“You’re beautiful.”
Her mouthed twitched in the corner. “Oh.”
“I’m sorry.” Deacon shook his head, his brow buckling as he internally scolded himself for making things awkward. “That was really forward of me.”
“No,” Kate blurted. “Not at all. I’m just…” She blew out of a breath of mountain air that suspended in front of her lips. “I’m just not used to hearing that.”
“That you’re beautiful? Really? I find that a little hard to believe.”
“No, not that. I’ve heard it before, sure. But it’s usually from creepy old men or guys who just want to get on camera and think they can flirt their way in front of the lens.” She shook her head, a momentary flash of disgust crossing over her face. “But I can’t remember the last time I’ve heard it from someone like you. Someone I’ve actually wanted to hear it from. Someone who meant it as a real compliment.”
“I’m sorry guys can be jerks.” Deacon shoved his hands into his pockets as the two continued walking down the hill toward the barn. Fresh snow crunched under his boots, the only notable sound apart from their voices in the quiet of the December night.
“Women can be just as awful.” Kate kept the pace at his side. “I’m sure you’ve had your share of crazies, looking like that and all.”
Deacon pulled a face. “Looking like what?”
“You know, looking like you could be Mr. July in a cowboy calendar.”
The stillness around them only magnified the rumble of laughter that shot from Deacon’s mouth. If there had been any woodland critters nearby, he’d surely startled them all out of hibernation with that uproarious burst. “Okay. Gotta admit, I did not expect that.”
“It’s true, Deacon. You’re quite a looker.”
“Thank you?” he said, more as a question than an answer.
“You are most certainly welcome.”
They continued toward the barn in relative silence, other than Deacon’s low snickering that came and went each time he thought back on Kate’s comment. He loved her no-nonsense ways. Her confidence. She didn’t hold back both in her words or her emotions and he felt like maybe it was time to take a page from her playbook.
He slipped his hand from his jacket pocket and reached between them. When his fingers lightly grazed against her skin, Kate’s hand stiffened initially, and Deacon’s heart sped into a quicker beat as a shiver shot up his spine. Without giving it another thought, he wrapped his hand fully around hers and the light squeeze of her fingers against his assured Deacon that he’d read the moment correctly.
He’d made the monotonous walk from his cottage on the hill to the blue barn below countless times before. But during those treks he’d always wished for a shorter route. Tonight, he would’ve willed it to be a hundred miles long if he could. Holding Kate’s hand while walking side by side in the freshly fallen snow was the perfect bow wrapping up their perfect evening. Even Rascal’s little attempt at turning things on its head didn’t take away from that. Nothing could ruin this, not even when Kate nearly lost her footing on a slick patch of ice and Deacon yanked her closer to keep her from slipping fully to the ground. Even that just resulted in them moving cautiously slower, taking their careful time and drawing out the walk even more. Kate pressed firmly against his side and slipped her arm through the crook of his elbow and suddenly everything felt completely right in Deacon’s world.
Sarge and Bella greeted them first, little nickers of welcome calling out from their cozy horse stalls. As the couple made their way through the barn aisle toward the loft stairs, Milo, Deacon’s calico barn cat, uncurled from a bale of straw and moseyed over, tail high in the air as he stretched his long body closer. As soon as he reached them, he began to loop between Kate’s legs, brushing his furry cheek against her pants like he was marking his territory.
“Sorry.” Deacon nudged the cat with the toe of his boot. “Milo’s overly friendly. You can push him out of the way if he’s bothering you. He doesn’t really have any boundaries or know the meaning of personal space.”
“Aww,” Kate cooed. “Look at this cute little guy. He’s not bothering me one bit.” She released Deacon’s hand and crouched down to pet the insistent feline. Deacon almost had to laugh at the silly envy that surged through his chest when he watched Kate fawn over the animal. What was happening to him that he would suddenly crave such attention from this woman? He hadn’t felt this way since Jenny. That thought made him cringe, but it also filled him with strange hope. Hope that he really could find love again. Hope that heartache and heartbreak wouldn’t always have a permanent residence within him.
