One Season And Dynasties Collection

She couldn’t be more proud of her sisters—though she did find it funny that, of the three of them, Faith seemed the one most excited that Celeste and Hope had signed an agreement to allow a production company to make an animated movie out of the first Sparkle book.

Despite a few preproduction problems, the process was currently under way, though the animated movie wouldn’t come out for another year. The buzz around it only heightened interest in The Christmas Ranch and led to increased revenue.

The book had helped push The Christmas Ranch to self-sufficiency. Without that steady drain on the Star N side of the family operation, Faith had been able to plow profits back into the cattle ranch operation.

As she drove past the Saint Nicholas Lodge on the way to the ranch house, she spotted both of her sisters’ vehicles in the parking lot.

After taking up most of the day at the auction, she had a hundred things to do. As she had told Chase, Barrett and Louisa would be home from school soon. When she could swing it, she liked being there to greet them, to ask about their day and help manage their homework and chore responsibilities.

On a whim, though, she pulled into the parking lot and hurriedly texted both of her children as well as Aunt Mary to tell them she was stopping at the lodge for a moment and would be home soon.

The urge to talk to her sisters was suddenly overwhelming. Hope and Celeste weren’t just her sisters, they were her best friends.

She had to park three rows back, which she considered a great sign for a Tuesday afternoon in mid-December.

Tourists from as far away as Boise and Salt Lake City were making the trek here to visit their quaint little Christmas attraction, with its sleigh rides, the reindeer herd, the village—and especially because this was the home of Sparkle.

As far as she was concerned, this was just home.

The familiar scents inside the lodge encircled her the moment she walked inside—cinnamon and vanilla and pine, mixed with old logs and the musty smell of a building that stood empty most of the year.

She heard her younger sisters bickering in the office before she saw them.

“Cry your sad song to someone else,” Celeste was saying. “I told you I wasn’t going to do it again this year and I won’t let you guilt me into it.”

“But you did such a great job last year,” Hope protested.

“Yes I did,” their youngest sister said. “And I swore I wouldn’t ever do it again.”

Faith poked her head into the office in time to see Hope pout. She was nearly three months pregnant and only just beginning to show.

“It didn’t turn out so badly,” Hope pointed out. “You ended up with a fabulous husband and a new stepdaughter out of the deal, didn’t you?”

“Seriously? You’re giving the children’s show credit for my marriage to Flynn?”

“Think about it. Would you be married to your hunky contractor right now and deliriously happy if you hadn’t directed the show for me last year—and if his daughter hadn’t begged to participate?”

It was an excellent point, Faith thought with inward amusement that Celeste didn’t appear to share.

“Why can’t you do it?” Celeste demanded.

“We are booked solid with tour groups at the ranch until Christmas Eve. I won’t have a minute to breathe from now until the New Year—and that’s with Rafe making me cut down my hours.”

“You knew you were going to be slammed,” Celeste said, not at all persuaded. “Talk about procrastination. I can’t believe you didn’t find somebody to organize the variety show weeks ago!”

“I had somebody. Linda Keller told me clear back in September she would do it. I thought we were set, but she fell this morning and broke her arm, which leaves me back at square one. The kids are going to be coming to practice a week from today and I’ve got absolutely no one to lead them.”

Hope shifted her attention to Faith with a considering look that struck fear in her heart.

“Oh, no,” she exclaimed. “You can forget that idea right now.”

“Why?” Hope pouted. “You love kids and senior citizens both, plus you sing like a dream. You even used to direct the choir at church, which I say makes you the perfect one to run the Christmas show.”

She rolled her eyes. Hope knew better than to seriously consider that idea. “Right. Because you know I’ve got absolutely nothing else going on right now.”

“Everyone is busy. That’s the problem. Whose idea was it to put on a show at Christmas, the busiest time of the year?”

“Yours.” Faith and Celeste answered simultaneously.

Hope sighed. “I know. It just seemed natural for The Christmas Ranch to throw a holiday celebration for the senior citizens. Maybe next year we’ll do a Christmas in July kind of thing.”

“Except you’ll be having a baby in July,” Faith pointed out. “And I’ll be even more busy during the summer.”

