Three

A short while later, Kieran and Emmy were in the café area of the shop, two mugs of hot chocolate in front of them. "Are you

sure I'm not keepin' you?" he asked.

"I needed a break." She sat back in the chair. "I can't believe Sheryl didn't tell you about my shop."

"This is your place?" At her nod he added, "Don't go blamin' her. I'm sure she told me, just as sure as I am that I forgot."

"Or you weren't paying attention."

Busted. "Guess you know me pretty well."

"I also know Sheryl. She can get pretty far into the weeds when she talks." She lifted her mug and took a sip.

Kieran's gaze went to her left hand. No ring. That didn't mean anything, although Emmy had always been the more traditional

type compared to their peers back in school. He would have expected her to wear one if she were married.

"I see you finally cut your hair," Emmy said, setting down the mug.

"Yep. Mum always hated it long. She actually cried when she saw my short hair when she visited at Christmas five years ago.

I told her it was one of her birthday presents." He crossed his ankle over his knee. "I remember you having long blond hair."

She self-consciously touched the side of her pixie cut. "I got rid of that years ago. Too much trouble."

Inexplicably he couldn't take his eyes off her. A pair of green -framed glasses that matched her cardigan rested atop her head, and she wore a white turtleneck underneath her sweater. There was nothing extraordinary about her outfit. But there was something about her that made him pay attention. His pulse started to pitter-patter, throwing him off guard.

"How long are you planning to stay in Mistletoe?" Emmy asked.

Grateful for the distraction, he said, "Till the twenty-third."

Her brow lifted. "You're not staying for Christmas?"

Kieran shook his head. "I've got an investment opportunity back in Ireland. Dublin area this time. I'm supposed to sign the

papers on the twenty-sixth, and with weather being unpredictable and all that..." He paused at her frown. "I don't have

a choice. It's the perfect deal for me to invest the profit I made from the castle."

"Are you buying another one?"

"Nope. A very contemporary apartment complex. As soon as I settle things there, I'll come back for another visit." But even

as the words came out of his mouth, he knew the possibility was slim. From her expression, he could see she didn't believe

him either.

A switch of topic was in order. "Catch me up on what you've been doing," he said. "Have you lived here the whole time?"

Emmy tapped her finger against the Styrofoam cup. "Yes. My junior and senior year I worked at Preston's General Store."

"Which used to be here," he said, tapping his index finger on the table. "What happened to it?"

"Six years ago the Prestons retired and sold the building. I turned the lower level into the store, and I live in the apartment

upstairs. It's not as exciting as owning a castle."

"No less impressive," he said, sipping the hot chocolate.

"Several years ago, I started watching those antique and picker shows on TV. That piqued my interest. Carina loves to go shopping

and picking with me too. She's my daughter, and the assistant manager in my store."

Ah. So she was married or had been married before. He wasn't sure how he felt about that.

With a smirk she added, "I take it Sheryl never mentioned her to you either."

He really needed to pay more attention to his sister's conversations.

"Let me give you a tour," Emmy said, rising from her chair. She grabbed her cup and led him around the store. He was impressed

with the variety and quality of antiques she had acquired, particularly the Irish glassware displayed in a locked curio cabinet

near the front counter.

"I had no idea you liked Irish glass," he said, turning to her.

"I didn't either until I found some at an estate sale in St. Louis. Now it's my pride and joy." She turned to him. "What's

Ireland like?"

***

As Emmy waited for Kieran to answer her question, she tried not to stare at him... and failed. When he'd knocked on her

window, her brain had short-circuited, and not because he'd startled her. Kieran O'Neill as a teenager had been a cute guy,

and she hadn't been the only girl smitten with him.

But adult Kieran? He was all man . He'd taken off his black coat and left it in the café area, but he was still wearing his charcoal-gray scarf and a heather-colored

pullover. The combination looked very, very nice. She noticed the strands of silver highlighting his black hair and whiskers, and the charming crinkles in the corners

of his eyes when he smiled. He didn't look old. He looked distinguished. Ruggedly distinguished, if that was a thing.

He'd also surprised her by offering to help her decorate, and when she said no, she thought that would be the end of it and he'd be on his way. And then the strangest thing happened. He seemed... disappointed. Or she thought he was. Either way it didn't seem right to send him off into the cold without a warm drink. At least that's what she told herself.

As he continued to gaze at the glassware, she wondered if he had heard her question. Finally, he said, "Ireland is green,

lass," he said with a chuckle. "Very green. And beautiful. The history is so rich, and at times, filled with woe. The Irish

people are strong. And stubborn, to be quite honest. They're also friendly and know how to enjoy themselves."

