Small Town Christmas (Blue Harbor #4) - Olivia Miles Page 0,61

grade, or when I didn’t get the part in the tenth-grade musical, and I guess, just knowing that he was there, and that he had my back, well, that’s just about all I needed.”

Phil shook his head. “Sounds nice. Can’t say I ever had that experience with my father.”

Cora squinted her eyes, wondering if she should ask about his falling out with the Keatons or let Phil open up when he was ready.

“My father was a workaholic. Still is. Can’t say I ever even thought to share something about my day with him. I was too busy trying to find a way to impress him.”

“But your grandparents are different,” Cora pointed out.

Phil nodded. “My father wanted a different life than something he could have here, but I loved my trips. The family meals, the conversations. It was like a different world.”

“And has it changed since you’ve been back?”

Phil hesitated. “It’s exactly as I remembered.” He sucked in a breath and looked behind him, where Georgie was trudging behind them in the snow, leaving marks in her track and yawning. “I think that Georgie ate her weight in your sisters’ food this weekend. The mac and cheese was a big hit.”

And warm, too. Amelia made several big vats of it every year, along with her famous chili and cornbread, and kept it warm on burners.

“Reminds me of when I was little,” Cora said as they made their way onto the sidewalk. “Every year after the carnival, my parents used to round out the event by taking us on a sleigh ride through the orchard. The neighboring farm has horses,” she explained.

“That sounds really special.” Phil held out an arm to stop her from walking as a car abruptly pulled out of a spot.

She couldn’t deny the pleasure she felt at such a simple gesture.

“It was special,” she said as they continued toward the shop. Cora hadn’t really thought of that in years. It was one tradition that they’d let slide, and she wasn’t sure why. Maybe it was because she could only do so much to keep her sisters and her father from moping during the holidays. Amelia tried her best, cooking a feast just like their mother would have wanted, and she and Amelia both encouraged Maddie to make Christmas cookies, but Cora knew that if she hadn’t insisted on the decorations, both indoors and out, and on the stockings, and the tree topper, and the hot chocolate and fire and classic holiday film on Christmas Eve, that all of those traditions would have slipped away, too.

Just like they were starting to do.

She righted herself as they crossed the street, not sure if she was being bold or just plain crazy, and said, “Maybe we could do that. For Georgie,” she added quickly.

Phil grinned, but there was a spark in his eyes that she registered as hope. “Tonight?”

Cora shrugged. “Unless you have other plans.”

“There’s nothing more I’d like to do.”

Cora felt as warm as if she were curled up with her favorite chenille blanket in front of the fireplace right now.

“Me either.”

*

It didn’t take long to set the bags of ornaments inside the store and make a quick call to her father, who then called Mr. Healy (also in his poker group), who was delighted to put the old sleigh to use.

“I nearly forgot that we used to do that,” Cora told her father.

He was quiet for a moment. “I didn’t.”

Cora felt the tears begin to threaten, prickling the backs of her eyes. She swallowed hard and said thickly, “Thanks, Dad. I love you.”

She hung up the phone feeling better than she had in weeks, and not just because she had the promise of a sleigh ride with Phil and Georgie to look forward to. A lot had changed in her family over the years, and certainly recently, but the old times, the ones she tried to protect and keep alive, were still with them.

They piled into Phil’s car and Cora directed him to the farm, seeing that old Mr. Healy was already waiting for them inside the warmly barn. The horses were magnificent, with rich chestnut brown coats that contrasted against the white snow, and a heavy plaid blanket was ready for them in the back of the sleigh.

“You get many rides this weekend?” Cora asked Mr. Healy as she settled onto the red velvet seat.

“No, this weekend most people are busy with the carnival. When you were little, your family used to make a point of stopping by