Mistletoe Mistake (River's End Ranch Book 35) Read online

  “Have a holly, jolly Christmas;

  It’s the best time of the year.

  I don’t know if there’ll be snow

  But have a cup of cheer,”

  Her pitch was perfect—even though her voice was a little wobbly as she watched the snow drifts out the window that were almost as high as her window.

  “Go on,” Aaron said with a smile as he slowed, made sure the SUV was in four-wheel drive and climbed over a snow bank that had formed in the middle of the road.

  Gillian hummed the tune for a minute while she caught up to the second verse.

  “Have a holly, jolly Christmas;

  And when you walk down the street

  Say Hello to friends you know

  And everyone you meet.”

  “That’s one of my favorites,” Aaron said as he hugged the side of a mountain and turned into a clearing where he could see a few, faint lights of Riston ahead.

  “I don’t think I remember the rest of that one,” Gillian said as she frowned and hummed the tune to where she’d left off.

  Aaron laughed and looked over at her. He thought for a moment before he hummed, then started singing.

  “Oh, ho,

  The mistletoe

  Hung where you can see;

  Somebody waits for you;

  Kiss her once for me.”

  He smiled and looked at Gillian, who looked down at her hands. Pink crept into her cheeks and she looked utterly lovely, he thought, even in this relatively dire situation.

  He thought of how kind and caring she’d been at the Franklins’ house today, how fiercely protective she’d been with that sleaze Ed Thompson the night before, even in her stunning red velvet dress.

  She was a very interesting person—quite complex, he thought. Yet simple and charming in her worn cowboy boots and flannel shirt. Singing Christmas carols.

  She looked over at him and smiled, her eyes sparkling.

  They finished the song together as the entered Riston and finally found the driveway of her house.

  “Have a holly, jolly Christmas

  And in case you didn’t hear

  Oh, by golly,

  Have a holly

  Jolly Christmas this year.”

  Aaron rested his head on the steering wheel after he’d brought the SUV to a stop in the driveway at Gillian’s house.

  “Well, that was literally a white-knuckle ride,” he said as he lifted his head and looked toward Gillian.

  “Yes. Yes, it was,” she said as she shook her head and a smile crept across her face. “Exhilarating, though.”

  “Exhilarating. Not sure that’s the word I’d use,” Aaron said as he unbuckled his seatbelt and prepared to make a run for Gillian’s door, ready to help her into the house. He glanced out his window—it was almost completely white outside. He couldn’t even see the front door, only the porch light that glowed in the blowing snow.

  “Aaron, I can’t thank you enough for going with me. That would have been really stressful on my own.”

  She reached out and rested her hand on his arm and he was relieved that he had been there for her. He was pretty positive she could have handled it on her own, but he’d never met a woman like her—one that he wanted to be with, protect and share fun events like the gala with, dancing the night away, or driving through a blizzard. So far, everything they’d done together had been different and exciting.

  “You’re more than welcome. Would you believe me if I said there’s nowhere I would have rather been today.”

  She laughed and her head fell back. “I’m sorry. Not sure I believe that, but thank you anyway. Blizzards are rarely where people choose to be driving.”

  He nodded at her, and tightened his plaid scarf around his neck, pulled his hat down.

  She did the same and opened her car door.

  “Wait there,” he said as he hopped out of the car and ran around to her side, opening the door side and offering her his hand.

  She took it and followed behind as he lead the way toward the porch light.

  “Whew,” Gillian said as they climbed the porch and stomped their boots on the door mat. “Even that was tough. Looks like we may be in for the night, now.”

  Aaron looked down at her. The snowflakes sticking to her eyelashes sparkled by the light of the porch light, and he honestly couldn’t imagine anyplace he’d rather be stuck in a blizzard than with Gillian.

  Chapter 15

  Gillian squeezed Aaron’s hand before she opened the door. He was an excellent driver and although she’d held her breath a couple of times as they’d traversed the growing snow drifts, she never once feared they wouldn’t make it.