“You’re right.” She looked glum. “Do you have any suggestions for someone else who might be interested in directing it? I would hate to see the pageant fade out, especially after last year was such a smash success, thanks to CeCe. You wouldn’t believe how many people have stopped me in town during the past year to tell me how much they enjoyed it and hoped we were doing another one.”

“I believe it,” Celeste said. “I’ve had my share of people telling me the same thing. That still doesn’t mean I want to run it again.”

“I wasn’t even involved with the show and I still have people stop me in town to tell me they hope we’re doing it again,” Faith offered.

“That’s because you’re a Nichols,” Hope said.

“Right. Which to some people automatically means I burp tinsel and have eggnog running through my veins.”

Celeste laughed. “You don’t?”

“Nope. Hope inherited all the Christmas spirit from Uncle Claude and Aunt Mary.”

The sister in question made a face. “That may be true, but it still doesn’t give me someone to run the show this year. But never fear. I’ve got a few ideas up my sleeves.”

“I can help,” Celeste said. “I just don’t want to be the one in charge.”

Faith couldn’t let her younger sister be the only generous one in the family. She sighed. “Okay. I’ll help again, too. But only behind the scenes—and only because you’re pregnant and I don’t want you to overdo.”

Hope’s eyes glittered and her smile wobbled. “Oh. You’re both going to make me cry and Rafe tells me I’ve already hit my tear quota for the day. Quick, talk about something else. How did the auction go today?”

At the question, all her angst about Chase flooded back.

She suddenly desperately wanted to confide in her sisters. That was the whole reason she’d stopped at the lodge, she realized, because she yearned to share this startling development with them and obtain their advice.

I want you to be my date, with everything that goes along with that.

What was she going to do?

She wanted to ask them but they both adored Chase and it suddenly seemed wrong to talk about him with Hope and Celeste. If she had to guess, she expected they would probably take his side. They wouldn’t understand how he had just upended everything safe and secure she had come to depend upon.

When she didn’t answer right away, both of her sisters looked at her with concern. “Did something go wrong with the horse you wanted to buy?” Celeste asked. “You weren’t outbid, were you? If you were, I’m sure you’ll be able to find another one.”

She shook her head. “No. We bought the horse for about five percent under what I was expecting to pay and she’s beautiful. Mostly white with black spots and lovely black boot markings on her legs. I can’t wait for Louisa to see her.”

“I want to see her!” Hope said. “You took her to Chase’s pasture?”

“Yes, and a few moments after we unloaded her, Cindy pulled up with Addie. Apparently Carol Johnson had a small stroke this morning and she’s in the hospital in Idaho Falls so Cindy came home to be with her and help her father.”

At the mention of Chase’s ex-wife, both of her sisters’ mouths tightened in almost exactly the same way. There had been no love lost between any of them, especially after Cindy’s affair with the oral surgeon who eventually became her husband.

“So Cindy just dropped off Addie like UPS delivering a surprise package?” Hope asked, disgust clear in her voice.

“What about school?” ever-practical Celeste asked. “Surely she’s not out for Christmas break yet.”

“No. She’s going to do her homework from here.” She paused, remembering the one other complication. “I haven’t asked Mary yet if she’s available but in case she’s not, would either of you like a couple of extra kids on Friday night? Three, actually—my two and Addie. Chase and I have a...a thing and it might run late.”

“Oh, I wish I could,” Hope exclaimed. “Rafe and I promised Joey we would take him to Boise to see his mom. We’re staying overnight and doing some shopping while we’re there.”

“How is Cami doing?” Faith asked. “She’s been out of prison, what, three months now?”

“Ten weeks. She’s doing so well. Much better than Rafe expected, really. The court-ordered drug rehab she had in prison worked in her case and the halfway house is really helping her get back on her feet. Another six months and she’s hoping she can have her own place and be ready to take Joey back. Maybe even by the time the baby comes.”

Hope tried to smile but it didn’t quite reach her eyes and Faith couldn’t resist giving her sister’s hand a squeeze. Celeste did the same to the other hand. Hope and her husband had cared for Rafe’s nephew Joey since before their marriage after his sister’s conviction on drug and robbery charges. They loved him and would both be sad to see him go.

