"When?"

"Uh… soon."

Matt grinned. “Soon? As in now? Is that why you came up with her this year? Are you going to pop the question to my baby sister for Christmas?"

Normally, Sean considered himself a smart man but as he looked into the expectant faces of Macy's brothers he realized he was truly an idiot. How did he get out of this lie? And why in the hell did he even open his mouth? Think man and think fast. He faked a sad smile when an idea came to him. “Well, unfortunately, I left it at home. The ring, I mean. I was going to ask her here, in front of her family, but without the ring, its kind of pointless. I'll just wait and do it at New Years now.” He was pleased with himself now and immediately asked for the next question.

Chapter 4

Macy looked up when she heard the 4-wheelers pulling in to the yard. She sighed in relief at the sound. The guys had been gone all day. Lunch had come and gone hours ago and as she helped with supper she couldn't help but get anxious. She could only imagine what her brother's put Sean through. She should have warned him but surely he saw it coming?

When the front door opened and the guys entered the house, shaking the snow off their coats and making a general ruckus, she stood on tiptoe and looked for Sean. He dragged in the rear and to her surprise he was smiling.

The noise level in the house magnified to deafening levels as everyone tried to speak at once. When Greg held up his hand, the room grew quiet.

Macy watched him expectantly, as did everyone else, and when he grinned and held up a large clump of mistletoe, laughter spilled across the room. “Where's my wife at?"

Gwen pushed her way through the crowd, leaning up on her tiptoes to accept Greg's kiss. When they broke apart at last, laughter and cheers echoed off the walls. The mistletoe was hung as it was every year and everyone rushed to make sure they all had a turn under it.

Everyone but her.

She left the room, walking back to the kitchen. The table was set and the food laid out, waiting for everyone to gather in the dining room. Macy grabbed the washcloth and wiped the already spotless cabinets while the commotion in the other room grew. She heard her mother squeal, her laughter contagious, and she smiled while listening. Their silly little Christmas ritual was one of the many highlights of coming home for the holidays and every year she'd sat and watched until every last person in the room was kissed.

Everyone but her.

She sighed and dropped the cloth, turning her head when she heard someone behind her. Sean was standing in the doorway. “Let me guess,” she said. “They sent you in here for me?"

"For a blonde, you're rather smart."

"Hey,” she said, laughing. “No dumb blonde jokes from you. I get enough of those as it is."

He grinned and crossed the room, stopping once he reached her and turned, leaning back against the counter. “You should have told me your brothers were going to grill me on their little hunting expedition."

"You're a doctor. I assumed you were smart enough to figure that one out on your own."

"I'm a vet,” he said. “Not a brain surgeon."

She grinned. “So, what did you tell them?"

"That you're a wildcat in the sack and loved bondage games."

"What!"

He laughed and glanced to the door before he reached out, hooking his arm around her waist and pulling her flush against him. His free hand slid into her hair and he lowered his head. “Don't move,” he whispered in her ear. “We're being watched."

Her back stiffened and she wondered who was spying. She'd bet money on one of her brothers but her mother wasn't out of the question either. Thoughts of who the unidentified spy might be vanished when she realized that for the first time in three years, she was exactly where she'd fantasized being on numerous occasions. She was pressed against Sean's body, his breath teasing her cheek and she closed her eyes to savor the sensation.

His lips brushed the side of her face, lingering for long moments before skimming her jaw. His scent was drugging and she inhaled deeply to take in as much of it as she could. When he kissed the edge of her mouth, she looked up. He was staring down at her and she could feel his breath on her face. One tiny move and she would know how his lips tasted.

"If you want your family to think we're a couple then you need to loosen up,” he said. “Your spine is stiff as a board."

Macy let her shoulders drop and leaned against him. He was so warm and smelled so good she wasn't sure how much longer she'd be able to just stand there and not take what she wanted. When he smiled at her and raised his head, looking past her, she heard the shuffle of feet.

"Oh, break it up you two. This is the kitchen, not your bedroom."

