“Do you want to go down there?” Kate asked as the music paused long enough for someone—Kate swore she recognized Miss Carolyn, with her fake antlers stuck on her head of silver hair—to walk up to the podium for a reading. Michael sent them up here to see the festivities, but Kate didn’t want Clark to miss out if he wanted to join in. She hesitated to encourage it, just in case his presence sent a ripple of rage through the crowd, but wanted to offer all the same. “It could be fun to be right in the thick of it.”

“I’m happy where I am, thanks.”

He saved her from the freezing water. He tolerated Christmas, maybe even learned to like it… The dance. The almost-kiss. He wanted love. Her love.

For the first time in her life, Kate didn’t know if she wanted to share her love with another person. A friendship was one thing, romance was quite another. Especially on Christmas. Christmas gave everything a Heaven-touched glow; it sang of forever.

Her thoughts tore at one another in a bench-clearing brawl as Miss Carolyn stepped down from the podium and the crowd returned to their singing.

I heard the bells on Christmas Day

Their old familiar carols play

And mild and sweet their songs repeat

Of peace on earth, good will to men.

“I don’t know if I like that song,” Kate said, scrunching up her nose. She never met a Christmas song she didn’t like, but this one always rubbed her the wrong way. Clark chuckled, sending white puffs of warm air out into the dark night air. The temperature was dropping rapidly. Kate didn’t know how much longer she could hold out before shivering took hold of her, especially after her dip in the river this afternoon. Billy McGee at the general store had sworn up and down this coat would protect her against any weather Miller’s Point could produce. She’d have to call him up about his 30-Day Satisfaction Guarantee.

“Why? What’s wrong with it?”

“Peace on earth, good will to men,” Kate shrugged and finally sat up. After goodness-knew how long resting on his chest, she finally stitched herself together enough to support her own weight again. Instant regret flooded her. A chill a minute ago turned into full-on shivering with the sudden loss of their shared body heat. “They don’t seem to care about women.”

“I care about one of them.”

A bolt of light broke the darkness around them, invisible to anyone but Kate. Her foolish, wanting heart wanted to throw herself in his arms and kiss him. It clung to that light, never wanting to let it go. Her frightened, skittish self retreated into the shadows.

Dangerous. Risky. Impossible. Loving Clark Woodward was all of these things. She couldn’t let herself want it.