“Not crazy.” Seth’s soft tone wrapped around her heart. “Did she buy it for you?”
Not trusting her voice, Lauren shook her head.
“What had you asked for?”
“It doesn’t matter.” Lauren shifted her gaze away from those eyes that seemed to see too much. “It was silly.”
Most men would have gratefully changed the subject. Most would never have pursued the topic. She was beginning to realize Seth wasn’t most men. So Lauren wasn’t really surprised when he took her hand and tugged her to the sofa, dropping down to sit beside her. “Tell me.”
His tone invited confidences. His eyes promised no matter what she said, he wouldn’t laugh.
“An American Girl doll.” Lauren felt her cheeks warm. She lifted her chin. “They were extremely popular when I was in grade school. My friend Wendy had seven of them. You probably don’t know what they are—”
“Felicity Merriman.”
“What?”
“Felicity was Anna’s American Girl doll. She got her when she was about Ivy’s age.” A tiny smile lifted Seth’s lips. “She took Felicity everywhere she went. I remember one time...”
A dimple she never knew he possessed flashed in his left cheek.
“What?” Lauren touched his arm, the flannel of his shirt soft against her fingers. She immediately released her hold and let her hand drop to her side, but her heart still fluttered.
“We were at the rodeo. Anna was about to be crowned Little Miss Yellowstone County. When my parents went down to the arena to take pictures, they left Felicity with me.” The dimple flashed again. “Just what every boy wants—to be at a public event with a doll by his side.”
Lauren resisted the urge to smile at his pained expression. “I’m sure no one even noticed.”
“No one except every friend I had, including Josh and Mitch.” Seth rolled his eyes. “You can imagine the comments. Then Wes Danker came up with the brilliant idea of throwing Felicity over the top rail into a pile of manure. The guys were all for it.”
Lauren gasped. “Did you let him?”
“I couldn’t.” Seth shook his head. “Anna would have been heartbroken. Not to mention mad as hell.”
Something told Lauren it wasn’t Anna’s anger that had made him protect Felicity Merriman as much as it was the knowledge of what the doll meant to his little sister. She wondered what it’d be like to have someone care about her that much. A lump formed in her throat but she swallowed past it. “You’re a good person, Seth Anderssen.”
“Naw, just watchin’ out for my own hide.” Seth stretched and covered a yawn. “Sorry. Ivy’s leg was bothering her and I hardly slept last night.”
“We can call it an evening anytime you want.” Lauren kept her tone light, not wanting him to see her disappointment. This had been the best Christmas Eve she could remember and she was reluctant to see it end. “I brought a book to read—”
“I’m not talking about going to bed right now.” Seth’s eyes widened. “I was just thinking it’s time to start putting the presents under the tree.”
Lauren shifted her gaze to the eight-foot Douglas fir that sat in front of the window. New and old ornaments intermingled on the thick bushy branches. Bubble lights had replaced traditional lighting. A unique tin- punched silver star that Seth had admitted making in middle school topped the tree.
Lauren had been so awed by the massive tree and its decorations that she hadn’t noticed the lack of presents beneath its branches.
“I’ll be happy to help.” She glanced around. “Where are the gifts?”
“Hidden in one of the upstairs closets.” Seth gestured with his head toward the stairs. “You don’t need to do a thing. I’ll change and bring them down.”
“Change?”
“Into the Santa suit.” Though they were the only two in the room, Seth’s voice dropped to a whisper. “I always wear it when putting the presents under the tree.”
Lauren paused. “This year is diff—”
“Not different.” A tiny muscle in Seth’s jaw jumped.
Lauren wasn’t about to argue. Only a few days ago Seth had faced the possibility of losing his daughter. Keeping to tradition was probably his way of reassuring himself that all was still well in his world.
“You might want to turn down the thermostat before you put on the suit.” Her lips quirked upward. “Wouldn’t want Santa to get a heatstroke.”
“It is a little warm in here,” Seth admitted.
An understatement if she’d ever heard one. Lauren chuckled. “Ya think?”
“I wanted to make sure you were comfortable.” A swath of color cut across Seth’s cheeks. “Guess I went a little overboard.”
“Only by about a gazillion degrees.” Lauren kept her tone light, ignoring the trickle of sweat slithering down her spine.
Seth rose and crossed the room to the thermostat. Almost immediately, the hot air that had been billowing out of the duct near the sofa stopped. “Better?”
“Much.”
He smiled and started for the stairs, then stopped and turned back. “Can I get you anything before I go upstairs? More eggnog? Ice water? Glass of tea?”
“I’m fine.” Lauren realized she was more than fine. In fact, she couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt so content. “I’ll put on Christmas music. Set the stage for a visit from St. Nick.”
“You’re being awfully accommodating to the bogus, fantasy figure who contributes to the commercialization of Christmas,” Seth teased.
Something about the way he spoke the words made Lauren grin. “Chalk it up to capturing some of that Anderssen Christmas spirit you’ve been dishing out in great abundance tonight.”
“Good to hear.” Seth smiled and her heart skipped a beat. “Back in five.”
Lauren found herself humming as she searched the iPad for Christmas hits. She finally settled on a playlist featuring original artists performing their classic Christmas hits. Once the music started, Lauren turned down the volume before returning to her
