Getting In the Spirit: a Sapphire Falls novella by Erin Nicholas Page A

women both loved Sapphire Falls and wanted the best for their hometown. They’d slowly become friends over the past few years—something that surprised them as much as anyone.
    “Well, Hailey won’t let Levi’s charming bullshit sway her away from keeping him out of trouble,” Joe said.
    “Ah, you gave her a mission.”
    “I did.” And he was counting on the mayor to accomplish all objectives—no jail time, no hangovers, no banged-up fenders or women falling in love with Levi between now and the Christmas formal.
    It was only a few days. Surely Levi could stay out of trouble that long. With help.
    “So what’s up with Kate and Tucker?” Joe asked.
    Phoebe lifted a shoulder. “Kate wanted a wonderful Christmas for a change. No one does Christmas better than Sapphire Falls, and when I was thinking of nice country boys to take her out, Tucker came to mind.”
    “He’ll be nice to her,” Joe agreed. “I’m glad they’re having fun.”
    Then he thought of something. “Where’s she staying?”
    “In our guest…” Phoebe trailed off as she realized what Joe had just realized.
    Kate and Levi were both staying at their place in their guest room.
    “Uh oh,” Phoebe said.
    “Yeah. Well, maybe Kate will stay with Tucker,” Joe suggested. There was no way Levi was talking his way into Hailey’s bed. Hailey was hit on almost constantly. If she wanted casual flings, she could have them all the time. But she didn’t. Hailey was probably the one woman Joe knew that Levi wouldn’t be able to impress. That was exactly why he’d chosen her.
    Phoebe frowned. “Hey, they’re having a good time. That doesn’t mean they’ll sleep together. Kate’s a nice girl and she wants a simple Christmas.”
    “Nice girls have sex too,” Joe said, giving Phoebe a grin. She was a nice girl and he’d gotten her out of her panties pretty easily.
    She swatted him on the arm. But she seemed to be pondering something.
    “What are you thinking?” he finally asked.
    “I set her up with Tucker.”
    “Right.”
    “That might mean Kate stays at Tucker’s,” Phoebe admitted.
    “Kate might go for a fun Christmas fling? Nothing wrong with that.”
    “No, I don’t know that she would, but…it’s Tucker.”
    “What’s the mean?” Joe knew exactly what that meant.
    According to all women in Sapphire Falls and the surrounding four counties, or more, the Bennett boys were everything any woman would ever want. Even the women who were happily married to city boys who knew next to nothing about corn and cows. Only three of the Bennetts lived in Sapphire Falls. The youngest, Ty, was off being a professional triathlete—whatever that actually meant—in Colorado. And now that Travis Bennett was taken, that left only Tucker and TJ as the epitome of all things manly and sexy. And TJ was a grumpy guy who liked to keep to himself.
    Which was all a long way of saying that Tucker Bennett got a lot of female attention.
    “It’s Tucker ,” Phoebe said again, as if emphasizing his name was all the explanation needed.
    And it was.
    “You realize I’m your husband right? The man you love and want more than any other? The one who has made you blissfully happy?”
    Phoebe smiled and patted his cheek. “Of course you are.”
    Joe narrowed his eyes and started to grab for her. Not because he was actually worried about Tucker, or any other guy, but because it was so fun making her say his name over and over again in that breathless, pleading way she did when he—
    Phoebe’s phone rang.
    Then his rang.
    Damn.
    They reached for their phones at the same time.
    “Hailey,” he said, reading his display.
    “Tucker,” Phoebe said with a frown.
    “Hello?” they asked simultaneously.
    “Joe, put me on speaker,” Hailey said.
    What had Levi done? Joe pressed the button for the speaker phone. “Okay.”
    “Tucker is here with me.”
    Phoebe pushed her speaker button too and laid her phone on the comforter beside Joe’s. “What’s going