Boughs of Holly

by Shanna Hatfield

  “Everything?” he asked, thinking of the Christmas towel and snow globe in the kitchen. He spied an angel carved of wood on the table by the front door. “Are those Christmas things yours?”

  “They are. I haven’t had them out of my box of treasures for years. There isn’t a single sock or hairpin left in my suitcases. If you’ll have me, I promise I’ll never leave again, unless you ask me to. Please, may I stay?”

  Seth didn’t know what to say. Here was what he dreamed of, longed for. Holly held it all out to him in the palm of her lovely hand.

  “That depends,” he said, bringing her fingers up to his mouth and kissing the tip of each one. He watched the reaction in her eyes, saw the flames of desire ignite and the love that glowed there brighten, sure and steady.

  “On what?” she asked, taking two steps closer until she could loop her hands behind his neck.

  Seth settled his hands on her waist and picked her up, bringing her lips up to his. “Who’s cooking steak for dinner?”

  “That’d be me. It’s oven steak and I made enough for three of us.” She looked at him with a saucy grin. “My vegetarian kick was inspired by my mother. She’d have ten kinds of fits if she knew I loved bacon and beef, but there it is just the same. Besides, a rancher’s wife can’t be expected to keep tofu on hand, can she?”

  Seth smiled, his heart ready to burst with joy. “No, she certainly can’t.”

  “Would you two just kiss and get on with it!” Sam yelled from the family room where he sat in his recliner, watching their every move.

  “Yes, sir,” Seth said, pressing his lips to Holly’s as he swept her into the kitchen, out of Sam’s view.

  Later, much later, after she’d begged for his forgiveness and he’d willingly given it, Holly and Seth sat on the couch watching the lights twinkle on the tree while the fire crackled in the fireplace.

  Seth lifted her to sit on his lap and wrapped his arms right along with his love around her.

  “I think I believe in Santa Claus again,” he whispered as he inhaled the luscious fragrance of her.

  She tipped her head back and looked up at him. “I never stopped, but what makes you say that?”

  “Because your love is the very best gift I’ve ever received and all I ever really wanted. I don’t know if it’s love in the air or the magic of Christmas, but this has been my favorite holiday season, ever.”

  “It’s love, Seth. It’s sweet, sweet love.” Holly’s kiss proved she was right.

  There was nothing quite like the love of Christmas.

  Oven Steak Recipe

  I will admit it — we are beef eaters at our house. One of Captain Cavedweller’s favorite things in the world is a thick, juicy steak. I tried making oven steak for the first time when we were all set to grill steaks and realized the barbecue was out of fuel. I decided to attempt cooking them in the oven. That turned out to be a delicious decision! Oven steaks don’t take long to cook and as long as you are careful to not overcook them, can be every bit as delicious as a steak right off the grill!

  Rib eye steak, approximately 1 ½ inches thick

  Oil

  Salt and pepper

  Seasoning (steak seasoning or Mrs. Dash will work)

  Place a large cast-iron skillet in the oven and heat oven to 475 degrees F. While the oven heats, bring steak to room temperature.

  Turn a burner on medium-high heat, remove skillet from oven, and set on burner.

  Lightly coat the steaks with oil then sprinkle both sides with a generous pinch of salt. Add pepper and seasoning to taste.

  Place the steaks in the middle of the dry skillet and cook one minute without moving. Using tongs, turn the steaks and cook another 30 seconds then put the pan straight into the oven for approximately two minutes. Flip steaks over and cook another two minutes. (Time is approximate for a medium-rare steak. If you prefer medium, add a minute to each side.)

  Remove the skillet from the oven and the steak from the skillet onto a platter. Tent with foil and allow meat to rest a few minutes before serving.

  Thank you for reading Boughs of Holly. I’d be so grateful if you’d share a review so other readers might discover this heartwarming holiday series. Even a line or two is appreciated more than you can know.

  Read the rest of the books in the

  Friendly Beasts of Faraday series!

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  If you enjoyed meeting Seth, Holly, Sam, Ivy and baby Rudy, be sure you read Wings of An Angel, the fourth book in the Friendly Beasts of Faraday series!

  The last thing she needs is a romance . . .

  The first thing he intends to do is make her fall in love

  Wings of An Angel (Book 4) — Veterinarian Angela Carol escaped her past and started a brand new life in the friendly community of Faraday. Her charming little boy, Nick, a thriving practice, and a comfortable home are all she needs to be happy. At least that’s what she continually tells herself. But her traitorous heart longs for Nick’s teacher, a man who’s become her best friend. With no intention of falling in love again, she struggles to keep her thoughts and heart in line where Drake is concerned.

  Drake Miller had plans to be the next NBA star, but when an injury left him sidelined in college, he decided to teach and return to his hometown of Faraday. There’s nothing he enjoys quite as much as shaping the minds of the first grade students in his classroom, unless it’s making Angela Carol smile. The first time he saw her, he knew he was a goner, but the widow has made it clear she has no interest in getting involved in a relationship. How can he prove to her that it’s worth taking a chance on love?

