Page 15 of Fire in My Heart

I took his hand. “Have you eaten? I have some leftovers from dinner with my brother’s family.”

“I ate already.”

I placed my hand in his, and he easily hefted me to my feet. Then I brushed the dirt off my butt. I couldn’t stop myself from offering. It was just my nature to include everyone even though I got the distinct impression Teddy wanted nothing to do with me. His father was the one who insisted we work together.

He wanted Teddy on board with the decisions, and he had some misguided idea that I could convince him. I was confident in my persuasion abilities with most people. But not Teddy.

He was a complex case. He resisted change and didn’t want to let go of the control. He saw the changes around the farm as an affront to the work he’d done. Maybe I needed to come at it from a different angle.

We walked back to the truck. This time I grabbed a hold of the handle on the inside of the cab and hauled myself inside. Not that I didn’t enjoy Teddy’s hand on my ass but I’d seen his reaction. He was upset. He’d either crossed some line, or he didn’t like touching me. I wasn’t sure which.

His internal code was strong. He probably wouldn’t allow himself to touch me. I was an employee or a coworker. Not someone he could be interested in.

But I hadn’t heard about any of the women he dated. Either he didn’t date, or he kept it to one-night stands.

At the cottage, he parked behind my car. He left the engine running but got out to walk me to the door. “What else do you need to see? Maybe spend some time at the cut lot, or come along with one of us when we take a family to cut a tree down?”

We’d stopped at my door, so I turned to face him. “Both. I want to get a feel for the farm and the customers. It would be great to understand why people come here and not the Monroes.”

“That’s easy. We’re closer to town.”

“Maybe.” But I wasn’t so sure that was the reason.

He crossed his arms over his chest. “That’s the obvious reason. What do you think it could be?”

“Sure, some people prefer the proximity to town, but others are willing to drive farther for an experience. Monroe Farm has the shop, the light display, and that pond.”

“We have trees,” Teddy said flatly.

I grinned, excited about the challenge. “I intend to change that.”

“Exactly how do you plan to do that?”

“I want to have a holiday festival on the farm. We could get vendors to sell their wares: candles, wreaths, holiday decor, and pies. You can dress up as Santa so we can offer photos.”

He grimaced. “Yeah, no. You lost me there.”

“Al said you had to cooperate.” He didn’t exactly say that, but I was using every tool in my arsenal.

“Dad doesn’t have a say in what I do.”

I raised a brow. “He said I had free rein to do whatever I needed to generate more revenue.”

“And that includes me dressing up as Santa?” he asked skeptically.

I smiled wider and placed my palm flat on his chest. “Iintend to dress up as an elf and be with you the entire time. You’ll be fine. Don’t be scared.”

I wasn’t prepared for the way his heart beating felt under my hand. It was racing, and his breathing was coming in short pants. Was he angry or something else entirely?

Before I could settle on a conclusion, he’d grabbed my wrist, and instead of pulling me away, he just held me to him. I couldn’t draw in a deep breath.

“I’m not scared.” His voice was rough.

“Oh.”

“I just don’t like to dress up.”

“But I’ll dress up too. I have the costumes ready to go.”

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