Blame It On The Mistletoe

'Nonsense. Sean, grab her and come on.'

Sean grinned and only gave it a second's thought before he scooped Macy up in his arms. She squeaked abruptly and laughed when he walked down the steps and carried her across the yard.

'If you don't stop carrying me, I'm going to get entirely too comfortable with it.'

'You don't hear me complaining, do you?” Sean grinned and sat her in the seat before climbing up into the sleigh. A thick blanket was thrown over his lap and a little boy, whose name he thought was Michael, launched himself across the seat and snuggled in to Macy's side.

'Are we ready back there?” Gerald yelled over his shoulder.

A chorus of happy children screaming “yes,” nearly deafened him before the sleigh made a sudden jolt and they were moving.

They started down the driveway and were on the main road minutes later. The snow was still falling; large flakes hit his face and made the chill wind seep into his bones. He knew now why there were so many blankets piled into their laps.

The surrounding forest was silent except for the sounds of the wind whistling through the trees. The gentle clip-clop of the horse's hooves and the bells caused his smile to grow to aching proportions. He'd never experienced anything like this. It was surreal.

He glanced down at Macy. She was smiling and he didn't think he'd ever seen her look so happy. She was glowing. Her cheeks were pink and this time not from embarrassment. She shivered suddenly and pulled the blanket from his lap, spreading it over them both and looked up. The smile she gave him warmed him in ways he couldn't explain. Seeing her so happy made him happy.

Grabbing the blanket, he helped her spread it over them and, deciding it was time to start his good boyfriend routine, wrapped one arm around her shoulder, the other around her waist and pulled her closer to his body. Her eyes widened for a moment, then the most amazing thing happened. She relaxed against him, snuggling closer to his side.

Macy hid her smile in the blanket and watched the kids. The wind was cold on her face but that was the only thing cold. She was enveloped in warm blankets and warm man. Sean's hold on her felt wonderful. She wasn't sure if his sudden attention was for her father's sake or if it was just her. If she had to guess, she'd put her money on her father. Why else would he be all snuggly with her?

The mile-long stretch of mountain road came to an end and the kids laughed and squealed when her father turned them around and started back up the mountain. Sean's hold on her never loosened and she was pleasantly surprised when his fingers stroked her shoulder. She felt drugged by his clean, earthy scent. She was enjoying his closeness and closed her eyes, laying her head on his shoulder, and sighing contently.

The ride back to the house was heavenly. Wrapped in Sean's arms, she let herself believe, if only for a few minutes, that this was all real. That he was holding her not out of friendly obligation, but because he wanted to. That he wanted to be close to her. That he really did love her.

When they started the climb back up the mountain Macy's shoulders slumped. In a few minutes she'd be surrounded by adults again and this quiet moment with Sean would be over. She wasn't ready for him to let go of her yet. Looking ahead of the horses, up the mountain, she smiled. “Daddy?” she said, “Should we check on Granny Potts?'

Gerald turned his head to look at her and grinned. “I already have. This morning, before I readied the sleigh. She was outside, trying to shovel her steps off.'

'At least it wasn't anything more strenuous than that.'

'Who is Granny Potts?” Sean asked. His arms tightened around her and Macy turned her head to look up at him.

'She's an elderly lady that lives at the top of the mountain. I'm not sure how old she is but I'm guessing close to eighty-five. She lives alone and her children all live out of state. We check in on her occasionally, as does everyone else living up here, especially in the winter. I don't know how many times we've seen her out trying to chop wood.'

'Chopping wood? At her age?'

'Exactly why we keep an eye on her. She doesn't know her own limits and hates asking anyone to do anything for her.'

The house came into view and within minutes, her family surrounded the sleigh. Macy noticed her brothers off to the side of the house and the sight of the all-terrain vehicles and the guns caused her to smile.

'Sean!” Derek yelled. “I saved room for you.'

Sean jumped down from the sleigh, helping Macy to the ground before turning to Derek. “Saved me room for what?'

'They're going hunting,” Macy grinned.

'Hunting?'

'Yeah. Old Christmas tradition. Don't refuse. They'll never let you live it down.'

'All right then,” Sean grinned. “What are we hunting?'

Macy laughed. “You'll see.'

She turned and walked to the house, watching Sean walk across the yard. She was thrilled her brothers invited Sean to tag along with them. It meant they had accepted him as her boyfriend but, if she were honest, she was terrified. They would grill Sean mercilessly. She knew how devious her brothers could be. Hopefully Sean would pass their tests with flying colors. If not, they were screwed.

* * * *

'What exactly are we hunting?” Sean asked as he walked beside of Derek through the dense forest.

'The most elusive creature you can find.'

'And that would be?'

Derek laughed. “Mistletoe.'

Sean stopped walking and stared at Derek with a raised brow. “Did you say mistletoe?'

'Yes.'

'And you hunt it with a gun?” Sean laughed, noticing the gun Matt carried.

'How else are we going to get it out of the tree?'

Sean glanced at the others, only now noticing they were all looking up. When they'd asked him to go hunting, he assumed they meant for deer or rabbit. Certainly not mistletoe. He almost laughed at the notion of hunting for mistletoe. Shaking his head, he started walking again, catching up to Derek. “Okay, I'll bite. How exactly do we hunt mistletoe and why are we hunting it?'

'Mistletoe is a parasite, of sorts,” Derek said. “The seeds are dropped on tree branches by birds and the roots of the plant invade the trees bark and take nutrients from it to survive. It usually grows high in trees; oak mostly, and sometimes causes the tree branches to be deformed. Just look for ugly tree branches and you'll usually spot the clumps of mistletoe.'

'And you shoot it when you find it?” Sean asked, amused.

'Unless you want to climb the tree and get it yourself, which I wouldn't suggest. Have you ever tried to climb a tree covered in snow and ice?'

'No.'

'Don't. One wrong move and-'

'I get the picture,” Sean said. “So why are we hunting it?'

Derek grinned. “You have kissed someone under a mistletoe sprig, haven't you?'

'Actually, I can't say I ever have.'

'Matt!” Derek yelled. “Sean is a mistletoe virgin.'

The others laughed as Derek turned his head to look back at him. “You'll definitely have to remedy that before you and Macy leave. Mom will demand it.'

'Okay,” Sean said, grinning. “So, is finding the mistletoe or kissing under it the tradition Macy was talking about?'

'Both. We hunt it every year, without fail. The kissing part is just a bonus,” he grinned. “It's supposed to be good luck to kiss under a sprig. There are a few legends surrounding it, actually. One is, if a married couple kisses