Mistletoe Mine by Emily March Page A

right, then.” He stole one more quick kiss, then reaffirmed, “Later.”
    They held hands during the short walk from Angel’s Rest to the center of Eternity Springs. This was Molly’s second visit to the little Colorado mountain town that was Lori Reese’s home. Molly had become fast friends with Lori when they both worked at the Texas A&M University bookstore three semesters ago. Lori had walked into the stock room one afternoon to find Molly crying following a phone call with her dad. They’d shared absentee-father stories and bonded while restocking racks of T-shirts. Lori had never even met her father, Cam Murphy, who had been her mother’s secret boyfriend in high school before he’d been sent off to juvie jail and never returned.
    Molly adored Eternity Springs when she first visited at spring break. Celeste Blessing called the town a little piece of heaven, and Molly agreed. She’d been delighted to return with a group of college friends for a week between the end of summer school and the start of the fall semester. Celeste had cut them a super-cheap deal on rooms at Angel’s Rest, and Lori’s mom had supplied them with most of their meals. That Charlie had managed to rearrange his work schedule and had made the trip up for part of the week, too, had made it the best of mini-vacations.
    Holiday trimmings decorated the streets of the charming little town, and with the scent of roasting chestnuts and the songs of strolling carolers drifting in the air, Molly could almost believe it was Christmas. Well, Christmas in Texas, anyway, where it could be a balmy sixty-five degrees in December. She recalled that Lori had said that last year on Christmas Day the thermometer had topped out at a frigid five degrees in Eternity Springs.
    Today the beautiful weather had brought the tourists out in droves, and for Molly, the sight of so many families enjoying the festive atmosphere was bittersweet. Her family hadn’t vacationed together in more than five years now.
    “Look at those wood carvings,” Charlie said, his gaze snagging on a booth whose sign read Vistas Art Gallery . “That eagle looks almost real. Think we have time to stop?”
    “Sure.” Ten minutes later, Charlie had finished his Christmas shopping for his parents with the purchase of a painting for their lake house, and Molly’s throat was tight after her spirits had taken another dip. She had to buy separate gifts for her separated parents.
    She blinked back tears. This was silly. It wasn’t like they’d separated yesterday. They’d been apart for three years now. She should be used to it.
    She’d never be used to it.
    She spied the Angel’s Rest booth and, ready for a distraction, focused on it like a lifeline. Celeste Blessing had three large plastic storage boxes lying open, with stacks of plastic Bubble Wrap and tissue paper ready for use. She was dressed in denim capri pants, a gold polo shirt sporting the Angel’s Rest logo, and white sneakers. Her sun visor had angel’s wings embroidered across the headband. Though she was old enough to be Lori’s grandmother, Celeste was one of the coolest women Molly had ever met.
    Also, she discovered, Celeste had a heavenly voice as the older woman segued from singing “Hark the Herald Angels Sing” to “Angels We Have Heard on High.” Seeing Molly and Charlie arrive, she winked and altered the lyrics: “sweetly singing to all the tourists.”
* * *
     
    In the booth next to Celeste, Lori’s mom, Sarah Reese, stacked her home-baked gingerbread men into a cookie tin and offered up her slightly out-of-tune version of a song from the Rudolph Christmas cartoon. “Who bring in the silver and gold, silver and gold, so that I can pay my insurance at the end of the month.”
    “Joy to the World,” chimed in Sarah’s best friend, Nic Callahan. She stood between the two booths at the handle of a double stroller containing her darling twin daughters.
    “Sorry we’re late, Ms. Blessing,” Charlie