by Beth Alvarez
Especially when it was meant for someone else.
Puffing a sigh, she made herself hurry downstairs, retrieving her shoes and coat from her room.
The last time she’d gone shopping for a Christmas tree, she’d been in her late teens. After she was an adult, it had seemed less important, her own life—and the future she thought she’d have with Michael—taking precedence. She regretted that now.
Even if she didn’t agree with the financial decision to get a tree, she understood why her father thought it important they have one. It was a memory they could forge together.
She left a note on the door asking Kade to lock up when he left, then met Emmett at the car.
They didn’t speak on the way to the ranch, though there was a kind of bonding that came in the silence. They were together; still a family, splintered by trials, but still together. The two of them found strength in each other, even without voicing their troubles.
Christmas music warmed the mood in the car, the heater lagging behind. It would be a bitterly cold winter. The clouds overhead made her think of snow, though she suspected the temperature wasn’t low enough yet. Rain in that cold would be miserable though, and again her thoughts turned to Kade.
The man wouldn’t get out of her head. Fire lit her cheeks and she turned toward the window before her father could see.
Felicity had never been the sort to throw herself at a man, but with Kade, she felt dangerously close to falling. It was ridiculous, of course—she’d barely spoken to him, knew nothing about him. But he had an odd presence, like his very existence was something sensual waiting to happen. The spark of mystery in his hazel eyes made her stomach turn somersaults, and his crooked grin made her wonder what those lips might feel like. She didn’t even want to think about the ideas his sculpted chest gave her, the image of his unbuttoned shirt emblazoned on her memory.
“See something you like already?” her father teased.
Startled, Felicity blinked, the world outside her window coming back into focus.
They were parked at the ranch, the field of pine trees spread out beside them.
Flashing him a nervous smile, she unbuckled her seat belt and pulled on a stocking cap she found in the floorboard. “Just picturing how nice it’ll look. No matter how big it is, the foyer might be a nice place for it.”
Emmett nodded, climbing out of the car. She followed.
Marshall McCullough was already on his way across the drive to join them, one of his border collies walking right beside his legs. He almost tripped over the dog more than once, growling words that were half frustration and half play, making the dog’s ears perk and its tongue loll.
“Evening, Marshall,” Emmett called.
“Evening!” The rancher greeted him with a broad smile and a strong handshake. “What brings you out here? Haven’t seen you eyeing my tree patch in years.”
Emmett chuckled. “Haven’t had much time to think about a tree in years. Not too early, is it?”
“Naw. Already more than a dozen stumps out there I haven’t pulled out yet.” Marshall gave Felicity a sidewise glance. He was always friendly, but this time there was a shadow of concern in his expression.
Felicity ducked her head. “Mind if we take a little stroll?”
“Go right ahead. And take your time. Just holler if you need something. I’ve got chainsaws if your old man don’t feel up to swinging an axe this year.” The rancher flashed Emmett a grin and they both laughed.
“Thank you, Marshall. Don’t let us distract you.” Emmett offered Felicity his arm and she took it with a smile.
“So what do you think, Daddy? A star on top this year, or an angel?”
“Oh, no!” Her father wiped his face with one hand, covering his mouth to stifle a chortle. “I thought you were old enough to let go of that old argument.”
“Well, someone’s gotta champion the fight for Mama.” She smirked, holding her skirts above the clinging grasses with one hand. It was an old rivalry, started long before her birth, but watching the good-natured argument between her parents over which topper would crown the tree each year was a fond memory from her youth. On one occasion, it had even turned into a fight using icing meant for gingerbread men. She didn’t expect her father would defend his choice of the more formal Christmas angel to that extent this year, but if it came to it, she was ready.
The tingling scent of pine rose to meet them as they tramped through the weeds, old needles crunching underfoot. The first week of December, Marshall’s wife Alberta would break out mugs of her famous cider and serve it to the people who came for trees. Most of the trees found homes in Holly Hill, but some buyers came from miles around, seeking the experience that came from cutting your own tree instead of selecting one on a grocery store parking lot.
Aside from the rural charm, the old-fashioned diner and shops boasting antiques on the historical square, there were few other reasons to visit the small town in the winter. It was a good place to raise kids and a good place to retire, but once the children graduated high school, no one ever stayed.
Felicity was one of few, and some occasions she felt it more profoundly than others. The only other people her age in Holly Hill were the young married couples with children and good jobs, trading ease of commute for the peace of a rural life, and occasionally, Marshall McCullough’s farmhands.
More than one of the young cowboys liked her. They didn’t do a good job masking their interest, if they even tried, but she’d grown up with most of them. They’d been playmates, tumbling in the dirt together, shooting cans with pellet guns, learning to ride horses when Marshall could spare them, catching fireflies in the summer. It made it hard to think of them as anything other than friends. Maybe that was why an outsider seemed so appealing.
Sighing in frustration, Felicity shooed that thought out of her head. She’d devoted enough thought to that man for one day. The last thing she needed was thoughts of him chasing away the enjoyment of a special outing, replacing it with distraction.
“What do you think of this one?” Emmett ran a hand over the tips of a tree two feet taller than he was.
