A Mistletoe Christmas: Santa's Mistletoe Mistake / A Merry Little Wedding / Mistletoe Magic

Libby had been slightly disappointed that the sporting-goods store didn’t sell purple skates, but her spirit had only been dampened for a few minutes.

She raced ahead of Melody to the car before Jake could even get out of the driver’s-side door or Melody could close the door to the house.

“Cowboy Jake, I colored you a picture,” Libby said as she slid into the backseat and Melody got into the passenger seat. Libby handed her work of art over the seat to Jake. “And here, I even brought a baggie with two purple butterfly magnets in it so you can hang the picture on your refrigerator. That’s where Mom always puts my art stuff.”

Jake looked at the coloring of a Christmas tree, a fireplace with a blazing flame and three people. The man figure wore jeans, a shirt and a cowboy hat, the woman had on a red coat and the little girl was clad in purple. Melody had watched her daughter labor over the drawing and had been pleased that she wanted to give it to Jake.

“I’d be proud to hang this on my refrigerator door, Libby. You did such a good job.”

Libby beamed with pleasure, and Jake placed the picture and the baggie of magnets in his glove box and then smiled a greeting to Melody.

“I found out that my best friend, Megan, is coming later to the pond party with her parents,” Libby said.

“I imagine half the town will be there,” he replied. “You both look ready for a little outdoor activity.”

Melody had dressed for a cold afternoon with black leggings and a long pink sweater beneath her black coat. Pink gloves adored her hands and pink earmuffs covered her ears. Libby had prepared for a cold day as well, clad in blue jeans, a purple sweater, her coat, a hat and gloves. “I’ve got on long underwear,” she told Jake. “Mom is hoping it will protect my bottom when I fall, but I’m not going to fall, right, Cowboy Jake?”

Jake laughed. “I’m not sure that I’m not going to fall. It’s been a long time since I skated. I might do a cowboy slide clear across the pond on my bottom.”

* * *

LIBBY GIGGLED AND Melody smiled warmly at Jake. It was going to be another wonderful day, and she loved that Libby seemed to be opening herself up to Jake.

As am I, she thought. Despite the shortness of the time they’d known each other, Melody was precariously close to being heart and soul in love with Jake. It both scared her a little bit and excited her a lot.

By the time they reached Bob’s ranch, cars were parked not only in front of his house but also in the grassy area next to the house.

“Looks like there’s already a crowd here,” Melody said.

“Bob’s party usually brings out a crowd. The Mistletoe Bakery donates cookies, and the café donates Mistletoe Toddies and hot cocoa,” Jake explained.

They got out of his Jeep, and Jake grabbed his skates and a blanket and then pointed toward a pasture gate. “We’ve got a little walk from here. The pond is just over the hill.”

Libby skipped ahead of them, barely containing her excitement, and as she crested the hill ahead of them she stopped and gasped with obvious awe.

“Mom, hurry. You have to see everything,” she said as she clapped her hands together and jumped up and down.

Melody reached the top of the hill and her breath caught as she took in the view. The large frozen pond glittered in the afternoon sunshine. Benches were interspersed with barrels that radiated a fire source obviously intended for warmth.

But she knew that what had captured her daughter’s excitement was the path lined with candy-cane lights, the huge yard ornaments in the shape of everything Christmas and the reindeer that appeared to dance down the hillside. She guessed that they were constructed of wire forms and then covered with mistletoe.

“Bob has gone plumb Christmas crazy,” Jake said as they followed Libby down the candy-cane path. “Last time I was here he only had a couple of those yard blow-ups.”

“How long ago has that been?”

She didn’t miss the slight darkening of his eyes. “A little over five years ago,” he replied.

She realized that this was the first time he’d been here since his wife’s death, and the fact that he’d invited them here meant even more than it had before.

She wrapped her arm with his and smiled up at him. “Let’s go have some fun.”

“That’s the plan.” He smiled down at her, the darkness in his eyes gone.

They found an empty bench and sat. Immediately Libby and Jake began to put on their skates. When he had on his, he turned to look at her. “And why don’t you skate?”

“To be honest, because of my dancing I’ve always been a little afraid. I feel the same about skiing. The last thing I want is a broken bone that interferes with my livelihood. But I do make a great sideline cheerleader.”

By that time Libby had her skates on, but as Jake got up and stepped out on the ice, Libby remained seated next to Melody. “I’m afraid,” she said in a small voice. She grabbed hold of Melody’s arm. “I haven’t skated for a long, long time.”

Jake bent down in front of her. “It’s kind of like riding a bike, Libby. You never really forget how. It’s been a long, long time for me, too.”

He stood and took off across the ice, zigging and zagging around colorful-clad children and other adults. He looked amazing, both athletic yet graceful. Melody loved the way he wore his worn jeans tight and topped them with the suede jacket with the white wool lining, which made his shoulders appear even broader.

He made any other man on the pond look a bit smaller and insubstantial, a bit clumsy and so ordinary. Jake was definitely hot on ice.

He skated back to them and then once again squatted down in front of Libby and held out his hand. “Come on, Libby, come skate with me.”

She looked at his hand and then gazed up at her mother. Melody remained silent. She didn’t want to force Libby to do anything she didn’t want to do.

“Libby, you can trust me. As long as you hold my hand I promise you that I won’t let you fall,” Jake said.

Libby held his gaze for a long moment and then slipped her little hand into his and stood. Melody didn’t realize she’d been holding her breath until it released on a sigh of relief.

Her heart expanded as she saw Jake and her daughter venture out onto the ice hand in hand. She’d not only grieved her own loss of Seth as a husband, but also grieved for Libby no longer having a daddy or a strong male presence in her life.

Melody knew the statistics of the failure of young girls to thrive without a positive male role model in their lives, and seeing the happiness on Libby’s face as she skated with Jake she was grateful for his presence as a neighbor...as a friend...and she was beginning to hope as something much more.

As Jake and Libby skated, several women who had children taking lessons at her studio stopped by to say hello to Melody. She chatted with people, cuddled under the blanket Jake had provided, and raised her hand to wave at the couple on the ice who held her heart.

After twenty minutes or so, Libby was on the other side of the pond with friends and Jake was skating back toward Melody and the bench. “She’s a natural,” he said, sitting down next to her. “By the time she met up with her friends, she was pretty much skating without me.”

“Thanks for helping her over her stage fright,” Melody replied. “Are you warm enough? I’ll be glad to share the blanket.”

He blew on his bare hands. “Thanks, I’d welcome it. I forgot to bring my gloves.”

She moved closer to him and arranged the blanket over the two of them, then grabbed one of his hands and grasped it firmly in her gloved hands. “Silly man to forget your gloves,” she said teasingly.

“Smart woman to share the blanket,” he replied with a twinkle in his eyes.

She settled against the back of the bench, acutely aware of every place their bodies touched beneath the blanket. Although she hadn’t been overly warm before, with his thigh and hip against hers, a flaming heat burned inside her.

He finally pulled his hand from hers and for a few minutes they watched the skaters on the ice. Melody kept an eye on her daughter, who had found Megan, and the two were on the ice together, barely moving around the edges of the pond.

“Tell me about your husband,” he said. “I’ve told you a little about Stacy, but you haven’t told me much about the man you were married to.”

She gazed at him and then looked back at the skaters. “Seth and I were high school sweethearts. We started going steady in seventh grade and never dated others. I had just graduated from college when my parents were killed in a small plane crash while they were on vacation. Seth was my rock through that horrible time, and after I’d grieved, he asked me to marry him.”

“So you were young when you married.”