Joey seemed like a different kid than he’d been when he first showed up at The Christmas Ranch with Rafe, two years earlier, sullen and confused and angry...

“We’re trying to convince her to come back to Pine Gulch,” Hope said, trying to smile. “It might help her stay out of trouble, and that way we can remain part of Joey’s life. So far it’s an uphill battle, as she feels like this is where all her troubles started.”

Her sister’s turmoil was a sharp reminder to Faith. Hope might be losing the boy she considered a son, and Celeste’s stepdaughter, Olivia, still struggled to recover from both physical injuries and the emotional trauma of witnessing her mother’s murder at the hands of her mentally ill and suicidal boyfriend.

In contrast, the problem of trying to figure out what to do with Chase seemed much more manageable.

“Anyway,” Hope said, “that’s why I won’t be around Friday to help you with the kids. Sorry again.”

“Don’t give it another thought. That’s exactly where you need to be.”

“The kids are more than welcome at our place,” Celeste said. “Flynn and Olivia are having a movie marathon and watching Miracle on 34th Street and White Christmas. I’ll be writing during most of it, but hope to sneak in and watch the dancing in White Christmas.”

She used to love those movies, Faith remembered. When she was young, her parents had a handful of very old, very worn VCR tapes of several holiday classics and would drag them from place to place, sometimes even showing them at social events for people in whatever small village they had set their latest medical clinic in at the time.

She probably had been just as baffled as the villagers at the world shown in the movies, which seemed so completely foreign to her own life experience, with the handsomely dressed people and the luxurious train rides and the children surrounded by toys she could only imagine.

“That sounds like the perfect evening,” she said now. “Maybe I’ll join the movie night instead of going to a boring Christmas party with Chase. I can bring the popcorn.”

“You can’t skip the stockgrowers’ party,” Celeste said. “It’s the big social event of the year, isn’t it? Jenna McRaven always caters that gala so you know the food will be fantastic, plus you’ll be going with Chase. How can any party be boring with him around?”

Again, she wanted to blurt out to her sisters how strangely he was acting. She even opened her mouth to do it but before she could force the words out, she heard familiar young voices outside in the hallway just an instant before Barrett and Louisa poked their heads in, followed in short order by Celeste’s stepdaughter, Olivia, and Joey. Liv went straight to Celeste while Joey practically jumped into Hope’s outstretched arms.

It warmed her heart so much to see her sisters being such loving mother figures to children who needed them desperately.

“Joey and Olivia were coming to the house to hang out when I got your text,” Louisa said. “We saw all your cars so decided to stop here to say hi before we walk up to the house from the bus stop.”

“I’m so glad you did,” Faith said.

She hugged them both, her heart aching with love. “Good day?” she asked.

Louisa nodded. “Pretty good. I had a substitute for science and she was way nicer than Mr. Lewis.”

“Guess who got a hundred-ten percent on his math test?” Barrett said with a huge grin “Go on. Guess.”

She made a big show of looking confused and glancing in the other boy’s direction. “You did, Joey? Good job, kid!”

Rafe’s nephew giggled. “I only got a hundred percent. I missed the extra credit but Barrett didn’t.”

Her son preened. “I was the only one in the class who got it right.”

“I’m proud of both of you. What a smart family we have!”

Except for her, the one who couldn’t figure out how to protect the friendship that meant the world to her.

Chapter Three

As he drove up to the Star N ranch house four days after the auction, Chase couldn’t remember the last time he’d been so on edge. He wasn’t nervous—or at least he would never admit to it. He was just unsettled.

So many things seemed to hinge on this night. How was he supposed to make Faith ever view him as more than just her neighbor and best friend? She had to see him for himself, a man who had spent nearly half his life waiting for her.

He didn’t like the way that made him sound weak, like some kind of mongrel hanging on the fringes of her life, content for whatever scraps she threw out the kitchen door at him. It hadn’t been like that. He had genuinely tried to put his unrequited feelings behind him after she and Travis got married. For the most part, he had succeeded.

