“But for the next two weeks, I have no kids to take care of,” Dahlia said with a lost look. “I could use another project.”
“And I have no wedding tasks to do,” Rose added, feeling so light her feet could’ve levitated off the floor. “We basically have at least fourteen hours a day for the next two weeks to pull this off.” Seeing the uncertainty on her sister’s face, she added, “It’ll be just like old times. Us hanging out in Betty, drinking hot chocolate and eating cookies, giggling and talking about boys. We’ll make it fun.”
For the first time since the renovation had come up, Mags smiled. “Well in that case, count me in.”
Before she could change her mind, Rose practically sprinted to the checkout counter.
“Wow.” Eloise’s eyes went wide at the sight of all the fabric. “You girls must have quite the project in mind.”
“We’re going to completely restore my aunt’s old Shasta camping trailer,” Rose told her, digging her wallet out of her purse.
Eloise paused from ringing her up. “Well, you must be Sassy’s nieces then. She mentioned you were coming for Christmas. She was absolutely delighted.”
“We’re delighted to be here.” Rose hadn’t been this excited about Christmas since she was probably ten years old. Not even hearing the total, she handed the woman her credit card.
“Well, I’m sure you’ll need more supplies for that sad old trailer.” Eloise ran the card and handed her the receipt. “On the bottom there’s a coupon for the hardware store. We like to refer customers to other local stores around here. It helps us all out.”
“That’s nice.” Rose shoved the receipt deep into her purse and handed a few bolts of fabric to Mags and Dahlia.
“We have to head over to the hardware store anyway,” Dahlia said.
Rose clammed up. She had no intention of going to the hardware store. Not if Colt would be there.
“Wonderful.” Eloise walked around the counter and escorted them to the door. “We all certainly appreciate your business around here. I hope to see you again.”
“You will.” Rose had a feeling she would be making frequent trips to Sew It Seams, if only to be surrounded by all the colors and textures. “Thanks so much.” She bid Eloise farewell and stepped out into the cold.
Mags lingered inside the door, pulling on her gloves and hat again, zipping up her coat all the way to her nose, but she finally stepped outside, too. “Should we head to the hardware store?” The fabric from her bulky coat muffled her voice.
“No.” Rose headed in the opposite direction.
“Um…” Dahlia quickly caught up to her. “Then how do you suggest we’ll find the supplies we need to complete the renovation? Not to mention to decorate the inn for Christmas?”
“I’ll order things online.” Yes, that would work. She had connections with a variety of different online retailers—
“We need supplies ASAP,” Dally reminded her. “We don’t have time to order them online.”
Rose kept walking, the hardware store getting farther and farther behind her. “Then I’ll drive down to Denver.”
Mags laughed. “You’re going to make a three-hour drive one way—across the snowy, icy mountains—simply to avoid a man you’re going to have to spend time with while we fix up the inn anyway?”
Rose finally stopped and turned to face her sisters. “There’s something I don’t like about him.” Mainly the fact that he didn’t seem to like her. She wasn’t used to people not liking her. She was pretty laid-back, easy to get along with, but Colt looked at her like she was an insect he might want to squash under his shoe.
“You two just got off on the wrong foot,” Dahlia said. Spoken like a true mother. “I’m sure once you get to know him things will be different.”
“He can’t be all bad,” Mags added. “He did offer to help with the work at the inn, after all.”
“Or maybe Sassy offered to pay him. Did you ever think of that?” Maybe their aunt knew the three of them couldn’t handle all the work, so she’d gone out and found the only two able-bodied men in town.
Mags and Dally shared a look and then crowded either side of her, turning her around and nudging her along to the hardware store. “Showing up at his store will be a nice gesture,” Dally insisted. “You can start building the bridge. You heard Eloise. They all appreciate it when people shop local. That probably includes Colt.”
“Fine.” She drew out the word in a long, disgruntled sigh, but it was fine. She could be the bigger person here. “He probably won’t even be there.” He owned the place. He’d never said he worked there or anything.
