Zach had a brother. Zach had told her sisters about his brother and not Georgie. Granted, she hadn’t asked. Still, she should’ve known, shouldn’t she? He’d stopped Georgie at his sixty-second short. Apparently, the same rule hadn’t applied to her family. He was a stranger and seemingly fit in with her family better than she did. Something close to jealousy curved around her spine, tapping her guilt aside.
“We’re so happy for you.” Fee hugged Georgie.
Georgie embraced her sister and searched for the catch. One conversation with Zach and they suddenly believed Georgie and Zach were a real couple. How could that even be possible? Georgie pulled away and studied her sisters. Was that the catch? Were they calling Georgie’s bluff? She should confess. End it all.
Her gaze landed on Zach, surrounded by her Blackwell cousins and Conner. The group laughed and shared high fives. Zach received several slaps on the back. She heard the words: bull. Eight seconds. Intense. One time only. Then more laughter ensued, and more stories dropped between the men.
Zach grinned at her and she felt the warm intensity of his gaze all the way to her toes. He’d lost his brother and his parents. He was completely alone. She’d promised to help him with Ethan. His horse had to be extremely sick for him to fly to Falcon Creek the week before Christmas.
If she confessed, Zach would be expected to leave. She knew nothing about horses. She needed her family to help Zach. And she wanted to give him something. She held her silence and her secret.
“Let’s get settled. It’s almost time to begin.” Lily guided the sisters toward a table near the fireplace. Conner was already seated there, holding a large cup of coffee.
“I can’t wait for the team scavenger hunt.” Fiona slid onto a wide bench.
“Team?” Georgie said. “Then we can be Team Harrison.”
“You’re already on a team,” Lily said. “With Zach.”
Lily drew out Zach’s name in several extended syllables, as if emphasizing the obvious. But Zach wasn’t Georgie’s person. Not the one Georgie automatically reached for. Georgie relied on herself and she’d been doing quite well. Besides, she hadn’t been part of a couple in years. It wasn’t her fault she didn’t think like one.
Zach rose as if Lily had called him and moved from the table with the Blackwell brothers to theirs. He set a napkin-covered plate in front of Georgie and sat in the empty chair beside her. “Thought you might be hungry.”
Zach had no problem thinking about Georgie, his supposed other half. Her sisters’ approval swept across the square table. Georgie’s stomach cramped and not from hunger. Her overly enthusiastic thank-you overtook her cringe.
“It’s a couple’s scavenger hunt.” Fiona jumped up and greeted her boyfriend with a long, tight embrace.
Fiona’s hug surrounded Simon and his enveloped her. The power in the affection between the pair radiated joy around them. Georgie searched for the name of that particular hug. It had to have a name. If she could name it, she’d know if she’d ever experienced an embrace like that.
Simon and Fee settled on the bench across from Georgie. The embrace had ended, but the joy lingered, as if powered by the pair’s connection.
Lily drew Georgie’s focus back to her. “The winning team gets an all-expenses-paid four-day and three-night trip to an adult-only spa and resort in Sedona.”
“The losing couples babysit and step in to run things while the winners enjoy their leisure time away.” Fiona leaned across the table and peered under the napkin at Georgie’s food.
There it was again. That word and thing that Zach and Georgie were not—a couple. And they wouldn’t be there to help. Georgie glanced at Zach. “We should sit this one out.”
“Zach, I need to tell you something.” Lily sighed as if she’d expected Georgie’s statement. “I know you’ve learned a lot about our sister, but you should be aware she’s averse to fun.”
“I am not.” Georgie pulled the napkin off the plate and nudged the plate into the center of the table for everyone to share. Her own appetite dwindled.
“Yes, you are.” Fee snatched a cranberry-orange muffin from the plate and handed half to Simon. “You stopped playing pretend with us in the fourth grade. Then in eighth grade you declared board games interfered with your studies. Don’t get me started on high school.”
Fiona’s mouth dipped as if she’d been hurt by Georgie’s decisions. She’d had a goal to achieve and a medical degree to receive. Besides, Amanda, Lily and Fiona had their own interests and they’d stopped including her. Georgie acknowledged her own twinge of pain and tucked it away.