Emmy listened as he continued to talk about the country he clearly loved and where he obviously wanted to stay. Otherwise,

he wouldn't be buying an investment property in Dublin. That drove home the point that even if he had returned her feelings

in high school, a romantic relationship never would have worked out. She should be thankful they never went down that path.

But as she listened to his deep voice, with his light Irish accent, she couldn't help but wonder one thing. What would it have been like to kiss Kieran O'Neill?

Emmy blinked, brushing off the thought.

He walked over to the Christmas bins and picked up one of the Santa hats lying at the top. He put it on his head at a jaunty

angle and turned to her. "Aye? Or nay?"

She tried to keep her composure. He managed to make even a cheap felt hat look good. "You're missing the beard and belly."

"Give me a few years, and I'll have both." He grinned as he took off the hat and set it on the counter.

Emmy was sure that even with a pot belly and a long beard, he would still be good-looking.

"I'll have to come back when you're open and do some more exploring," he said as they walked back to the front counter. He set his empty cup next to hers and glanced at the bins again. "Are you certain you don't need a hand, lass? Or is your husband comin' by later?"

His question caught her off guard. "I'm not married." She grabbed one of the bins off the stack and put it on the floor, the

silver garland around her neck rustling as she moved.

"I see. Then perhaps Carina—"

"She's on a date."

Kieran rubbed his stubbly chin. "Looks like a big job for one person."

She took off the lid. "I'm sure you've got better things to do than stringing up lights."

He walked over to her. "Mum's at bingo, so as it turns out, I'm free for the evenin'."

She glanced at the clock. Wow, she'd spent the last hour talking to Kieran, but it seemed like only a few minutes. Now she

was more behind than before. "Well... I guess I could use the help."

He slipped off his scarf and set it on the counter next to the cups. "I'm at your beck and call, boss."

She chuckled. "You can start by putting lights in the window. There are clips inside the bin."

For the next hour they worked as Christmas music continued to play quietly over the speakers. Emmy set out vintage mini Christmas

trees all over the antique shop while Kieran strung more lights along the shelves. Once that was done, she looked at the largest

bin, filled with knickknacks she'd collected over the years. "Just one more left," she said as she lifted the lid.

Kieran glanced over at her. "It's been a long time since I've set out Christmas decorations." He paused. "Actually, I don't

think I ever have. Not for myself, anyway. I've helped friends do theirs, but never my own."

"Not even in your castle?" she asked.

"There was no need. I rented a cottage for a long time before I was able to move in. I kept telling myself I would buy a tree and some ornaments. I just never got around to it. I suppose if I'd had a wife, she would have seen to it."

"You never married either?"

He shook his head, pulling out a box of vintage glass ornaments. "Came close a time or two, but it was never the right time.

Or the right person."

Emmy nodded. "Same here." She pushed Josh from her thoughts. She didn't want the bad memories intruding now, or ever.

The front door opened and Carina walked in, Jeremy in tow, both bundled up for the cold weather. She stopped, giving a quizzical

glance at Kieran, then at Emmy. "Are we interrupting something?" she asked, covertly tilting her head in Kieran's direction.

"No," Emmy said. "This is Kieran O'Neill, Sheryl's brother and an old friend from high school."

"Emphasis on old ." Kieran held out his hand to Carina.

"Oh right. Sheryl's mentioned you a few times."

"Uh-oh," he said. "Whatever she told you, I plead the Fifth."

Carina laughed as she shook his hand. Emmy expected him to look shocked, as most people did when they found out she and Carina

were mother and daughter. If he was, he didn't show it.

"I thought you two were on a date," Emmy said.

"We were." Carina smiled at Jeremy and moved closer to him. "The bowling alley is closed for repairs."

"The roof over Lanes 1 to 6 caved in last night," he added. "They'll be shut down for a few days."

"Oh no," Emmy said. "I'm sorry to hear that."

"So we figured we'd come here and help you decorate." Carina glanced at Kieran again. "But maybe we're not needed now."

"There's still plenty to do," Emmy said. She watched as Kieran shook Jeremy's hand. Carina's boyfriend was a good-looking kid. His brown skin was several shades lighter than Carina's, his tight black curls were in a buzz cut, and he was well over six feet tall.

"Nice to meet you, lad," Kieran said.

"You're not from here, are you?" Jeremy asked.

"Yes and no," Kieran said with a small smile. "It's a long story, that."

