Kiss Me Under the Mistletoe: A Small Town Holiday Novella Collection

by Christine Kingsley

  “How could Grandma not have told us? What are we going to do?”

  Noelle sighed and rubbed her eyes. “I don’t know why she kept it to herself, but I’m going to fix things. I know enough about creating successful businesses. Surely I can salvage this one. I’ll stay here until I do.”

  And then what? The question was unspoken, but Noelle could read it in her sister’s eyes clearly enough. Natalie apparently thought Noelle was running from something. Well, she had made it clear to Finn the other day that she would head back to Denver as soon as she had the chance. As soon as she fixed the mess the ranch was in.

  But even though she’d been back less than two weeks, she was already settling in. She wasn’t sure she wanted to leave again. The idea of staying at Silver Acres and helping run the business held more appeal to her than she’d ever thought possible. But that would mean working with Finn. And she didn’t think she could do that now. She’d proven to herself in a very short time that she wasn’t able to guard her heart from him. And she wasn’t willing to open herself up to heartbreak again.

  Where did that leave her?

  “Will you help me, Nat? With the ranch? Your financial expertise is just what we need to figure out how things got so bad in the first place.”

  Natalie wrapped her arms around her sister and squeezed. “I think I can manage that. But only because I love you so much,” she added, smiling.

  “Thank you,” Noelle whispered, then squared her shoulders. “Now let’s finish unpacking and get started on cooking the biggest Thanksgiving feast Silver Acres has seen in years.”

  Thank goodness she had that to distract her. Otherwise she might have too much time to ponder her sister’s words and think about whether she really had been running all these years.

  But it didn’t take her mind off the fact that for the first time in years, she’d be sharing the holiday with Finn. And despite the fact that she’d pushed him away and said some nasty things that she didn’t actually mean, her heart gave a little leap at the idea.

  Chapter 6

  He should have just said thanks, but no thanks. It was a form of torture for Finn to head over to the ranch house for Thanksgiving and know he’d have to spend the entire afternoon with Noelle. But not with Noelle.

  But, of course, he’d said yes. It seemed he was a glutton for punishment. The last couple days had been miserable. Half of the time he was angry at himself for pushing Noelle too fast, too soon. He’d told himself all along that he had to tread carefully with her. Just like he’d expected, the minute there was a hint of something flaring back to life between them, she’d retreated.

  He’d spent the other half of his time angry with her. She was being stubborn and short-sighted, pushing him away before even giving him a chance. But something she’d said had nagged at him. “I’m shutting you out now?”

  Implying that he’d been the one to shut her out first. Is that how she saw things? That he’d pushed her away? The mere idea that she saw it that way had him feeling sick.

  They needed to have a talk. And soon. Something didn’t jive, and he had a sinking feeling that things had gone down wrong all those years ago. Something that neither of them had realized at the time.

  Was it possible they had thrown away their relationship unnecessarily? Or was it just wishful thinking on his part that she still harbored feelings for him? He didn’t know, but he was going to get to the bottom of it.

  After Thanksgiving.

  He knocked on the Silvermans’ front door, then smiled and embraced Grandma Beth when she answered it.

  “Finn, my dear boy,” she said, patting his back and giving him a kiss on the cheek before pulling back to give him a bright smile. “I’m so glad you came. It’s going to be a holiday to remember.”

  A new knot of dread formed in his stomach as the implication of her words hit home. “Beth, I don’t think today is the best day to go there.”

  “Nonsense. Noelle has been home for two weeks now, and she’s done nothing but talk about how she wants to take a bigger role in running the ranch for the last two days. If we play our cards right, she’ll be home for good in no time.”

  Finn glanced around the foyer into the adjoining rooms, but he didn’t see anyone around, and the voices that drifted in from the kitchen, mingled with the clanging of pots and pans and running water, indicated that cooking was still in full swing. Still, he didn’t want anyone to overhear their conversation.