Kate was here to provide Yuletide Tree Farm with a little holiday help, but Deacon sensed her helping him with things that had nothing to do with tree sales at all.
She was helping him learn to love again.
The second Kate’s hand left Milo’s fuzzy forehead, the cat’s purring motor shut off. “Thank you for tonight, Deacon.” She braced off her knees to stand back up and face him. “I had a really wonderful time with you.”
“I did, too.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I mean, I had a good time with you, too. Not that I had a good time with me. That doesn’t make any sense.”
“I knew what you meant.” She made a noise somewhere between a laugh and a sigh. “So, what’s on the agenda for tomorrow?”
“Tree hauling and lots of it.”
A glimmer of remembrance flickered through her eyes. “That’s right! How could I forget? Then I guess I should probably head to bed soon so I’m well-rested for that task. Sounds like a big one.”
“It is, but nothing you can’t handle. You’ll do great. And I’d offer to walk you up, but I’m honestly not sure those stairs can handle my weight,” Deacon confessed, casting a look beyond Kate’s shoulder toward the ailing loft stairs along the far wall. “I’ve made a note to take a look at them tomorrow. They seem to get creakier and creakier each day and I’m worried they’ll completely give out sooner than later. I’d rather that not be tonight.”
“I have noticed they’re a little rickety. Thank you for checking that out. I know you have a lot on your schedule,” Kate said, almost apologetically. “And you don’t have to walk me up. We can say our goodbyes here.” There was a palpable sense of expectation in Kate’s gaze as she let out a soft breath. “Goodnight, Deacon.”
“Night, Kate.”
“Night,” she repeated.
He felt the groove between his eyebrows form and prayed he didn’t look as unsure as he felt. He clenched his hands inside his pockets and in one swift move, bent forward to press a quick kiss to Kate’s cheek.
“See you at seven.” Deacon spun on his heel, ready to hightail it out of there. He felt so foolish and unpracticed in the ways of dating and knew he’d blundered their entire evening with his silly nerves. Before he had gotten very far, Kate’s hand caught his elbow and urged him to turn around.
“See you then,” she said, pressing up onto her toes to leave a warm, slow kiss along his jaw. “And thank you again for tonight. It’s one I’ll never forget.”
Those same words could’ve just as easily come from Deacon’s lips. It was definitely a night for the books.
“Morning, Rascal.”
The dog lifted his head from the bed and gave Deacon a look of sheer disbelief. Deacon had to give it to him. He wasn’t sure he’d ever greeted Rascal with such exuberance. The poor dog probably thought his name was a curse word at this point. Deacon always did seem to say it in a certain disapproving tone. But there was ample reason for that and Rascal knew it.
Today, that hard edge to Deacon’s voice was gone. Even when he nearly rolled his ankle on a piece of candy that hadn’t gotten swept up the night before, he couldn’t be mad at the dog. Nothing could ruin Deacon’s high. He’d fallen asleep with a goofy grin on his face and woke up with the same smile plastered to it.
His date with Kate had been wonderful. They had shared playful banter but also delved deep to
have real conversations about things that mattered. His heart broke when he’d learned that her parents weren’t involved in her life. She didn’t appear to let it bother her, but Deacon knew that had to be a strategically placed wall she kept up for protection. From what he knew of Kate, relationships were important to her. People were important to her. He doubted her parents were any different.
And by the end of the night, he felt like maybe he was becoming someone important to her, too.
Breakfast was a quick cereal bar and a thermos of weak, but hot, coffee. He gave Rascal a scoop of kibble and a scratch on his head before walking down to the storage barn to get the tree farm ready for opening. The sun crested high above the pines, sharp needles of light piercing through branches in star-like beams. This morning’s walk was brisk and the cheerful pep in his step matched in rhythm with the Christmas tune whistled between his parted lips.
“Someone’s in a good mood this morning,” his mother noted the instant Deacon stepped into the big metal barn. She looked up from her task and gave her son a once over. “I take it your date with Kate went well?”
