Conner glanced back at Megan, giving her a quick smile. When she smiled back at him, an unaccustomed glow seemed to steal around his heart. It had been a good idea, inviting Megan and her brother to the ranch. Everything was working out exactly as he’d hoped.

Daniel began to sing in a slightly off-key voice. “ ‘Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way . . .’ ” He paused, turning to look back at his sister. “Sing with me, Megan. It always sounds better when we sing together.”

There was a moment of silence from the back of the sleigh. “I’m too cold to sing,” Megan said.

“I’ll sing with you.” Conner didn’t have much of a voice, but he didn’t want to spoil the day’s happy mood. “Come on. From the top. ‘Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way . . .’”

What they lacked in musicality, they made up in volume. When Bucket began to bark and howl along with them, Daniel could barely contain himself. He doubled over, helpless with laughter.

That was when disaster struck.

The packed snow had covered a low spot on the side of the trail. As the sleigh ran over it, the snow caved in under the weight of one runner. The sleigh lurched sharply to the right and came to a stop. Megan screamed as Daniel flew off his seat and landed out of sight, on the snowy ground below.

Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Startled by the sleigh’s sudden weight shift, the horses whinnied and reared. Their massive hooves flailed the air as they strained and twisted in the traces, tilting the sleigh at an even steeper angle. As Conner struggled to control the powerful animals, Megan flung the quilt aside, sprang out of the sleigh, and plunged through the deep snow to where her brother lay.

Daniel had landed in a deep snowdrift, which had cushioned his fall. He lay on his left side, his right arm and his legs thrashing—thank heaven for that, Megan thought. No limbs appeared to be broken, but his expression and his moans of pain told her he’d been hurt.

Bucket had jumped out of the sleigh with Megan. As she knelt beside her brother, the dog nosed in beside her to nudge Daniel and lick his face.

Megan’s most urgent worry had been that the sleigh might tumble over onto Daniel, or that he might be trampled by the horses. But Conner had managed to calm the team. Chip and Patch stood in their traces, sides heaving as he petted and soothed them. The sleigh was still tilted, but it didn’t appear to be in danger of falling over.

“Where does it hurt?” she asked Daniel.

“Shoulder . . .” He grimaced in pain. Megan could see that he’d landed on his left shoulder, which was still under him, partly supported by the snow. Until Conner could safely leave the team and help her, moving Daniel could be risky.