  He gripped Beth’s arm and pulled her into the front parlor. “Don’t talk about it like that. You make it sound like we’re conspiring against her. When you know as well as I do that I want nothing to do with this scheme of yours.”

  “Oh, but don’t you?” Beth’s eyes gleamed with mischief. “Because I could have sworn that you’re just as in love with Noelle now as you ever were. Don’t tell me I’m wrong on that.”

  Finn heaved a frustrated sigh and rubbed his hand across his jaw. How could he explain it so Beth would understand? Her intentions were good, he knew that. But they were so very misplaced.

  He stared her in the eyes, trying to convey to her by sheer force of will that she couldn’t go through with her plans. “At least give me a little more time, will you? Today is not the day.” It was the furthest from it. In fact, never would be good as far as he was concerned. “I’d much rather you let me spend some more time with Noelle without…this hanging over my head.”

  But it was a futile attempt. How many times had they had this same conversation? From the minute he’d found out what Beth had in store as trustee of the ranch, he’d tried to convince her to change her mind. He’d never had any more success in persuading her than he did today.

  “Sorry, dear, but grandmother knows best. If I left it up to you, Noelle would be headed back to Denver on the first flight on Christmas day.”

  He gritted his teeth. “Didn’t you just say that she wants a bigger role in running the ranch? That’s progress, Beth. Don’t push her. If she really wants to be here, she’ll come around.”

  The woman had her granddaughters’ best interests at heart, but her methods of going about it were so far off the mark it wasn’t even funny.

  She reached up and patted his cheek. “Trust me, Finn.” Then she smiled and made her way back through the foyer and toward the kitchen.

  It was going to be a holiday to remember for sure. Finn just hoped it wasn’t going to be the day he looked back on and regretted for the rest of his life.

  Following Beth, he walked into the kitchen and was greeted with a chorus of welcome greetings. Natalie and Nicole were putting the finishing touches on some dessert, and a very flushed Noelle was working hard at carving up the turkey.

  “The Silverman sisters, all together. So good to see you ladies.” He smiled at them, then set down the vase of flowers he’d brought and went straight to Noelle. “Let me help you with that.”

  Noelle looked up at him, surprise on her face as he took the carving knife from her hands, and he gave her a small smile. They hadn’t seen each other since that heartstopping kiss—and subsequent argument—and he didn’t know how she would react to him being there.

  He was pleasantly surprised when she gave him a small smile in return, her eyes boring into his, full of question and…hope? For a minute, he felt relief. Things weren’t as bad as he’d thought. She’d just been scared by what had happened between them, and how quickly. But then he remembered what Beth had in store for them, and his relief vanished in a puff a smoke.

  “Happy Thanksgiving, Noelle,” he said, his voice rough with the effort to contain the flood of conflicting emotions raging through him.

  “I’m glad you’re here.” She stepped aside and let him take over carving the turkey, but she stayed close by.

  When he was done, she placed her hand on his arm and looked up at him earnestly. “Can we talk?” The look on her face made it clear she wanted to talk about what happened the other day, and the tentative smile she offered him nearly made his chest crac
k open.

  She was watching him expectantly, hopefully, and all he wanted to do was escape into another world with her and tell her he would do anything she asked if only she’d give him the chance to prove his love to her.

  He nodded, swallowing against the tightening of his throat that made it suddenly difficult to speak. “Sure. Let’s have dinner, and if you still want to talk after, I’d be happy to.”

  She smiled again, this time so brightly he wondered why they needed a Christmas tree to liven up the winter when they had Noelle. He tried to capture that image in his memory. Because he had a sinking feeling that if Beth went through with what she had planned, Noelle may never want to speak to him again.

  Noelle had spent the last two days thinking of nothing else but what Natalie had accused her of. Running away. She didn’t want to run anymore. And after lots of agonizing over it, she realized what she did want, more than anything.

  Finn.

