Trixie giggled softly and shook her head. “I can’t believe it. Look at my pathetic excuses for brothers.”

Dan turned his attention from the television and surveyed the room. He, too, chuckled. “I can understand Mart falling asleep. Grading papers all day would make me tired, too. But Bobby?” Dan shook his head. “Ridiculous. I say we take pictures. I think he’d pay quite a bit to keep a photo out of circulation that shows him drooling, don’t you?”

Trixie smiled affectionately at her younger brother with the mop of golden curls. His tall, sturdy form covered the length of the love seat in the Belden’s living room. As he slept, a thin trail of drool trickled from his open mouth down his chin. Mart lay on the floor, over-sized square pillows creating a comfortable bed. Gentle snores rattled his congested nose.

Meanwhile, the story of A Christmas Carol continued to unfold on the television. Dan beamed. “I’m glad we got a chance to watch it this year. This Alistair Sim version has always been my favourite. It’s the one my mom, dad, and I would wait for every year.”

“And to think, until I met you, I had never sat through the entire movie.”

Dan shook his head. “Poor, uncultured Trixie. The things I’ve had to teach you.”

She snorted. “Yeah. Like how to sew buttons?”

“Hey! You wouldn’t be able to wear any of your work jackets if I hadn’t!”

She turned to him with an impish grin. “I know. It was just so much fun seeing you with a needle and thread. Too bad I don’t have pictures! I know a lot of people who would pay to get a copy of that.”

Dan shrugged. “I know just as many who would love to see you sew, including your own mother.”

Trixie frowned and glanced up the stairs. “It’s too bad Moms and Daddy didn’t stay up to watch the movie with us. It would have been fun.”

Dan smiled to himself. “I think your dad had plans for a different kind of fun.”

She shuddered. “And I guess Brian and Honey wanted some alone time, too.” She looked at Dan curiously. “So, how was your shopping trip with Regan?”

A grimace of pain crossed his face. “Have you ever been Christmas shopping on December 23?”

“You know I have. Almost every year.”

“With an agoraphobic red-haired male?”

“That bad?”

Dan shook his head. “I thought I was going to have to forcibly restrain him when a salesperson told him an item he wanted was out of stock. Honestly, it was worse than when Ben Riker tried to put pomade in the saddle soap.”

Trixie shuddered. “Worse than that? How did you calm him down?”

A small smile tugged at Dan’s lips. “I suggested going for lunch.”

“Food is always a good distracter. I’ve used it to good advantage with Mart many times.”

Dan nodded. “Not such a good distracter when the only restaurant we could find that wasn’t packed was a...” he paused and looked at Trixie suspiciously. “If this gets back to Uncle Bill, I’m a dead man.”

Her eyes lit up. “Oh, now you have to tell me!”

His lips began twitching. “A tea room. Uncle Bill and I had lunch at a tea room.”

“Are we talking doilies?”

Dan nodded.

“Little sandwiches with the crusts cut off?”

He inclined his head ever so slightly.

“Frilly tea cozy things to keep the tea hot?”

“Is that what that was?” he asked with interest. “We couldn’t figure it out.”

Trixie clasped a hand over her mouth. “No. Way. I cannot believe that you and Regan ate in a tea room.” She giggled. “Maybe Mrs. Wheeler should invite him next time she hosts a ladies luncheon. Can’t you just see him sipping tea and making small-talk with society matrons?”

Dan glared at her. “Like I said, if this gets back to Uncle Bill, I’m a dead man.”

Trixie continued to giggle. “I know, I know. It’s not like anyone would believe me, anyway. Regan in a tea room!”

Dan rolled his eyes. “Enough about my painful day. What did you do?”

Trixie dropped her eyes and allowed a small smile to play about her mouth. “Not much. I went riding in the morning, had lunch at the Manor House, and wrapped some presents before supper.”

Dan’s eyes narrowed. “Somehow, I get the feeling I’m not hearing the entire story. Did you and Honey have a good ride?”

She blushed. “Actually, Honey had a phone call from work, so Jim offered to go riding with me.”

Dan raised an eyebrow. “I see.” He sat in silence for a moment before asking, “How did it go?”

“Surprisingly well,” she answered. “We stopped at the old school house, talked a little, and that was about it.”

The next pause was longer. “What did you talk about?”

Trixie frowned. “Not much. I think Jim was trying to tell me something, but I got distracted.” She looked away thoughtfully, concentrating on the flash she had seen in the corner of her eye, and the sense of danger that had enveloped her.