He had dated a great deal and had genuinely liked several of the women he dated. In the beginning, he had liked Cindy, too. She had been funny and smart and beautiful. He was a man and had been flattered—and susceptible—when she aggressively pursued him.

When she told him she was pregnant, he decided marrying her and making a home for their child was the right thing to do. He really had tried to make their marriage work but he and Cindy were a horrible mismatch from the beginning. He could see now that they would never have suited each other, even if that little dusty corner of his heart hadn’t belonged to the wife of another man.

“This is going to be so fun,” Addie declared beside him. She was just about dancing out of her seat belt with excitement. “Seems like it’s been forever since I’ve had a chance to hang out with Louisa and Olivia. It’s going to be awesome.”

The plan for the evening had changed at the last minute, Faith had told him in a quick, rather awkward conversation earlier that day. Celeste and Flynn decided to move their movie party to the Star N ranch house and the three girls were going to stay overnight after the movie.

If Lou and Olivia were as excited as Addie, Celeste and Mary were in for a night full of giggling girls.

His daughter let out a little shriek when he pulled up and turned off the engine.

“This is going to be so fun!” she repeated.

He had to smile as he climbed out and walked around to open the door. He never got tired of seeing the joy his daughter found in the simple things in life.

“Hand me your suitcase.”

“Here. You don’t have to carry everything, though. I can take the rest.”

After pulling her suitcase from behind the seat, she hopped out with her pillow and sleeping bag.

“Careful. It’s icy,” he said as they headed up the sidewalk to the sprawling ranch house.

She sent him an appraising look as they reached the front door. “You look really good, Dad,” she declared. “Like, Nick Jonas good.”

“That’s quite a compliment.” Or it would be if he had more than the vaguest idea who Nick Jonas was.

“It’s true. I bet you’ll be the hottest guy at the party, especially since everyone else will be a bunch of married old dudes, right?”

He wasn’t sure about that. Justin Hartford was a famous—though retired—movie star and Seth Dalton had once been quite a lady’s man in these parts.

“You’re sweet, kiddo,” he said, kissing the top of her head that smelled like grape-scented shampoo.

Man, he loved this kid and missed her like crazy when she was staying with her mother.

“Doesn’t their house look pretty?” she said cheerfully as she rang the doorbell.

The Star N ranch house was ablaze with multicolored Christmas lights around the windows and along the roofline, and their Christmas tree glowed merrily in the front bay window.

It was warm and welcoming against the cold, starry night.

The first year after Travis died, Faith had refused to hang any outside Christmas lights on the house and had only had a Christmas tree because Chase had decorated her Christmas tree with the kids and Aunt Mary. Faith hadn’t been up to it and had claimed ranch business elsewhere while they did it.

Last year, he and Rafe had hung the outside Christmas lights.

This year, Faith herself had hung the lights, with Barrett and Lou helping her.

He wanted to think there was some symbolism in that, one more example that she was moving forward with her life.

Addie was about to ring the doorbell again when it suddenly opened. Faith’s aunt stood on the other side and at the sight of him, Mary gave a low, appreciative whistle that made him feel extremely self-conscious.

“I should yell at you for ringing the doorbell when I’ve told you a hundred times you’re family, but you look so good, I was about to ask Miss Addie what handsome stranger brought her to our door.”

His daughter giggled and kissed the wrinkled cheek Mary offered. “Hi, Aunt Mary. It’s just my dad. But I told him on the way that he looked super hot. For an old guy, anyway.”

He felt hot in his suit and tie, but probably not the way she meant. Mary grinned. “You’re absolutely right,” she said. “Nice to see you dressed up for once.”

“Thanks,” he answered.

Before he could say more, Louisa burst into the room and started dancing around Addie. “You’re here! You’re here! I’ve been dying to see you and do more than just talk on the phone and text and stuff. It feels like forever since you’ve been here.”

The girls hugged as if they had been separated for months.

“Need me to carry your stuff to your room?” he asked.

“It’s just a suitcase and sleeping bag, Dad. I think we can handle it.”