  They stepped into the warm house to gasps from the others, and lots of hugs.

  “Oh, I’m so glad you’re back and you’re all right,” Olivia said as she hugged both Gillian and Aaron. “We’ve been watching the snow pile up against the window, worried sick.”

  “Yeah, brother, we thought maybe you’d gotten snowed in out there,” Allen said as he hugged them both as well.

  Gillian took off her scarf and hat, and hung them on the coat rack by the door.

  “It was an adventure, that’s for sure,” she said as she turned and gasped herself. Standing in front of the plate glass window was a gigantic Christmas tree that hadn’t been there when they left. She inhaled deeply, the scent of pine tickling her nose.

  “Oh, wow, you got a tree!” she exclaimed as she crossed over to it, her hands clasped over her heart.

  Fred stepped up behind her and rested his hands on her shoulders.

  “I hope you don’t mind,” he said softly in her ear. “Olivia and I wanted to surprise you.”

  She turned and looked up at her son. “This is your first Christmas together. Of course I don’t mind.”

  She looked out over the room, where Allen, Aaron, Opal and Olivia were gathered around the kitchen island, snacking on appetizers the kids had gotten together.

  “This is our new family, Fred. It’s perfect that we could all decorate together. Perfect,” she said as her eyes fell on Aaron, who turned and lifted a mug of cider in her direction.

  “I’ll get the decorations,” she said quickly and she hurried off into her suite.

  She grabbed the boxes of ornaments from her closet and carried them out into the living room. Fred had turned on some music, and Christmas carols flowed as they opened the boxes and pulled out lights, tinsel, red bows and small boxes, setting them all on the long kitchen table.

  “The popcorn’s almost ready,” Opal said as she shook a pan on the stove and the pops pierced the air as the kernels exploded.

  “I’ll string,” Allen said as he reached for a needle and thread Olivia held out.

  “This is so fun,” Gillian said as she hugged her daughter-in-law. “Christmas is our favorite holiday.”

  “Well, mine’s Halloween,” Olivia said with a laugh as Fred grimaced, “But Christmas is a close second.”

  “It’s the favorite for the rest of us,” Allen chimed in as he smiled at his daughters. “We’ve all been together for Christmas ever since Olivia was born,” he said as he reached for a handful of popcorn and pierced the first kernel with the needle.

  “Yes, every single one,” Aaron said as his and Gillian’s eyes met and held over the table. “We usually sing carols together. You guys will be happy to know that Gillian sings a mean Christmas carol herself. We practiced on the way back. Kept our minds off the snow drifts that were higher than the roof of the car.”

  “Ah, good idea. When in dire straights, sing,” Fred said with a laugh as he reached into the box of ornaments and took out a few wrapped in paper, opened one a bit, closed it back up and stuck it back in the box with a sheepish look on his face.

  Olivia narrowed her eyes at her husband and asked, “What was that?”

  Fred began to whistle the tune of, “Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way,” and looked up at the ceiling. “Nothing. It was nothing.”

&
nbsp; “I bet I know what it was,” Gillian said as Fred’s cheeks turned pink.

  She crossed over to the table with a smile at Allen. “I’d bet my bottom dollar you have similar ornaments at your house, Allen.”

  She reached into the box and took out the wrapped item Fred had hastily shoved back. She gently peeled away the tissue paper and reached for a string of red yarn, holding it up for all to see. It was her favorite ornament and every year it had a special place on their tree.

  “Oh, Mom,” Fred groaned as his head fell into his hands, but Olivia and Opal squealed and reached for the plastic star that had a picture in the center of it. The young Fred Wharton, III, smiled a toothless smile, his hair neatly combed, with a red bow tie covered with snowflakes on prominent display.

  “Oh, it’s the cutest thing ever. You were darling,” Olivia said as she held it out to her dad.

  Allen laughed and handed the ornament to Aaron. “Remember these? The girls both did one, and they have bows, too. Just on top of their heads instead of around their necks. And missing teeth, to boot.”