Macy was loath to step away but reluctantly took a step back and turned to face her mother. “Sorry."

"Don't apologize,” Rose said, grinning. “Just mind the prying eyes of others. You know how your brothers are."

They were all called to supper and like the night before, the entire meal consisted of everyone trying to talk at once. General conversation centered around Sean, and Macy's brothers teased her about some of the answers they'd been given. When the table was cleared and they moved into the living room, soft whispers turned into giddy laughter and every person Macy looked at was staring at her.

"Okay, what gives?” she asked. “Why is everyone whispering and looking at me?"

"Were we?” Gwen asked.

"Yes. You know you were."

Gwen shook her head and moved over to the sofa. “It's just your imagination, Macy."

Macy glanced at Sean who shrugged a shoulder at her. He looked as clueless as she felt but the looks on everyone else's faces caused her pulse to race. They were up to something and whatever it was spelled trouble for her. She felt it in her bones.

She moved to the doorway, almost scared to enter the room completely. They were still watching her and now her mother was smiling, beaming actually, and fear started crawling up her spine. When Sean stepped next to her, she glanced up at him and whispered, “Something's wrong."

"I can see that,” he said. “What do you think it is?"

"Hard to tell with them."

"Should we make a run for it?"

"Good idea."

Sean put a hand on her back, leading her to the front door and grabbed her coat, helping her put it on before grabbing his own. Someone asking, “where are you two going?” stopped them both in mid-motion.

"Uh, just out for a walk,” Sean said. “We won't be gone long."

The whispers grew, and the giggles, and Macy sighed before pulling the door open and stepping out into the brisk air. The sun was beginning to set and the top of the mountain glistened like diamonds as twilight crawled over the horizon.

They walked to the edge of the forest, dunking under a low-lying branch before taking the path worn into the ground by years of little feet beating against it. They were quiet, walking side-by-side without a word said for long moments. When they reached the clearing, Macy smiled. “We used to have a clubhouse here,” she said. “The guys built it out of scrap lumber and old tree branches. Of course, I wasn't permitted to enter. All I could do was sit by the door and look in."

Sean smiled at her and shoved his hands into his coat pockets. “Must have been nice living up here. I can imagine what it looks like in the summer."

Macy's face lit up as she nodded. “It's great,” she said. “There's a pond just beyond that line of trees.” She pointed out the direction. “We used to picnic there everyday when it wasn't raining. I can't remember a summer day that wasn't spent in these woods. Of course, the winter is good too. The pond freezes solid so there was always ice skating."

"Sounds like you had an ideal childhood."

"Yeah, I guess I did.” Something crossed his face then and Macy knew whatever it was, wasn't a pleasant memory. She knew he didn't have a family but why that was, she didn't know. She knew nothing about him, really. She wasn't even sure how old he was. Older than her, but by how much, she didn't know. Not that it mattered. Age was just a number anyway. He could be forty and her feelings for him would be the same. Feelings she'd never told anyone about.

He smiled at her and looked toward the sky. What little light was still shining through the trees left the forest in pale shades of purple. Snow still drifted from the branches and the quiet creaking of tree limbs swaying in the breeze was the only sound to be heard. Macy stared at him, wondering what he was thinking. His dark hair was covered in snow, his jacket shining as the snow melted and left the moisture behind. His face looked wistful and she had to wonder if he wasn't thinking of his family. He usually got a little moody around the holidays but she was never around the week of Christmas to know if it was her imagination or not. The thoughts of him hurting caused her heart to ache. Regardless of the reasons for him being here, she wanted to make sure this was one holiday he enjoyed, even if it was only for one year.

Taking a step backwards, she put a little distance between them and reached to the ground, scooping a pile of snow into her hands. She rolled it, packing it enough to keep its shape. “Sean!” When he turned, she lobbed it across the distance, watching it smack him square in the chest. His eyes widened as he looked down at the decimated snowball sliding down the front of his coat before he looked back up. She reached down, scooping another handful and smiled, slowly backing away. When he grinned and reached for his own snowball, she threw the one in her hand before turning and running.