Sawdust and Mistletoe

by Michelle Pennington

  Hunter grinned and stooped down to hug the elderly lady. Ava watched as Mrs. Trundell patted his cheek. “Oh my. I’m sure Ava thinks you were worth getting fired for. Now you all have fun. And be careful. Just follow the driveway around the house. There’s a path wide enough for the truck all the way to the back of the property. Come join us by the fire if you get too chilled.”

  They all piled back in the truck, and Hunter drove them around to the wooded acres behind the house. The path was wide but bumpy. Olivia laughed as they were bounced around, but Ava was extremely conscious every time she was thrown against Hunter’s solid shoulder.

  Hunter found a good place to stop and they all hopped out. The air was crisp and cold, and the untouched snow lay heavy on the evergreen boughs of the trees around them. Ava’s boots crunched in the snow and left footprints, exposing the sorrel colors the leaves that had fallen. There were almost as many bare deciduous trees as firs and pines.

  “Olivia, can you gather pine cones? I’ll cut some sprays of holly and some boughs from the bigger trees. Hunter, can you cut down a few of these smaller trees?”

  Hunter nodded and went around to the back of his truck for tools. He handed Ava a small hand saw and picked up a deadly looking ax for himself. They all worked for a couple of hours, though Ava found herself continually distracted by the sight of Hunter cutting down trees.

  The display of strength was so overtly masculine, it was hard not to stand and stare. Resolutely, she turned her back on him and walked farther into the woods. She had figured out a system by this point and had brought a small tarp from Hunter’s truck to lay all her branches on. After a while, she had a nice pile of fir, pine, and even a bit of cedar and spruce to take back to the truck, when she looked up and spotted some mistletoe growing from the branches of one of the otherwise bare trees. But it was too high up to reach.

  Off in the distance, she heard the sound of Hunter’s ax ring out, and headed back to ask for help. When she got close, he was resting with the ax stuck into the stump of one of the trees he’d just cut down. His warm breath formed a white cloud around him, dissipating quickly into the cold air.

  “Hey,” he said. “I think I’ve cut enough for you.”

  “Good.” She smiled at him. “Because I’ve got another job for you.” She batted her eyelashes at him for effect.

  “Oh man. It must be something fun if you’re pulling out your feminine wiles.”

  “Come on. I’ll show you.” Then Ava did something she’d never done before. She held out her hand to him. He glanced down at it, and his eyes gleamed as he took it.

  “Lead the way.”

  Together they tromped through the underbrush back to where Ava found the mistletoe. Luckily, she was able to follow the path she’d made when she’d walked through the snow.

  Hunter looked at her pile of evergreen branches, then looked back at her, confused. “What?”

  Ava smiled, and without looking away, she smiled and pointed up.

  Hunter tipped his head back, “Again? How do you always manage to trap me with mistletoe?”

  “What? No…I wasn’t. I—” but her explanation was cut off as he kissed her.

  His lips were surprisingly warm against hers as they tugged and urged hers to join him in the kiss. She melted and allowed her lips to part. He angled his head, kissing her deeper. She reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer because he was so tall, and she wanted more of him. She wanted all of him. Every annoying, thrilling, masculine, generous part of him.

  As Ava melted in his arms, her head swimming with fierce current flowing through her, Hunter ran his hands down her side, over her hips, and then pulled her more tightly against him. He pulled back, saying, “It’s probably a good thing you’re always so bundled up when I kiss you.”

  Ava laughed and kissed him again to keep him from talking. As their kiss grew hungrier, Hunter cupped his palms around her face and stepped back as if tearing himself away. He was breathing as heavily as she was, and their breath swirled together between them.

  “Ava, let’s talk about this.”

  Before he could say another word though, Hunter’s phone rang. He ignored it, so Ava said, “Actually, I was just hoping you could cut some of that down for me.”

  Hunter glanced up. “I’ll have to climb up, but I’ll try. But Ava, you can see how impossible it is for us to just be friends. I can barely keep from pulling you close every time I’m around you. Why shouldn’t we let things develop naturally and see where it takes us?”

