Sleigh Bells in the Snow (O'Neil Brothers 1)

“Make her own decisions,” Alice said firmly, and Walter subsided.

“That’s what I was going to say, honey.”

“Of course you were, but you were taking your time getting the words out so I thought I’d help.” Alice helped herself to potatoes, and Kayla noticed there was a new energy about her. She wondered whether it was because all the O’Neil men were home or because the people around her were happier. Jess was spending all her time skiing with Tyler, and Elizabeth was absorbed in her new role in the restaurant.

“Sean should be doing this.” Walter handed him the knife. “He’s the surgeon.”

Sean raised an eyebrow. “If you want my professional opinion, I’d say this turkey is never going to walk again.”

Kayla watched as he carved, sensing tension between him and his grandfather. Or maybe it was just that she didn’t know Sean. He was harder to read than Jackson. Physically they were alike—same dark good looks, same killer blue eyes—but Sean seemed more emotionally detached. She wondered if that was a necessary quality for a surgeon.

“Did you operate on Tyler’s knee?”

Tyler shuddered. “Are you kidding? I wouldn’t let him near me with a scalpel after what he did to me when we were kids.”

“I’m the reason you’re still walking.” Sean served perfectly carved slices of turkey onto plates. “If it had be

en left to that team in Switzerland, you wouldn’t be.”

“We were all in Switzerland when Tyler had his accident,” Jackson explained, “so Sean was able to take charge. He’s an expert on skiing injuries.”

Walter grunted. “So why is he working in Boston? If he worked here, he could help out at Snow Crystal when he isn’t fixing bones.”

Sean didn’t respond, but Kayla saw a muscle flicker in his cheek.

Elizabeth sighed. “Do we have to talk about bones at the lunch table?”

“You’ve raised three boys. No way can you be squeamish. And anyway, you should be proud of him.” Walter tried to sneak a slice of turkey onto Jess’s plate. “Just try one small slice. It will make you big and strong.”

“I didn’t say we weren’t proud of him,” Elizabeth murmured, “just that I didn’t want to talk about surgery over lunch.”

“I don’t want her any stronger than she already is or she’ll be beating me down that slope.” Tyler forked the turkey from Jess’s plate onto his own. “She’s faster than I was at her age. And faster than you, Gramps.” He pushed the vegetables toward Jess, and Walter brandished the carving knife.

“In my day we didn’t have all the fancy equipment you have now.”

“She’s more stylish than you, Tyler.” Brenna helped herself to potatoes. “Your aim was to get down the mountain as fast as possible. You didn’t care how you looked.”

“The point is to get down as fast as possible.” Tyler’s eyes glittered. “And I looked awesome.”

“You crashed all the time. Jess is amazing.”

Basking in the attention and love, Jess glowed like the flame of a candle.

Family could be like a cushion, Kayla thought. Something soft to protect you from the blows of life. You couldn’t stop the blows happening, but if you had people who cared around you then the blows hurt less.

She’d learned to live without that cushion. She’d learned to protect herself from the blows of life, but she’d done it by avoiding anything that might hurt. She’d avoided relationships so she didn’t have to nurture herself through the pain of an ending.

And she’d avoided Christmas.

She rubbed her hand over her stomach, realizing that she hadn’t reached for indigestion tablets since that first night with Jackson.

“Are you hungry, honey?” Alice patted her hand. “Sean, put some turkey on this poor girl’s plate before she starves.”

They noticed everything. They looked out for each other. They even looked out for her.

Kayla’s throat thickened. She’d come here to escape Christmas, and ended up being immersed in it. She’d been cushioned from the usual bruises by the O’Neil family.

By Jackson.