  She just had to figure out if she was brave enough to take that risk. Being back at the ranch this time was a true homecoming for her. It had never felt like that in all the times she’d been back over the last six years. It wasn’t hard to see that being back with Finn made all the difference.

  It was terrifying to think about putting her heart on the line again. But she’d never stopped loving him, she knew that now. She just didn’t know where he stood. He’d told her all those years ago that her future wasn’t here in Willow Valley with him. While she’d wanted to get out of her small town and do something bigger with her life, she would have stayed if he’d asked her. She would have done exactly what her father expected and married Finn McCormack and taken over Silver Acres, just like everyone always thought they would.

  But he didn’t ask her. He had practically given her the final shove out the door when he told her they had no future. So she’d gone. She’d made a good life for herself, too. Everything she thought she wanted. At least, everything a younger version of herself thought she wanted.

  She could see clearly now that what she wanted wasn’t tied up in glittering city lights, glamorous parties and successful careers. What she wanted was to spend the rest of her life with the one man who knew her better than any other and gave her a sense of peace that she’d never known before or since.

  It had always been Finn, but she’d been hurt by his words back then. And too prideful to stick around after he’d spoken them.

  It was time to put old demons to rest and have a conversation they should have had six years ago. Her anticipation had her so on edge that she was aware of every movement, every breath coming from the man seated next to her as they shared their first holiday meal together in six years. She couldn’t wait to finish eating so they could put the past behind them and figure out where they might go from here.

  So distracted by her thoughts, Noelle barely participated in the lively conversation going on around her as Nicole told the family all about the outrageous parties she put together as an event planner in Las Vegas.

  Finally it seemed as if everyone had finished their meal, and Noelle pushed her seat back, ready to start dishing out dessert. It was as if what she’d ignored and denied for six long years couldn’t wait another minute to make its escape from where she’d hidden it deep in her heart.

  “Okay, who wants pumpkin pie?” She started to stand, but Grandma Beth cleared her throat.

  “Hold on just a minute there, will you, dear?” Her smile caused the creases around her eyes to deepen. “Now that I have all of you here together, there’s something I’d like to discuss.”

  Nicole tilted her head and wrinkled her nose. “What do you mean, Grandma? We’ve all been together since last night.”

  She shook her head slightly. “I wanted to wait until Finn was here because this concerns him too.”

  Noelle sighed impatiently, still standing. “Are we going to talk about the ranch right now? Can’t it wait? It is a holiday, after all.”

  “Sit down, Noelle,” her grandmother said softly, but in a voice firm enough to give no room for objection. “This is about family, so it’s the perfect time to discuss it.”

  Trying to abate her irritation, Noelle sat down again. She loved her grandmother dearly, and even if she was ready to be done with the dinner and moving on to a more pressing matter, she couldn’t begrudge her wanting to talk about family on Thanksgiving.

  She shot a look at Finn, hoping to catch his eye and let him know she still wanted to talk, but he was staring straight ahead, his back stiff, looking distinctly uncomfortable. What in the world was that about?

  Grandma Beth cleared her throat and looked at each of her granddaughters and Finn in turn. “As you know, I am trustee of this ranch. It was stipulated in your father’s will that I would maintain control of all assets until such a time—an undetermined length of time, at my discretion—as I saw fit to pass it down to you girls. As you also know, the gentlemen who took over operations and accounting of the ranch were not fit for the job.”

  Noelle saw a muscle tick in Finn’s jaw, and she could only imagine he must be blaming himself again. Her eyes then darted to each of her sisters’ in turn, their confusion and curiosity mirroring her own. The three of them had discussed the state of the ranch last night, as well as Noelle and Natalie’s intentions to stick around, at least through Christmas, to get things back on track—Noelle possibly longer, if not permanently. That had yet to be determined, something she hoped to figure out soon, if her grandmother would make her point and let her get on with her conversation with Finn.

