Sleighed by the Farmer’s Daughter (Sweet Christmas Kisses)

Chapter Fourteen

Mack had just fallen into bed when her phone pinged with a new text message. She ignored it, not wanting to deal with any bad news before she had a few hours of sleep. But a few minutes later, “You Can’t Lose Me” started playing, and she bolted upright, heart racing.

“Mama!” Mack answered, relief flooding her voice.

“Hey, sweet girl. Things have been a little crazy here, and your phone hasn’t been accepting calls for a long time. How is everything? Did you make it through the storm okay?” Her mother’s voice was warm yet tinged with concern.

“It’s so good to hear your voice.” Mack’s voice thickened with emotion, and she mentally chided herself for tearing up. “A gentleman from out of town was actually stranded and took shelter with me. He’s been helping me get everything set up for Santa’s Village tomorrow. I was lying in bed trying to figure out how he could pull off Santa if Daddy doesn’t get back in time. Please tell me you’re headed home. I don’t think I can do this without you guys.”

“You would’ve done just fine, I have no doubt,” her mother reassured. “We’re driving as fast as we can. The boys didn’t take the snowplows off before we drove down for the funeral, so we’re clearing roads as we go. It’s slow progress—the snow is deep, and we’ve hit several trees across the road. The boys have been cutting logs and pushing them out of the way to keep us moving. If all goes well, we should make it back in time. You said you took a stranger in?”

“Yes, and he’s been such a blessing. He’ll need some help getting his rig pulled out, but that can wait until after Christmas. Mama, he’s six foot four. What are your suggestions for helping him fit in tomorrow? If you guys are back, I’ll put him to work in my photoshop.”

“Well, that’s certainly tall. What about your great-uncle Frank’s costume—Frost? He was much taller than everyone else. It might be the closest fit, though it could be tight in the shoulders. The only other one I can think of is the Gumdrop costume. It’s not as tall but has broader shoulders. Try both of those and see if either will work. Oh, Nick’s stopping again—looks like another tree. Gotta run, love you, and we’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Love you too, mama. Thanks for coming back.”

“Of course. We would never miss this on purpose. Sweet dreams.”

Mack was already at the attic door when the line went dead. Thanks to her family’s meticulous organization of anything related to Santa’s Village, she found the Frost costume in minutes. Pulling the elf uniform from its dust cover, she held it up, trying to visualize it on Seth. She wasn’t a professional seamstress, but she was pretty sure she could make it work.

Her fingers brushed over the soft fabric, and memories of her great-uncle playing Frost flooded her mind. The snowflakes her great-grandmother had embroidered still shimmered faintly, a testament to her skill. But now, the costume needed a fresh touch—a hint of Tinsel for Seth.

Mack searched through boxes of Christmas decorations until she found a large spool of silver tinsel ribbon. Laying out the top, she ran the ribbon along the collar, cuffs, and down the front along the buttons. Satisfied with the look, she grabbed her mother’s sewing kit and headed back to her bedroom.

She must have fallen asleep while attaching the tinsel ribbon to the hem because a loud noise startled her awake. Her heart pounded as she froze, listening intently. There it was again—a loud thud downstairs.

Mack crept to her door, nerves tingling. She nearly jumped out of her skin when she ran into Seth in the hall, who quickly covered her mouth to keep her from screaming. “Shhh, someone’s in the house. Stay behind me,” he whispered.

He moved silently down the stairs, flipping on the light as soon as he reached the switch at the bottom.

“Who are you?” demanded a man resembling a miniature Hulk, his bloodshot eyes narrowing in anger.

“The better question is who are you and what are you doing in this house?“ Seth shot back, using his height to loom over the shorter man, trying to intimidate him out the open door.

“Me?” the man challenged, standing his ground, fisting his large hands on his hips to accentuate his massive arms. “I live here!”

Mack, who had been tapping on Seth’s back trying to get his attention and had been summarily ignored, finally moved beside him. Looping her arm through his to avoid any potential blows, she whispered, “Um, Seth, that’s my brother… Daniel.”

“Mack? What is going on here? Why are you in your nightgown with this… stranger? We’ve been gone a week, and you’ve moved your boyfriend in? What’s wrong with you?” Daniel accused incredulously.

“Man, are you drunk? That’s no way to speak to your sister,” Seth interjected, wrapping his arm around Mackenzie protectively before she could respond.

“Oh, hi, kids,” her mother called from the doorway. “Daniel, move inside a bit, dear. I can’t fit through the door with my bags. Mack, this must be your handsome stranger.” She shuffled inside, the rest of the family squeezing in behind her. “I know we’re all excited to get acquainted, but we’ll have to settle for introductions and leave the getting-to-know-you part until later. The boys have been driving for almost twenty-four hours straight trying to get us home, and it was a harrowing journey. We need a couple hours of sleep before we all become Santa’s helpers. I’m Allison; this handsome man is my husband, Nicholas. Then we have my youngest sons, Joshua and Patrick. The strong protector about to attack you is my son Daniel. And you might be?”

“Hi, I’m Seth Stoll, your daughter’s friend and elf assistant for the past few days. Nice to meet all of you.” Outstretching his hand in Daniel’s direction, he added, “Sorry, man. I didn’t realize you all were coming home tonight, and waking up to an intruder was unexpected. My exhausted brain didn’t process the possibilities.”

Daniel shook his hand, squeezing it a lot harder than necessary. “We’ll settle up tomorrow after I get all the facts.” Trudging up the stairs, he whispered in Seth’s ear, “You better pray I find your stuff in the guest room, or you won’t live through the night.” Kissing Mack on the cheek as he passed, he said, “Night, baby girl. We’ll talk in the morning.”

Mack hugged her big, burly brother. “I missed you, Dan. Sleep well. He’s a gentleman and a friend. There’s no need to murder him.”

“We’ll see about that,” Dan grumbled as he made his way to his bedroom, taking a quick peek in the room at the end of the hall and smiling with satisfaction to see it had recently been slept in and showed signs of a hurried exit.

Seth helped carry her parents’ bags up the stairs and wished everyone a good night as they made their way to their respective doors.

Surprisingly, he fell asleep almost immediately. Now that her family was back, the events of the day ahead seemed less daunting and had every prospect of being fun.

Mack returned to her room, a smile tugging at her lips at Dan and Seth’s antics. She hadn’t had the opportunity to see Seth’s protective side before, but the fact he was willing and able to stand between her and danger made her heart sing. A romance between them seemed more and more like a good idea. He wasn’t the strapping man she had envisioned herself with, but he had proven to be manly in every way. His muscles were more than capable for every task she’d thrown at him, and his courage was undeniable—he had been ready to face off against Daniel, and that was no small feat, considering her brother was an ex-Marine with muscles to spare.

With a contented sigh, she finished attaching the tinsel ribbon to the hem of the Frost costume and finally let herself fall into bed. It was already 3:45 a.m., and the family would be up by six. She needed to be up early to feed the calves so her father wouldn’t feel obligated to do it. As she drifted off to sleep, her dreams were filled with peaceful walks through snow-covered forests with Seth by her side.