“It’s a little big, don’t you think?” She circled it, examining the branches. “Besides, it’s got a big empty spot over here.”
“You want one a little smaller, then?”
“Maybe about a foot shorter. I think I want to put it in the living room after all. It’d look nice to have a tree in there with all the formal sitting furniture. And nice for guests to sit and look at, besides.” She jerked her head to the left. “What about that one over there?”
Her father turned to look. “Which?”
“This one.” Pacing toward it, Felicity reached out to touch the deep green needles. It was wider than the last tree, even though it was shorter. Most of the trees on the ranch were trimmed to encourage growth in a nice shape, but the one in front of her was a particularly fat triangle with full branches.
“Oh, that is a nice one.” Emmett reached for the top, moving branches to inspect the tip.
Felicity grinned. She knew what he was doing; the years they’d brought home a tree that had a crooked top or a fork instead of a clear leading branch, he’d always won the angel versus star debate. The top of this tree was perfectly straight. “Let me guess, you want to look at another one?”
Shrugging, he continued down the row. “Well, one more. You shouldn’t settle for the first perfect tree. There might be a more perfect one.”
“With a forked top, you mean!”
He laughed.
Rolling her eyes, Felicity stayed by her tree. She’d let him look at one or two more, then they’d flag down Marshall or one of his workers and get it cut down. She glanced over her shoulder, looking for the rancher.
He stood beside the barn. Kade was with him, his black cowboy hat pulled low. He gestured toward the two of them in the field as he spoke, the men too far away to catch even a hint of conversation.
Felicity’s eyes narrowed.
“All right, we can get the one you liked. I think it’s the best, anyway.” Emmett returned to examine the tree one more time before nodding.
Making herself smile, she tucked her hands into her pockets and followed as he started back toward the barn. “I knew you’d come around.”
“Well, you always did have a good eye. Marshall!” He waved one arm overhead.
The rancher waved back, joining them at the edge of the field. “Done already?”
“Never takes long with Felicity helping.” Emmett chuckled. “Think we’ll take one of those chainsaws this year, though. My back isn’t what it was.”
Marshall nodded, his amusement tempered with grave agreement. “I hear you. Hey, Rico! Bring a saw and one of them 4-wheelers over to get a tree!”
The ranch hand gave a thumbs-up in response.
“Need us to walk you out to the one?” Emmett asked.
Marshall waved a hand. “Naw. Felicity can ride out with Rico and they’ll take care of it. Don’t think us bigger gents will fit on that 4-wheeler with Rico and a tree.”
Rico pulled the ATV up beside them, shifting forward to make room for Felicity. She climbed on, sitting sideways, holding her skirts close around her knees.
“Hold on tight, ma’am,” Rico said, smiling. He’d worked the farm the longest of all Marshall’s cowboys, but he’d referred to her as “ma’am” since she’d been a little girl. Though he had gray wings in his dark hair, he didn’t look old. More than once, he’d told her that time in the saddle kept a man young, so long as his hat was big enough to block out the sun.
Felicity hooked an arm around Rico’s middle, grinning and waving before clapping her free hand back down to hold her skirts as the ATV started to move.
Emmett smiled and nodded, then turned as Marshall said something that was drowned out by the growling motor and the growing distance between them.
“Which one, ma’am?” Rico asked, half yelling to make himself heard.
She pointed without speaking, knowing her small voice would be lost in the noise.
They rolled up to the tree and Rico unhooked the bungee cords anchoring the chainsaw to the back of the ATV. Felicity stepped back, giving him room to start the saw, then covered her ears when it roared to life. He cut a notch in one side of the trunk, close to the ground. Then he cut through.
“Timber,” he joked as the tree toppled and he killed the saw, putting it back on the ATV’s rack and strapping it in place.
“You sure have that down.” She reached for the tree, but he waved her away.
“I got it, ma’am. No sense getting your hands dirty.” He pulled on a pair of leather gloves from his back pocket, hefting the tree onto the 4-wheeler and tying it down. Then he pulled off a glove and offered his hand, helping her back up onto the seat. “Ready?”
Felicity nodded, looping one arm around him again as he settled.
The trip back to the car was slower, Rico careful to choose a path that wouldn’t jostle the tree. Emmett pulled a rope out of the trunk, unwinding it to tie the tree onto the roof.
Marshall helped Rico lift the tree off the ATV and move it onto the car, the two of them tying it down while Emmett and Felicity watched.
“Got a nice one this year,” Marshall remarked, double-checking the knots.
“Felicity always picks a nice one. She’s got her mama’s gift for that.” Emmett reached for his wallet in his back pocket. “How much we owe you?”
The rancher dismissed the question with a flick of his fingers. “Already paid for. Don’t need a thing.”
Felicity’s mouth fell open. “Really?”
“Mm-hmm. Seems you got a house guest who wants the place all decorated. Don’t you worry, just head on home.”
Emmett and Felicity exchanged surprised looks. Then she spun on her heel, staring out into the pasture, watching the cowboy in the black hat mount up.