  “As you also know, Finn has stepped up to the position of foreman, and is doing a more excellent job than your father or I ever could have hoped for.” Beth took a sip of water, and Noelle couldn’t stop herself from interjecting.

  “Grandma, we know all this. Is there something you want to tell us, or can we have this conversation another time?” She reached for Finn’s hand and squeezed, and he gripped her fingers back so tightly she jumped in surprise, shooting him worried look. He was acting almost as strangely as Grandma Beth.

  Clearing her throat again, Beth smiled. “There is much more that you don’t know, but I will get to that. You are aware that the mismanagement of the accounts is currently under investigation. I have asked Cash Warner to take over as head of financial operations until we can figure out a more permanent arrangement.”

  Natalie gasped, her fork clanging against her porcelain plate as she dropped it, apparently in shock. “Grandma! Not Cash. Anyone but him. Why would you pick such an obstinate and pompous jerk to handle our ranch?”

  Beth didn’t lose her cool for a second. “But that’s just it, dear. It isn’t your ranch. At least not yet. Besides, Mr. Warner is a very reputable accountant and he will be an asset to Silver Acres. In fact, I may suggest we bring him on permanently if he proves himself the way I believe he will.”

  Natalie’s face had turned red. “I will not stand for it. I’m going to be here working on the financials. We don’t need him.”

  “Oh, I think you do, dear. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised at what a great addition Cash will be.” Noelle thought Grandma Beth had that strange look in her eyes again, and when she glanced at Finn, she saw him scrutinizing both Natalie and Beth, his eyes flicking back and forth between the two of them before he closed his eyes and gave an almost imperceptible shake of his head.

  “I won’t work with him, that’s all there is to it,” Natalie continued.

  Beth went on as if she hadn’t even spoken. “So, now that that’s settled, there is another matter that I said I would get back to.”

  Noelle sank back in her chair, mystified. This had to be the strangest family discussion they’d ever had.

  “As I said, I am the trustee. But naturally I am expected to step down from that position and let you girls take over when I see fit. Your father specified that you should each have an equal share, but that it was only to fall to your hands when I had deemed you ready to take on such a huge responsibility
. That’s quite a task, you see, determining something like that. Taking over a business requires a certain amount of maturity and commitment.”

  Noelle felt Finn’s fingers twitch under hers. “Grandma, I’ve been overseeing businesses for year now. I think I’m pretty well-qualified. If you’re waiting for me to commit to the ranch, I think our conversations over the past few days should prove to you that I’m willing to go to great lengths to make sure things are running as they should.”

  “Yes,” her grandmother mused, “I would say that you’ve come quite a long way. But I don’t think you’re there quite yet.”

  She was starting to get frustrated. “Are you saying that you don’t think I can handle taking over? That you aren’t going to pass on my inheritance to me?”

  “Oh, I think you can handle it. But as I said, maturity and commitment are things that must be proven. Those are my criteria for determining when I should step aside.”

  Noelle blew out an impatient breath. “And how exactly are we supposed to prove that to you?” She glanced at Finn, hoping he wasn’t feeling uncomfortable bearing witness to this unconventional holiday conversation, but he wouldn’t meet her eyes. She saw him knit his eyebrows together and clench his jaw.

  “Marriage.”

  Noelle whipped her head back to Grandma Beth and put her finger to her ear, wiggling it around. She must have been distracted by Finn and not heard her grandmother correctly.

  “I’m sorry, what?” she said, at the exact same time that Natalie said, “Marriage?” and Nicole said, “You can’t be serious.”

  Noelle stared at Grandma Beth, certain that the old woman had lost her sanity somewhere along the way and no one had noticed until now. But she just sat there watching them, smiling serenely.

  “Grandma,” she said quietly, “I’m going to need a little more from you than that.”

  Beth nodded, still smiling. “You heard me correctly, girls. Marriage. There is no better way I can think of for you to demonstrate that you are mature and committed than the age-old institution of marriage.”