  Ava bit her lip. “Because our lives are driven by more than just our feelings.”

  Hunter’s phone rang. He gave an exasperated sigh and pulled it out of his pocket. His expression sharpened. “I’m sorry. I need to talk to this guy. Give me a minute.”

  Hunter answered the phone and walked away a few yards, but the woods were so still and quiet, she could have heard every word even if he’d walked twenty yards away.

  “Yeah, sorry Dan. I’ve been busy.” There was a pause while Hunter listened before he said, “I can come out after New Year’s. Okay, yeah. I’ll be there. Thanks, man.”

  Hunter put his phone back in his pocket, then looked up at her as he walked back.

  “You’re leaving?”

  He nodded. “Just for a while.”

  “How long of a while.”

  “Not sure, actually. A friend of mine got contracted to build an airplane hangar in Florida and needs a welder. I agreed to do it months ago.”

  Ava’s heart tightened and her stomach clenched. She’d known goodbye was coming, but she’d let herself lose sight of it. How could she not with all the signals he’d been sending? All the kisses and smiles and holding hands. All the little touches and signs that his feelings were as real as hers. “I see. Well, I’ll miss you.”

  “I’ll be back, Ava.”

  She clenched her teeth. “I’m sure you will be.” And she was. But for how long until he left again? She strode over to the apple tree. “Maybe if you gave me a boost, I could climb up and cut it down myself.”

  She heard Hunter mutter behind her, and she was pretty sure he’d dropped a few curse words, but he strode past her. Grabbing hold of the lowest branch, he hauled himself up into the tree. He climbed, then worked his way out to the biggest branch. Stretching himself along it, he reached down his hand and she passed him the loppers she carried.

  In a few clips, he cut several pieces of mistletoe and they fell at her feet.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  The next thirty-six hours were a blur for Hunter as he tried to keep pace with Ava. It was like the woman had a bottomless well of energy. The whole time he trimmed branches, carried loads of greenery, drilled candle-sized holes in logs, and tested lights, he felt a growing sense of frustration. Ava was keeping him at arms-length.

  All of the walls he’d finally felt crumbling were back in place, stronger than ever. When she’d heard he was going out of town, her whole body had tensed and the light had gone out of her eyes. He wanted to explain that he wanted nothing more than to stay by her side as soon as he’d fulfilled his commitments, but right now, she was too anxious and too focused on getting her job done. The sooner they finished the sooner he could talk to her about it.

  “Are we ready for a final light check, Hunter?” she called up to him.

  He was back on the lift, fixing a string of lights that had winked out. “Turn them on,” he called back.

  Ava pulled the switch that dimmed the lights of the room then flipped the switch that turned on the twinkle lights they’d strung over the dance floor.

  “It’s perfect,” Olivia said. “It looks just like the night sky.”

  Hunter stared down through the lights to Ava’s upturned face. With her skin and the contours of her cheeks illuminated by the tiny distant lights, she looked like a fairy in the starlight. His heart clenched, and he realized in that moment that he didn’t just like her—he loved her.

  “All right, Hun
ter. Come on down. We need to get that lift off the floor and get out of here. The caterers will be arriving soon and we need to be out of the way.

  He gave her a thumb’s up and worked the controls to lower the lift. The warning signal sounded through the room. With all the mounds of greenery, white tablecloths, and trees standing in clusters around the room, the room no longer sounded hollow and empty. Soon it would be full of people in formal wear, drinking and dancing and making connections. Hunter was so glad he was getting away from it all.

  A firm, staccato tread caught Hunter’s attention, and he turned to see Sharon walking over to Ava. Already dressed in a dark blue sequin gown, Sharon walked around inspecting Ava’s design. The centerpieces on every table were short halves of branches with flameless tea lights flickering down the middle. Sprays of evergreens and pinecones surrounded them. The tables were scattered among the clusters of Christmas trees. The seeming randomness of the layout had cost Ava a lot of time, but Hunter was amazed at how natural it looked.

