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

Chapter Twenty-One

Jason snuck by, skillfully extricating Saraphina from Sarah’s arms as he passed. The baby’s squeals of delight soon echoed through the kitchen as she laughed with her familiar uncle and grandpa.

When Eric didn’t immediately respond, Sarah grabbed a handful of his beard and pulled his chin down to meet her fierce glare. This had an impact. Eric made a gallant effort to gather himself, seeing how truly upset his wife was, though a few chuckles still escaped. “What? It was funny. He was so easy,” Eric gasped, trying to contain his laughter.

Sarah turned toward Seth to apologize, but instead of seeing irritation, she noticed a grin spreading across his face. Before she could say a word, Seth pulled her into a warm, genuine hug—the kind that said, I’m home .

“It’s fine, Sarah,” he assured. “This is classic Eric. These are the types of pranks that we would play on each other as children. It’s his way of putting me in my place and telling me that I am taking this whole thing way too seriously. He just broke the ice. Leave it to Eric to use his dark side to do it.”

Sarah squinted, still confused, not letting it rest until she understood. “What did he say to make you look so scared and him laugh like a maniac?” She didn’t want her new brothers to fear her husband, which would be easy to do after so many years apart. Eric was very imposing, and his years at war had hardened him from when they last knew him. She wanted them to remember his softer side, and he went and pulled this stunt not five minutes in. She was livid.

Behind her, Eric was wiping tears of laughter from his eyes.

Seth chuckled. “He reminded me you’re taken, and as long as I remember that, I’ll live to see another day.”

Sarah’s eyes widened in disbelief and horror. “He didn’t!”

Seth placed his hands gently on her shoulders. “Hence the… I’m taking things too seriously part. If I hadn’t come in here with all my walls up expecting something to happen, I would have realized instantly that he was messing with me. We’re good, Sarah. Better than good. Eric always knew how to get me out of a slump when we were kids, and I guess the years didn’t dull those skills. The rest of the day will go well. Trust me.” Then, with a wink, he leaned down to whisper, "But if you want to pay him back later, I’m all in.”

Stepping around her, Seth clasped Eric in a hearty hug, complete with heavy back-slapping and manly chuckles at a prank well executed.

As Seth made his way across the room to the kitchen, where Jason and his father entertained Saraphina, Sarah turned her dazzling blue gaze on her husband. Eric didn’t give her a chance to argue; he just scooped her into his arms and kissed her senseless. When she was too breathless to speak, he whispered, “Sarah, I love you. I know how much you want this family to be together, and I would never do anything to jeopardize that. Trust me on this. Seth and I needed that.”

“But you basically accused him of hitting on me or something! And scared the tar out of him like you were actually going to beat him up in our home for hugging me,” Sarah hissed, showing him that she was still angry with him, delicious kisses or not.

Eric grinned. “Sweetheart, I trust you wholeheartedly. Seth and I have already talked about this. And there is no universe in which a Stoll poaches another man’s wife. That is not how my family operates. You and Seth have gotten close with all the phone calls you make to the poor guy. That is precisely why it worked. If he hadn’t been so anxious about today, he would have punched me in the arm and told me to shut it, but instead, he freaked out. I would have given it to him a little bit longer if Phi hadn’t jumped in, calling my bluff so soon. I’m going to have to talk to my little angel about taking the wrong side,” Eric grumbled as if truly annoyed by his four-month-old daughter’s lack of loyalty.

Sarah sighed, finally understanding. Deep down, she appreciated Eric seeing the signs and doing something to help Seth feel more at home, but she realized she still had a lot to learn about how the brothers interacted. She had only ever witnessed Eric with his military brothers, and that was nothing like how he interacted with his blood brothers. The bond was completely different.

She cupped his face gently and looked into the loving green eyes that always comforted her. “Promise me today is going to be good, and they will want to come back again next year.”

“I promise.”

Eric sealed it with a tender kiss that had the men at the kitchen table averting their eyes. They exchanged amused glances, happy to see that one of them had chosen wisely and found true love. Watching the display between his brother and sister-in-law made Seth even more determined to win Mackenzie’s heart. He wanted what Eric had with Sarah.