“I believe your exact words to us were winning at cards isn’t going to get me to the next level, you guys. This is serious.” Lily leaned into Conner. His arm curved around her waist, as if comforting her.
As if Georgie had hurt Lily, too. But Georgie had been the outsider. The one not included in Amanda and Lily’s private jokes. The one not asked on the double date with the Harrison sisters. Georgie straightened her shoulders, resisting the urge to tilt toward Zach.
“Georgie, the only team you joined was the soccer team.” Fee frowned. “And that was to round out your college application profile.”
Her sisters made her sound like a bad person. A bad sister. A sour taste coated her throat. “Getting into medical school was cutthroat.”
“Georgie was the MVP of the high school varsity soccer team all four years,” Lily added.
Why was that such an awful thing? “I worked hard.”
“That’s all you do.” Fee tipped her head and considered Georgie. Worry was etched in her face and clear in her words. “You work hard and harder still. Always focused on work and that next level.”
She had goals to reach. That required focus and dedication. But had she missed out on the fun and games over the years? She shook her head. She wasn’t the carefree type. Never had been. Her sisters knew that. Yet she set her hand flat on the table as if she’d been knocked off balance.
“Please don’t turn the scavenger hunt into work.” Lily set her hand on top of Georgie’s on the table. “Just have fun with it.”
How was she supposed to do that? What if she ruined it for Zach? Georgie pulled her hand away from Lily and turned to Zach. “They’re right. Maybe you should find another partner.”
“Not happening.” Zach reached over, grabbed her hand and looked her in the eyes. “I choose you.”
I choose you. Georgie locked onto Zach’s gaze—serious and intense. He meant it. And three simple words gave her the courage and the permission to participate. Three simple words gave her a place to belong: on Zach’s team. Too bad it was only for a scavenger hunt. Georgie tugged on her hand. Zach tightened his grip. Georgie gave in. She liked holding Zach’s hand. Liked how they fit together. She firmed her hold and settled in beside him. She’d remind herself to let go tomorrow.
Zach bumped his shoulder against hers. “Georgie and I had fun shopping for Lily and Conner’s wedding present.”
“Time out.” Lily made a letter T with her hands. “Georgie shopped for our wedding gift.”
“Yes,” Georgie hedged.
“With Zach,” Fee clarified.
“It’s not a big deal.” Georgie massaged her temple. A headache pulsed. Nothing coffee and caffeine wouldn’t cure. “Can we get back to the hunting game?”
“I’m stuck on you shopping,” Lily said.
“Me too,” Fee said. “So, Lily isn’t getting money like always.”
“Nothing wrong with money,” Georgie muttered. Just as there was nothing wrong with her.
“It’s impersonal.” Zach leaned fully into Georgie’s side.
Georgie’s voice rose. “Money is useful and practical.”
“I’m with Zach on this one,” Fee said. “It’s impersonal.”
Georgie glanced around the table. Conner drank his coffee, bu
t his wince remained around his eyes. Lily nodded. Simon picked up a croissant from the plate and shrugged an apology to her. Georgie groaned. “Can we just move on, please? I shopped. It’s no big deal.”
Fiona raised her hand. “First, when Simon and I get married, we want a real gift, too.”
“A really good one.” Simon kissed Fee on her cheek. “Although, nothing can top being with Fiona.”
That joy sparked off Fee and Simon again. Georgie sighed, refusing to admit it was for her sister’s happiness. “Can we concentrate on the hunt? I need the rules so I can figure out how to win.”
Lily eyed Georgie. “You don’t always have to win.”
“What’s the point of playing if not to win?” Georgie asked.
Fee lifted her hand, joined with Simon’s. “It’s really an excuse to spend more time together.”
“I don’t know.” Conner rubbed his chin and tipped his coffee cup toward Georgie. “I’m kinda with Georgie on this one. It’s definitely more fun to win.”
Conner tallied another checkmark in the hard-to-dislike column. Georgie wasn’t sure Conner had any negative qualities.
