Page 14 of Evergreen Christmas

Frowning, Roxie glanced up at Nate. “What’s he mean, Daddy?”

Nate cleared his throat and dragged his hand across the back of his neck. “Nothing, sweetheart. Your uncle Tucker’s just babbling nonsense like he usually does. Now, did you bring the Christmas card out with you like I asked?”

“I sure did, Daddy.” Roxie stuck her hand in her jacket pocket and pulled out a small Christmas card with a festively trimmed Christmas tree drawn on the front. “I picked the prettiest one from the gift shop,” she said, smiling broadly. “Scott helped me.”

“That was nice of him,” Nate said.

And even nicer that he and Tucker had been able to afford to hire Scott, a local senior in high school, as well as two other teenagers to run the gift shop at Frosted Firs and sell Christmas trees during the late afternoon and evening hours this Christmas season. That way, he and Tucker had more time to devote to enjoying the holidays with Roxie while she was on vacation from school.

“Thank you for helping me, sweetheart.” Nate took the Christmas card from her, pulled a pen from his jacket pocket and sat down on the stump. He placed the pen to the card then paused, hesitating.

Tucker guffawed. “What you gonna say, Casanova?”

Roxie’s brows rose. “What’s a cass-a-rova, Daddy?”

“Nothing,” Nate said softly, shooting a stern look at Tucker. “I’m just going to write a nice, neighborly Christmas message.”

And he tried. He really tried.

Sitting there in the back lot of Frosted Firs Ranch, he stared down at the blank side of the Christmas card on his thigh and tried several times to write something festive and catchy. This was harder than he thought. What did a man say to the new, attractive woman next door that couldn’t be construed as an invitation for something more than just “being a good neighbor”? ’Cuz Lord knew, as a happy single man who preferred to remain so, he didn’t need to send any mixed signals.

But he did need to make his message kind so that, hopefully, his welcome gift would make a good impression on her and convince her to consider his offer for the tree.

Tucker, who’d been staring a hole through Nate’s head for the past five minutes, seemed to read his thoughts. “How about you just write,Give us your tree, woman?”

Nate rolled his eyes.

“Or”—Tucker spread his hands—“here’s some free firewood in exchange for giving me a leg up in the Christmas Tree Competition.”

Nate rubbed his aching forehead. “No. I said all I needed to say regarding that when I went over there earlier. This just needs to be a simple welcome. It can even be just one word. Just something short and pleasant, you know?”

“One word?” Roxie asked, bouncing with excitement by his side.

Nate nodded. “Sure.”

“You’re giving her firewood.” Roxie smiled, approval in her eyes as she glanced at the large stack of split logs. “That’s so she’ll be warm and cheery at Christmas, right? That’s what you say to me every time you make a fire in the fireplace—that you’re keeping me warm and cheery.”

Nate reached out and nudged her chin affectionately with one knuckle. “That’s right, sweetie.”

“Then how about you writejoy?” she asked. “Because I always feel joy when you make a fire to keep me warm.”

Nate kissed her forehead. “That’s perfect! Kind and to the point.”

He pressed the pen to the card, amended Roxie’s word slightly, and wrote,Enjoy!

Roxie peered over his shoulder. “But make it happy, Daddy. Put a smiley face.”

Nate grinned. “You got it.”

He drew a smiley face underneath the word,Enjoy!

“Happier, Daddy. Give it a Santa wink, okay?”

“Sure thing.” He added a wink to the smiley face which, judging by the proud expression on Roxie’s face, met with her approval.

“Perfect!” Roxie giggled.

“Nothing like a useful gift and benevolent message to inspire goodwill in a neighbor at Christmas,” Nate said. “Hopefully, she’ll be so grateful, we’ll have a decent shot at getting that tree.”

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