Chapter 14 #2
Her hands were soft, smooth against his calloused ones, her touch surprisingly calming. A few more of his nerves dissipated, and Nick relaxed for the first time since landing in the saddle. Maybe this wasn’t so bad.
Maybe…none of it was so bad.
The trail guide pulled to the side of the trail and shouted at the back of the line. “All right, you guys, we’re about to cross a creek. Heads up, the horses might try to rush through a bit because the water’s cold this time of year.”
Nope. Definitely bad.
He dropped Holly’s hand as the family bunched together at the creek, horses nickering.
“How’s it going, Nick?” Thomas’s wide smile spread across his whiskered face as he leaned forward, bracing one arm on the saddle horn like he might star opposite John Wayne. “I haven’t seen much of you on the trail.”
He didn’t look like a father angry about his daughter suddenly being in love. Nick’s shoulders loosened. Maybe Thomas hadn’t heard yet—or maybe he wouldn’t mind if he did.
Axel took off his gardening hat, a devious grin lighting his face. “That’s because he’s probably back there snogg—”
“It’s going great!” Nick blurted the words. Another lie for the holiday season. Though, honestly, the ride was going better than he’d anticipated. He was still in the saddle, wasn’t he?
Nick tried to scoot his horse away from Holly’s, just in case. Ryan’s gaze landed on his and held, but Nick didn’t have time to read his expression before the guide started ushering horses across. “You first, cowboy.”
“Babe! He called me cowboy !” Axel shouted at Chloe like they hadn’t all been right there as his horse splashed across the creek.
Chloe followed, praising his natural ability, then Grace and Thomas. The guide took both kids’ ponies by the reins and led them across, followed by Lydia and Ryan. Then he motioned for Nick to go, but Nick shook his head. “Ladies first.”
“I totally see through that effort there, but hey, chivalry is still chivalry.” Olivia splashed across with a wink in his direction.
Holly had been right—her sisters seemed to be approving of him. Not that it mattered, except maybe it would help Operation: Jack & Sally seem more convincing. Though if Nick were honest, having any of the sisters’ approval put a smile on his face.
“All right, Mr. Chivalrous.” Holly pulled her mount up next to his. “See you on the other side.” She nudged her mare with both heels. The horse jerked her head back, mane flying, before letting loose a loud whinny and taking off in a wild run across the creek bed.
Muddy water sprayed in an arc around Holly, who shrieked.
Nick’s heart stammered. Oh no. It was happening again.
“Holly!” He bolted into action, shoving his heels into Peanut Butter’s flank. The gelding nickered in a protest before grinding his hooves into the rocks and mud. Water splashed as the horse fought for footing on the icy bank.
Chest pounding, Nick dropped the reins and held on to the saddle horn with both hands as Peanut Butter jutted over the creek bed.
Ice-cold water splashed onto Nick’s jeans, shooting an immediate chill through his legs and up his spine.
Adrenaline surged. He had to get to Holly. Had to make sure she was—
Sitting safely on her horse. Blinking at him.
Oops.
Peanut Butter joined the group on the other side, flicking his damp tail. Nick’s gaze darted from Grace’s concerned frown to Chloe’s wide-eyed stare to Olivia’s barely contained smile begging to release from pursed lips.
Nick slowly picked up the reins as the Sinclairs stared. Even the trail guide seemed speechless at the overreaction. “Um.” The guy scratched the back of his neck. “That was…”
“Dude.” Axel exhaled the word as he moved his horse closer to Nick’s. He took off his straw hat and extended it toward him. “That was max cowboy. You totally deserve this hat, bro. I’m not worthy.”
Nick accepted the straw offering. Then, with a shrug, plunked it on top of his head. Why not? The afternoon couldn’t get any more embarrassing. At least he hadn’t fallen.
Then Peanut Butter reared.
He’d tried to save me.
I tucked the throw blanket around my legs and studied Nick’s profile out of the corner of my eye while we sat side by side on one end of the couch.
Ryan and my dad attempted to hook up Kat’s old karaoke machine—much to Olivia’s amusement and no thanks to Mom’s not-so-helpful comments.
Across the living room, Chloe and Axel were snuggled into the smaller sofa, while Kat kicked her legs up in Dad’s favorite recliner, clutching decaf coffee Mom had to dig out from the back of the pantry.
I gingerly reached over and touched the bruise on Nick’s jaw, half-hidden beneath the shadow of his growing beard. “Does it hurt?” I wasn’t worried about touching him, now that our relationship had been announced. In fact, the more caring I came across, the better for Operation: Jack & Sally.