But when they strolled through the door five minutes later, Colt was the only one behind the checkout counter. He didn’t offer them the same greeting Eloise had, more of a grunt and a head nod instead.
“Hi Colt,” Mags called, waving to him. “We need some supplies for our big projects.”
“Sure,” he mumbled. “Lemme know if you need help. Sassy always gets a fifty percent discount around here.”
Dahlia looked at Rose and raised her eyebrows as if to say, See? He’s not all bad.
She’d never said he was all bad. Her sister was right, though she wasn’t about to say that out loud. She and Colt had gotten off on the wrong foot, but in time he would come to see how likable she was. In fact, she’d start showing him right now. “Thank you.” She waved too, but Colt had already turned around. If he heard her, he didn’t let on. She spun to look at her sisters. See? The man obviously didn’t want to give her the time of day.
Dahlia shrugged as though his lack of acknowledgment had been no big deal. “Since I’m in charge of cleaning and organizing, I’m going to check out the cleaning supplies. We can meet up in a few.” She veered down an aisle and disappeared.
Well, at least she had Mags to help her sort through the huge display of Christmas lights and lawn ornaments up ahead.
“I need to use the restroom.” Mags’s face had suddenly gone white.
“Are you okay?” Rose pulled a water bottle out of her purse and handed it to her sister. “Here, have some water.”
“I don’t know.” Mags pulled off the cap and took a sip. “Maybe too many cookies or something. I’ll be back in a few minutes.” She quickly hurried toward the restroom sign at the back of the store before Rose could ask if she wanted her to come. Knowing Mags, she wouldn’t want to be crowded or fussed over when she wasn’t feeling well, so instead of following her sister, Rose moved on to the Christmas display set up in the center of the store. Whew. She eyed the variety of light boxes that had been stacked in a pyramid. When had Christmas decorating gotten so overwhelming? Living in a high-rise condo meant she and Gregory didn’t put up outdoor lights. Who knew they had so many varieties? There were colorful lights, LED lights, white lights, big retro bulbs, snowflakes, icicles—
“Need help?”
Rose whirled and lost her balance, stumbling sideways into the pyramid of cardboard boxes. No, no, no! She tried to catch herself, but there was nothing to hold on to. Her flailing arm hit the pyramid, sending the boxes crashing over. Down she went right on her butt, squashing one of the boxes and probably all of the lights inside.
Colt stood a few feet away looking as unimpressed with her as he had when he’d caught her rearranging his tree. “You okay?” he asked calmly.
Did it look like she was okay? Her tailbone wasn’t the only thing that was bruised. Rose scrambled to her knees, crunching at least three more boxes of lights in the process. “Oh God, oh no.” She wobbled to her feet but couldn’t avoid stepping on one more box. It stuck to her boot and sent her stumbling again.
“Easy.” Colt caught her shoulders and stood her back up straight.
“I’m sorry.” Waves of heat rolled over her cheeks. She backed away, trying to kick the smashed cardboard box from her boot. Once she’d freed her foot, she picked up a box. “I can clean it up—”
“Not necessary.” He stepped in to block her from touching any o
f the other boxes like he was afraid she would do more damage. “I’ll take care of it. Really. Please.”
“Whoa.” Mags came rushing over to the display. “I thought I heard a disaster in progress. I just didn’t realize you were involved.”
“I lost my balance.” Tears stung Rose’s eyes. Because for some reason she had to make a fool out of herself every time he was around.
Colt said nothing. He simply knelt and started to restack the boxes.
Mags wrapped an arm around her stomach. “I think I need to get out of here. Get some fresh air.”
Wow, Mags must really not be feeling well if she wanted to voluntarily step out into the subzero temperatures. Rose tried not to look too grateful as she rushed to her sister’s side. “I’ll take you. We can wait for Dahlia out there.” She almost made it out the door when Colt’s voice stopped her. “Did you want to buy those lights now or pay for them later?”