As predicted, the rest of the day went smoothly. The family was eager to hear about Seth’s recent adventure, so he spent dinner recounting the whole ordeal—Mack, her family, the townspeople of Cloverdale, and the Christmas miracle that made Santa’s Village possible. They all seemed genuinely excited to meet her at the New Year’s Eve Gala in a few days. Sarah even mentioned wanting to take Saraphina to see the village when she was old enough to enjoy it.

After exchanging gifts, the men went for a walk in the woods while the baby napped. They wandered down the mountain to Sarah’s brother Tom’s place to get better acquainted since Seth had only met him briefly at the wedding. Seth was surprised to learn that Tom had recently married. His wife, Natalie, was a free-spirited woman brimming with energy, a stark contrast to Sarah’s straight-laced brother. But after only a few minutes in their company, Seth could see how their differences balanced each other perfectly, creating a relationship that clearly worked well for them.

Watching Tom and Natalie’s easy interactions, Seth couldn’t help but think about Mack. She had that same kind of vibrant energy as Natalie—lively, outgoing, always able to light up a room. And just like Tom, he was quieter, more reserved. Yet, somehow, the contrast between them worked perfectly. Their differences didn’t push them apart; they balanced each other in a way that felt natural. That’s exactly what had drawn him to her in the first place. The thought of Mack brought a smile to his face, and he realized more than ever how much he wanted to make things work with her.

After saying their goodbyes, they trekked further to Zach Harrington’s new cabin and met his precious daughter, Grace. Seth had known Zach since childhood, back when his dad worked at the Harrington Mill. The two boys had spent many days working alongside the logging crew and at the mill. As they talked, Seth mentioned his growing relationship with Mack and asked if Zach might be willing to sell some land, since he owned the entire town and the surrounding land and forest as far as the eye could see. By the time they left, the sun was setting, and Seth had a map of potential properties tucked safely in his pocket.

New Year’s Eve dawned with a bristling wind that shook the fresh snow from the bare branches overhead and rattled the tree limbs like clattering bones. Despite the cold, Seth’s mood remained bright, even when a pile of snow fell down the neck of his coat as he made his way to his truck. He had promised Eric and Sarah to help with the final preparations at Harrington House, but he overslept due to his phone failing to charge thanks to a power outage. He smiled, remembering his video chat with Mack the night before, the reason he went to sleep with a dead phone in the first place. He felt like a kid again; every thought about his gorgeous girl. Anticipation for the next time he would get to see her raced through his body.

He’d gone into Sweet Valley the day before to rent a tux and get a haircut, wanting to look sharp for their first official date. Tonight, his family and friends would meet her at the Gala, and tomorrow, he had their second date planned—thanks to a little help from Sarah. Hickory Falls had been out of his mind for so long, but now, the memories and the warmth of home were coming back to him. Mack had changed everything.

Snow crunched beneath his tires as he parked outside Harrington House, the Gilded Age Georgian mansion that had loomed over the town since it was built over a hundred years ago. He marveled at how Zach had stayed so grounded despite his wealthy upbringing. To think he went from being the firstborn of one of the wealthiest families in Massachusetts to being a decorated war hero living up in the mountains with his brother Eric. Time really did change things.

Seth smiled and shook his head as he locked his truck out of habit, even though there was no danger of theft in this sleepy little town, and he bet not a single vehicle in the lot was locked.

His phone rang, and he pulled it out of his coat pocket and answered without checking the caller ID. “Hello?”

“Seth! Thank God!” The urgency in the voice on the other end was unmistakable. “There’s been an emergency at a surgical center in Maine. We’re short on help, and lives are on the line. There’s only a small break in the weather to get people there. Can you be on a plane in the next two hours?”

Seth’s heart sank. He glanced back toward Harrington House, where his family and friends were waiting for him to help, and where Mackenzie would be arriving in just a few hours. Torn between his duty and the evening he had promised her, Seth knew there was no real choice.

He sighed, already regretting the missed chance. “I’ll be there.”