Also, I genuinely wanted to know. After Peanut Butter had reared—apparently unhappy about the cold mud caking his hooves, according to our trail guide—Nick had slipped out of the saddle and landed on his side. His shoulder probably had a bigger bruise than his jaw.
“I’ve had worse.” Nick turned his head a little toward me, and I let my fingers graze along his scruff to his chin before returning my hands to my lap.
“I don’t know that I ever said thank you.” I kept my voice low, figuring he’d be embarrassed if anyone else joined the conversation.
“Thank you for what? Humiliating myself? Ruining your dad’s hat?” He grinned, then winced. “Smiling hurts.”
“Ouch.” I mirrored his expression.
“Can we keep this about me, for like, a minute?” If his teasing tone hadn’t let me know he was joking, his taking my hand would have certainly implied no hard feelings. Or something else? My gaze met his as his fingers wrapped around mine, and electricity shot up my arm and tingled into my stomach.
Then his eyes shifted pointedly to the left. Ryan watched us, a slight crease on his brow. Right. The operation was in full effect.
Pulling a move from Chloe’s playbook, I snuggled in a little closer and rested my head on Nick’s shoulder. “Want me to get you some frozen peas?”
“That’s so romantic.” Nick laughed, his breath brushing my hair and sending tiny shivers down the back of my neck. “But I think I’m good.”
From his squat by the karaoke machine, Ryan frowned at us.
Perfect. I turned my head up, my face only inches from Nick’s. “What about a frozen steak?”
He glanced down at me, his lips dangerously close to mine, and my breath caught. We were getting maybe a little too good at this. “If you’re getting steak, I’d rather it be cooked.”
“I think we’ve all had plenty of dinner.” Ryan plopped down on the other end of the couch next to me, holding the karaoke remote. “Who wants to go first?”
I sat up straight, though I stayed close to Nick. His warm presence next to me was nice. Grounding. Having a pretend boyfriend was almost as much fun as having a real one. Having a pretend boyfriend who tried to save me from a runaway horse, even better.
Of course, the mare I’d ridden a dozen times over the years hadn’t been running away at all. She just loved the water, and I was fully prepared for her little romp—had even encouraged it.
Nick clearly hadn’t gotten that memo. Or Peanut Butter, for that matter.
“Chloe, you sing so pretty.” Mom adjusted the blanket in her lap from her curled up position in the armchair near the fireplace. Dad perched on the hearth next to her. “Want to take a shot at it?”
“Yes!” Axel pumped his fist in the air. “Wow us, babe.”
“Me?” Chloe pressed her hand on her chest and ducked her head, feigning humility even as she untangled herself from the blanket. “If you guys insist…”
Next to me, Ryan rolled his eyes and tossed her the remote. “ One song each.”
Chloe began scrolling through the options on the screen. “What’s everyone’s least favorite Christmas song?”
“All of them.” Nick didn’t hesitate, though he did whisper. I squeezed his arm.
Axel squirmed on the sofa. “?‘The Twelve Days of Christmas.’?”
“Why?” Kat squinted at him over her coffee mug.
“Who gifts their loved one so many birds?” Axel shuddered. “Seems problematic. Like, dude, if she isn’t into you by now, I don’t think a French hen is gonna help, you know?”
“The man has a point.” Nick looked over at me and raised a brow, amusement lighting his eyes.
“Yeah, Holly.” Kat leaned forward in her chair to see me. “Would you have fallen for Nick if he’d gifted you a few turtledoves or a calling bird?”
“What even is a calling bird?” Axel pulled his legs up onto the cushion, as if afraid one might be lurking under the couch.
“That song has symbolism.” Mom scratched her head and frowned. “I looked it up once before, but now I don’t remember.”
Olivia, who sat cross-legged on the floor by Mom’s chair, shot me a knowing look. I shrugged at her. Mom forgetting stuff wasn’t anything new. She used to call us by each other’s names all the time growing up.
But had it gotten worse lately?
Lydia hurried into the living room. “Okay, the kids are all settled now.” She perched on the arm of the couch near Ryan, who immediately wrapped his arm around her waist.
“Thank goodness.” Olivia let out a dramatic breath of air. “They’ve been in rare form, whispering nonstop to each other about Santa. They really want to see him soon.”
Lydia nodded. “That’s what I heard too.” Even though it was still early, the kids had been sent to bed for “quiet time,” which was Olivia’s desperate attempt to de-sugar them and give herself a moment’s peace.
Lydia had volunteered to read them a Christmas story.
Of course. She probably found a way to get them to eat vegetables while she was at it.