Ugh. She’d been so humiliated she’d forgotten she was holding a box of lights. The icicle lights, which would never work for her vision of what she wanted to do with the inn’s Christmas decorations. “I wasn’t going to steal them,” she announced, marching back to Colt. “I forgot I was holding them.” She added them to the top of the pyramid he was building.
“Okay.” The disinterest in his eyes made her feel like she was two inches tall. “By the way, I wanted to talk to you about the tree in the park.”
Not this again. She almost groaned. “Can we forget the tree? Please? I didn’t mean to—”
“We had some wind last night,” the man interrupted. “It needs to be fixed. And since you seem to have ideas, I thought maybe you would want to fix it up.”
“Uh…” She blinked at least three times, trying to make sure she hadn’t imagined the words that had come out of his mouth. “You want me to fix the tree? In the park? The same tree you didn’t want me to touch?”
“If you don’t want to—”
“Oh, I want to.” She just couldn’t believe he wanted her to. “Yes, I’ll do it,” she added before he could change his mind. “I can work on it right now if you want.”
“Fine by me.” Colt gestured to a stack of boxes by the door where Mags was waiting for her. “I’ve got some ornaments packed up over there if you want to take a look. I can haul them to the park for you.”
More blinking. Was this really happening? Was Colt asking for her help with something? “Great.” Judging from his typical frown, he wasn’t trying to pull one over on her. “I’ll go take a look then.” She walked to the stack of boxes and peered inside. They were the same style as the ornaments that had been on the tree before, except now there were more colors—silver and turquoise and magenta. If she hadn’t been trying to play it cool she would’ve squealed. This was going to be so fun!
“Wow.” Mags peered into one of the boxes. “Sure seems like you’re winning over Colt.”
“I don’t know about that.” He still hadn’t dropped the scowl that seemed to be a permanent fixture on his face when she was around. “Feeling better?” Rose asked, refocusing on her sister.
“Not really. I really gotta lay off the sugar.” She peered over Rose’s shoulder. “I’d love to stay and watch you work a miracle with the tree, but I think I’ll go find Dally so she can take me home.” Her sister’s cheeks had started to pale. “I think I need a nap. This mountain air must be getting to me.”
“Sure. I’ll see if Colt would mind dropping me off after I’m done with the tree.” It would give them a chance to talk about the inn’s Christmas decorations anyway.
Mags hurried off, and Colt sauntered over with a ladder. “About ready?
“Sure am!” Whoa. That sounded a little overeager. “I mean, I’m ready if you are.” She tried to calibrate her smile somewhere between polite and marginally enthusiastic. According to her sisters, she sometimes got carried away and she didn’t want to overwhelm the poor man.
Colt nodded in response and led the way out the door. While he loaded boxes in the truck, Rose climbed into the passenger’s seat, taking a look around as she buckled her seatbelt. The cab was pretty clean with only a stainless-steel coffee cup in one of the cupholders and a bulky flannel draped over the seat, and it smelled a lot like the pine forest outside of town.
Colt climbed in right as her sisters came out of the hardware store. They waved and made faces, which Rose pretended to ignore. “Don’t you need to lock up?” she asked as he put the truck in reverse.
“Nah. Brett is in the back room watching television. He’ll hear if anyone comes in.”
Ah, so he had an employee. “How long has Brett been working for you?”
“A few years.” Colt pulled the truck into a spot in front of the park. “He’s a retiree. Works a few hours a day.”
“That’s ni—”
The man hopped out of the truck before she had a chance to finish. Okay, so he wasn’t big on conversation. Duly noted.
Rose zipped her coat up to her chin and climbed out of the truck. He’d already hauled off the boxes, so she followed him down the sidewalk to the tree. Colt hadn’t been joking. The Christmas tree was a mess. Most of the ornaments that had hung on the branches had been scattered in the snow. Now the tree was a blank slate.
“You’re smiling.” He set the boxes next to the tree and walked over to her.