  The unlikely team of Nick, along with his pet sheep, Shep, and a dove named Jasper, work to spread a little romance along with holiday cheer. Will their efforts be enough to unite Drake and Angela in time for a Christmas miracle?

  Enjoy discovering the answer in this sweet Christmas romance filled with the spirit of the season and tenderness sure to touch your heart.

  Turn the page for an excerpt…

  Drake Miller glanced at the clock on the wall across from his big oak desk and stood as the five-minute bell rang. “It’s time to put your things away and get ready to go home,” he said, smiling at the fifteen little faces staring up at him in Faraday School’s first grade classroom. “Billy’s row goes first today.”

  The students put away pencils and crayons, shoved books and papers into their desks, and then filed to the back of the room in a somewhat orderly fashion due to Drake’s diligence in teaching the students over the past three months of classes.

  Hooks and shelves were soon emptied of coats and bags.

  “Good job, everyone!” Drake praised. The students kept the noise level down and no one got into a shoving match as the children made their way back to their desks with their things.

  A tap at the classroom door drew his gaze to the portal as one of the office aides opened it and stuck her head inside. “I have a message for you, Mr. Miller.”

  “Thanks, Sienna,” Drake said, crossing the room and taking the message from the high school student. Aware the sixteen-year-old had a crush on him, he was careful to do nothing to encourage her attentions. Politely, he nodded his head as she backed out of the room, gawking at him with a lovestruck look on her face. He quietly closed the door and opened the message.

  After reading it, he tossed it on his desk and turned his gaze to one of his best students, an imp of a boy sitting at the front o
f the center row of desks. “Nick. Your mom is running late. She’d like you to wait here with me for a few minutes. Okay, buddy?”

  Nick nodded and set his coat on top of his desk as though the news was not unexpected.

  “All right. Formation time, class! Emily, let’s start with your row. Everyone, line up behind her.” Drake watched as the students got in line, eager to be released from school for the day.

  When the bell rang, Drake opened the classroom door and bid each student goodbye as they made their way outside to the big yellow buses or to greet parents who awaited them.

  He watched to make sure all of his students made it outside where the aide on duty kept an eye on the youngsters.

  Assured all was well, he stepped back into his classroom and smiled at Nick. The boy had moved to the carpeted area where Drake read aloud to the students. That corner of the room was surrounded with shelves full of books. A big rocking chair his brother, Drew, had helped him rescue from a roadside garbage pile provided a place for him to sit while the students gathered around him on the soft carpet. It had taken him and Drew two days to scrape off the lime green paint that covered the rocking chair and refinish it, but when they were done, the chair looked great, especially padded with a thick cushion his mom made for the seat.

  Nick sat on the carpet with his back against a shelf with a book in his hands. The boy loved to read, but then again, Nick Carol was a bright, inquisitive student who kept Drake on his toes.

  If he played favorites, which he absolutely tried to never do, Nick would have been at the top of the list. Drake liked to think his feelings toward the boy had nothing to do with the fact he’d been in love with Nick’s mother since she moved to Faraday three years ago. The first time he’d bumped into Angela Carol at the grocery store, he’d felt sharp, breath-stealing pain rip through his chest. He’d known in that moment she’d captured his heart. Unfortunately, the young widow didn’t seem to return his feelings or have any romantic inclinations toward him.

  Not that he’d worked up the courage to ask her out. He’d stood back and watched her turn down offers for dates from just about every eligible bachelor in town, and a few who weren’t. Perhaps because he hadn’t asked her out, Angela had gifted him with her friendship. Although he wanted more, so much more, he was grateful to have that much from her.

  Angela was a beautiful, smart, successful woman. She’d moved to town and gone into practice with old Doc Johnson who had been Faraday’s veterinarian for as long as Drake could remember. When Doc retired a year ago, Angela bought the business and now served as the lone veterinarian in Faraday. She worked long, tiring hours and often took Nick with her on her calls since she had no family in town to help with her son’s care.

  Drake had even watched Nick a few times when Angela was in a bind. He didn’t mind, though. Nick had stolen his heart just as much as Angela had.

  “Hey, buddy, want to help me with…” Drake’s words trailed off when a loud thump at the window drew his attention.

  Nick jumped up and ran over to the window. He stood on tiptoe to look out where a bird had flown into the glass and landed in the landscape bark beneath the window.

  “Look, Mr. Miller!” Nick pointed to the bird. “We have to help it!”

  “Okay, Nick. Get your coat and let’s go see what we can do.” Drake snatched his jacket from a hook and grabbed an empty shoebox from the supplies he kept in a tall cupboard near the coat area in the back of the room. He poked a few holes in the top, lined the box with an old towel from a pile of rags he kept in the cupboard, and hurried out of the room.

  Nick trailed after him, yanking on his coat and pulling his stocking cap from the pocket to cover his ears.

  Together, the two of them rounded the building and hurried over to the outside of Drake’s classroom.