  “Yes, they were little darlings,” Aaron said as he patted Opal on the cheek. “Still are.”

  “Well, I guess if you’ve seen the worst, you may as well see the rest,” Fred said with a sigh. He and Olivia proceeded to unwrap each of the ornaments, many that Fred had made as a child, while Gillian, Allen and Aaron strung the lights.

  “You sure have awesome kids, Allen,” Gillian said as she glanced over to the kitchen table where the three of them were laughing so hard they wiped away tears.

  “Yes, I do. But I couldn’t have done it without my brother. Mary died so young—the girls were only ten. If I’d had to do Christmas and graduations and everything else on my own I wouldn’t have made it.” Allen smiled at his brother, and Aaron gave a slight nod.

  “It was quite an honor to be included as I never had kids of my own,” Aaron said. “I’ll never forget the time he called in a panic when Olivia had her first date.”

  “Oh, man, that was a very, very long night,” Allen said, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand. “Talk about a white-knuckler.”

  Gillian laughed. “I guess it’s different with girls. I’m glad you had each other.”

  The three of them stood back from the tree, taking proud assessment of the lights they’d strung.

  “Think they’ll all work?” she asked out loud as she reached for an extension cord.

  “Of course. Christmas is always perfect,” Aaron said.

  The kids began to hang colored balls and personal ornaments on the tree, and the older generation took seats around the fireplace and watched, arguing here and there about proper placement.

  “Hot chocolate, anybody?” Gillian asked and she got up and headed into the kitchen.

  “Let me help you,” Aaron said amid shouts of “Yes!” from all other tree trimmers.

  “Oh, this is one of my favorites,” he said as a new tune came on the stereo.

  Gillian laughed before she started singing.

  “I really can’t stay,” she sang.

  “But baby, it’s cold outside,” Aaron chimed in as he reached for a saucepan.

  “I’ve got to go away,” Gillian sang as he reached in the refrigerator for milk.

  “But baby, it’s cold outside,” Aaron sang as he grabbed a wooden spoon.

  “This evening has been...” Gillian popped the top from the can of chocolate powder.

  “Been hoping that you’d drop in...” Aaron sang as she scooped the chocolate into the pan.

  “So very nice...” Gillian turned on the burner as she smiled at Aaron.

  “I’ll hold your hands, they’re just like ice...” Aaron chimed in as he leaned against the kitchen counter.

  “My mother will start to worry...” Gillian set the spoon down and crossed over to where Aaron stood.

  “Beautiful, what’s your hurry,” Aaron said as he reached for her hand and pulled her up to dance.

  “My father will be pacing the floor,” she sang as she reached up and placed her arm around his neck, spinning in the kitchen wherever he led.

  “Listen to the fireplace roar,” he sang as he held her tighter.

  They finished the song together, singing, “Please don’t go, baby, it’s cold outside,” and Gillian laughed as he twirled her for a finale and then gave her a deep bow. He stood, and she looked up into his lovely blue eyes. She felt like she could stay there for a very long time.

  Applause broke out from the kitchen door, and Fred, Olivia, Opal and Allen laughed and whistled.

  “That was quite a performance,” Allen said, a broad smile beaming wide.

  “Oh, goodness,” Gillian said, flustered at the audience. She sneaked a peek at Aaron, who was smiling as broadly as his brother, and she reached for the spoon, stirring the hot chocolate vigorously as her cheeks heated as well.

  Fred glanced at her over his shoulder and winked as they all went back into the living room. “We’re ready for the finale,” he said.

  “Oh, time for the lights,” she said and Aaron followed her out to the tree.

  “Fred, I think you should do the honors. Oh, wait, the angel,” she said as she pulled a package out of the ornament box.

  It was wrapped in satin and she carefully undid the bows, pulling away the fabric and lifting up her favorite ornament of all—a beautiful, ceramic angel dressed in gold and white and blowing a horn.

