A Cold Creek Christmas Surprise. RaeAnne Thayne

hadn’t grieved, only brooded for a few days about his own foolish choices and for a wild young woman who had never wanted to be a mother.

      Any grief for his failed marriage had worked its way out of his system a long time ago, as he had rocked his crying child to sleep or put her on the bus by himself on the first day of school.

      He suddenly missed his daughter fiercely. The house seemed entirely too quiet without her constant activity—either watching something on TV or chattering with Caidy.

      On impulse, he dialed Trace’s number. His brother answered the phone on the second ring.

      “Missing Destry already?” his brother teased.

      “Already?” He stretched back in his chair, suddenly tired from the tumultuous day. “It’s been almost twenty-four hours. I missed her as soon as you drove away last night. Aren’t you like that with Gabi and Will?”

      His wife Becca had given birth over the summer to the most adorable little boy, all big blue eyes and lots of dark hair. Gabrielle wasn’t Trace’s daughter, she was actually Becca’s much-younger sister, but the two of them had legal custody of her and loved her as their own child.

      “I guess you’re right. I was a mess in the fall when she went away for that school trip to the Teton Science School and that was only four nights.”

      “Are the girls having a good time?” he asked.

      “I don’t know. I’ve been working. I do know everybody’s been sneaking around doing Christmassy things all day.”

      Now that the business of the wedding was over, he supposed he should probably start thinking about Christmas, only three days away.

      He wasn’t crazy about the holidays. None of the Bowman siblings were, considering their parents had been killed just a few days before Christmas.

      Or at least none of them used to enjoy the season. It seemed as each of his siblings found love and moved on with life, each had been able to let go of those ghosts and embrace the holidays again. Caidy had even chosen this weekend for her wedding, claiming she wanted to be able to celebrate the season and not continue to mourn.