“We’ve had to skip our barn caroling routine three times that I can remember. It’s not like it ruins Christmas Eve, but it’s not the same if we can’t do it. I’d really like you to go with us.”
“I’d like that, too.” Absolutely true, but only if he could convince himself he’d handle it well. “What do you sing?”
“We don’t sing It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas if that’s what you’re wondering.”
“Good.” He appreciated the subtle acknowledgment minus any probing questions.
“Usually it’s Silent Night or maybe O Little Town of Bethlehem. Or both, depending on how fast we walk. Could you handle those?”
“I like the idea of walking down and singing to the horses, so yeah, I’ll probably be fine.”
“Maybe you can replace bad memories with good ones.” She glanced over at him as if seeking buy-in for her theory.
“That would be great.” Yeah, this was a good track to run on.
“Did you enjoy the Christmas party? I know the baby announcement threw you for a loop, but you seemed fine with the music.”
“I mostly concentrated on you.”
“All the time?”
“Pretty much.”
“Even when you played Carol of the Bells?”
“Especially then. That was all for you. Sam was being so considerate about providing the sheet music that I didn’t have the heart to tell him I didn’t need it for that number.”
“I thought you didn’t know any Christmas carols.”
“In my mind, it’s not a Christmas carol. The guy who sold me the fiddle gave me sheet music for it that was more than a hundred years old. It’s a Ukrainian folk song about the New Year. They still perform it at New Year’s festivities.”
“No kidding. I’ve never heard that.” She took a breath. “What did you think of Feliz Navidad?”
“I liked it. Got a little jealous of Sam, singing something with you that sounded romantic, even if I couldn’t understand the words.”
Her cheeks turned rosy. “It is romantic, two people expressing their love for each other.”
“So I was right to be jealous of Sam.” Those feelings had startled him. He wasn’t the possessive type.
“Not if you consider that I thought of you the whole time, especially when you added those beautiful touches to the melody.”
“Just trying to impress you.”
“You impressed the whole roomful of folks. Did you like it when they joined in?”
Emotion swept through him, just as it had when the entire place erupted in song. “It was… not a feeling I’m used to, like I’m caught up in a wave.”
“Could it be the Christmas spirit?”
“No.” He didn’t believe in such a thing, but it would be obnoxious to say it out loud. “I didn’t hate it. The loud singing didn’t affect me the way the music did in the General Store.”
“I’m afraid I wasn’t much help in there. Christmas music in an empty store felt weird to me, too. I didn’t know what to do.”
“Nothing you could do. I just had to work through it. I’m glad I was mostly okay at the Raccoon last night. I’ve loved that place ever since I walked in back in July. I guess it’s so amazing that even Christmas can’t ruin it for me.”
She was quiet for a while after that. Then she cleared her throat. “Do you… do you want to tell me about?—”
“No, I don’t.” Damn. She’d asked, after all.
