Mace by Kate Weiss

Kristen
T’was the night before Christmas, and all through the town,
Everyone was smiling – but I’m wearing a frown.
Why? The bakery’s sunk if I can’t find a way to cover the rent increase next year.
Business is booming, but that’s the problem.
Everyone wants a piece of that small-town Christmas lifestyle.
Now, everything’s shooting up in price, and I can’t keep up.
Worst of all, that Grinch Mace has ruined my last big order of the year.
Santa, I need a Christmas miracle.

Mace
This isn’t exactly what I imagined when I moved to Pink Springs.
Things started out great. My brother and I convinced mom to move too. It meant we could keep an eye on her.
Now, with her health failing, it seems like everything’s broken.
I’ve got a bust-up truck, a ranch that’s falling apart faster than I can fix it, and a strained relationship with my bro.
I shouldn’t have taken that out on Kristen, especially after she helps me out.
In fact, she might just be the one thing I can finally take care of properly.
But this is going to be my hardest project yet.