She stepped out the back door and walked down to the lit pathway. The night was freezing, but clear. So far there wasn’t any snow in the forecast. Stars twinkled in the dark sky.
The wagon, decorated with swinging battery-operated lanterns and wreaths, stood by the barn. Shane had already hooked up the horses. Christmas music played from a stereo somewhere, and the scent of hot chocolate drifted on the air. Two cars had already pulled up, and children and adults were spilling out into the hay-riding loading area.
Evie watched them, seeing a familiar blonde woman. She was about to wave to Nevada when she realized the hair was all wrong, as was the man with her. Another of the triplets, she thought. Montana, she remembered.
She walked over. “You came for a hayride.”
“How could we resist? I can’t believe you have time to be here. Everyone is talking about what you’re doing with the dance,” Montana said. “We can’t wait to see it. This is Simon, my husband, and our daughter, Skye.”
Evie glanced down at the baby, prepared to give the obligatory coo. New parents expected that. But as she parted her lips to say something, Skye opened her eyes and stared at her. The baby’s mouth was a perfect rosebud shape. The corners turned up as tiny hands clapped together in excitement. Skye giggled and reached for her.
“She likes you,” Montana said with a laugh. “She’s such a flirt. Would you like to hold her?”
Evie nodded and held out her arms. Montana handed over the happy baby.
Skye was lighter than Evie expected, but warm and smelled sweet. The child held her gaze, still smiling and waving her tiny fingers.
Beyond promising herself that she would never want her child to feel about her the way she felt about May, Evie hadn’t thought much about having children. She’d seen marriage and kids as some vague future thing. Someday. Just not now.
But holding Skye made her ache in a way she never had before. She saw possibilities and happiness in the baby’s face. Parts of her long dormant stirred to life. She wanted to belong, she realized. She wanted what others considered normal or even traditional. A husband. A family. She no longer wanted to live her life on the outside—watching everyone else be a part of something larger than themselves.
She briefly wondered what Annabelle and Shane’s baby would look like and suffered a pang when she realized if she kept to her plan of leaving, she wouldn’t be here to see him or her born.
“She’s so beautiful,” Evie murmured, then passed back the baby.
“I wish I could take credit,” Montana said with a laugh. “But she gets her looks from her dad.”
“Have fun,” Evie told her, then reluctantly walked toward the wagon.
More cars pulled up, and the wagon was loaded. Evie was kept busy posing for pictures with the children and helping people up and down the stairs. When Athena, the most wayward of the goats, made a break for freedom, Evie caught her by her red-and-green collar.
“Not so fast, my pretty,” she told the goat. Athena dipped her head and nibbled on Evie’s shoe.
They did a steady business. Sometime around eight, she took a break.
“You look great,” Dante murmured as he passed her with a tray of clean mugs for the cocoa. “Love the ears. Seriously. Do you get to keep them?”
She grinned. “Having an elf fantasy, are we?”
“The outfit is really working for me.”
They were by the back door. Music and laughter surrounded them, but they seemed cut off from the rest of the world. She stared into his eyes and wondered what it would be like to get lost in a guy like Dante. What it would be like to not be afraid to love.
“How are you doing with your family?” he asked. “Too much togetherness?”
“I’m doing okay,” she said, pleased she was able to say the words and know they were the truth. “They’re growing on me.” She grinned. “In a good way.” She touched his arm. “Brace yourself.”
“I’m braced.”
“You were right. About me and my mom.”
“Can I get that on a statue of some kind?”
She laughed. “No, but I’m going to say thank you. I’m spending more time with her, and it’s not too bad. I’m trying to see things from her perspective. She was young when her husband died. There was a lot on her plate. She could have done better, but no one is perfect.”
“Forgiveness?”
“I’m getting there.”
“I’m glad.” He kissed her lightly. “And later, you, me and the ears?”
She was still laughing when she walked back toward the petting zoo.
“There she is!”
Evie turned toward the familiar voice and spotted her mother walking toward her with an older woman. It took her a second to recognize the mayor.
“This is my daughter, Evie,” May was saying. “She’s a wonderful dancer. She’s taken on The Dance of the Winter King by herself, and we’re all so proud of her.”
Evie felt herself flushing, unaccustomed to the praise. “I’m stepping in to help,” she murmured. “I didn’t want my students to be disappointed.”
“I’m sure they won’t be,” the mayor told her. “Dominique is thrilled with the work you’re doing.” The older woman took her hand. “I know you’re going to be very happy here in Fool’s Gold. You need this town and we need you.”
The statement was meant kindly, Evie told herself. Even if it was a little spooky.
“Thank you.”
She returned to her elf duties. Heidi gave in to several pleas from children and brought Priscilla down to the barn for pictures. Evie found herself organizing the line and then taking several of the pictures so the families could all be together by the goats and the elephant and the decorated wagon.
“I want you next to me,” a little girl said, then turned to her father. “Daddy, can the girl elf be in the picture?”
Dante moved up next to her and took the camera. “I’ve got this one,” he told her. “Go on. Be a star.”
“It’s the ears,” she told him in a whisper. “Apparently they’re irresistible.”
He chuckled and waved her into position. She crouched next to the little girl and smiled. After that, Evie found herself posing in several pictures. The evening sped by as more families arrived for their hayride.
A little before nine, the last of the cars drove away. Dante and Shane walked Priscilla back to her custom elephant house while Heidi and Evie carried in trays of mugs to be washed.
“That was fun,” Evie admitted as she put a tray on the kitchen counter. “Exhausting but good. How many nights do you have the hayrides?”
She glanced at Heidi and saw her sister-in-law standing with her hand pressed against her stomach, her expression joyful and intense.
