Page 1 (1/1)

Chapter 1

Shelby wraps her hand around a wooden bea around it with her other ar her hand back and shaking it “Ow! Stupid thing gave me a splinter”

“It’s wooden and square,” I say shoving her in the shoulder as alk through the skeleton of a house “What did you expect would happen?”

“I was trying to be whi at her palht, after all”

I step over a bucket full of nails and lean against a two by four thatrooh it will eventually be a two story, four thousand square foot hoht now it’s just concrete and wooden bearass and pallets of construction materials

Looking up, I gaze into the starry night sky, still hts are here in Mixon, Texas where the only light pollution comes from my dad’s motocross track My breath escapes in puffs of white and I wrapto stay warm in my fleece jacket

It’s Christ for all month Christmas at Mixon—a fun-filled holiday activity for the whole family! My dad has turned his hts strung up all over the place, a fake snow machine for the kids, food venders, hot chocolate, and of course, ht with free admission

Dad even ed to coordinate with the town’s Christoes through toill end in the field in front of the motocross track Sure, it’ll be busy as hell and full of people but Dad swears this will be great for business The whole staff at thewith excitehts, wearing Santa hats and bells around our necks

Everyone has been psyched for tonight Everyone but me

“Shelby” I say, feeling a sudden chill that can’t be warmed with a jacket All et to wrap my arms around my boyfriend and watch the parade with hi hole strand of Christh “I miss Ash”

Her gaze turns serious as she turns and sits on an unfinished wooden stair “I miss him, too It doesn’t feel like Christmas Eve without him here”

I sigh “I wouldn’t know since I didn’t know Ash existed last Christmas”

“Christical,” she says “He always picks out the best presents for each person in our family and wears his Santa hat as he helps Dad cook the dinner Then he turns on his hat and hands out presents to everyone He’s really big into celebrating holidays”

“Turns on his hat?” I ask, lifting an eyebrow

“There’s little lights around the white fur part,” she says “And if you squeeze the po you, he loves Christmas”

I s a hat like that The knot in er knot upon hearing Shelby’s cherished o when Ash toldfor a New Years’ race at Anaheim and wouldn’t make it back home for Christmas

I knehat I was signing up for when I fell for a guy who’d just accepted a professional h this past summer was my first foray into the sport ofaround to a different part of the state each week, racing in arenas and stadiums in front of tens of thousands of people Yet soreat idea at the time