Christmas at Holiday House - RaeAnne Thayne Page 0,50

dear through this whole process, why did Ethan have to be part of the equation? Couldn’t they go tubing on their own?

How could she tell Winnie that she wasn’t sure she was ready to spend an evening in his company? That, in fact, Abby would be perfectly happy avoiding the man for the rest of her life?

Every time she thought of their evening together, she wanted to cringe. That kiss had been delicious, yes. She still couldn’t think about it without her knees feeling a little weak.

While the kiss had been dreamy, what came after could only be described as the stuff of nightmares. Had she truly told him about being physically ill after her last date?

Every time she thought about it, she wanted to dig a snow burrow out in the garden and climb inside for the rest of the winter.

She could only imagine what he must think of her.

Still, apparently he wasn’t completely repulsed, or he wouldn’t have agreed to take them tubing in the snow.

“I really want to go, Mommy. I like Ethan. Can we? Please?”

How could she say no? Christopher had been such a sweetheart, happy to entertain himself with coloring books or trains or his tablet while she was so busy decorating the house.

He would love the chance to create memories in the snow. How could she deprive him of this opportunity, even if it meant swallowing her embarrassment and facing Ethan once more?

She could do it. She only had to remember that Ethan meant nothing to her. Yes, they had kissed once and it had been spectacular, but it certainly wasn’t going to happen again. In a short time, she would be going home to Phoenix and then on to her new life in Austin, and the man would only be a memory.

“Please, Mommy?” Christopher pressed one more time when she didn’t answer.

“Listen to the boy,” Winnie advised.

She simply didn’t have the strength to withstand the combined entreaties of her son and his septuagenarian accomplice. Who did?

“Fine. We will go. It sounds like fun. That means we have to hurry and finish these cookies. You had better get stamping.”

“I can help,” Winnie said. “Decorating sugar cookies is one of my favorite things. Should we put some Christmas music on?”

“Yes. I want to hear ‘Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,’” Christopher said.

“I think that can be arranged,” Winnie said, grinning at him before ordering her home speaker to play the Gene Autry version, and soon they were all laughing and singing along.

* * *

“Hey, I’m taking Rod and a couple of his buddies to The Pie House for pizza and to watch the game tonight, since my mom has some kind of choir practice thing. You interested?”

If only José has asked him an hour ago, when his calendar for the evening had been completely free. Pizza and the game would be a lot less awkward than trying to figure out how to talk to Abby again after their kiss the night before.

“Sounds great but I can’t. Sorry. I have plans.”

José raised an interested eyebrow. “Hot date?”

Ethan stacked papers on his desk, avoiding his friend’s gaze. “The exact opposite, actually. I’m trying out the new tubing hill with my grandmother’s houseguest and her son. Sure you wouldn’t rather take Rod and his friends with us to do that, instead?”

He wasn’t sure why he asked other than that he wouldn’t mind a little buffer between him and Abby.

“Ordinarily, yeah, since the tubing hill is now one of Rod’s new favorite things, but we just did it a couple nights ago with my sister and her kids. We’ve got a real hit on our hands. Everybody had fun. Christopher should have a great time.”

“I hope so. That would make one of us.”

José gave him an interested look. “I get why you would rather be skiing down a black diamond slope instead of taking an inner tube down the slow lane. What about Abby? Why wouldn’t she have fun tubing with you and her son?”

As much as he suddenly wanted to confide in José, how could he possibly tell anyone about that disaster of a kiss?

“Abby seems great,” José said as Ethan struggled for an answer. “I met her before when I went with Lucy to her husband’s funeral, but that was a tragic situation. I never really had a chance to talk to her one-on-one much except since she’s been here in Silver Bells. I liked her a lot when I was there for Thanksgiving. I also went over one