He pulled his tall bay away from the fencing, his head turning her way. She couldn’t see if he was smirking, though she could picture that dimple in his cheek.
Kade tipped his hat, then headed off to join the herd.
FIVE
* * *
FELICITY LOOKED AT the tree for the twentieth time, smiling before turning her attention back to the string lights in her hands.
She’d been up a good portion of the night putting lights on the tree, but she had to untangle them before she could use them. Most of the lights had been thrown into a box without much regard, but the tangled heap on the floor was shrinking steadily.
Her fingers coaxed knots out of the cord, though she paused now and then to replace a burned-out or damaged light. Untangling and fixing lights wasn’t something most people enjoyed, but it was a job she’d shared with her mother, which made it precious to her. Some of the bulbs were so faded she couldn’t tell what color they’d been, but new lights were far from being a priority. She was blessed enough to have a tree at all.
The lit string in her hands came free of the tangles and she let the rest of the mess slide to the floor, stifling a yawn as she unplugged the strand and put it aside. They’d already eaten breakfast, but she had an order to fill before lunch.
Meandering into the kitchen, she rubbed her sap-sticky fingers together before dousing them with dish soap and scrubbing herself clean. The smell of pine was strong and soothing in the air and it would only grow stronger as the tree dried.
She heard the closing of a car door outside and turned her head, listening for the bell at the front desk. Instead the kitchen door opened, and the gust of chilly air made her shiver.
Her discomfort was mirrored in the sound of displeasure Kade made as he shut the door and checked his boots for mud.
“Morning, Kade.” Snatching a towel from the counter to dry her hands, Felicity turned to give him a smile.
“Mornin’, Filly.” He peeled off his gloves and stuffed them into his pockets, unwinding his scarf to reveal his face. He looked tired but cheerful, his smile warming when he met her eyes.
She couldn’t hold his gaze too long without growing self-conscious. Instead she focused on drying between her fingers, making herself think about the dough she’d be kneading. “Have another eventful night at work?”
His smile faded, replaced by suspicion. “Why?”
“Because you look tired. Or did you fall asleep in the saddle and you’re just now waking up?” She cast a playful glance over her shoulder as she made her way to the pantry. She took bottles and boxes of ingredients from the shelf, moving them to the empty countertop.
Kade snorted, his cheer returning. “Now, if I could sleep and watch cattle at the same time, I’d be a wealthy man.” He shrugged out of his coat, hanging it on the doorknob. “Smells good in here. You start decoratin’ already?”
“A bit.” Pulling a glass bowl from the cabinet overhead, she gave him a more timid smile. “Thank you, by the way.”
He shrugged, getting himself a glass of water and lingering by the sink. “Ain’t no thing.”
“Well, I hope it wasn’t expensive.” She’d considered that more than once since they’d left the ranch. She didn’t know what he was being paid, but knowing he’d just started work and considering what he was spending to stay at the bed and breakfast, she figured he might have been strapped for cash.
“There are always ways to repay a favor, if you’re that worried about it.”
The topic of taking the cost of the tree out of his board had already come up between her and her father, and it made her feel a little better. “We’re already planning on giving you a discount.”
“I ain’t talkin’ about the room fee,” he murmured.
She paused, eyeing him. “You have something else in mind?”
“A little bit.” He smirked, putting his glass aside and leaning back against the edge of the sink.
Letting go of the bowl, she planted her hands against her hips.
“Like what?”
“Could always try a kiss,” Kade suggested.
Her heart beat faster. Was he serious?
Chuckling, he shifted. “That too much to ask?”
He was serious. Felicity felt herself blush. Swallowing thickly, she crept closer.
The dimple in his cheek grew a little deeper as she moved and he straightened, looking at her expectantly.
Rising on tip-toe, she gave him a peck on the corner of his mouth, then turned away.
“Now hang on a minute.” He caught her arm, pulling her back and spinning her to face him. He brushed her hair back from her face, his fingertips cold from hours outdoors. “I think you can do better than that.”
Now her heart thundered in her ears, her cheeks on fire. This time, he bent down to meet her, his lips just brushing hers.
She tilted her face up, leaning into him without thought. His hazel eyes sparked and he kissed her again, less tentative, his hands settling on her hips.
Excitement zinged through her as he drew her snug against him, his soft lips snaring hers and coaxing them apart. Heat pooled in her middle, every inch of her tingling as his tongue slid against hers, teasing at first, then more aggressive. Felicity whimpered softly, wanting more, begging it of him.
His hands slid beneath the bulk of her sweater, just brushing her sides, making her shiver and kiss him back even harder.
“Hey, buttercup, did you find-” Emmett stopped dead in the doorway.
Gasping, Felicity broke away. Kade recoiled as if he’d been burned.
Her whole face crimson, she smoothed her sweater and turned to face her father. “Find what, Daddy?”
Kade bit his lower lip and stared at the floor.
“The rest of the glass ornaments,” Emmett finished. His tone was calm, but his face was stone cold and serious, a sharp look in his eyes.
“Yes. I did. They’re in the box beside my door.” She forced a smile. Whatever heat she’d felt had drained, leaving her feeling chilly instead.