“Let’s hurry, before Barrett finds out you’re here and starts bugging us,” Louisa said.

Poor Barrett, who until recently had been completely outnumbered by all the women in his life. At least now he had a couple of uncles and an honorary cousin in Rafe’s nephew, Joey.

“Faith only came in from the barn about half an hour ago so she’s still getting ready,” Mary said, her plump features tight with disapproval for a moment before she wiped the expression away and gave him a smile instead. “I heard the shower turn off a few minutes ago so it shouldn’t be long now.”

He tried not to picture Faith climbing out of the shower, all creamy skin with her tight, slender body covered in water droplets. Once the image bloomed there, it was tough to get it out of his head again to focus on anything else.

“It’s fine,” he answered. “We’ve got plenty of time.”

“You’re too patient,” Mary said. Her voice had an unusually barbed tone to it that made him think she wasn’t necessarily talking about him waiting for Faith to get dressed for their night out.

“Maybe I just don’t want to make anybody feel rushed,” he answered carefully—also talking about more than just that evening.

Mary sniffed. “That’s all well and good, but sometimes time can be your worst enemy, son. People get set in their ways and can’t see the world is still brimming over with possibilities. Sometimes they need a sharp boot in the keister to point them in the right direction.”

Well, that was clear enough. Mary definitely wasn’t talking about the time Faith was taking to get ready. He gave her a searching look. Maybe he hadn’t been as careful as he thought about not wearing his heart on his sleeve.

He loved Faith’s aunt, who had opened her home and her heart to Faith and her sisters after the horrible events before they came to Pine Gulch. She and Claude had offered a safe haven for three grieving girls but they had provided much more than that. Through steady love and care, the couple had helped the girls begin to heal.

Mary had truly been a lifesaver after Travis’s death, as well. She had moved back into the ranch house and stepped up to help with the children while Faith struggled to juggle widowhood and single motherhood while suddenly saddled with the responsibilities of running a big cattle ranch on her own.

“I’m just saying,” Mary went on, “maybe it’s time to get off your duff and make a move.”

He could feel tension spread out from his head to his shoulders. “That’s the plan. What do you think tonight is about?”

“I was hoping.”

She frowned, blue eyes troubled. “Just between me and you and that Christmas tree, I’ve got a feeling that might be the reason why a certain person just came in from the barn only a half hour ago, even though she knew all day you were on the way and exactly what time she would need to start getting ready.”

Did that mean Mary thought Faith was avoiding the idea of going on a real date with him? He couldn’t tell and before he had the chance to ask for clarification, Flynn Delaney came into the living room.

The other man did a double take when he spotted Chase talking to Mary. “Wow. A tie and everything.”

Chase shrugged, though he could feel his skin prickle. “A Christmas party for the local stockgrowers association might not be a red-carpet Hollywood affair, but it’s still a pretty big deal around here.”

“Take it from me—it will be much more enjoyable for everyone involved.”

He wasn’t so sure about that, especially if Faith was showing reluctance about the evening.

“Sometime this week, Rafe and I are planning to spruce up the set we used last year for the Christmas show. If you want to lend a hand, we’ll pay you in beer.”

He had come to truly enjoy the company of both of Faith’s brothers-in-law. They were both decent men who, as far as he was concerned, were almost good enough for her sisters.

“Addie’s in town right now and I feel bad enough about leaving her tonight when our time together is limited. I’ll have to see what she wants to do but I’m sure she wouldn’t mind coming out again and riding horses with Lou.”

“I get it. Believe me.”

Flynn had been a divorced father, too. He and his famous actress wife had been divorced several years before she was eventually killed so tragically.

The other man looked down the hallway, apparently to make sure none of the kids were in earshot. “I hear a certain H-O-R-S-E is safely ensconced at your place now.”

“Lou is twelve years old and can spell, you know,” Mary said with a snort.

Flynn grinned at the older woman. “Yeah. But will she slow down long enough to bother taking time to do it? That’s the question.”

Chase had to laugh. The horse and Louisa would be perfect for each other. “Yeah. She’s a beauty. Louisa is going to be thrilled, I think. You all are in for a fun Christmas morning.”