  The Christmas trees were left bare, with only a few natural embellishments hung from them and drifts of snow piled beneath them and dusted over their branches.

  Hunter walked back through the ballroom on his way back from storing the lift and heard Sharon say, “You and your staff are more than welcome to come to the dinner. You deserve it with all the trouble you’ve been through to get it looking like this.”

  “Oh, thanks, but I know I won’t feel like dancing after the last couple of days. I might go to sleep and not wake up till Christmas Eve.”

  Sharon chuckled. “I wish I could, but I have to see this thing through till the bitter end. So, if you won’t come to the ball, what can I do to thank you for your extraordinary job?”

  “Well, Hunter and Olivia have been working as hard as I have, so do something nice for them. I’m sure they’d appreciate it. As for me, did you ask your husband if he knows of any openings in the IT department for his company?”

  “I sure did. I gave him all the info you shared with me, and he already called Hunter’s brother to come in for an interview.”

  “Thanks! That’s the nicest thing you could have done for me.”

  Hunter stopped in mid-stride when he heard Ava give up her chance for a bonus or other personal reward just so his brother could get an interview.

  Someone new walked in the door, and seeing them, Ava stepped away. As Hunter walked over to stand by Ava, he saw that she was looking around, taking in her finished product. Olivia walked over to join them.

  “You did good, boss,” Olivia said. “It’s rustic and fresh, but at the same time elegant and enchanting.”

  Ava smiled. “I keep looking around to see if there’s anything left to tweak, but I don’t think so.”

  “Nope. It’s perfect,” Olivia told her. “I’ve got to get going now. I already loaded everything in your van. I’ll talk to you later.”

  Ava nodded and Hunter stepped closer to her. “I heard what you did for my brother. Thanks.”

  “I told you I would.” Her eyes shifted to the floor. “I hope it works out for him. I was also hoping you might wait until tomorrow to pick up Molly’s dollhouse. I know it’s almost Christmas Eve, but I have some finishing touches I’d like to add to it.”

  “Of course.” He took her hand. “But why does this feel like goodbye?”

  Ava looked directly at him then, her eyes accusing. “Because you’re leaving.”

  His growing frustration notched even higher. “Just for a few weeks. It’s not like I’m walking out of your life for good.”

  “I’m not going to put myself through what my mom went through loving a man who couldn’t be depended on to be there.”

  “Depended on? Ava, I’m only going because I made a commitment. If I make a promise, I keep it.”

  “Don’t get mad at me,” Ava said. “You said yourself that we shouldn’t let our feelings get involved because you were only here temporarily.”

  “I know that’s what I said. But that was before.”

  “Before what?”

  “Before you made me feel things I can’t shake—before I figured out what I wanted. I thought you were willing to figure out what you wanted too, but I guess I was wrong.”

  Hunter started to walk away, but her voice called him back. “I knew exactly what I wanted before you got here and distracted me. I wanted my own business and now I have it.”

  “Yes, and I’m sure you’ll be very successful. But what else, Ava? I know a relationship with me would be a risk—a great big, scary risk. I guess I’m just not worth it to you.”

  Anger and disappointment tightened his throat and choked him, so he clenched his teeth and turned to leave. This time she didn’t call him back.

  Hunter strode out to his truck, glowering as the engine rumbled to life. He rolled out onto Old Main and drove slowly through town, then made it to the highway and gunned it. He drove until the sky grew dark and the pull on his heart grew unbearable. However stubborn and difficult Ava was, he wanted her.

  Resentment still churned in his gut. How could she not trust him? Didn’t she know him well enough to know that she could depend on him? Sure, he’d lived a roaming life before. He’d never had a reason not to. But he’d give up anything, do anything to have Ava in his life.

  Would she do the same for him?

  He found a place to turn around and started the long drive back to his brother’s house. The dark road with nothing but passing headlights for company was well known to him, but there was an emptiness to it he’d never felt before. What would he do if she wouldn’t accept his love?

