Page 72 of The Lie That Stole Christmas

Tiny waited with bated breath.

It was delicious, like Bill said it would be, but it wasn’t Lily’s cake.

Nobody said anything, and Tiny’s shoulders sank into herself.“Well, damn.”

“It’s close,” Bill said.

“Really close,” Luca added.

While the conversation kicked up, Bill turned to Carter.“I got it here.You need to be somewhere else.”

Carter’s eyebrow rose as he stared at the man who had been more like a grandfather to him than a boss.

“Our Ashley needs you.”

Chapter twenty-two

Ashley

Ashleypulledhersleevesover her fingers, wishing she had grabbed a coat before she headed out to the stables.She needed space from her family, from Winterridge, from the ghosts of Christmas past that roamed the hallways.

She’d been devastated when Grandma Lily died, but that hadn’t stopped her from staying at Winterridge and helping Grandpa get through his grief.She should have realized he was acting out in sorrow and that he was purposely pushing everyone away.

The difference now was she still had time.Not much, and maybe a little late, but enough time to make sure he knew she loved him.She couldn’t change the time they’d lost, but she would change what came next.She had no idea how much time he actually had left, but however long it was, she would not hide behind old wounds.It was time for healing, reminiscing, and making new memories before it was too late.

She stepped into the stables and welcomed the familiar warmth that greeted her.The harsh December chill softened, replaced by the overhead heating.The smell of hay, leather, and horsehair filled the air, and she inhaled, taking it all in, letting the scent radiate through her mind, bringing her back to a simpler time.

A neigh caught her attention, and she walked toward a stall on the right.A smile bloomed as she took in the massive Clydesdale.Time had frosted Mabel’s muzzle with gray, but her rich chestnut-brown coat still gleamed beneath the stable lights.The wide white blaze running down the center of her face was as familiar as an old friend.One dark eye regarded Ashley before Mabel stretched her neck over the stall door and huffed warmly into her face.

“Hey old girl,” Ashley said as she ran a hand over the white streak.“Fifteen years old, and you’re still the queen of the stables, huh?”

She gave a low nicker that sounded suspiciously like an agreement.

“I have no doubt,” Ashley said.“Sorry it took me so long to come home.I hope you’re not mad at me.”

“You’re impossible to stay mad at.”

Ashley spun at the words and smiled as Carter stepped into the stables.

“How’d you find me?”she asked.

“Ms.Porter might have seen you hightail it out of the house.”

“Nothing gets past her.”

“Nothing at all.”He came to a stop beside her, petting Mabel.

“You came after me,” she said.

“I would have come sooner, but I had something to take care of.”

“Something more important than me,” she joked, though the downward curve of his brow told her he didn’t quite get the punchline.

“I had to tell the staff about your grandfather’s diagnosis.”

“You?”

“I’m the estate manager.Other than your grandfather, I’m their boss.And he asked me to.”