Eggnog and Candy Canes: A Blueberry Springs Christmas Novella Read Online Free PDF Page A

had.
    She switched Beth’s cup for one from the unspiked bowl, then herded her friend, her sibling, and Nash into the dining room, where her mother had begun ordering people to serve themselves.
    A massive turkey dinner with all the trimmings was laid out, along with egg rolls, cabbage rolls and so many other dishes Katie didn’t know where to start. She picked up a pile of wreath-patterned paper plates and began passing them out, to help keep the buffet line moving.
    “I’m surprised you didn’t buy more of these holiday-themed fold-up chairs,” she joked to her mother as she whisked one forward for Beth’s grandmother. The chair backs were printed with Elvis Presleys dressed as Santa.
    “That was all they had.” Her mother wrung her hands and frowned, the line between her eyes deepening as she calculated the number of chairs and people needing them. Katie felt a pang of compassion for the woman. She understood wanting everything to be perfect, and if this had been her own shindig, she’d be two sheets to the wind by now in order to try and combat the stress of it all.
    “It’s fine, Mom. You’ve done well. People can sit on the stairs and floor. They won’t mind.”
    “I need to check on the pies.” Her mother hurried off and Katie turned to find Nash and Oz glowering at each other from across the room.
    The front door banged shut and Katie stepped around the corner to greet her father. “You look pale,” she said, taking his coat. “You feeling all right?”
    “Just about fell off that roof, is all.”
    “Dad!”
    “What? It’s nothing. I’m here, aren’t I? And the star is in place. Where’s the food?”
    Katie pointed to the mob surrounding the table. Her mother had checked on her pies and was now scolding her nephew, Justin, about how he’d made Katie work the holiday. Katie gave her cousin a small shake of the head, letting him know she’d knee him in the chestnuts roasting over his personal fire if he so much as let on that she had more to do with her taking those shifts than he did.
    To her left, she overheard someone asking Nash why he didn’t fight harder for a nice woman like Beth, when he had all those fancy things to offer. A pang of guilt hit Katie and she moved through the crowd to edge him somewhere safe.
    Justin’s smile tightened as Katie gave him an extra glower for good measure before reaching Nash. Her cousin turned away slightly, code for “Message received. Like my nuts. Will not rat you out.”
    She owed him one. And she owed Nash, too. But how would she ever repay him? She still barely even liked him.

    * * *
    “I am so sorry, Nash.” Katie settled herself next to the doctor near the backyard fire pit. She’d managed to carve out the drift the small bench was hiding in, and set them up with a cozy little blanket-lined niche to enjoy their meal away from all the hubbub and nosy questions. Gentle flakes drifted down to rest on their coats, melting slowly in the fire’s heat.
    “Sorry for what?” he asked.
    “For that.” Katie waved a hand toward the house, where the windows were fogged, lights and merriment giving it a contented glow.
    “I knew what I’d be facing by coming back.”
    “Then why did you do it?”
    “I was starting to feel as though I’d left something important behind.” He used a stick to poke at the fire. “Like I had overlooked something good. I figured the best way to sort it all out was to come visit.” He tossed the stick in the flames. “And what better excuse than filling in for Dr. Nesbit?”
    Katie swallowed. Why did it feel as though he was talking about leaving her behind? Had being on the rebound finally kicked in with its steel-toed boots, causing her to lust after the first man who came along? Because why would Nash come back for her, of all people? She’d never once given him an inkling of hope that they could be anything more than fire and water.
    “Plus,” he continued, “I owed Dr. Nesbit a favor for helping me once.