  Then, like a blinding light, he realized that she didn’t even know he was offering it. He hadn’t said he’d loved her. He’d hadn’t told her he wanted to stay in Willow Falls. He’d been too distracted by his hurt that she didn’t trust him. But had he given her a reason to?

  “Man, you’re an idiot.”

  One thing was certain. She would probably need more than words. More than promises. More than a few kisses under the mistletoe. She needed a reason to believe.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Christmas Eve morning dawned bright and cold with a touch of white still frosting the ground. Ava’s design theme had received rave reviews, and her future success seemed assured. But Ava was miserable.

  Which was probably why she was still in bed.

  But she had a dollhouse to decorate, so she forced herself to emerge from the warmth of her covers and head for the bathroom. But when she was trying to decide what to wear for Christmas Eve when she had no desire to see anyone, her doorbell rang.

  Her heart shot into her throat. What if it was Hunter? She ran around her room like a mad woman, pulling on jeans and a fluttery red blouse. She smoothed the tangles from her hair with a brush and yelped when the doorbell rang again. She smoothed on some lip gloss and ran for the door. Not that she wanted anything to do with a man who was just going to break her heart.

  But when she opened the door, she sighed when she saw Olivia. “Oh, it’s just you.”

  “Wow. Merry Christmas to you too,” Olivia said. “Sorry I wasn’t a sexy lumberjack for you.”

  “Ha ha. You’re so funny. Please, I don’t want to talk about Hunter.”

  “No? What’s going on with you two anyway? One minute you’re setting off smoke alarms and the next there’s a deep freeze setting in.”

  “He’s leaving for a job after Christmas. For an undetermined length of time. And if he lives anywhere, it’s Colorado. I can’t do it, Olivia. I just can’t.”

  Olivia stepped up and gave Ava a hug. “You know, you don’t have to make some big decision right now. Just let things play out. I have a feeling you care for him more than you’ll admit.”

  Ava’s chest clenched and tears gathered in her eyes. “I think I’m in love with the stupid man.”

  Olivia wiped away a tear that slipped down Ava’s cheek. “Oh, sweetie. Don’t cry. It’s okay. Loving someone isn’t the end of the world
.”

  “It is if you can’t be with them.”

  “Did he say he didn’t want to be with you?”

  “No.”

  “Did he say he wasn’t coming back?”

  “No. In fact, he said he would only be gone a few weeks. And that he wasn’t walking out of my life for good.”

  “Well, see? Why are you freaking out so much?”

  Ava took a deep breath and waved her hands in front of her face as she tried to calm down. “Because it’s just so unclear. You know me. I want plans and dates and definitives. This is all too fuzzy and uncertain.”

  “Yeah. I know it’s hard for you. But is he worth it?”

  “Huh?”

  “What if he is gone a lot? Would it be worth it for the time you’d have with him? You know, lots of couples have to put up with not being together if they’re in the military or they travel for work…oh lots of reasons. But they still do it.”

  “You’re making me feel like an idiot.”

  Olivia squeezed her arm then walked over and plopped on the couch. “That’s what friends are for! I’m going to leave those thoughts to simmer in your tormented brain for a while. I actually came over to talk about Marcia.”

  “Marcia? What about her?”

  Olivia pulled out her phone, moved her fingers over the screen, then held it out for Ava to look at.

  Ava stared down at the “review” Marcia had posted about the Candy Cane Ball decorations on the ball’s website. Apparently, Marcia thought her decorations “amateur and lacking in vision” as well as “missing the sparkle and glamour attendees enjoyed in years past”.

  “What a troll,” Ava shouted.

  “Yep. We need to do something about it. She’s trying to shut you down as her competition.

  Ava handed Olivia her phone and then sat down at the other end of the couch. “I don’t know. What can I do? If only there was evidence that she was behind the vandalism, but unfortunately, Sharon said the cameras only caught a single male figure in a ski mask. Nothing else she’s done is illegal.”