“I made it.” Toby’s simple declaration made me jolt.
Head whipping up, I clutched the box in my hands. “Youmadethis?”
He nodded, cheeks tinging a light shade of pink. “Yeah. I like decorating things. Making things. It’s a good way to destress after a long day at the clinic. I made it as our family ornament for the tree this year.”
“You took it back?” I questioned.
“I saw you staring at it. You seemed to really like it.”
“No wonder I thought it was so special,” I murmured.
“What?” Toby asked.
I glanced up. “It’s because you made it.”
He smiled. “I wanted you to have it.”
“What about the town tree?”
“I took something else over to replace it. This one is yours now.”
Still holding the box, I pulled him in, wrapping him up in my arms. We stayed like that for a long time, embracing in front of the glowing tree with the scents and sounds of Christmas all around.
“It’s ours,” I whispered beside his head. “The first ornament of the family tree we will make next year.”
“I can feel it now,” Toby whispered, pulling back.
“Feel what?”
“The magic of the mistletoe,” he answered.
Never in a million years would I have ever believed the legend of the town was true.
But after this Christmas?
I could never be convinced it wasn’t.
“I feel it too,” I confessed. “Merry Christmas, baby.”
“Merry Christmas, Archer.”
And they lived merrily ever after… forever.
MISTLEFOE AFTER DARK
A SPICY BONUS SCENE
Toby
A man didn’t need to check the Weather Channel to know that a winter storm was brewing. Thick, layered clouds hung low over the entire town of Winterbury, all of them uniformly deep gray in color, which effectively blocked out the sun. The effect was somewhat oppressive and slightly eerie as there was decreased visibility outside and a stillness to the cold air.
With the holidays over, winter took over the landscape, stripping it down to its bare bones and swallowing everything with its icy presence. Even time seemed to move more slowly, though the days were short. For me, this time of year hit hardest. The days felt endless as people hunkered down to endure the harshest part of the season before a new one was born.
This year felt different, though, even with the promise of heavy snow and ice hanging overhead. The day had felt long, but for a different reason. Anticipation.
The second my workday ended and the clinic was closed for the night, the incoming weather was a mere afterthought as I climbed into my Outback and headed for the farm. To Archer.
It was hard to peel myself away from him, especially after it had taken so long for us to find our way back to each other. But as much as we wanted, we couldn’t spend every minute glued to each other’s side. He had an entire farm to oversee, and I had patients who needed looking after.
