“And I bought her a ring,” Dylan said to Mint Brownie. He’d been talking to the horse for a solid half-hour. Everything about the sleigh talks he and Cami had, about the tree trimming experience from the other night, and then the trip to the jeweler.

“I’m in love with her.” And he’d said it out loud to her. She’d looked like he’d just punched her with a brick, and she’d started to say something back to him.

That single “I—” had been haunting him for days, and while he’d never had a problem with Carole Anne or Levi, he wanted to ask them why. Why had they had to show up at that exact moment?

But he knew better than most that asking why was never a good idea.

Cami had retreated the teensiest little bit that night, but she’d sat beside him at church, as usual. Monday, she’d been silent, but Dylan couldn’t blame her. She had a ton of work to do at Rivers Merge, and so did he.

With the Christmas parade only three days away, he also had all the last-minute checks to make on every single float. Oh, and one he hadn’t even completely finished yet.

But he’d get it done, just like he always did. He was just a little busier this year because of the new build. But if there was one thing he’d learned over the years, it was that the work always got done.

That was what he’d told Bill and Patricia whenever they asked about the workshop. I’ll get it done.

But it was a huge pain in the neck, and he still hadn’t gotten all of the lights on the conveyor belt in the workshop to shine at the same time.

“How’s he doing?”

Dylan glanced at Pete, glad he hadn’t been confessing anything to Mint Brownie for the man to hear.

“Just great,” he said, his focus switching from the horse to the veteran out in the arena. Jake rode a horse named Strawberry Shortcake, and he directed the red beast with only one hand.

“How are you?” Pete asked. “You don’t stay for dinner anymore.”

“Yeah,” Dylan said, not wanting to get too far into his reasons for leaving as soon as he could on Tuesdays and Thursdays. He used to stay out at the ranch for a long time, even after the sessions ended. “I’m seeing Cami Cruz.” He flashed Pete a smile. “So I head back to town right after I’m done here.”

“I don’t know Cami Cruz,” he said, leaning his weight into the fence and continuing to watch Jake.

“She’s the plumber for Rogers,” Dylan said. “She’s going to buy the whole operation come January.” He couldn’t help the pride that snuck into his voice. He cleared his throat, and asked, “Are you bringing the family in to the parade this weekend?”

“That’s this weekend?”

“This weekend kicks it off,” Dylan said. “And it runs next weekend, and then every night during the Twelve Days of Christmas.”

Pete sighed. “I can’t believe it’s Christmas already. Where did this year go?”

“Not sure,” Dylan said, feeling the way time passed through his fingers like smoke.

“Guess I better take the kids. They love the parade. And I need to get them some presents too, though Chelsea probably already has a bunch.” He chuckled and Dylan smiled with him.

He hadn’t thought much about presents yet either, as it was barely December and he didn’t have a whole lot of people to buy for anyway.

“All right.” Pete knocked on the wood. “You’ll close up when he’s done?”

“Sure thing.” Dylan watched Pete walk away, his admiration for the man rising. He ran a good thing here and he managed to spend time with his family too, something that gave Dylan hope for him and Cami.

Dylan swung onto Mint Brownie and took the horse out into the arena with Jake and Shortcake. He hadn’t ridden for a couple of weeks, and he moved Brownie through a few walking sequences, mostly to get his brain to stop circling Cami.

But she was always there, in his mind. He wanted to drive to her place after he brushed down both horses and made sure all the stalls in the stable were closed. But he pulled into his covered parking spot instead and sat in his truck.

He wanted to go into an apartment draped with garland and twinkling lights, preferably with hot food on the table and low music playing. And he knew he wouldn’t get that inside his apartment.

So he pulled out his phone and called Boone. “Hey,” he said when his friend answered. “I’m going to be buying a house soon. You got any dogs up for adoption at the clinic?”

“Lots,” he said. “But they go fast in December. Lots of people adopt for Christmas.”

“Mm.” Dylan stared out the windshield, unable to pinpoint why his mood wasn’t better this evening. He’d had a very productive day in the warehouse and then at Rivers Merge. He’d got to ride Mint Brownie and talk to Jake.

“How are things with Cami?” Boone asked. “Nicole wants to double.”

“Sure,” Dylan said, maybe a little too loudly. “We’re going to the parade this Friday, if you guys want to come.”

“You talk to her first,” Boone said. “Besides, you’ll be crazy-busy at that, with all the last-minute stuff you do.”

“True,” Dylan said, Boone’s laughter breaking through his melancholy mood. “All right, if you see a good dog come in, save him for me.”

“Will do.”

Dylan hung up and he stretched across the cab and opened the glove box where he’d been hiding Cami’s ring. He opened the black velvet box and gazed at the gem, his mood lifting further. He liked having a secret, something warm in his chest to buoy him up when he felt like he was the only man in Three Rivers who didn’t have absolutely everything figured out.

He took the bag and box containing the ring with him as he headed for the front door of his apartment building. He waved to Mrs. Forrester as she came out of the pool area, and he rode the elevator to the sixth floor by himself.

Yes, his apartment was dark when he entered it, but it brightened with a few flips of a switch. He turned on the radio for companionship, and they were playing holiday songs, so he got his low music.

Instead of pulling out the bread and making a sandwich, he collected a roll of wrapping paper—the only roll of wrapping paper he owned—from the front hall closet.

It was red, with silver snowflakes on it, and he carefully wrapped the ring box, making sure to tape down all the finicky corners.

He stared at the tiny present, and he didn’t like it. She’d know what it was the moment he presented it to her, making the wrapping job unnecessary.

So he unwrapped it and turned in a full circle in his kitchen, trying to think if he had any other boxes. He wasn’t one to order much online, so he really didn’t have anything shipped to him.

