have to suffer with one of her own.
“But I can see that times change,” Daddy said. “As long as we can keep the secret within our own family, I think we’ll be okay.”
Silence filled the house for several long moments. Then Bethany Rose asked, “So I shouldn’t guess that Holly Ann is Santa on the Two Cents app?”
Another beat of silence passed, and then all four of them burst out laughing. It rang through Holly Ann’s ears, and filled her chest, and lifted her soul. She shook her head and wiped her face again. She’d need to get down the hall to the bathroom to make sure she didn’t have black streaks across her face.
“No,” she said. “Don’t say it’s me in that poll.” She’d asked Ward to put the poll on the Two Cents app, and it was really fun for her to see the results coming in, especially because they updated hourly.
Not a single person had suspected it was her—except for Ace.
Ace. You need to go talk to Ace.
“Listen,” she said. “Can we get this show on the road? I have someone else I need to go talk to tonight.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Ace lay on the couch in the living room at Bull House, something on the television in front of him. He was skipping dinner with the family, which was saying something, because it was Sunday and Christmas Eve.
Bishop, Mister, and Ward had been decorating True Blue for a week, transforming the barn into Country Christmas Central, with poinsettias, pine wreaths, and pounds of garland. Bright tinsel caught his eye when he went out to work on the ranch in the mornings, and Ace had watched the florist deliver huge displays of festive flowers for the centerpieces.
Sammy’s parents had come, and Montana’s extended family, including her daughter’s boyfriend and his family. Ace knew Tripp and Ivory Walker, and he didn’t mind that their numbers kept swelling and swelling.
