Page 29 of Chasing the Fall

“You need to be spanked, and often.”

A couple further hoursdown the road, a fluorescent sign for a twenty-four-hour Walmart catches my eye. I pull off the interstate and into the parking lot, the slowed motion of the truck waking a drowsing Tally. “What are we doing here?”

“You’ll see.”

I wait as she climbs stiffly out, and we begin to walk toward the store. It’s quiet, only a handful of other vehicles dotting the rain-dampened asphalt.

Tally grumbles as we pass through the automatic doors. “You know how freaking late it is? I was sleeping. If you were going to stop anywhere, it should have been at Karla’s. I want a damn donut.”

“Hush; you always want a donut. And it’s only nine.”

“I will not hush—”

“If you shut up, I’ll get you a donut.”

Tally pinches her lips closed.

Pausing to glance around, I locate a cashier—the only one—and head for her register. Tally is brimming with questions, but she manages to be quiet as we get in line.

I can hear her voice in my head, though.

WTF are we doing getting in line when you haven’t even picked up whatever it is you want to buy?

I hide a smile as we move to take our turn.

“Help you?” The cashier pops a laconic bubble.

“I need one of the six-foot trees out front, please.”

“Alrighty.” She spins her code wheel around until she locates what she needs and rings up a Christmas tree. I swipe my card, finally chancing a look at Tally.

“You bought a Christmas tree,” she bursts.

I replace my card in my wallet and turn to leave. “I did.”

“Why, though?”

She half-jogs alongside me as we exit, and I turn toward the selection of trees. “Because you deserve a damn tree, that’s why. Pick one.”

Tally doesn’t turn toward the trees, though. Instead, she throws her arms around my neck, yanking me down to her level, and buries her face in the space between my shoulder and neck. I feel her lips move against my skin and her breath hot against me. “Thank you,” she says, the words muffled. “Thank you, thank you, thank you—”

“Stop.” Pulling away, I look into her eyes for one long moment, then lean into her and kiss her. “Pick a tree, baby.”

Eyes shining, she picks a small one—thinking of how small her place is, no doubt.

I grunt and choose a larger one.More.It’s what Christmas is all about, right?

I toss the tree on the back of the truck, and no more than ten minutes after stopping, we are on the road again. Lucy Falls is only another twenty minutes or so down the road, and as we pull into town and creep along the twenty-five-mile-per-hour stretch, I remember the other thing that Tally wanted.

I pull into Karla’s. “Let’s get some donuts.”

“Bran?”

I stop halfway in and halfway out of the truck cab. “Yeah?”

“You’d better be careful. A girl might get ideas.” Her expression is softer than I’ve ever seen it…tender, almost. She climbs out and shuts the door.

I meet her at the door to Karla’s and tug her hand into mine. Our palms slide together, somehow fitting perfectly despite the size difference.

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