“Jim was talking to you, and you got distracted?” Dan was genuinely surprised.

She flushed. “Well, I thought I saw something, and then I got this really weird feeling. As though someone was in the woods. Someone dangerous.”

Dan digested the information carefully, knowing that if something had distracted her while she was with Jim, it was probably important. “What exactly did you see?”

Trixie sighed impatiently and kicked off the afghan covering her legs. “It was just a flash. It could have been anything, anything at all. I don’t know why it bothered me so much.”

Dan knew better than to dismiss Trixie’s hunches lightly, but only said, “Well, we’ll just have to keep our eyes open tomorrow.”

She nodded and smiled. “I can’t wait to try out that new toboggan Bobby was telling us about. It should be a lot of fun!”

Returning to his original line of questioning, he continued, “So, what happened after the ride? Did Jim ever tell you what was on his mind?”

“No, when we got back he groomed the horses and I went up to Honey’s room. He did join us for lunch.” Trixie looked away and tried not to laugh as she remembered the hot lunch. Dan, however, caught the twinkle in her eye and pressed for more information.

“And how was lunch?”

Never one to shy away from a funny story for very long, Trixie gave in eagerly. “Oh, Dan, you have to meet the Wheeler’s new cook.”

He grinned and rubbed his hands together. “Ah, young and pretty, I take it?”

Trixie snorted. “You could say that. I, however, would replace pretty with handsome, and I don’t think he’s particularly young.”

He looked up with interest. “The Wheeler’s new cook is a guy?”

A full-fledged smile broke over her face. “Well, he’s not exactly feminine, if that’s what you’re asking. Although, he probably uses more hair styling products than I do.”

“So, he’s handsome, not particularly young, and uses a lot of hair product. Can he cook?”

More giggles.

Dan rolled his eyes. “Or is he just eye candy?”

“Well, I don’t think it ever hurts to be tall, dark, and handsome. But, yes, the cabana boy can cook.”

“Cabana boy?” Dan didn’t know whether to be amused or confused. “The Wheelers have a cabana boy?”

“No, Antonio was dressed as a cabana boy to serve our,” she paused, “hot Mexican lunch.”

Dan shook his head. “Sounds like you and Honey had a good time. What did you do to the poor guy?”

“We didn’t do anything! And Jim was there, too,” she protested.

“Did he enjoy himself?”

Trixie looked thoughtful. “Well, he did leave Honey’s room pretty quickly after we were served.”

“You ate lunch in Honey’s room? With Jim?” Dan asked in surprise.

She shrugged. “I think Honey was initiating me, or something. Apparently, she and Di do it all the time.”

“Do what? Eat Mexican food?”

“No, eat in Honey’s room, served by Antonio.”

Dan shook his head. “You girls are crazy.”

“Hey, I had nothing to do with it! I’m not the one who hired a foreign cook with a flair for costumes to cook for the Manor House!”

“European?”

Trixie paused. “He’s from Greece. I recognized the accent right away. He’s done a good job of Americanizing his vocabulary and pronunciation, but you can always tell.”

Dan grinned at her fondly. “Well, you can. I probably wouldn’t even have noticed the accent.”

She nodded slowly. “That’s what he said. That no one notices his accent anymore. That’s when I knew it was time to change the subject. No way am I trying to explain to Honey and Jim why I’m fluent in so many languages.”

He nodded. “You seem to be getting along with them pretty well,” he observed.

“Kind of weird, isn’t it?” It was more of a statement than a question. “Things have been so strained for the last few years, I never thought that I would be having such a good time with them.” She twisted a strand of blonde curls between her fingers. “With Honey, especially, it feels like we’re picking up from where we left off, before I went away to school. It’s like we’re back to reading each other’s minds.”

Dan ruthlessly suppressed the unexpected stab of jealousy he felt at her words. For the last few years, he had been the one to read her mind, the one in whom she confided.

Trixie turned to him suddenly, and moved to the end of the couch to be closer to the easy chair he occupied. “Dan, I am so glad that you’re here. I don’t know what I’d do without you. Somehow, after talking to you, everything makes more sense.” She squeezed his hand.

He placed his other hand over hers and smiled into her eyes. “I’m glad I’m here, too. And it’s about time you and Honey got back to being friends. You always made a great team.”

“Almost as good as us.” Trixie winked while Dan shook his head warningly.

“Remember, we’re on vacation.”

Trixie’s smile disappeared. “Are we? I still have a bad feeling about this morning in the woods.” The worry was evident in her eyes.