“Heidi?” Evie took a step toward her. “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine.”
“You look… I don’t know. Strange isn’t the right word. You’re not sick, are you?”
“No.” Heidi glanced around, as if checking if they were alone, then she turned to Evie. “I shouldn’t say anything, but I’m just bursting with the news. Can you keep a secret?”
Normally a statement like that would have had Evie backing out of the room. But Heidi didn’t look like the information was going to be scary or upsetting. Instead she was practically glowing with excitement.
“Okay. Sure.”
Heidi touched her arm and leaned close. “I’m pregnant,” she whispered. “I just got confirmation this morning.” Her fingers tightened slightly.
Pregnant? Evie stared at her for a second, then hugged her. “Heidi, that’s so wonderful. Congratulations. Rafe doesn’t know, does he? He was way too calm for a guy finding out he’s going to be a father for the first time.”
Heidi grinned. “No and you can’t tell him. I’m waiting until Christmas Eve, after the performance. I thought telling him then would be the perfect Christmas present.”
“He’ll be thrilled,” she said. And scared. A baby. She thought of adorable Skye, whom she’d held earlier, and felt a small ache in her heart.
“I’m just so happy,” Heidi told her. “We’ve talked about starting a family, but it wasn’t real to me before. Our child is going to grow up here, on the ranch. In Fool’s Gold. I feel so blessed.”
Evie knew that Heidi had gone through a lot to end up where she was today. The blessings had been earned the hard way. But in the end, she’d had her happy ending. Evie wondered if anyone could find one or if they were reserved for a special few.
Shane strolled into the kitchen, ending any chance to continue the conversation. Evie went outside. She saw Dante leading a very reluctant Athena toward the goat barn.
“You have to go inside,” he told the animal. “It’s cold outside. You need to be warm.”
Athena made a grumbling noise in her throat.
“Fine,” Dante told her with a sigh. “Here.”
He handed over a piece of carrot. The goat took it and then followed dutifully as he went inside.
She thought about how Dante had been so patient with the children and how he’d teased her about her elf ears. As she’d known for a while, he was one of the good ones.
He stepped out of the goat barn and carefully closed the door, then spotted her and waved. Moonlight touched his face, illuminated the handsome lines, while his broad shoulders cast a shadow on the frozen ground. She thought of the baby she’d held and the longing in her heart, and then she knew.
She’d fallen in love with Dante.
She wasn’t supposed to have given her heart. In fact, she would have sworn she was immune to that kind of thing. He’d made it clear he wasn’t interested in any kind of long-term relationship, that he didn’t do love or forever. He wouldn’t risk those kinds of feelings. She knew she’d never been in love before. Not really.
So how had this happened? Was it because of everything else going on? Had she been so caught up in the performance and the town and fitting in that she’d forgotten to protect her heart? Or was it simply that Dante was the one? The one man in the world who was everything she’d ever wanted, and once she met him, falling had been inevitable?
Either way, she was in love with him. A reality that both excited and terrified her. Because she had no idea what she was supposed to do now.
Chapter Fifteen
“I’m really more a dog person,” May said with a sigh. “I hope the cats couldn’t tell.”
Evie put the last of the brushes and combs on the towel to dry. “You were very affectionate with the cats,” she told her mother. “I don’t think they had their feelings hurt.”
May raised her eyebrows. “Are you mocking me?”
“A little.”
“I see.” She smiled. “Fine. I suppose it’s a silly thing to say. Worrying that the cats will know they’re not my favorite.”
“Imagine how the fish feel.”
They’d just spent an afternoon grooming pets for the upcoming adoption. The adoption was in two days. After that, it was a fast ten days until the performance. Then she could rest. But between then and now was enough work to keep fifteen elves busy.
They collected their coats and walked outside. It was nearly five and already dark.
May looked at her. “Don’t you have dance classes today? Did I make you cancel them?”
“No. The school holiday programs are all today, so there weren’t any lessons scheduled. That’s why I asked if we could do the grooming today instead of tomorrow. Starting on Monday, we get access to the high school’s auditorium, and we all get to practice on the actual stage. That will be fun.”
And cause for panic, she thought, wondering if she really could pull the show together in time. A problem for tomorrow, she told herself.
“Want to get some dinner?” May asked, her voice suddenly tentative.
Evie was tired and ready for a few hours of quiet, but somehow she found herself wanting to spend more time with her mother. After taking Dante’s advice and accepting her share of the responsibility for their continued estrangement, she found herself a little more open to the thought of family.
“Sure,” she said.
They discussed options and ended up deciding on Angelo’s for Italian food.
They drove into town and found parking behind the restaurant. The whitewashed building had been draped in colored lights that glowed against the pale background. In the spring and summer, a big patio provided outdoor seating, but in the middle of winter, the tables and chairs had been put away. A Christmas tree took their place.
They walked inside and were shown to a quiet booth by the front windows. After glancing over the menu, May looked at Evie.
“Thanks for helping with the hayrides,” she said. “I think everyone had a good time.”
“They did,” Evie agreed. “The kids loved having a chance to pet Priscilla.”
“She’s very good with children. I think she’s happy, all settled with her new herd.”
Evie wasn’t sure Priscilla would consider a pony and a pig much of a herd, but they were company.
Their server appeared, and they each ordered a glass of wine and the house lasagna. For once Evie wasn’t going to sweat the calories. She’d been dancing a lot, and if she had to deal with an extra few pounds after Christmas, then just like much of America, she would make a resolution to lose weight.
“Are you happy with your townhouse?” May asked.
“It works for me,” Evie said. “The location is good. I can walk to work, which is kind of fun. I’m sure saving on gas.”