She quickly evened out her expression. “Was I? Huh.” She couldn’t help but smile. She had the chance to decorate the most beautiful Christmas tree she’d ever seen in the most beautiful mountain town she’d ever been in. Standing out here in the park made her feel like she was worlds away from Savannah. This tree would be nothing like the extravagant display with the golden bows and glass ornaments in the Cunninghams’ home. It would be homey and simple. Still elegant, but also unpretentious. She couldn’t wait to get started. “I’m really glad you asked me to do this. It’ll be—”
The sound of Colt’s footsteps crunching away in the snow stopped her. Right. He didn’t like to chat. Well, then. They’d simply have to get to work.
It took a good hour and a half of Colt holding the ladder and handing her ornaments, and her placing and assessing and standing back to admire the branches, but finally, she hung the last silver ball.
“Great job with the tree. It looks amazing,” a woman’s voice called from behind her. Holding on to the ladder carefully, Rose peered over her shoulder. A small crowd had gathered on the sidewalk. She climbed down.
“It’s so pretty!” a little girl squealed. “I love the pink ornaments! They’re sparkly!”
Awwww. Rose walked over to meet the tree’s admirers. “I love the pink ones too,” she said, gazing at the tree. It really had come to life.
“I think it’s the most beautiful tree we’ve ever had in this town.” An older woman who had been walking by stopped. “The colors are brilliant. Very eye-catching.”
Rose nearly cried. Since the engagement had taken over her life, she hadn’t had the chance to design anything. It had been a while since someone had appreciated anything she’d done. And complete strangers, no less. They’d actually stopped to thank her. That would never happen back in Savannah. “Thank you.” Rose peeked over to see if Colt was listening, but he was busy folding up the ladder. “I was happy to help out.” More than happy. She loved it here. Loved the mountains hemming in the town. Loved this park and how it seemed to be a gathering place. She loved the smiling faces and the chitchat on the street corners. And she especially loved how she felt like she was part of it all.
“I wish you could come decorate my tree,” the little girl said shyly. Her mother laughed. “I’m afraid we don’t have any pink ornaments at home.”
“Well, here.” Rose walked to the tree and pulled one off, but then paused when she noticed Colt watching. She wouldn’t want to steal anything from the man.
Wait…
Was that a hint of a smile on his lips? She swore it was…
He nodded as though telling Rose to give the girl the ornam
ent.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” The little girl’s eyes got almost as round as the pink shiny ball when Rose handed it to her.
“Merry Christmas,” the girl’s mom said warmly.
“Merry Christmas.” Something told her this would be the merriest Christmas she’d had in years.
Chapter Thirteen
Dahlia
Some people exercised to ease their nerves. Some people meditated. But when Dahlia started to fret, she always made spreadsheets.
There was something calming about those rows and columns all lined up and perfectly symmetrical. The order, the complete visual organization always put her at ease. It had taken her a good hour to revive Sassy’s ancient printer, but finally—finally—she’d been able to print off her Christmas extravaganza project and supplies list. And actually, tinkering with the printer had distracted her from Ike’s impending arrival.
“Ah-ha. I’ve found you.” Sassy scooted into the office from the living room. “Glory be. What in the world happened in here?” She looked around at the decluttered desk and shelves, which had all been shined up with a healthy dose of wood polish. Spreadsheets and cleaning—that was how Dahlia de-stressed.
“I cleaned up a little.” Dahlia folded up the printed spreadsheets and tucked them into her pocket before her aunt got the idea that she might be neurotic. “I figured I would get as much done on the inside of the house as I could before we head outside.” If it was up to her, she would handle the cleanup detail herself, but Ike was due to arrive at the house in just a few minutes to help her.
“You cleaned a little?” Her aunt opened and closed the desk drawers. “Honey, you completely overhauled the office. I don’t think it’s ever been this organized.”
“Well, it’s what I do.” She’d woken up at six o’clock that morning feeling utterly useless, so she’d decided to make herself useful. “I thought Ike and I would start out in the old barn when he gets here. I’m assuming we’ll be using that as the hub for the sleigh rides again?”
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