“We’ll handle it, Trix. It was probably nothing, but even if it's not, we can handle it. We’re good at what we do, you know.”

She nodded. “I know. It just feels different, thinking about those kinds of possibilities here in Sleepyside. And somehow, I’m much more emotional than I should be.” She sighed.

He couldn’t look at her. “Side effect of being in love?”

“What?” Trixie blushed.

Dan shrugged. “It’s got to be a little strange, seeing Jim again.”

She nodded and restlessly let go of his hand to drum her fingers on the armrest of his chair. “Yes, it is strange. At least we’re getting along. I was afraid I’d be dealing with stony glares and cold shoulders.”

Smiling wryly, Dan replied, “I believe that will be my department.”

Trixie sighed. “I wish it weren’t like this. I wish we could all just get along like we used to.”

Dan merely commented, “Well, you seem to be reading everyone expertly. I figure as long as I can ride your coat tails, we should be fine.”

Trixie rolled her eyes, but was saved the trouble of replying as the movie reclaimed their attention. Alistair Sim was dashing around his room, bubbling with contagious laughter, grateful to be alive and thankful for his second chance. Trixie and Dan smiled as Ebenezer enthusiastically embraced the housekeeper. They watched the movie to its conclusion, sitting silently as the credits rolled.

Trixie leaned back against the sofa and closed her eyes. Sleep pulled heavily at her eyelids. Knowing she would be out like a light if she didn’t move soon, she stifled a yawn. “Wow. Maybe Mart and Bobby had the right idea. I’m tempted to camp out here, myself.”

Dan rose to his feet and offered her a hand. “You wouldn’t think it was such a good idea in the morning, when you woke up with a sore neck.” He easily pulled Trixie to her feet, and steadied her with his arm. “You’d better get your beauty sleep, Friday. Tomorrow’s going to be a busy day.” He walked her to the stairs, stopping her before she began climbing. “Thanks for watching the movie, Trix. It...” he paused and swallowed. “It means a lot to me.”

Trixie blinked back a tear as she reflected on how many years Dan had missed his family traditions, or performed them alone. She smiled softly. “It’s our tradition, now. I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

Still standing very close to her, Dan bent to kiss the top of her head. “Sweet dreams, Trix.”

Still thinking of all the holidays Dan had spent alone, Trixie started up the stairs, then stopped at the second step so she could look him in the eye. She impulsively kissed his cheek and rested her head on his shoulder for a brief moment. “Just don’t tell my brothers.” She winked. “Sweet dreams, Dan.”

She was halfway up the stairs when Dan stopped her. “Oh, and Trix, thanks for last night. I heard what you said to your brothers, and…”

Trixie smiled lightly. “I only told them the truth, Dan.”

He smiled and turned to the guest room. “See you in the morning.”

By nine o’clock the next morning twelve young and energetic people were standing at the top of the highest hill at a nearby park.

“Now, Trixie,” Bobby turned to his sister, “you want to be careful your first time on the SlickSlide 2000.” She hid a smile and pretended to listen attentively. “The steering is really sensitive. Just lean in the direction you want to go.” He looked at her in concern. “Are you sure you don’t want me to take you down once, so you can see what it’s like? Or, better yet, why don’t you practice on an old toboggan first? It’s probably been a while since you’ve been on one.”

Trixie rolled here yes. “Come on, Honey. Ready to give this bad boy a run for its money?”

Honey eyed Trixie and the toboggan warily. “If you’re sure you know what you’re doing…”

“Honey. It’s a toboggan. What’s to know?” She stamped her foot impatiently.

Trixie’s excitement was contagious. Honey let go of her worries and grinned. “Let’s show them how it’s done, partner!”

“Trixie,” Bobby started.

She silenced him with a quick hug. “We’ll be fine, Rob. Thanks for the advice.”

Momentarily distracted by the voluntary use of his grown-up name, Bobby stepped aside and allowed Trixie and Honey to settle themselves on the SlickSlide 2000. “Just don’t wreck it,” he admonished. “I have plans for a few rides on this thing myself.” He grinned conspiratorially. “Most girls actually like to hang on to a handsome young guy while hurtling down a steep hill.”

Trixie rolled her eyes while Honey giggled. Muttering something that sounded suspiciously like, “I’ll show you hurtling down a steep hill,” Trixie gave the toboggan an enthusiastic push and jumped in front of Honey. With exuberant cries of, “Woohoo!” they barrelled down the hill, narrowly missing a pine tree, and tilting precariously as they turned sharply.