Now, the Electric Company had plenty of boxes, in all shapes and sizes, as their equipment and bulbs were as various as the flowers on the earth.

So he’d wait. He was getting really good at that, and he tucked the ring box back inside the bag and set it on the shelf in the hall closet.

Cami didn’t usually show up unannounced at his place, but he certainly didn’t want her to see the box or the bag with the jeweler’s insignia on it when she wasn’t ready.

And he wasn’t going to ask her to marry him until he knew she was ready.

“You’re not,” he told himself as he poured a bowl of cereal and parked himself in front of the TV. “You’re really not.”

“Try it now,” he said to Bill, pressing harder on the little clip of the last light bulb that was giving him fits. He’d replaced it twice, and if it didn’t work this time, he thought he might just rip the light-up hammer out of Snoopy’s hand.

“All right,” Bill drawled, and it seemed like ten years passed for the man to walk around the float, lean in, and activate the mechanisms. Everything should move and light up this time, and with the parade only an hour away, Dylan didn’t know what he’d do if it didn’t.

But the green light came on, and Snoopy’s hand swung down. Dylan whooped, and Cami started to laugh from where she sat in the sleigh, a folder of paperwork open in her lap.

When she’d arrived about twenty minutes ago, she’d told him that she had about five hours worth of work to do in the last house. So she’d finish it all up tomorrow, and then they’d get a little breather before the holidays as other crews came in.

Well, not Dylan. He worked behind Cami in the new builds, and he still had plenty to do to get all the houses wired.

He stood back with Bill and Patricia, mentally congratulating himself for getting everything in tip-top shape for another parade.

He loved Three Rivers and the light parade it put on every year. Loved seeing the Clydesdales and sipping hot chocolate though it wasn’t all that cold. He liked the festive atmosphere and the holiday vibe in the air as all the shops stayed open late and had sidewalk sales until nearly midnight on parade nights.

“Is that all?” he asked, turning as a loud metal screeching noise tore through the air.

“That’ll be the drivers,” Bill said. “Let’s see what they say.”

Another two big, huge, two-story garage doors opened, and more people came into the warehouse. Cami jumped down out of the sleigh and came over to Dylan.

“What’s going on?” she asked.

“They’re the drivers,” he said. “They’ll get instructions from Patricia, and then they’ll test everything again. I make any last-minute fixes, and then we can hurry over to the parade route.”

“Carole Anne is saving us a place,” she said. “We don’t have to hurry.”

“Sure, we do,” he said. “I don’t want to miss any of the parade.”

She looked at him for an extra-long moment, probably trying to figure out if he was kidding or not. He wasn’t. The mayor led the parade in a bright, cherry-red Mustang, which blasted “Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town” from the speakers, and Dylan loved it. He always had.

“My parents would bring us early,” he told Cami, keeping one eye on the meeting with the drivers and Patricia. “We got to pick exactly one treat, and then we’d sit on blankets in the park for the parade.” He swung his arm around her and brought her close to him, the folder the only thing between them. “Can you guess what I got for my treat?”

“Uh, let’s see. Too cold for ice cream….” She grinned up at him, and dang, if Dylan didn’t see at least the hint of love in her eyes. “And Christmas around here is a pretty big deal with the candied nuts. I’m going to go with that.”

Dylan laughed. “Almonds. Cinnamon roasted almonds. I loved them, mostly because two out of my three sisters wouldn’t touch them.” He chuckled again, and the meeting broke up. “Oh, here they come.”

He stepped away from Cami, but he didn’t go far. She said, “I’m going to miss coming here and hanging out in that sleigh while you work.” She slipped her hand into his and squeezed.

“Me too,” he said. “But hey, we know where to find it, right?” He glanced at her, but he couldn’t truly look as Bill called his name.

“Oh, boy,” he said. “Be back in a minute.”

At least twenty minutes passed before every driver was satisfied with their floats. Dylan saluted to Bill and Patricia, took Cami’s hand again, and said, “Let’s get out of here while we can.”

She giggled, and he practically ran toward the exit, pretending like they were sneaking away to steal a kiss. As they approached Main Street, he could hear the song blasting through the darkness, and he increased his pace.

“She’s right there,” Cami said, pointing to her right. She tugged on his hand, and he let her lead him through a throng of people to a couple of spaces next to Carole Anne and Levi.

“You made it,” Carole Anne said, her face shining with Christmas spirit.

Dylan felt it infect him too, and he grinned as he turned his attention to the street in front of him. The mayor hadn’t arrived yet, but he could hear him coming.

Everyone in town could, whether they were at the parade or not. Dylan grinned like he was six-years-old and it was Christmas morning as the red Mustang came into view.

The crowd, most of whom had been waiting longer than he had, started to cheer. The mayor waved from his position on the back of the Mustang, and the parade was off to a great start.

Dylan loved everything about this night, and he brought Cami closer to his side, pressed his lips against her temple, and said, “I’m so glad we’re here together.”

“Yeah, it can be a tradition,” she said, causing him to look away from the league of toy soldiers marching in front of him.

“Yeah,” he said slowly. “Our first Christmas tradition.”

“No.” She shook her head, those honeyed eyes glittering with all the lights from the parade. “That was when we put the tree up the day after Thanksgiving.”

“Mm.” He kissed her, glad when she pressed further into him, and then he watched the parade go by, happier than he’d ever been.

He could only hope and pray that Cami felt similar things for him. And though Dylan wasn’t really the type to worry about things he couldn’t control, a sliver of doubt crept in among the holiday joy, even when she jumped up and bought a sack of cinnamon almonds from a boy pulling a wagon down the side of the parade route.