But my brain didn’t have room to worry about my sister-in-law right now. Because the man next to me, the one who was terrified to be on top of a horse, had galloped said horse over a creek bed to make sure I was okay.
That was not part of Operation: Jack & Sally.
That was genuine caring, right? Or would he have done it for anyone?
Not that it mattered. Because I was not developing a crush on my fake boyfriend. I had to let the hero shock wear off, that was all. I’d have appreciated anyone who made that effort forme.
But would I also be appreciating the warmth of just anyone’s side next to mine…the heady aroma of winter forest and peppermint gum…?
Enough of that. I shook off the blanket and stood abruptly. “Nick and I will go first.”
“We will?” Nick’s brown eyes widened up at me.
“Ooh.” Chloe handed over her mic with a grin. “Mariah Carey!”
“Oh no.” Nick cringed, his gaze shooting to my dad and then back to me. “I’d rather Taylor Swift.”
“Just shake it off, honey. ” I tugged Nick up. He reluctantly complied. “Mariah is the Christmas queen.”
“She’s the queen in general.” Axel shook his head in awe. “She’s won, like, way more Grammys than even Taylor Swift.”
We all stared at him.
Kat closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Chloe…”
“I’m on it.” She took Axel aside and began whispering. I huffed into the microphone, then buffed it on my sweater sleeve.
“What? Taylor’s won that many?” Axel’s voice boomed across the room.
Ignoring him, I grinned at Nick. “Ready?” We turned to face the television, which was synced to the karaoke machine. That way we weren’t looking any of my family members in the eye, thankfully.
“Not at all.” Nick cleared his throat, though, so I figured that was as ready as he was going to get. “Wait. Since when is this song a duet?”
“Since right now.” The familiar opening chimes of the world’s most overplayed Christmas song sounded. “Do you want to go first?”
Whoops. Good thing looks couldn’t kill, or this song would have been over. “Got it. I’ll start.” I adjusted my grip—already slightly sweaty—on the microphone. I rarely got nervous over this kind of stuff, but being with Nick felt a little different.
That was okay, though. Just had to give my brother a show and make him regret his life choices. I beamed at Nick, daring to blow a kiss.
His eyes widened slightly, then he must have remembered Operation: Jack & Sally, because he pretended to catch it. Bless.
I glanced at the TV as the words ran across the screen in bold white type. And I began, shaky at first, words tumbling over themselves as I caught up to the rhythm.
Next to me, Nick snorted.
I bravely persevered, even though Kat had started recording on her cell, dang it.
“ …is youuuu. ” I held the word as long as my trembling, giggly voice could hold.
“ I don’t want a lot for Christmas …” Nick jumped in with me on the chorus, his tenor much clearer and more confident than mine. What in the world?
I sang louder, turning to face him. He didn’t even need a mic.
We belted out the lines in each other’s faces with exaggerated fervor as Mom and Dad clapped along.
Axel, clearly recovered from the shocking truth of Taylor beating Mariah, shouted something encouraging, but I couldn’t tell what over my pounding heart.
We slid into the next verse, Nick performing backup. His hair flopped over his forehead and he shook it back, using the remote control now as his own mic. “ I won’t even wish for snow… ”
I shook my hips to the beat—Taylor would have been proud—and tried not to revel in the way Nick’s eyes laughed at me even as he continued singing in perfect pitch.
Chloe whistled through her fingers. Oddly enough, I forgot to even look at Ryan until halfway through the song.
But his neutral expression gave nothing away.
He didn’t seem any more annoyed than he did anytime one of his sisters forced him to listen to them sing.
Way too soon, and not nearly soon enough, we reached the last chorus. I went hardcore for the high note, which made Olivia clamp her hands over her ears and Axel tilt his head back and howl. Dad shook his head while Mom grinned. Lydia clapped politely.
Near the end now, Nick and I slowed our erratic dancing to a somber sway. We sang the last several stanzas, dramatically facing each other like an off-Broadway duet as the closing lines ran across the screen.
And that was when the full impact of the lyrics hit me like a bag of coal.
Nick sang directly at me, eyes full of hot chocolate and spice and everything I suddenly didn’t hate so much about the holidays. He was a good actor. “ All I want for Christmas is you…”
The microphone shook in my hand and it was all I could do to maintain eye contact with him. To smile and keep the show—keep the game —going as a realization became painfully clear.
I wanted this to be real.
Once the original energizing motivation of revenge for both operations stopped fueling me, I was left with one bottom-line truth. One that Mariah Carey apparently knew, if no one else in the room did.
All I wanted for Christmas was Nick Kinsley.