  “Look, there,” Nick said, racing over to where the bird remained motionless between two trimmed boxwood hedges.

  “Careful, buddy,” Drake cautioned as he knelt by the bird. Gently, he picked it up. Although it looked dead, he could feel the steady beat of its heart. He placed it inside the towel-padded box and set the lid over it. He remembered Angela once telling a client who brought in a wounded bird that it just needed a few hours in the dark to recuperate.

  He hoped that would be the case with this bird. In spite of his mother being a vet, Nick struggled with injured animals. The little boy tried to drag home every stray and homeless animal he encountered.

  Angela had a dog, two cats, and a sheep because she couldn’t find homes for the animals after Nick insisted she help them.

  “Is he going to be okay, Mr. Miller?” Nick asked as they headed back to the classroom.

  “I think so, Nick. We’ll ask your mom when she gets here.” Drake walked inside the room and set the box on a corner of his desk.

  He took off his coat and hung it up, then smiled at Nick. “Want to help with chores?”

  The boy needed a distraction and Drake was always grateful for assistance with the routine he went through each day once the students left. It wouldn’t be the first time he’d set Nick to work after school. Angela couldn’t always get away from the vet clinic or make it back from a house call to arrive when school ended for the day. Drake was more than happy to keep an eye on the boy and the times Angela hadn’t been able to make it were few and far between, so he knew it wouldn’t become a habit.

  Nick left his coat on a hook by the door then ran over to the big cupboard where Drake took out a container of disinfectant wipes and handed it to Nick. “Go to town with it, bud.”

  “These smell like flowers. I like the orange ones best,” Nick said as he pulled a wipe from the container and rubbed it over the desk closest to him.

  “Smell preference noted,” Drake said, taking a handful of wipes to the other side of the room where he scrubbed off desks and chairs. Some might call it paranoid, but he did his best to keep germs to a minimum in his classroom. The daunting task seemed never ending with fifteen first graders, but he did his best. He’d instilled the need to cough and sneeze into their bent elbows, provided gallons of hand sanitizer, and encouraged students to wash their hands when they came in from recess and before eating. Every day after class, he disinfected desks, chairs, equipment, doorknobs, shelves, and even scissor handles and markers. It added a few extra minutes of work to his day, but it was worth it. Since school started in mid-August, the children who’d come to his class sniffling hadn’t shared it with the others and he’d remained healthy. Then again, Drake rarely got sick.

  “You’re doing great, Nick. I sure appreciate your help.”

  “You’re welcome, Mr. Miller.” Nick grinned at him as he started down another row of desks, wiping each surface with care. “Do you think my mom will be here soon?”

  Drake glanced at the clock. School had been out for nearly half an hour. “I’m sure she’ll come as soon as she can. Do you need a snack?”

  “Yep! Soon as we finish with this. Do you think Mom would mind if we went to your mom and dad’s place to wait for her?”

  Drake bit back a grin. One of Nick’s favorite places in Faraday was the café Drake’s parents owned and operated. His folks spoiled the boy anytime Angela brought him in. A few times when Angela needed a babysitter for an hour, Drake had taken Nick there to wait. His mother stuffed the boy full of warm cookies and cold milk, earning Nick’s loyalty for life.

  “Tell you what,” Drake said, hunkering down by Nick as they he wiped off the last desk in the row. “If your mom isn’t here by four, I’ll send her a text and take you to the café. Deal?”

  “Deal!” Nick said, rushing to finish the last desk.

  While Drake cleaned the rest of the classroom, Nick straightened books on the bookshelf and wiped the day’s lessons off the big whiteboard at the front of the room.

  “Mr. Miller?” Nick asked as he washed his hands at the small sink in the back corner of the room.

  “What do you need, Nick?” Drake asked as he gathered the
papers he’d take home to work on later and stuffed them inside his leather messenger bag.

  “Did you know my dad?” The boy stared at him as he wiped his hands on a paper towel then threw the towel in the trash.

  Drake shook his head. “I didn’t know your dad, Nick. Your mom moved here when you were three.”

  “Oh, that’s right.” Nick shrugged as he slowly meandered around the desks, as though he journeyed through an obstacle course. “Mom just talks about you a lot, is all.”

  Drake perked up at that bit of news. “She does? What does she talk about?”

  Another shrug. “Just how you’re one of her best friends. She doesn’t really have friends here. I think she’s always too busy.”

  “She is busy, but that’s because she works really hard so she can take good care of you.” Drake hunkered down in front of Nick again and placed a hand on the boy’s shoulder. “Your mom has more friends than she realizes. Everyone in the community appreciates her and the help she provides to the animals of Faraday.”

  “I know, but it’s not the same as a good friend, is it?” Nick rubbed a finger alongside his freckled nose and tipped his head to the side, awaiting Drake’s response.

  “No, I guess it isn’t quite the same. You’re a pretty smart guy, Nick. You know that?”

  The boy giggled. “That’s what my mom tells me, and she’s the smartest person I know.”