“Don’t worry. We’re going to win,” Lily declared. “It’s our wedding week and all the good luck is with us.”
Katie approached their table and set her hand on Georgie’s shoulder. The amused delight in her words lifted over the other conversations. “Hey, you guys, we have some excited newcomers over here who believe they can actually win.”
Laughter echoed around the room. Chance pounded a drumroll on the table. “Let’s get our lists and get this hunt started.”
“We’re just waiting on Grandma Dot. She had to run back to the house for something.” Katie released Georgie’s shoulder, pressed one hand to her stomach and stopped in front of Jon and Lydia’s Santa’s Wish List tree. A scowl settled on her face. “I did not request another goat named Gilly. We have more than enough goats.”
“Not according to Billy. He’s requested a female goat.” Ethan Blackwell unzipped his coat, brushed snow from his dark hair and stepped beside Katie. He plucked the goat wish off the tree and attached it to an even higher branch between two giggling elves.
Katie shoved Ethan. “That’s not fair.”
Zach stiffened beside Georgie. His narrowed gaze tracked Ethan and Katie. Had he spoken to Ethan already? Had it gone badly? Georgie squeezed his hand hard, drawing his attention to her. She whispered, “You okay?”
He blinked and his shoulders lowered. “Yeah. Too much French toast.”
Georgie nodded, but couldn’t quite accept his excuse.
He nudged his elbow into her side, disrupting her inquiry. He asked, “Was your family like this?”
“Not as loud.” But the good-natured teasing and laughter, the Harrisons had enjoyed that.
Ethan’s quick laughter faded beneath his frown. He gripped another Santa wish and hollered, “I definitely did not ask Santa for a range dedicated to bow-and-arrow practice.”
“I did on your behalf, Ethan.” Hadley raised her hand from across the room. “You can’t keep using the side of the old barn.”
Ethan set his hands on his hips. “I’ve been using that very same barn for target practice since I was a little kid.”
Georgie and Amanda had faced off in much the same way over the years. Hands on their hips, feet planted. Neither one backing down. The source of their dispute hadn’t been a barn, but their shared desk. Amanda had always wanted to examine her animal rescues on the desk. Georgie had always wanted to dissect something under her microscope. Lily had usually ended their standoffs, suggesting that if Georgie helped Amanda she’d be done faster. And, surely, Amanda could give Georgie a hair or a feather to look at under her microscope. Both sisters had won and had fun. Then they’d grown up and the fun waned.
Yet the Blackwells hadn’t stopped having fun.
Grace rushed across the dining hall, set her laptop bag on the empty table behind Georgie and Zach. She plopped down onto a chair and looked at Georgie. “Did I miss anything?”
Only a brief dissection of my inability to have fun now. Georgie shook her head. “Dorothy isn’t here yet.”
Zach added, “They’re debating Santa wishes now.”
Grace laughed. “This should be entertaining.”
Georgie was content with anything that shifted the focus away from her. Could she find her fun again? Could she and her sisters be like the Blackwells?
“Let’s ask our resident medical doctor.” Ethan waved toward Georgie’s table. “Georgie, do you agree that it’s healthy to relieve stress on a daily basis?”
Just like that, Georgie had the attention of the entire room.
“I’m sure my sister has done extensive research and a paper on that exact topic,” Lily offered.
“Georgie has completed more research than several doctoral candidates combined.” Fiona grinned. “We consider her an authority on most things.”
Pride and respect framed Fiona’s tone. Her words were not intended to sound mean-spirited. Fiona didn’t possess a cruel bone in her body. Georgie winced even as she couldn’t stop herself from reciting the facts. “According to the studies, stress can affect clotting factors in the blood and that can lead to a heart attack.”
“I shoot arrows at the barn to relieve stress, Hadley.” Ethan crumpled Hadley’s Santa wish into a ball and shot it into the trash can. “As it’s good for my heart, the barn has to stay. Otherwise, if I get heart disease, you’ll be to blame, Hadley. Isn’t that right, Georgie?”
