my life. Thanks to you, I own my house. I have a steady job and plenty of friends.”
Claire shook her head. “You need someone to love you so much, he will put you first in his life.”
“Well, that won’t be Robbie, because he’s leaving.”
Claire looked out into the darkness, her mouth set in a grim line. “I was once where you are. I couldn’t imagine ever making myself vulnerable to a man again, but I met Tim. And my whisper horse Willow showed me how to trust, even after you’ve been hurt.” Claire brought her gaze back to her sister. “Think about it, Holly. You don’t want to spend the rest of your life wondering what you might have missed.”
Chapter 6
Holly surveyed the arrangement of the refurbished manger scene on its outdoor hill. A crew of cops had brought everything down in a pickup truck, set up the stable structure, and left Holly, Robbie, and Julia to arrange the figures. “What do you think, Julia? Should Mary be a little farther to the right?”
The artist tilted her head, debating. “Maybe if you shift the shepherd left and Joseph farther forward…”
With a dramatic groan, Robbie picked up the shepherd he’d just placed and moved it a foot to the left.
Julia shook her head. “No, it’s better where it was.”
Robbie narrowed his eyes at the two women, but one corner of his mouth twitched upward. “Are you messing with me?”
“Maybe,” Holly said.
“It’s just that you look so good in that uniform of yours,” Julia said. “We want to enjoy the view a little longer.”
Holly could feel the heat in her cheeks as Robbie put down the wooden figure in its original location with a huff of a laugh. Brianna and Kayleigh had stayed in the barn to see Noël, which meant Julia’s well-known frankness had no constraints. Of course, Holly had been thinking something along those same lines.
Robbie picked up a sledgehammer and pounded the stakes into the ground to hold the shepherd in place. The power of his muscles and the torque of his body drew her eye like a magpie to a sparkly button, and sent a shudder of pure longing through her body.
She wished she had the nerve to follow Claire’s advice. But despite the show of strength she put on for Brianna and Kayleigh, she still felt as though she were made of glass as thin as her Christmas tree ornaments. If Robbie rejected her, she was afraid she would shatter into razor-edged shards that were impossible to put back together.
He finished sinking the last stake and slung the hammer over his shoulder while he checked the stability of the shepherd.
“He’d make a great model for Thor,” Julia murmured, as he sauntered toward them, his stride fluid and assured. He seemed neither self-conscious about nor flattered by Julia’s appraisal, which made Holly happy.
“What’s the verdict?” he asked, coming up beside Holly and turning to take in the nativity scene. Before Holly could answer, he gave an admiring whistle. “No need to ask. It looks better than it ever did before.”
“The fresh paint makes it brighter,” Holly agreed, warmed by an inner glow at his praise. “And we moved a couple of the figures to different spots. I hope Grady won’t mind that.”
Robbie shook his head. “Grady will be grateful you’ve given him back Bess’s pet project.”
Restoring the manger scene had set back Holly’s own Christmas preparations by two days, but when she looked at the vividly robed figures gathered around the new baby on his bed of straw, she was certain it had been worth it. Like all great traditions, this nativity scene brought the folks of Sanctuary together, weaving shared bonds of community around the hearts of people from all walks of life.
“Grady and the girls should see this,” Robbie said.
“I’ve got to get back to my studio,” Julia said. “I have a show coming up and I’m behind.”
“I didn’t mean to take you away from your work,” Holly said with a flash of guilt.
Julia
Claire shook her head. “You need someone to love you so much, he will put you first in his life.”
“Well, that won’t be Robbie, because he’s leaving.”
Claire looked out into the darkness, her mouth set in a grim line. “I was once where you are. I couldn’t imagine ever making myself vulnerable to a man again, but I met Tim. And my whisper horse Willow showed me how to trust, even after you’ve been hurt.” Claire brought her gaze back to her sister. “Think about it, Holly. You don’t want to spend the rest of your life wondering what you might have missed.”
Chapter 6
Holly surveyed the arrangement of the refurbished manger scene on its outdoor hill. A crew of cops had brought everything down in a pickup truck, set up the stable structure, and left Holly, Robbie, and Julia to arrange the figures. “What do you think, Julia? Should Mary be a little farther to the right?”
The artist tilted her head, debating. “Maybe if you shift the shepherd left and Joseph farther forward…”
With a dramatic groan, Robbie picked up the shepherd he’d just placed and moved it a foot to the left.
Julia shook her head. “No, it’s better where it was.”
Robbie narrowed his eyes at the two women, but one corner of his mouth twitched upward. “Are you messing with me?”
“Maybe,” Holly said.
“It’s just that you look so good in that uniform of yours,” Julia said. “We want to enjoy the view a little longer.”
Holly could feel the heat in her cheeks as Robbie put down the wooden figure in its original location with a huff of a laugh. Brianna and Kayleigh had stayed in the barn to see Noël, which meant Julia’s well-known frankness had no constraints. Of course, Holly had been thinking something along those same lines.
Robbie picked up a sledgehammer and pounded the stakes into the ground to hold the shepherd in place. The power of his muscles and the torque of his body drew her eye like a magpie to a sparkly button, and sent a shudder of pure longing through her body.
She wished she had the nerve to follow Claire’s advice. But despite the show of strength she put on for Brianna and Kayleigh, she still felt as though she were made of glass as thin as her Christmas tree ornaments. If Robbie rejected her, she was afraid she would shatter into razor-edged shards that were impossible to put back together.
He finished sinking the last stake and slung the hammer over his shoulder while he checked the stability of the shepherd.
“He’d make a great model for Thor,” Julia murmured, as he sauntered toward them, his stride fluid and assured. He seemed neither self-conscious about nor flattered by Julia’s appraisal, which made Holly happy.
“What’s the verdict?” he asked, coming up beside Holly and turning to take in the nativity scene. Before Holly could answer, he gave an admiring whistle. “No need to ask. It looks better than it ever did before.”
“The fresh paint makes it brighter,” Holly agreed, warmed by an inner glow at his praise. “And we moved a couple of the figures to different spots. I hope Grady won’t mind that.”
Robbie shook his head. “Grady will be grateful you’ve given him back Bess’s pet project.”
Restoring the manger scene had set back Holly’s own Christmas preparations by two days, but when she looked at the vividly robed figures gathered around the new baby on his bed of straw, she was certain it had been worth it. Like all great traditions, this nativity scene brought the folks of Sanctuary together, weaving shared bonds of community around the hearts of people from all walks of life.
“Grady and the girls should see this,” Robbie said.
“I’ve got to get back to my studio,” Julia said. “I have a show coming up and I’m behind.”
“I didn’t mean to take you away from your work,” Holly said with a flash of guilt.
Julia
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