Page 63 of Evergreen Christmas

It was unavoidable then—the knowledge that Macy was no longer physically with them. And that she never would be again.

But instead of the grief, pain, and regret that had weighed Nate’s heart down for years, something shifted inside of him in that moment and broke free, releasing the tension in his shoulders and the heaviness in his chest.

And then, something small but strong unfurled within him, streaming through his veins, coaxing his mouth into a smile and dissolving the tears that coated his lashes. He’d loved Macy . . . so very much. But he’d lost her. Though things would never be the same for him or Roxie, they could be different. They might even be . . . better.

All he had to do was summon the courage to reach out.

His attention returned to the crowd, his gaze sifting urgently through the crowd of onlookers, searching for Jordyn’s face, hoping to share another smile, to catch a glimpse of the joy the future might hold for him.

But she was no longer there.

Chapter Thirteen

“Nervous?”

Nate stilled in the act of lifting the cup he held to his mouth and glanced to his left, where Tucker sat in the chair beside him on the stage in Noel’s town square.

“Why?” Nate frowned.

Smiling, Tucker gestured toward the cup in his hand. “Because you’ve been tipping that cup back every five minutes for the past ten minutes and it’s been empty for over half an hour.”

Nate glanced down at the empty cup in his hand and grimaced. Even he had to admit that he had been somewhat preoccupied during the initial proceedings of Noel’s Christmas Crowning. But that wasn’t totally his fault. He had good reason to be distracted and even more reason to be worried.

Last night, after Roxie had finished introducing their Fraser fir tree to the judges, he had searched for Jordyn in the crowd, hoping to catch her attention and speak with her. But she was gone, disappearing into the darkness that engulfed the outskirts of his ranch.

He’d wanted to go after her, but people still milled about the Christmas tree lots on his ranch, their interest apparently piqued by the viewing of the Christmas tree entries. Over the next two hours, he and Tucker had sold, cut down, and loaded more trees into trucks and vans than they had over the past two days combined.

Win or lose, the Christmas tree contest had boosted sales at Frosted Firs Ranch and made the night a resounding success. Well, except where Jordyn was concerned.

He couldn’t blame her though. For weeks, he’d been giving her mixed signals about his true intentions, and even now he wasn’t completely sure how he planned to proceed with their relationship. But, for the first time in years, he knew without a doubt that he did want to pursue something new—a new romance, love, and family . . . with Jordyn.

Rather than frightening him, the revelation excited him and he’d picked up his cell phone multiple times last night, wanting to call her and tell her how he felt. But the evening’s Christmas tree contest had made for a long day and the late hour had certainly not been the best time to broach a subject of such importance—especially over the phone.

So, he’d tucked Roxie into bed, sprawled out on his own, and stared at the ceiling for hours, wondering what the future held and how inviting Jordyn into his life might affect Roxie. But somehow, he eventually slept—deeply and soundly—and had awoken this morning refreshed and energetic, eager to tackle the day.

He’d gone to work with plans of leaving early in the afternoon to drive over to Chestnut Ridge and visit Jordyn, but the crowds had grown even bigger at the gift shop than in recent days, and he had been unable to escape from the cash register. He’d ended up spending the majority of his day ringing up customers, wrapping gifts, and carrying large purchases out to vehicles.

He’d wanted to see Jordyn before tonight’s Christmas ceremony, to speak to her and tell her what he was thinking and feeling. But as had been the case for them since the day they’d met, it seemed the time hadn’t been right. And from the guarded expression Jordyn had sported when she’d arrived moments ago, the time might not be right tonight either.

Nate glanced to his right, where Jordyn sat in a chair on the other side of the Stone family. She wore a beautiful green dress that contrasted appealingly with her ivory skin and highlighted the warm red waves of her hair. He studied her face, his gaze lingering on her mouth, and he had an almost overwhelming urge to stand, cross the stage, pull her into his arms and share with her, openly and honestly, all of his fears and dreams and hopes for the future that he hoped to build with her.

It had taken so long for him to see things clearly and finally let go of his grief over losing Macy. Last night, hearing Roxie’s loving words about her mother had driven home the truth that though Macy was gone, her memory had not faded and would never completely disappear from their lives. Now Roxie treasured it in her heart, and that was what Nate had wanted most of all—for Roxie to know and love the mother she’d never had the opportunity to meet.

But now, a different kind of opportunity waited right in front of him as it had for weeks. He’d just been too afraid to take a chance and reach out.

Sensing his scrutiny, Jordyn turned her head, her eyes meeting his, holding his gaze. He smiled tentatively and after a moment, she smiled back, though the movement was small and restrained.

“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen!”

Carol Belle, flanked by the three other Nanas, walked to the microphone in the center of the stage and greeted the crowd.

“We’ve reached the moment you’ve all been waiting for,” she continued. “Tonight, we’re going to announce the winner of Noel’s Christmas tree contest. After the winner is announced, a crew will visit the owner’s property tomorrow afternoon, chop down the tree, wrap it carefully, and transport it to the town square, where it will be put on display for the entire town to enjoy. We extend our best wishes and good luck to the participants.”

There was a brief round of applause.

“Also,” Kandy said into the mic, “after the winner of the tree competition is announced and celebrated, we will also announce the winner of the Christmas Crown. As you know, the winner of the crown is the individual or team who has earned the most points over the course of the twelve contests. The crown will be presented tonight, and the recipient will be the guest of honor at Noel’s annual Christmas Eve celebration!”

The crowd applauded again, smiles and cheerful chatter echoing all around the town square.

---