“Date with Kate,” Cody snickered. He rolled past with a tree funnel in his arms. “That rhymes.”
“Is it that obvious?” Deacon ignored his brother and focused his attention on his mother.
“Oh, you know, only for someone who has eyes,” Marla teased, shrugging. “I don’t think that grin could get any bigger, Deac.”
“Or for someone who has ears,” Cody shouted from outside the building. “Since when did you learn to whistle?”
“I’ve always been able to whistle,” Deacon defended, not that it mattered. He knew his brother would find a way to razz him about all of this. It’s just what brothers did. “But yes, my date with Kate was great.”
“You sound like a children’s book, bro.”
“I’m so glad to hear it.” Marla gave Deacon a sincere smile. “Kate is a wonderful woman and I’m happy you’re taking the time to get to know her a little better while she’s here.”
Cody traipsed back into the barn, snow clinging to the tread of his shoes and a sheen of sweat developing on his face, the repetitive hauling of equipment an obvious exertion. Deacon almost felt bad that his brother was doing all the work while he and his mom stood idly by, chatting about his dating life. Almost.
He unscrewed the cap on his thermos and lifted the coffee drink to his mouth.
“And if things don’t work out with her”—Cody huffed as he passed them once more with loaded arms—“you’ve got a line of bachelorettes clamoring to go out with you.”
Deacon gulped the mouthful of coffee and felt it burn his throat all the way down. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Marla and Cody swapped knowing looks.
“Seriously, what are you talking about, Cody?”
“You haven’t seen?” Pulling her phone from her back pocket, Marla swiped the screen and then traded it for the thermos in her eldest son’s hand. “Take a look at the comments on the Channel 14 News page. You’ve become quite the overnight internet sensation, Deacon.”
He didn’t know if it was the sting of the acidic coffee or this bizarre news, but his stomach soured. He looked down at the phone in his palm, his eyes roving over the comment section of the most recent post about their tree farm.
I wish Santa would leave that cowboy under my tree on Christmas morning! and I’d get snowed in with that mountain man any day!
Deacon’s face flamed.
“What is this?” Like a hot potato, he tossed the phone back at his mother.
“Just a few harmless comments from desperate women.” Marla returned her cell to her pocket and gave her son a little pat of encouragement on his shoulder. “Nothing malicious. You’ve made quite an impression with the ladies.”
“This is your idea of publicity?”
“Deacon.” Marla’s expression quickly turned empathetic. “This just goes with the territory. I’m sure you’ve read some of the things people have written about Kate over the years. People tucked behind computer screens sometimes feel a little freer to say what’s on their minds. Anytime you’re in the public’s eye—”
“But I didn’t want to be in the public’s eye!” He fought hard to harness the rising tone of his voice. “That’s the whole thing, Mom. I just wanted to run our tree farm in peace and quiet again this season. No interviews. No cameras.”
“Right, but my worry is that if we did that, it would be a really quiet year,” she said. “As in totally silent. We need customers in order to keep our doors open, Deacon. If Kate’s news piece can help funnel some more our way, then it’ll be a success.”
“But at what cost?”
“Oh, come on.” She gave Deacon a little nudge. “Those comments aren’t going to cost you more than a teeny, tiny bit of your pride. Honestly, I would think most men would be flattered to have some of these things written about them. You have quite a number of adoring fans.”
Cody poked his head around the doorframe. “I even saw a marriage proposal in there. A gal named Stephanie from Auburn already has your colors and flowers picked out. All you’ll need is the tux.”
Deacon’s eyes rolled so far it almost hurt. “This is ridiculous.”
“Maybe.” Marla shrugged. “But it’s helpful. I took a long look at our numbers last night and yesterday’s opening was the best we’ve had in years by far. There’s no doubt in my mind that Kate’s influence is the reason for that.”