  Fred pulled a dining room chair over to the tree, and Gillian stood on it. Aaron held the back of the chair while she reached up and placed the angel on the very top and clasped her hands together.

  “It’s beautiful, Gillian,” Aaron said as he offered his hand to help her down. He pulled the chair away and scooted it back under the table.

  “Okay, Fred,” she said, and Fred plugged in the lights to gasps all around.

  The tree was beautiful, and Gillian wiped away a tear as she looked around the room. So much love—it was overwhelming.

  She felt Aaron’s hands on her shoulder, and she reached up to cover them with hers, smiling as his warmth spread over her.

  Chapter 16

  The blizzard passed with hardly a notice by the Wharton and Hamilton families. Aaron had turned the canned, home-grown tomatoes that the Franklins had given them earlier in the day into the best spaghetti sauce Gillian had ever tasted, and her special garlic bread had gone particularly well with it.

  They’d spent the evening playing games and as Allen and Aaron couldn’t make it back to the ranch, they’d occupied the guest rooms when everybody’d pooped out.

  All the others had gone to bed by the time she put the last plate in the dishwasher, closed it and started it to run.

  She started at a sound by the door—she’d thought everyone was fast asleep.

  She turned to see Aaron in the doorway, leaning against the door jamb with his arms crossed over his chest, smiling at her.

  “I thought you were asleep,” she said, noticing that his flannel shirt was untucked and fell loosely over his jeans. A lock of his jet-black hair had fallen over his forehead, and the gray around his temples was particularly attractive in his somewhat disheveled state.

  She cleared her throat and turned back to the sink, wiping it out with a towel as heat crept into her cheeks.

  His stocking feet made no sound and she gasped as she realized he was right behind her. She turned around and looked up into his blue eyes as she leaned back against the counter.

  “I couldn’t sleep. It’s was a big day. A big few days, actually,” he said as he held her gaze.

  She turned back to the sink. “Yes. I’m sure grateful you went with me today. I couldn’t have done it on my own,” she said. “I mean, I could have, but it was more fun with you.” She was sure she was babbling, but she couldn’t seem to help herself.

  “Yes. It was more fun with you,” he said as he gently reached for her elbow and turned her to face him, stepping closer.

  “Thank you,” she sai
d quietly as she stared at her hands.

  “You’re welcome,” he said just as softly. “Look what I found.”

  She looked up toward his chest, where he was holding up some mistletoe from the previous year. It was dry and crumpled, and looked as if it would disintegrate at any moment.

  Her eyes grew wide, and her heart raced as he placed his finger under her chin and pulled her eyes to his.

  “Think it’ll still work?”

  Her head spun, and she hesitated. She’d never even considered this might happen in her lifetime again, but somehow it felt right. When Allen had kissed her, she hadn’t really reached inside and thought about it.

  But this time, she had to know for sure. She closed her eyes for a moment, an image of her beloved husband smiling and nodding crossing her mind’s eye.

  Warmth spread through her chest at the feeling of love, from inside and out.

  “Yes,” she whispered. “I think it might.”

  She looked up into his eyes and her heart that she’d thought was as full as could be with all the love in her house, past and present, swelled even more as he nodded and leaned in, his soft lips on hers.

  She melted into the sensation, one she’d never allowed herself to hope she’d feel again. Nobody ever got that lucky twice in one lifetime, she’d thought.

  But oh, was she wrong.

  She reached up and wrapped her arms around Aaron’s neck, kissing him back right and proper.

  “Well, it sure did work,” he said as he smiled and lifted his head, stroking her cheek with his finger. “I can only imagine what it’ll be like with live mistletoe.”

  She laughed and swiped at her eyes, feeling a little silly. But when she looked up at him and their eyes met again, she knew it hadn’t been frivolous for him, either. His eyes were kind, but serious at the same time.

  “Good night, dear Gillian. I look forward to seeing you tomorrow. Thank you for allowing me to share in your Christmas joy,” he said before he kissed her softly once more, turned and headed back to the guest room. Before he turned the corner, he stopped bowed slightly.