1. Daisy

1

DAISY

I look out at the snow-covered fields and can’t help but feel a little melancholy. I love Whiskey Run. If I could live anywhere in this world, it would be here. But this is not my home, and it never will be. I turn to my best friend in the seat next to me. She’s relaxed, one arm on the steering wheel and the other resting on the car door. She’s driven this dirt and gravel road at least a million times.

I blow out a long breath. “I don’t know about this, Lucy.”

She rolls her eyes and blows her blond hair off her forehead. “We’ve been over this a gazillion times. Bradley is fine. It’s not like he’s going to be home alone or anything. He and his girlfriend are going to the Bahamas. ”

I cross my arms over my chest. “It’s not that,” I tell her defiantly. I mean, yeah, I worry about my brother, but I’ve always worried about him working too hard and things like that. When our mom died, he took on everything, even raising me, so I was happy when he told me that he and his girlfriend were going on vacation. He deserves it.

Lucy straightens in her seat. “If it’s not that, what is it?”

“Cash is not going to be happy when he finds out I’m here.” I blink my eyes rapidly, trying not to let the memories invade, but it’s impossible. It’s been a year, but it might as well have been this morning that I heard him tell Lucy he didn’t want me here anymore. My heart shattered into a million pieces that day, and I don’t think it ever completely healed. Heck, I’m not sure if it ever will.

Lucy looks at me for a second, smiles softly, and then looks back at the road in front of us. “He knows you're coming.”

I sit up a little. “Yeah, but you said he’s not going to be here, right? You said he’ll be out of town, right?” I grimace just thinking about the fact that Cash won’t be here for Christmas. All I can think about is the fact that he’s probably celebrating Christmas with some woman. The thought makes me sick, and I know being here, that’s all I’m going to be thinking about.

I would have been fine to stay at my brother’s house while he was out of town, but I know my brother would have felt guilty and not gone on his vacation. I was stuck between a rock and a hard place. I realize then that Lucy hasn’t answered me. “Lucy, he won’t be here, right?”

Her hands tighten on the steering wheel, and she hesitates long enough for me to know there’s something my best friend isn’t telling me. “Right, Lucy? That’s what you said. When you convinced me to come, you said that he won’t even be here...”

Lucy starts to nod her head and then smiles at me. “Right. Yes. That’s what Cash said. But Hunter will be here.”

I roll my eyes when she mentions her other brother. I mean, Hunter has never said for me to not come back. At least, I don’t think he has. He’s a grumpy, set in his ways cowboy too, but he just ignores me usually. “Okay,” I mutter, settling back in my seat.

It’s only a few more miles until we get to the Wyatt Ranch, and when we do, I lean forward, roll my window down, and hang my head out to take it all in. The ranch is beautiful. It’s surrounded by a white fence, but the fence is not what catches my attention. It’s the land that stretches out as far as the eye can see.”

“Brrrr! What are you doing? Roll up the window.”

I hit the button to turn the heat on full blast and leave the window down. “Come on, Lucy! You get to see this all the time. Let me enjoy it while I can.”

She doesn’t say anything, and I turn back to gaze out the window. When the big house comes into view, I don’t realize I’m holding my breath until I let it out in a big huff. I know my mouth is hanging open, but I don’t care. My best friend is not going to judge me.

There are big red bows on wreaths along the fenced driveway. And in the front bay windows is the legendary Wyatt Christmas tree. Everything is perfect and just like I remember. Reluctantly, I roll up the window.

When we pull into her parking spot, she turns off the car, but instead of getting out, she turns to me. “You love it here, don’t you?”

I could lie to her, but there’s no use. She’d see right through it. “Yeah. I swear when I’m here it’s like I can see my whole life planned out in front of me.” I do leave out the part about how I imagine her brother is a big part of my future.

She nods her head, and I swear she sighs in relief or something. “Good. That’s good.”

She gets out of the car before I can ask her what she means by that. We grab our bags out of the back, and we barely get to the porch when Ms. Hattie is meeting us at the door. “My baby is home!” she hollers before she wraps Lucy up in a big bear hug. I just stand off to the side smiling. Hattie has been the cook and housekeeper on the Wyatt ranch for as long as I’ve known Lucy. And she’s definitely more than just the housekeeper. She’s been more of a mother figure to Lucy than anything.

“Oh, Hattie, I’m so glad to be home. I’ve missed you.”

Hattie is smiling ear to ear. “Oh, not as much as I’ve missed you. It will be nice to have another woman in the house.”

Lucy steps back. “Two women. You remember Daisy?”

Hattie turns to me with a big smile. “Of course I remember Daisy. When Cash told me you were coming for Christmas, I was so excited. I think this is going to be the best Christmas ever at the Wyatt Ranch.”

My body does a little jerk when Hattie mentions Cash. It’s crazy that I have that kind of reaction just from hearing his name, but I force a smile to my face as Hattie pulls me in for a hug. When she pulls back, she doesn’t release me. “Cash told me how much you love the guest bedroom that overlooks the ranch, so I have you set up in that one.”

I look at Lucy, my eyes wide. Did I just hear that right? Cash told Hattie to put me in my favorite room because he remembers I like it?

She just shrugs her shoulders and turns before I can ask her about it.

As Lucy rushes us upstairs, I try to take in the decorated house for Christmas.

When we get to the top, she goes right to her room, and I go left toward the guest room that is directly across from Cash’s room. I look at Cash’s closed door and wonder again who he’s on his trip with. Clenching my eyes shut, I let out a breath and then walk across the hall to the guest bedroom.

When I get inside, my mouth drops. There’s a live Christmas tree set up and decorated in my room. I walk around it in amazement. I tell myself I need to unpack, and I set the suitcase on the bed, take out a few things, and start to put them away, but the view of the ranch is just too tempting. I take my bag of toiletries to the adjoining bathroom, and then I go straight to the window to look out at the sprawling ranch. I’m so caught up in the beauty of it, I barely see the man standing at the entrance of the barn with his head tilted up looking at me. When my gaze lands on him and I realize it’s Cash Wyatt, I gasp and immediately draw back from the window. He’s not supposed to be here. I don’t dare look out the window again; instead, I move around the room gathering the things I just unpacked. He wasn’t supposed to be here…