I'll Be Yours for Christmas by Samantha Hunter Page B

four,” Reece said with a scoff.
    â€œYeah, well, I remember all the years after that, too. I never could figure out why you just didn’t ask her out. Hell, I almost did, just to make you jealous,” Ben said, laughing at his brother’s expense.
    And it might have worked, Reece acknowledged. But that was then. They were only kids.
    And he wasn’t Ben. Reece didn’t do permanent with anything, not when the real love of his life was getting behind the wheel of a car and driving two hundred miles an hour for a living. He’d seen too many racers leave families behind, after they had sacrificed everything to the sport, including their lives.
    â€œBen, seriously, please make sure it’s okay with them. I’m still planning to sell and to move back to France. I want to race again. It’s all I want.”
    Except for Abby.
    He shook his head of the thought. Sure, he wanted her—in his bed—but his life was still on the track, on the other side of the Atlantic.
    Ben’s disappointment was carefully veiled behind a general remark, but he agreed to what Reece asked. After some more discussion about the winery and its future, Reece put the phone back on the mahogany table by the window. Right there, the night before, he’d pressed Abby up against the wall with every intention of making her his.
    For the night.
    He still planned to do that—for a week, or a month—and he’d make sure she knew that up front, too. She’d use Winston to get through the holiday and the wedding,and they’d share some good times to make up for what they missed back in high school—or not, if Abby stuck to her guns about business only—then they would both go on with their lives. It was that simple.
    Reece ignored the mocking laugh in his head as he went upstairs to get a room set up for Abby.

4
    T WO DAYS LATER , Abby drove up the lake road, returning from a day of shopping. The sun hung low on the horizon, and she figured she had about an hour of dusky daylight left. Even with the shorter days, the snow helped keep things brighter longer. She turned into her driveway out of habit, forgetting that she meant to go to Reece’s and unload her goods, but since she was here, figured she could check in on the horses. When she spotted the barn doors open, she froze.
    Though they weren’t susceptible to much crime, and though she was just across the field, she’d been worried about her horses. She’d barely had time to take care of Beau and Buttercup, having had to break her promise of a long ride and settle for leaving them out in the pasture.
    But that door shouldn’t be open. She knew for a fact that she’d locked it when she left that morning.
    The stale scent of smoke from the fire still clung faintly to the crisp winter air as she hopped out of the car and made her way down to the barn. Slowly openingthe door, she peered inside and saw no one but Shadow, their black lab, who came bounding to greet her, and Buttercup. But no Beau. The door to his stall was wide open, though it appeared undamaged.
    Abby’s heart fell to her feet and she stepped inside, instantly noting that Beau’s tack was gone as well.
    Frowning, she pulled out her cell phone.
    â€œHannah? Are you riding Beau?” she asked as soon as her friend picked up, though usually Hannah would let Abby know if she was coming by. Also, Hannah typically rode Buttercup, who was somewhat smaller.
    â€œUh, no, why would you ask?”
    Abby put a hand to her forehead, closing her eyes to stave off panic, and walked back out the door to breathe in the cold air and calm down.
    â€œBeau’s not here, neither is his tack, and I’ve been gone all day—”
    She stopped midsentence as she caught sight of a figure getting closer, down by the edge of the field. Hannah was upset, too, and told her to hang up and call the police, but a few moments later, Abby saw with a wash of relief