"Ooh," Carina said, taking off her coat. "I'd love to hear it—"

"Some other time." Emmy put her arm around her daughter and guided her toward the opposite side of the shop.

***

Kieran shrugged at Jeremy. Quite the abrupt exit, but Emmy was right. There was still a lot of work to be done. He and Jeremy

followed mother and daughter.

Now that he'd met Carina, Kieran was full of questions. The two women couldn't have looked more different from each other.

Emmy was fair-skinned and blond, Carina dark-skinned with short, black twisted braids. Had Sheryl ever told him about Emmy's

daughter? Again, he wasn't sure, and he had to admit that it wasn't just because he'd tuned out his sister's incessant talking.

Once he left Mistletoe, he had little interest in what was going on in his hometown. But now wasn't the time to ply Emmy with

questions. It was bad enough she knew how clueless he was about Mistletoe.

The next hour flew by as everyone pitched in to decorate. More than once Kieran saw Carina and Jeremy casually move over to

the mistletoe sprigs hanging in the shop to sneak a kiss or two. If Emmy noticed, she didn't let on. The two seemed smitten

with each other, that was for sure.

As Kieran hung tiny gold and silver ornaments on the pencil-style tree in the corner of the store, he stole a few glances at Emmy. She hadn't taken off the silver garland and he wondered if she'd forgotten she was wearing it. Holly berry crystal earrings winked from her small earlobes as she hummed along with the music and set up a book tree in the middle of a round, antique side table near the front door. She was even more fetching than she had been on prom night.

He glanced at the hanging mistletoe again. What would it be like to kiss Emmy now?

Nay, he shouldn't be thinking that. Last thing he needed was to start a romance with anyone while he was in Mistletoe. He

would only have to end it when he left.

It was almost ten by the time every nook and cranny in the store was covered in sparkly Christmas adornments. Carina and Jeremy

picked up their coats from the rack near the front door. "Y'all up for some Chinese food?" Carina said as she pulled her hat

from one of the coat pockets.

"Not tonight," Emmy said.

"Rain check for me too." Kieran grabbed his coat and put it on.

"Okay." Jeremy opened the door. "See you later."

Emmy waved as the couple left. Then she sighed. "I think they might be getting serious," she said. "At least they better be,

considering how many times they kissed under the mistletoe."

He wrapped his scarf around his neck. "You saw that too?"

"How could I miss it?" She moved toward the coatrack and started to pick up the last garment hanging from one of the hooks,

a yellow drawstring hoodie jacket.

Kieran intercepted and pointed to the garland around her neck. "You plan on takin' that home with you?"

She glanced at her chest. "I completely forgot I had this on. I was just looking for a place to put it when I was unpacking

the bins." She started to pull it over her neck, but it was tangled up.

He gently removed her hands from the garland and untwisted it until it could be easily removed.

"Thanks," she said, her gaze on his as he handed her the garland. Then she glanced up. They were standing only a few inches from another sprig of mistletoe. The stuff was all over the place.

She moved away as fast as he did, cementing the fact that she wasn't attracted to him. And although that was a good thing

since he wasn't interested in a romantic entanglement, he couldn't help but feel disappointed.

Emmy hurried back to the coatrack. She grabbed her jacket and shoved it on.

"Is that all you wore today?" At her nod he said, "It won't keep you warm, lass. Not on a cold one like tonight."

"I'll be fine. I live in the apartment upstairs. The entrance is between my shop and the building next door."

"The one that's for sale, right?"

She nodded and turned off several lights until only two of them remained on, leaving her expression shadowed. "It's been on

the market for years. When I purchased this building, I was hoping to buy it shortly after I started my shop, but..." She

waved her hand, brushing off the rest of her words, and opened the door. Cold air rushed inside.

They stepped onto the stoop in front of the store, and he waited for her to lock up, then walked her to the door leading to

her apartment. It couldn't have been more than ten steps.

"Thank for your help with the decorations," she said. "Even with Carina and Jeremy's assistance, I would still be working

if it wasn't for you."

"My pleasure. I got to see what I've been missing all these years. Christmas decorating, I mean."

They stared at each other for a long moment. She took a halting step toward him. Paused. Then she hugged him.

Surprised, his arms went around her. Even though it was a friendly hug, he couldn't help but notice how nicely she fit in his embrace, the top of her head fitting under his chin. She smelled like Christmas—a mix of cinnamon and vanilla. Although he wasn't tense, he felt his muscles relax as warmth flowed through him.

Emmy moved away, not looking at him this time. "Good night, Kieran." Then she disappeared inside the building.

He stared at the door and smiled. "Good night, lass."