Bobby shook his head at the rest of the Bob Whites and Lynch twins, all of whom were watching Trixie and Honey’s wild path of destruction while securing extra winter gear against the cold. He glared at each of them equally. “Nice job backing me up, guys! You know they’re either going to wreck the toboggan or end up in the hospital, possibly both. I was really hoping to get a few runs in today. Why didn’t anyone help me stop her?”

Dan turned away to hide a chuckle. Seventeen-year-old Amanda Lynch left her spot beside her sister Jennifer and strode angrily to Bobby’s side. “Robert Belden. Are you saying that girls can’t handle toboggans as well as guys?”

Bobby gulped and took a step backwards. Amanda’s stance became even more intimidating as she took a step forward and crossed her arms over her chest. With raised eyebrow she pressed, “Well?”

“Um, well,” Bobby faltered and turned desperately to his brothers for help. Brian, however, was craning his neck to watch the progress of his girlfriend and sister as they tore down the hill and out of sight. Watching the exchange with undisguised amusement, Mart joined Bobby and Amanda.

“Well, Bobby, are you going to answer the question? I’m sure there are a lot of people interested in the answer.”

Turning to glare at his brother, Bobby looked around and realized he was the centre of attention. “Oh, forget it,” he muttered. “I’m sure they’ll be fine.”

The laughter Larry, Terry, Dan, and Jim had been holding back erupted quickly, only to be interrupted by loud shouts from the bottom of the hill. Bobby cringed and ran a few feet down the hill. “Everyone okay down there?” he called.

“We could use a little help,” the answer drifted back.

Grumbling unintelligibly, Bobby wrestled one of the larger toboggans to the launch and asked, “Anyone coming with?”

Amanda immediately joined him. “You might need some help at the bottom,” she replied in answer to his suspicious look. Brian also joined them, hoping that he would have no cause to practice his first aid skills.

Diana, Jennifer, Larry, Terry, Mart, Dan and Jim stood at the top of the hill. Larry smiled mischievously. “I don’t know about you, but I’m not missing out on this. Last one to the bottom has to finish Di’s spinach dip!”

“Hey! I heard that!” Diana turned to her brother indignantly. “My spinach dip is fantastic!”

“Sure it is. That’s why there’s always so much of it left over.” Larry winked. “Come on! It’s not just an idle threat. She made enough to feed an army!”

The boys tried to move unobtrusively to the remaining toboggans. “Sorry, Di,” Jim called over his shoulder. “Your spinach dip is, um, really healthy, but,” he gave up the pretence and broke into a sprint. “You heard the man! Make a run for it!”

Shaking her head, Di turned to Jennifer, only to discover she was at the launch, throwing herself onto the back of Jim’s toboggan. “Sorry, Di,” she called breathlessly. “See you at the bottom!”

After fighting over who would ride in front, Larry and Terry finally took off down the hill with Dan taking the helm at the last minute. Diana found herself at the top of the hill, next to Mart. He stood silently, holding the last toboggan.

“You can still catch them, you know.” Diana spoke quietly.

Mart shrugged. “I was faking it. You know I love your spinach dip. Care for a leisurely ride down the hill?”

Diana eyed him warily. “No deliberate jumps?”

Mart sighed, but agreed.

“No extra-sharp turns?”

“I suppose.” Mart acquiesced reluctantly.

“No teasing me about slowing you down when we get to the bottom?”

“Get on the toboggan, already, Di!” Mart smiled to take the sting out of his words.

Eyes gleaming, Di settled herself in front before Mart realized what was happening. “Are you coming or not?” she questioned as she started to push off.

Determined not to be left behind, Mart scrambled to find his seat while Diana hurled them down the hill. As they careened wildly, Mart found himself clutching the toboggan with one hand and Di with the other.

“Win any Nascar races, lately?” he managed to gasp as they overtook Jim and Jennifer.

Her laughter floated easily, catching in the wind and echoing in his heart. “I like to be in control. Enjoying the ride?”

Mart closed his eyes so he wouldn’t have to see how close they were to a small bush. Feeling the tip of a branch brush his arm, his squeezed his eyes shut more tightly. “Are we at the bottom yet?”

She laughed again, the sound tinkling against the snow. “Almost.”

When they finally did reach the bottom, Mart reluctantly released his grip on her and helped her to her feet. They both smiled as they listened to the conversation between Bobby and Trixie.

“What do you mean, you don’t know how it got stuck in the tree? Weren’t you on it?” Bobby was plainly exasperated, but not as frustrated as he would have been had anyone else risked his toboggan.

