since she arrived in Silver Bells, Ethan once more surprised her. “I wouldn’t miss it,” he said promptly. “After all the hard work everyone has put into making it a success, I’m sure the night will be wonderful.”
Mariah smiled broadly. “Great. I’ll look forward to seeing you twice in one day.”
He gave her a distant sort of smile, waved to both of them and headed out the door.
Mariah watched after him, then shook her head. “Well, that was interesting.”
“What was?” Abby asked absently.
“That man. I might as well be invisible to him. I keep trying to get Ethan to notice me, but I might as well be one of those Christmas trees scattered all over the house.” She raised an artfully shaped eyebrow. “You, on the other hand, get a completely different reaction out of him.”
Abby felt her face heat. “You’re crazy.”
Mariah gave her an amused look. “Am I? I don’t think so. I thought I noticed a certain vibe between you on Thanksgiving, and it was more obvious today. Is something going on between you two?”
Abby willed herself not to blush, trying to push away the memory of that heated kiss. “Nothing. We’re friends. That’s all.”
They were, she realized. She never would have guessed that day she had arrived at Holiday House that she would become friends with Ethan, but she genuinely liked him.
And, okay, she was fiercely attracted to him, but that was an entirely separate issue.
“Lucky you,” Mariah said with a teasing smile. “Half the women in town would love to be friends with Ethan Lancaster. Friends with benefits, anyway.”
Abby rolled her eyes and tried not to think about how much she truly missed benefits.
Eleven
He didn’t know what standards the Silver Belles were using to judge how well Christmas at Holiday House was going, but from Ethan’s point of view the evening was a smashing success.
Later that night, he was sitting at a table in the great room with a middle-aged couple he had learned were from Nebraska and were staying at the Lancaster Silver Bells hotel.
Bill and Nancy Maughan were sipping hot cocoa out of Winnie’s elegant Christmas-themed china, listening to the choir perform their final number, a beautiful rendition of “Silent Night.” Nancy had tears in her eyes as she listened and even Bill looked touched, though he wasn’t crying.
Around them, the great room was filled with others who lingered over their cocoa and cookies to listen to the music.
He hadn’t really been able to catch the vision of what Winnie wanted to do until this evening. Apparently, the ticket holders were divided into small groups of twenty or so, with staggered arrivals. Winnie led his particular tour group, but he had seen different Silver Belles leading others.
Visitors were given some of the history of the house, including things Ethan hadn’t known. The tours discussed Christmases through the years since the house had been built and how various historical events had shaped the celebrations.
All along the way, other members of the Silver Belles performed Christmas songs that were popular during those significant moments in history.
He had to admit, he was impressed. Everyone seemed to enjoy the tours immensely, and those in his group lingered in each room to examine the contents and talk about Winnie’s collection.
His grandmother was definitely in her element. She seemed to love talking about the house and the people who had lived here. She glowed as he hadn’t seen her do since probably his grandfather died.
The evening was an intimate, unexpected delight, and he couldn’t wait to tell Winnie and Abby how much he had enjoyed it.
The number came to a tender close, and the choir was met with thunderous applause from those in the great room.
“Oh, that was so marvelous,” Nancy Maughan said. “I’m so glad we were able to get tickets. I grew up in Silver Bells and used to dream about coming to a Christmas party here. It always looked so elegant and festive to me when I was a child, like something out of a movie set. I can’t believe we actually had the chance.”
Ethan had no idea if Winnie and her friends could continue on with this much energy and enthusiasm as everyone had shown tonight. If they could, he had no doubt Christmas at Holiday House would become the most talked about seasonal event in this region of Colorado.
The house sparkled. Everywhere one looked, beautiful holiday touches added to the mood of warmth and welcome in the house. Abby had truly outdone herself.
He looked around