He took Grace’s hand, preparing to cross the street, but his daughter pulled him to a stop in front of the store next to the daycare center.
“Why do they have curtains on the windows?” Grace asked. “Isn’t this a store?”
For a second, Carlisle couldn’t imagine why. Then a conversation he’d overheard amongst some of his staff came to mind.
“I believe it’s one of the Christmas activities they hold in Huckleberry Falls. They have a big lighting ceremony there in the town square, and all the shops do special decorations in their windows.” He glanced down at Grace, wondering how long they had covered the shop windows and he hadn’t noticed.
“Lights?” His daughter’s little face brightened. “Alex told me about those. He said Santa comes and there’s a big party in the park and they give giant pink cookies to all the kids. I want to go. Can I? Will you take me?Please?”
“Let me ask Miss Linda about it tonight at the party, and I’ll see if it fits in my schedule.” He took Grace’s hand again, glad for the return of her enthusiasm, and they crossed the street.
* * *
As Merry addeda bow to the last package, she glanced at her mother again. Why was she grinning as she texted? Could she have met someone? No. She’d have mentioned it. Would she say something if she had? It’d been nearly two years since the tragedy. Merry wasn’t the only one who was receiving offers to be set up for blind dates. Her mother was only fifty-one. When—if—they started dating again, how would it change the dynamics of their family? Could Merry stand another man in the role of father to her, even stepfather?
Or her mother might be texting someone with an emergency dress request. Because of the Chamber of Commerce’s Christmas Ball, the holiday season was very busy. For more than a decade, Merry had spent the last day of November helping her mother get ready for her staff Christmas party.
Famous visitors to Huckleberry Falls who discovered the shop were always telling Merry’s mother she should advertise more. The daughter of a rancher, who’d never received formal training in clothing design, was always gracious about it but also always refused. She told them it was presumptuous. Huckleberry Falls was fine forDresses by Linda.
“Who was that?” Merry asked when her mother pocketed her phone.
“It was just Carlisle.”
Merry’s pulse quickened, and she took a few slow, regular breaths. It was all because of last night’s stupid dream. After the accident, she’d struggled with nightmares of it though she’d only seen the remains of the car. Dreaming of something else was a nice change, but not about Carlisle Wyndham kissing her.
She blamed Trish for putting the idea there. The woman had brought Carlisle up again at her last appointment. It was bad enough she’d been pointing out potential men for a year now. Merry had been firm about not being interested.
Never once had she dreamed of one romantically. Now she’d done it three times, each one getting more intense. Why did the first man she felt a spark for have to be one who didn’t plan to stay? Not that he was interested in someone simple like her. The memory of last night’s dream made her cheeks grow warm.
“Are you blushing?” her mother asked softly.
“No. It’s just warm in here.” Merry fanned herself, refusing to meet her mother’s gaze.
“Right. Well, all Alex has talked about this evening is how he wished Grace could be here. He must have mentioned the office party to the little darling. She told her father she thought they should be able to come since they’d helped decorate the tree. I told him I agreed.”
“Alex will love that,” Merry said, pleased that her voice came out sounding almost normal.
“Why should your son be the only one?” The odd note in her mother’s voice made Merry look up.
“Mom, please don’t you start too.”
“I’m serious. He’s a fine man, and he’s going to be here for a while. Wouldn’t he be the perfect test case for you to start dating again?”
How could she even begin to explain without talking about those dreams and how they made her feel? Her mother would jump all over that. Merry shook her head.
“Don’t say no yet, sweetheart. You obviously enjoy each other’s company. It’s possible to date a man without falling in love with him. And your children are crazy good friends.” Her mother arched her brows like she used to do when Merry was a teenager.
“It doesn’t matter. He’s not going to ask me out.”
Her mother opened her mouth as though to argue, but stopped at the sound of voices in the hallway. Her staff was arriving. She let out ahuff.
“We’ll finish this conversation later.”
“Linda, you won’t believe what just happened.” Ida, one of the seamstresses rushed into the room. “The owner of the Cynthia Skye-Adams design label is in town. I ran into her assistant. Kate’s the most charming girl ever and must have the patience of a saint. Anyway,Mrs. Hall—that’s what the owner insists everyone call her—needed a gown and sent Kate all the way to Idaho Falls to get one. Someone had recommended Dresses by Linda andMrs. Hallhad a come-apart. She refused to buy anything from a small-town designer.” Ida’s cheeks were flushed in her indignation.
Merry’s mother burst out laughing. “Oh, Ida, you sweet woman. Don’t be insulted on my behalf. Life is too short to waste on competitiveness like that. Now, take a deep breath, hang up your coat, and let’s party!”
Smiling to herself, Merry picked up the package she’d wrapped. She loved her mother’s approach to business if not the way she was playing matchmaker.