Deacon didn’t like it, but if Kate’s segment had been a total flop, he’d like that even less. If her success meant he had to deal with comments from a few silly internet fans, he’d make that sacrifice. His mom was right. He needed to push his pride aside and focus on what was best for the farm.
And that was selling trees.
At nine o’clock sharp, their gates opened to another crowd of eager families. People scattered this way and that, filling the farm with laughter, cheer, and memories in the making. Deacon seriously doubted this increase in patronage was all due to the extra advertising, but he couldn’t think of another reason for it. He decided right then and there that he needed to quit his grumbling and finally become a team player.
The success of Yuletide Tree Farm depended on it and in the end, that was all that really mattered.
Kate
“One, two, three.”
Kate grunted as she used every bit of her strength to lift her end of the Christmas tree onto her shoulder. She knew Cody bore the real brunt of the weight from the evergreen’s thick log, but it would be a lie to say she wasn’t still struggling a little. They’d moved so many trees. She’d lost count somewhere around the tenth one, but figured they were well into the thirties. Somehow, they all blurred together in one jumbled, pine needle-coated mess.
“You doing okay back there?” Cody called down the length of the tree.
“Yep!” Kate grunted again as she readjusted her side.
“We can set it down if you need a breather. This one is a mighty beast.”
Each time she opened her mouth to speak, she used some of the energy she needed to hold on reserve in order to move this massive tree. She kept her words to a minimum. “I’m good.”
The chatty little boy at her side, however, did not. “I asked him for a dinosaur but Dad said he can’t fit one on his sleigh. But Sammy from school got a snowmobile last year. He fit that on his sleigh. That’s huge!”
“Uh huh.” Kate tried to stay engaged all while making sure she didn’t dump the tree.
“So I wrote him another letter and told him that it didn’t have to be a T-Rex or anything like that. There are plenty of dinosaurs that are smaller than snowmobiles, you know. I made a whole list and told him he could choose whatever one he wanted. I’m not that picky.”
“Sure, you’re not, Jackson.” The boy’s father caught Kate’s eye and smiled. “I don’t think poor Kate wants to hear all about your Christmas wish list.”
“She doesn’t?” Jackso
n looked offended on the worst level. He raced to catch up with his dad who kept stride near Cody’s end of the tree. “But it has dinosaurs!”
“Roarrrr,” Cody bellowed, stomping his feet with thundering motions. “Better watch out or this Douglas Fir-a-sauras just might get you. They’ve been known to gobble up little boys right around your age.”
The child gave Cody the flattest look. “Yeah. That’s not even a real dinosaur name.”
“You certain about that?” Cody challenged. “I kinda feel like they’re always changing them, aren’t they? Discovering and digging up new ones all the time. You sure it’s not some new dino breed?”
“I’m one-trillion, gazillion percent positive.”
“Got it.” Cody let it be while they lugged the tree the rest of the way. When they reached the storage barn, Kate let her side drop to the ground before Cody was ready with his, which made him stumble backward with the unexpected shift in weight “Whoa, Kate. Gotta let me know next time before you let go like that.”
“I’m sorry.” She heaved out the breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding the entire way up the hill. “Those trees are heavier than they look. And I think they get heavier each time.”
Cody snickered. “Why don’t you run into the store and grab some hot chocolates for Jackson and his dad here. I’ll shoot this tree through the funneler to get it all bundled up and ready to load. Then we should think about taking our lunches. We’re long overdue for a break.”
Kate didn’t love the idea of leaving Cody high and dry to finish up with this sale, but her muscles protested so loudly she could hardly think of anything else. A short break would be more than welcome.
But before she took Cody up on the offer, she stepped closer to Jackson, bending down to meet his eye. “Have you thought of asking Santa for dinosaur eggs instead of a real dinosaur?”
“Dinosaur eggs?” Jackson’s big green eyes turned to saucers. “No. I didn’t think of that.”
“He can fit lots of those on his sleigh. Then you’ll be able to raise them right from the beginning. I’ve heard if you raise a dinosaur from the time it’s an itty, bitty baby, it’ll be bonded to you for life.”
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