A Mistletoe Vow. Kate Hardy

the right ones.

      “Things haven’t been...easy around here the past few years, even before my brother-in-law’s accident. My uncle was a wonderful man but not the best businessman around, and the ranch hasn’t exactly been thriving financially.”

      “I’m sorry to hear that.”

      “The, um, increased interest in The Christmas Ranch after the first Sparkle book came out last season helped a great deal but didn’t completely solve the cash flow woes.” She felt her face heat a little, as it always did when she talked about the astonishing success of the book. “With the deal Hope and I will be signing for the movie rights, we can pay off the rest of the ranch’s debts and push the operation firmly into the black, which will lift considerable pressure from Faith. How could I turn down something that will benefit my family so much?”

      He studied her for a moment, that funny intensity in his expression again. “So it’s not necessarily what you really want, but you’re willing to go through with it anyway for your family.”

      “Something like that,” she muttered.

      “If having a movie made out of your book doesn’t sit well with you, couldn’t you have found an alternative revenue stream?”

      She shrugged. “Hope and I talked at length about this. Our agent and publisher were clear. Someone was going to make a Sparkle movie—which, believe me, is an amazing position to find ourselves in. The terms of this particular deal were very favorable for Hope and for me, and we were both impressed by the other projects this particular production company has engineered. The moment seemed right.”

      “I’m glad they’re making a Sparkle movie,” Olivia said suddenly. Celeste had been so busy explaining herself, she hadn’t realized the girl had left the puppies on the floor of the stall and rejoined them. “I can’t wait to see it.”

      Flynn smiled at his daughter with that sweet tenderness that tugged at her heart. “We’ll probably be back in California, and you can tell everyone else at the movie theater that you actually had the chance to meet the real Sparkle and the women who created the fictional version.”

      “I guess.” Olivia didn’t look as excited about that prospect as Celeste might have expected. In fact, she appeared downright glum.

      Why? she wondered. Was the girl enjoying her time in Pine Gulch so much that she didn’t like thinking about their eventual return to California?

      “Maybe we could come back and see the movie here,” Olivia suggested.

      “Maybe.”

      Celeste felt a sharp little kick to her heart at the noncommittal word. They wouldn’t be back. She was suddenly certain of it. After Flynn sold his grandmother’s house, he would have no more ties here in Pine Gulch. She likely would never see him or his daughter again.

      This was why she needed to be careful to guard her heart better. She already hurt just thinking about them leaving. How much worse would it be if she let herself take that leap and fell in love with him?

      He stood up and wiped the straw from the back of Olivia’s coat where she had been sitting on the floor of the stall.

      “We should probably take off,” he said. “You need to tell Celeste thank-you for bringing you out here to meet Sparkle and to play with the puppies.”

      “Do we have to go?” she complained.

      “Yes. It’s late and Celeste probably has to work at the library tomorrow.”

      She nodded and was suddenly overwhelmed by a wave of fatigue. The day had been long and exhausting, and right now she wanted nothing more than to be in her comfy clothes, cuddled up with her animals and watching something brainless on TV.

      “Okay,” Olivia said in a dejected voice. “Thank you for bringing me down here to meet Sparkle and play with the puppies.”

      “You are very welcome,” Celeste said. “Anytime you want to come back, we would love to have you. Sparkle would, too.”

      Olivia seemed heartened by that as she headed for the reindeer’s stall one last time.

      “Bye, Sparkle. Bye!”

      The reindeer nodded his head two or three times as if he was bowing, which made the girl giggle.

      Celeste led the way out of the barn. Another inch of snow had fallen during the short time they had been inside, and they walked in silence to where his SUV was parked in front of the house.

      She wrapped her coat around her while Flynn helped his daughter into the backseat. Once she was settled, he closed the door and turned to her.

      “Please tell your family thank you for inviting me to dinner. I enjoyed it very much.”

      “I will. Good night.”

      With a wave, he hopped into his SUV and backed out of the driveway.

      She watched them for just a moment, snow settling on her hair and her cheeks while she tried to ignore that little ache in her heart.

      She could do this. She was tougher than she sometimes gave herself credit for being. Yes, she might already care about Olivia and be right on the brink of falling hard for her father. That didn’t mean she had to lean forward and leave solid ground.

      She would simply have to keep herself centered, focused on her family and her friends, her work and her writing and the holidays. She would do her best to keep him at arm’s length. It was the only smart choice if she wanted to emerge unscathed after this holiday season.

      Soon they would be gone and her life would return to the comfortable routine she had created for herself.

      As she walked into the house, she tried not to think about how unappealing she suddenly found that idea.