Not again. Georgie solved theories inside a lab. She never took sides in a family debate. What if she chose the wrong side? “Um…”
“It’s not good for the guests’ hearts to see an entire barn littered with arrows.” Hadley propped her feet on an empty chair, touched her stomach and refused to back down. “You need a new place for target practice and a change in your diet, Ethan. No more fried chicken.”
“I’m keeping that barn. It’s part of Dr. Harrison’s healthy lifestyle orders.” Ethan fist-bumped Georgie and ignored the change in his diet recommendation. “Besides, Hadley, you took all the other barns on the ranch from us.”
“He’s not wrong.” Ben came swiftly to his twin’s defense.
The sisters had been quick to defend each other over the years, too. Would they defend her decisions now? Sweat broke out on the back of her neck as if she was sitting too close to the massive fireplace.
Ethan gained ground. “You confiscated the large barn for the spa.”
“Which you’ve been seen enjoying more than once since it opened,” Hadley challenged. “Spas are also an appropriate stress reliever. Right, Georgie?”
Everyone’s focus swung back to Georgie. Her own internal stress increased, initiating her fight-or-flight response. Zach’s knee bumped against hers. She scooted closer, until they touched from knee to thigh, and everything inside her settled. She opened her mouth.
But a movement near the Christmas trees had diverted Hadley’s attention. “Chance Blackwell, don’t you dare.” Hadley’s sharp tone pulled everyone’s focus away from Georgie.
Chance stood in front of Hadley and Ty’s DIY tree, his hand wrapped around a plush scarf Hadley had cleverly used as garland. He straightened, not appearing guilty in the least. “My wife is cold.”
Katie rubbed her hands together. “Sorry. He’s right.”
Chance tugged the scarf free and wrapped it around Katie’s shoulders. “You can’t yell at another pregnant person. It’s like a rule.”
Hadley poked Ty in the side. “Put some more wood in the fire.”
“Now I’m getting yelled at for something my brother did.” Ty kissed Hadley on the mouth, rose and added wood to the fire. “Just like old times.”
“Some things never change,” Ben called out.
Ty snatched a candy cane off Kat
ie and Chance’s whimsical Candyland tree.
Katie laughed. “Now I know who’s been eating our tree.”
Ty tossed the candy cane to Conner and grabbed another one. Ty lifted his eyebrows up and down. “I’m not the only one with a sweet tooth.”
Conner tucked the candy cane into his pocket. “The cherry-flavored ones are addicting.”
“Conner Hannah,” Katie chided. “Wait until next year. I’m going to steal things from your tree.”
That launched a lively debate about possible themes for next year’s trees. Even Lily and Fee offered their opinions. No one was safe from criticism or censure. Approval was also just as easily doled out. However, the sides kept changing, making it impossible to track who was supporting whom.
Zach looked at Grace behind them. “Is it always like this?”
“Yes. Once you’re in with the Blackwell family, you’re in,” Grace said. “It has nothing to do with blood ties and everything to do with family.”
“Have people not been let in?” Zach asked.
“Definitely,” Grace said. “Believe it or not, the Blackwells are quite exclusive and extremely protective. Don’t let this bantering and carrying on fool you.”
“Why weren’t the others accepted?” Georgie asked.
“They misunderstood what it means to be a Blackwell,” Grace said.
“What does it mean?” Zach asked.
“That’s just it.” Grace set her hand on Georgie’s arm and squeezed. “You have to figure that one out for yourself.”
But Georgie hadn’t asked to be a Blackwell. Bonding with her extended family had never been a consideration. Even if she recognized the same good humor and entertaining nature that her own family once shared.
Georgie had a schedule to keep.
Ten days at the ranch. Ten days to make certain her sisters were well cared for and in the right place. Ten days to tell her family about her overseas, chance-of-a-lifetime job. Then she had one day to return to North Carolina. Two days to ship her belongings, turn in her apartment keys and fly across the ocean to her new life.
She did not have time in her schedule to figure out what being a Blackwell meant to her.
Harlequin Heartwarming December 2020 Box Set Page 9