“Well, actually,” Trixie paused and tilted her head to one side, looking up at the sled that was precariously teetering in the branches of a tree. “The last thing I remember is seeing a little ridge that looked like a great jump.”

Bobby turned to look for the ridge. His eyes widened. “You took the SlickSlide 2000 off that?” He pointed to a man-made jump about twenty feet behind them with a sharp drop-off of about eight feet. It was clearly not intended for sleds.

Trixie shrugged. “It seemed like a good idea at the time.” She took pity on her little brother and put her arm around his shoulder. “I’m sorry, Bobby. I really do think the sled will be as good as new when we get it down.” She studied the tree thoughtfully. “I might be able to climb up...” she began.

The others had all arrived and were staring at the sled in wonder. Her mind made up, Trixie put on her mittens and began shimmying up the tree.

“Whoa!”

Trixie stopped, but kept her hands on the lowest branch of the tree as Jim approached. “Those branches don’t look very healthy,” he explained. “Here.” Jim motioned for Trixie to join him directly underneath the teetering sled. She raised her eyebrows as he knelt down with his back toward her. “Climb up,” he invited. “I think you’ll be able to reach the sled from my shoulders. You can wiggle one end down to Rob, and we’ll be set. Just don’t give me a black eye,” he cautioned as she hesitantly settled herself on her shoulders.

Seated on his shoulders, Trixie looked for a place to put her hands as Jim carefully stood up. She reluctantly grasped his hair firmly when she started to slide, and instantly felt the power of their former intimacy. When Jim was standing, she let go in relief, only to be surprised by his hands on her legs. She caught her breath and tried not to think about the firm pressure he was using to hold her steady.

“Can you reach?” Jim asked.

Trixie quickly raised her arms and found that she could, but just barely.

“I think I got it.” She gave the sled a vigorous tug, and was rewarded with a slap in the face from a branch, and a small avalanche of displaced snow.

“Almost.” She grunted and ignored her stinging cheek.

“If I just...” she wriggled slightly, trying not to think about the parts of her body that were touching Jim. Determined to free the sled, she pulled again, and felt it come loose. Much too loose.

“Look out below!” she called, as Bobby frantically tried to catch the toboggan that was barrelling out of the tree. Jim stepped aside smartly and, contrary to his normal suppleness, found himself overbalanced by Trixie. He staggered three steps in four directions before tripping. Trixie found herself facedown in the snow, with Jim’s hands still holding her legs securely.

“I think you can let go now,” she mumbled, clearing the snow from her mouth and struggling to sit up.

Jim reluctantly released her and removed his gloves to wipe the snow from her face.

“Is this all you ever do? Dump girls in snow banks?”

Jim smiled lightly and tugged a curl that had escaped her toque. He held her eyes intently as he replied; “It’s worked well for me in the past.”

Lost in memories, Trixie failed to notice the crowd around them.

“Everything okay, guys?” Brian felt obligated to check on them.

They reluctantly turned to him. “What? Oh, we’re fine.” Trixie turned to Jim. “At least I am.”

Jim waved a hand dismissively. “A little snow never hurt anyone.” He clapped his hands together to restore some warmth, and asked, “Well, who wants to try the SlickSlide next?”

All eyes turned to Bobby, who was lying on the ground next to the toboggan, panting. “No, really, guys, I’m fine,” he gasped. “Thanks for asking. No, I don’t need help with the sled. It’s not like it’s heavy, or awkward.”

Trixie bit back a laugh and started towards him, but stopped when she noticed Amanda.

“Bobby Belden, if you can’t manage to haul that sled back up the hill, I’m sure I can find someone else to take me on a ride.” She held out her hand to help him up, and asked slyly “You did promise me a ride, didn’t you?”

Everyone else hid smiles as Bobby scrambled to his feet. “Sure, Mandie! No problem.” Bobby was positively beaming. “This thing isn’t heavy at all. It’s made of a new, light-weight--” the rest of his technical explanation was lost as he manfully pulled the sled up the hill with one hand, and held Amanda’s hand with the other.

Brian pulled Honey to the side. “Are you sure you’re okay? You must have taken a pretty good tumble.”

Honey smiled and leaned back against a tree, pulling Brian close to her. “I’m fine. I barely even felt it. Although,” she paused and looked up at Brian through lowered eyelashes, “I am a little tired. Maybe you and I should head back to rest area and get the hot chocolate and food ready.”

Brian’s heart rate quickened. “A perfectly perfect idea,” he agreed.

The rest of the group smiled as the only official couple among them headed up the hill, holding hands and walking slowly.