Outside, the weather was clear and sunny. Snow glittered diamond bright beneath a sky of blinding blue. The weather would be perfect for sleigh riding.

They turned off the highway where a sign marked the road to Christmas Tree Ranch. Minutes later, Conner swung the Jeep through an open gate and pulled up to a weathered frame house with lights strung from the overhang of the porch. Fresh Christmas trees, propped on racks, filled the front yard. Conner’s partner Travis was unloading more trees from a flatbed trailer. He waved as Conner helped Megan out of the Jeep.

“Where’s the sleigh?” Daniel asked.

“Around back, by the barn. Come on. It should be all ready to go.” With Bucket tagging along, Conner ushered them around the house.

“Oh, wow!” Daniel gasped as he saw the old-fashioned sleigh, its brass hardware polished, its steel runners gleaming against the snow. The huge, gray Percherons waited in their traces, shifting impatiently as if eager to be off. Beneath their sturdy leather harnesses, their coats gleamed like antique silver. Megan had glimpsed the two horses from a distance, in last year’s parade. Only now, seeing them up close, did she feel the impact of their size and power. They were magnificent.

Daniel stared open-mouthed at the horses. “They’re so big,” he said. “Do they have names?”

“Chip and Patch.” Conner was checking the harness buckles. “Stand back and look at their faces. That’s it. Not too close. Can you guess which one is which?”

Daniel studied the horses a moment, then laughed. “I bet Patch is the one with the white spot. A white patch.”

“Good guess. You’re right.”

“Can I pet them?”

“Hang on a sec. Let me stand next to you. These horses can be nervous with strangers.”

Megan stood watching as Conner guided Daniel close to one horse and showed him how to stroke its neck with the flat of his hand. “He’s so smooth!” Daniel grinned with joy and wonder.

Megan hadn’t expected this—Conner taking her brother in hand, talking with him, teaching him, making him feel important. Emotion surged in her, so powerful it almost brought tears to her eyes. She remembered their old city apartment, how the neighborhood kids had bullied Daniel and called him names, crushing the boy’s vulnerable spirit. She’d feared that Daniel’s life in a small town would be no better than it had been in the city. But her fears had been unfounded. Here in Branding Iron, he had found work, friendship, and even a girl to love.

Now, as Conner offered him a new experience, Megan could see her brother responding. And despite her reservations, she found herself warming toward Conner. Her feelings had nothing to do with his kiss or his none-too-secret crush on Lacy. Like Daniel, she was responding to simple kindness.

“Everybody into the sleigh,” Conner said. “Let’s go.”