Chapter 1
“Seth! Seth Mathews, I know you’re in here. I saw you sneak in when I was talking to Eve. You always hide from me, and it’s never funny.” Emily charged down the aisle in the barn, her eyes darting this way and that as she searched for the one person who would understand what had just happened to her. All she could see were the noses of some very curious horses.
There was a nip in the air but nothing cold enough to indicate that Christmas was just around the corner. The only indication of the time of year was the decorations Emily had put up all over the resort.
Already, her heart was beating at an inhuman pace. It was like she’d joined track all over again and she’d just finished the race. But her current race hadn’t even started, and it was going to take a lot to get to the finish line.
“Seth, if you don’t show yourself, I’m going to—”
Seth popped his head up from one of the stalls, his nervous expression so obviously fake that she nearly laughed. Instead, she stopped and placed her hands on her hips, knowing full well her eyes were going to express just how ridiculous he was behaving.
His nervous expression shifted into a cheesy grin. “Fine. I’m coming. But if this isn’t as good as you’re making it out to be, you owe me a coffee. I’m not awake enough for your shenanigans.”
“Shenanigans? Since when do you use that word?” Emily snorted.
He gave her a look, and she laughed again.
“Fine.” She hurried toward him, unable to keep still. “There’s a competition that was just announced.”
Seth’s dark brows furrowed over his blue eyes. “Okay. What kind of competition?”
“You know that Christmas festival that the town puts on every year? The one with the ice sculpture contests and the pie contests and the pop-up farmers market?”
“It’s vaguely familiar,” he drawled.
She punched him playfully in the arm. “Knock it off. You love going to that festival as much as I do. Well, the city council wants to find a more permanent location for it. They said it’s getting hard to shut down the streets because local businesses don’t get as much traffic. It’s a whole thing.”
Seth gazed at her, confusion in his eyes. “I still don’t understand why you’re so excited about it.”
Emily squealed, and Seth flinched. She hopped up and down on the balls of her feet. “Eve and Gabriel want Sagebrush Ranch to host the festival!”
His brows rose, and he glanced away as if the answer to his questions was written on the wall somewhere. “They want to host the whole town here?”
“Why not? There’s plenty of places for vendors and all the activities they have. It wouldn’t be any different than hosting the rodeo.”
“But they’ve never hosted a rodeo either.”
She groaned. “We’re getting off topic. I only came to tell you this because they’re asking me to help.”
He brought his focus back to her. “Help? How?”
“That’s just it. Of course the festival will still be on this year in its usual location. But they’re looking for the new place—”
“So you said.”
Emily rolled her eyes. “And that new place has to enter the competition—”
Seth placed his hands on her shoulders to keep her from bouncing so much. “Just spit it out already.”
She took a deep breath then laughed. “So, the city council has already set out parameters, like the place has to be within the city limits, and it has to be big enough to accommodate everyone. The host will get a share of any profits with the rest going to the city—”
“Emily.” Seth groaned.
“Right, sorry. The competition is a decorating one. The location has to show their Christmas spirit too. They have to decorate their location and showcase what they’d be offering in terms of what the festival would be. On top of that, they need to have the most beautiful Christmas tree display since the one in the town square won’t be the focal point of the festival anymore.” She covered her mouth as she squealed again. “And they asked me to help.”
The shock on his face mirrored how she’d felt when Eve, co-owner of the Sagebrush Dude Ranch, called her into the office for a chat. She knew exactly how Seth was probably feeling at this moment, but added to that was her pure and utter excitement. “You know what that means, right? This is it. This is the moment I’ve been waiting for! Eve said if I help them secure the festival, then she will give me a permanent position with Sagebrush Ranch. She’ll have me be the official decorator year-round.”
It all felt too good to be true. Emily still couldn’t believe it, and she’d been in the meeting herself. Sagebrush had been a fixture in this town for only a couple of years, but when the resort was in the building process, she’d helped out one of the decorators for the guests’ rooms. The whole place was a getaway from the world, and Emily had known she wanted to continue having an influence on it.
Then when Seth got a job as a ranch hand, she knew without a doubt that this was where she belonged.
She nudged her best friend. “Say something!”
Seth shifted his weight from one foot to the other then finally murmured, “It’s a wonderful opportunity.”
“I know, right? This is exactly what I’ve been waiting for. I know Eve and Gabriel never really planned on hiring a decorator long-term, but they said if they win and have to do the festival every single year, they’re going to need one. And they want me to be the one to do it for them. It’s all so exciting.”
Seth peered at her, his deep gaze unsettling her. “Are you sure this is what you want to do? You could go anywhere. You’re well-known enough in town that people hire you all the time. You don’t need to be tied down to one place.”
“I know, but…” She gnawed on her lower lip, trying to come up with the words that would make this all make more sense. “You know how I feel about this place. Out of everywhere I’ve been, this is the one that just feels like home. And if I can do what I love for a place like this, it would be a dream come true.” Still unsettled, Emily ducked out from under his heavy hands that still rested on her shoulders. “Why? Do you not want me to work here with you? Is that it?”
“Of course not,” he shot back, stiffening. “I just want to make sure you know what you’re doing. Sometimes you jump into stuff before getting the big picture.”
She smiled. There was that protective nature Seth had always had. He’d looked out for her ever since they were kids. No matter how crazy her ideas were, Seth would go to bat for her. He was the one she knew she could always count on.
The fact that he was concerned only solidified how much he cared for her well-being.
Emily gave him a tight hug then quickly stepped back. “It’s gonna be a lot of work. From what I hear, people are already getting started. The competition was announced at the beginning of the month, but Eve and Gabriel were on the fence until—”
“Hey,” Seth said softly, “you’re going to do great. Everyone already raves about how well you decorated everything inside the resort this year. And you’ve already started decorating the gardens.”
“I just need to do the tree.” It would be a daunting project but one Emily knew she could conquer. She just might need a little help.
