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

Chapter Twenty

The four-and-a-half-hour drive to his hometown in western Massachusetts turned into six. By the time he reached Jason’s auto shop on the edge of Glacier Ridge, night had fallen, and he was exhausted. His eyes felt like he had spent a week at the beach, not Santa’s Village. Jason had messaged earlier that he was out on a call but told Seth to pull his camper in the RV side of the garage and make himself at home in the guest room. Seth had visited his little brother several times before and was grateful to discover the drive-through bay was cleared, and he wouldn’t need to back his forty-foot rig into the confined space in the dark.

After gathering his things for the night and shooting a message off to Mack, letting her know he’d arrived safely, he made his way to the small cottage next door. Its lights glowed a warm welcome in the cold, dark night. Slipping out of his snow-covered boots and coat, he rolled his tight shoulders and inhaled deeply. A delicious and comforting aroma filled his nostrils as he made his way into the tiny kitchen. He spotted a note on the stove written in wide-tip permanent marker: Dinner is warming in the oven. Dig in, but you’d better leave me some.

A wide grin split Seth’s weary face. Jason was always thinking ahead and being thoughtful. Not only had his little brother known Seth would be starving, but he’d also made Seth’s childhood favorite—tater-tot casserole. Seth made short work of retrieving the glass baking dish from the oven and serving himself a portion large enough to fill most of his dinner plate. After blessing the food and thanking the good Lord for keeping him safe throughout the past week, he tucked into the food, allowing his mind to wander back to the last time he had eaten this meal at his grandmother’s table. That had been a great weekend with his grandparents and his brothers. It was one of the last memories that he had of them all together before his grandmother passed.

He was scraping the remains of his second helping from the plate when headlights flashed across the kitchen window. Peering outside, Seth saw Jason hop out of his diesel tow truck and head swiftly toward the house, leaning into the wind.

“Welcome home, old man!” Jason hollered as he removed his outerwear in the mudroom off the kitchen. He was still extricating himself from the coveralls he used to protect his clothing as he walked into the kitchen. “You better have saved me some of that, or you’ll be sleeping out in the snow again,” he warned good-naturedly, eyeing the pan resting on the stovetop covered in tin foil.

Seth chuckled. “Didn’t Eric or Sarah tell you? I was rescued by an elf—I didn’t have to sleep in the snow after all. And don’t worry, I left you a Jason-sized portion.”

“You didn’t!” Jason shouted, spinning to uncover the remainder of the food, and sighed in relief when he saw a good third of the 9x13 pan left for him. His older brothers were much larger than him growing up, and their portions were always double or triple what he was allotted. They never took food from his plate, but there wasn’t ever much there to start with.

Seth laughed as he washed his plate and dried it, putting everything back where it belonged. “Don’t worry, little brother, you grew into your Stoll shoes just fine. I bet you could hold your own now and demand your fair share.”

Jason smirked, serving himself. “Yeah, I may not have your height, but I’ve got the brawn now. Not that it’s a match for Eric. I swear that guy gets bigger every time I see him.”

“Agreed. If I didn’t know better, I would think the army gave him some kind of growth hormone,” Seth joked. “Anyway, I’m glad I finally made it. I hear we’re celebrating Christmas tomorrow?”

Jason nodded, his eyes softening. “Yeah, we held off until you got here. Tomorrow morning, we’re heading up the mountain to Eric’s. Dad’s coming too. It’s the first family holiday in almost fifteen years.”

Shaking his head at the time that had passed, he rubbed his chest at the ache of missing his brothers all those years as he finished his last bite, then took Seth’s place at the sink and washed, dried, and put the dishes away. Some habits died hard. There wasn’t a Stoll man who went to bed with a dirty kitchen. His grandmother would never have allowed it.

When Jason offered coffee, Seth declined with a yawn. “I hate to eat and run, little brother, but if I’m going to present my best self tomorrow, I need to get some sleep. The past week and all the driving today have completely worn me out.”

Jason replaced the extra mug in the cabinet. “I understand; I was out in it all day, too, helping pull folks from the strangest places. We have plenty of time to catch up. I know you like your privacy. If you decide you’ll feel more comfortable staying in your camper, I have full hookups out there now. Electric, water, sewer, and I can fill you up on gas if you need your tanks refilled. With the bay doors open, there is no chance of asphyxiation. You’re welcome in the house, too. Whatever makes you happy, man. I’m so glad you decided to stay.”

The two embraced, and for the first time in years, Seth felt the deep bond of family settle into his bones. He hadn’t realized just how much he had missed his family.

***

Seth was still knocking the snow from his boots when an armful of woman landed in his arms.

“You finally made it! Merry Christmas!” Sarah greeted, her arms encircling her oldest brother-in-law’s neck as she hugged him tight.

Seth chuckled, returning the hug. “Merry Christmas, Sarah. Sorry, I’m late.”

She swatted his arm playfully. “Sugar, if this is your version of late, I wonder what your version of early is. Never mind that, though. You’re here now, and we can celebrate together. Count your blessings. Saraphina is still a baby and doesn’t understand that your little trip to the “North Pole” meant her gifts were delayed two days.” Her grin was infectious, as was her laugh as she pulled him into the house, wet boots and all, before focusing her attention on Jason and his father, who was pulling up the rear, buried in gifts for his granddaughter.

Finally freeing himself from his footwear, Seth made his way into the living room, where his brother Eric stood, cradling Saraphina in his arms, his expression dark. Seth pulled up short, but the room was cozy, not allowing much room to get away if Eric decided to swing on him, which, by the look of things, he was contemplating. Eric’s heavily bearded face twisted into a glower, his mossy green eyes narrowing.

“Just remember she’s taken, and you’ll live to see another day,” Eric growled, his voice deep and menacing.

Tiny Saraphina giggled as if her father’s growl had tickled her, and a smile emerged through Eric’s whiskers. He laughed a deep barrel laugh the likes of which Seth had never heard. Sarah rushed over and took Saraphina, who wasn’t sure what to do with the current situation any more than Seth was.

Sarah looked between the two men and then, hand on hip, turned on her husband. “Eric, what did you do? Tell me you did not just play some joke on your brother when he has just arrived for our very first family holiday!”