Wrapped Up In Christmas

“Aren’t we allowed to spot a dear friend and want to say hello?” Maybelle tsked.

“Yeah,” Claudia agreed, rubbing her gloved hands over her camo jacket sleeves. “Didn’t you want us to come over to say hi?”

Even knowing it was a deliberate guilt trip couldn’t stop Sarah from automatically replying “Of course I wanted you to say hi.”

“Yet you practically ran away from us,” Claudia accused, still rubbing her hands back and forth over her jacket sleeves as if she were trying to warm herself.

“I didn’t run from you. It’s not like you said my name or tried to get my attention.”

“And we blended in so well with the environment that you couldn’t see us coming?” Maybelle asked drily, gesturing to the clothes that almost looked as if they would glow in the dark.

“I was looking for a tree and didn’t even know you were here,” Sarah reminded them, eyeing the cartoon turtle embroidered onto the backs of Claudia’s hands. Was she wearing one of her grandsons’ gloves?

“Because you were distracted?” Rosie practically danced with excitement as she regarded Sarah.

Flustered, Sarah blinked at the trio. “Of course I’m distracted. I’m working on getting Hamilton House ready to open, and next weekend is the On-the-Square Christmas Festival.” Plus, Bodie had almost kissed her. “There’s just a little bit going on that might have me distracted, don’t you think?”

“You’re distracted, all right, but not from any of those things.” Rosie giggled.

Sarah looked around to make sure Bodie hadn’t returned and wasn’t in hearing range. She couldn’t see him or Harry at all beyond the trees.

They had ventured out further into the field than she’d realized. And, although there were other shoppers, none were easily visible as far out as they were.

No wonder her friends were out of breath if they’d been trying to find them.

Because no matter what excuses they made, she knew that was exactly what they’d been doing—trying to find them. Trying to spy on them.

All that was missing was green paint smudged across their guilty, spying faces. But that did remind her—why were there only three of them? Was it possible the fourth was there too, just better hidden?

“Where’s Ruby?” she demanded. “Perhaps hot on Bodie’s trail?”

“What?” Claudia sounded offended as she raised her turtle gloves to her chest.

“Ruby is with Charlie this morning. They had other plans. As for us, we’re watching out for you,” Maybelle corrected, not looking one bit ashamed at having been called out. She even maintained her characteristic dignity in spite of her uncharacteristically mismatched outfit.

“Watching him for you,” Rosie revised. “Easy on the ol’ eyes, isn’t he, Sarah?”

Sarah’s cheeks probably matched her scarf, but she stood her ground. “I can’t believe you three came here to spy on Bodie and me—in all of that ugly green.”

Horrified at the thought of being a fashion miss, Rosie sucked in a loud, indignant breath. “We’re camouflaged, not in ugly green.”

“We needed to blend with the trees, so you wouldn’t spot us,” Claudia added, earning another scowl from Maybelle to which she mouthed, “What?”

“You and Bodie were so caught up in each other that you wouldn’t have spotted me, either, if that blasted dog hadn’t given me away when I came in to hear what was bein

g said,” Rosie pouted, not hiding her disappointment at having been caught.

Sarah closed her eyes, counted to ten forwards, then backwards. Lord, help her.

“I want you three out of here pronto,” she ordered them. She hated to send them away like they were misbehaving children, but she did not want them playing spy or Cupid, or whatever other trouble they came up with. “Go home and never ever wear those clothes together again.”

“What?” Claudia’s brow rose, disappearing beneath her green toboggan. “Since when have you ever wanted to get rid of us?”

“I’d say that’s obvious enough,” Rosie pointed out. “Since she started wanting to be alone with Bodie Lewis. And who can blame the girl?”

“I’d say it was more like since you started spying on me and Bodie.”

“Not on you,” Maybelle corrected, waving off her concerns in a wave of ugly greens. “You’re just an innocent bystander. It’s Bodie we’re keeping an eye on. Just in case.”