Page 8 of Evergreen Christmas

Nate lowered Roxie to the ground and rubbed his chin as she skipped back into the gift shop. “We might have to play a little dirty this year. The Nanas claim they’re going to recruit our new neighbor at Chestnut Ridge to compete against us in this year’s tree competition.”

“Oh, yeah?” Tucker asked. “Who bought the place?”

“A feisty redhead with a white horse, apparently.”

Tucker’s eyes sparkled with male interest. “Oh? Want me to check her out for you?”

Nate grinned. “Nah. I know exactly what kind of checking out you’d do. Besides, I need to handle this one myself. I don’t want to drag you into my feud with the Nanas. I’ll pay our new neighbor a visit right now and ask her to sell us the tree. I doubt she’ll give me a hard time considering she just moved here and probably has no use for it. In any event, she couldn’t possibly give us more trouble than the Nanas.”

“You got that right. The Cheek Pinchers are the worst.”

The small log cabin Jordyn had purchased showed signs of age and neglect, but had a vaulted ceiling fit for a choir of angels.

Lying on her back, sprawled across the hardwood floor of the living room, she stretched her arms and legs in opposite directions, arched her back and gazed up at the dark hardwood planks that comprised the high ceiling. Two thick wooden beams supported the ceiling and spanned its length, and a stone fireplace was centered on the wall beside the front door. The two windows on either side of the stone fireplace were small, but large enough to let in a pool of sunlight that added warmth to the cold hardwood floor beneath her.

Sighing, she closed her eyes, swung her arms and legs out in wide arcs as though creating a snow angel, then opened her eyes and smiled brightly at the impressive ceiling above her. “I don’t know exactly how you feel about me,” she said, “but I sure like the looks of you. I got a feeling you and I are gonna get along just fine.”

The vaulted ceiling remained silent.

Jordyn smiled wider. “I know you probably think it’s strange having some stranger lie on the floor and talk to you like this, but the thing is, you’re all I got aside from Star and a dream. But I’ve been pretty successful making my dreams come true. I wanted to compete in barrel racing, so I taught myself how to do that, saved my money to pay for proper training, and won several championships on the circuit.” She rose to her elbows, craned her neck, and glanced around the small log cabin. “If I can do all that, I know I can make this place into a real home.”

But where to start?

She had bare floors, bare walls, and a beautiful vaulted ceiling. That was it. She had no furniture, no dishes or silverware, no bed, no cute homey trinkets, and no food. She’d had no need of any of those things during her years traveling the circuit. She’d spent her nights in motels—and occasionally her truck—never entertained anyone and lived off food from restaurant buffets and grab-and-go items from convenience stores.

It was vital that she make a good first impression as a hostess tomorrow when the four women who’d bombarded her earlier returned with their welcome basket and a proposition ofutmost importance, as they’d termed it . . . whatever that would be. If she didn’t pull something together today, the four women would have nowhere to sit, nothing to admire, and nothing to eat.

Well, she did have one bit of food.

She rolled her head to the side and glanced at the silver bag that lay open on the hardwood floor beside her, revealing a lone red velvet cupcake with thick cream cheese icing.

Her stomach rumbled. She’d already consumed two of the three mouthwatering delicacies she’d purchased earlier. A jumbo cupcake by anyone’s standards, the remaining one could easily serve three to four people if it were divided equally. She should stick the last one in the refrigerator, pull it out in the morning, slice it up and offer each woman a taste when they came for their visit. Surely that would go over well—at least better than offering them nothing—and score her at least one point as a good hostess.

Jordyn frowned. “Forget that!”

Her hand shot out, withdrew the last cupcake and brought it to her mouth. She chomped off almost half in one bite. Its sweetness burst against her tongue, and a shiver of excited pleasure stole through her whole body at the realization that she was finally sitting in her own home.

“No way am I saving this for someone else,” she mumbled around a mouthful. “This is a time for celebration.” She swallowed, licked her lips, then took another bite of the cupcake. “Matter of fact, when I finish this one, I’m probably gonna go back to town and get myself some more.”

What was to stop her? She’d stayed fit and healthy for years while she toured the circuit, forgoing greasy food and sweets in favor of more healthy options that would fuel her performance in the arena. But now she was a homeowner, an entrepreneur. A young single woman living in a Christmas town known for its holiday cheer and spectacular mountain views. She had a charming log cabin all her own where she could roll around on the floor anytime she felt like it, basking in the celebratory glow of a fresh start and new life!

Something moved in front of one of the windows, blocking the sunlight. A knock on the glass pane jerked her upright into a seated position, her gaze shooting toward the source.

A man—tall, blond, and muscular—cupped his big hands around his face and peered through the window, his rich blue eyes finding hers.

She stopped chewing.Holy holly!

“Sorry to disturb you,” the man called out, the deep tone of his voice muted as he waved one hand. “I knocked but I guess you didn’t hear me. I’m your neighbor. Saw your truck outside and thought I’d pay you a visit.”

Jordyn stared. A Christmas town full of holiday cheer, a charming log cabin, spectacular mountain views,anda hot man? What sweet Christmas dream had she been lucky enough to fall into?

The man rapped his knuckles gently against the glass pane again. His brow furrowed as he peered through the window. “Are you okay in there? Do you need some help?”

Jordyn shook her head, mumbling around the chunk of red velvet cupcake in her mouth, “I’m fine.”Hewas fine! The finest of male specimens she’d ever laid eyes on. Chewing furiously, she scrambled to her feet and smoothed her hand over her long, tangled hair. “Hold on.” She chewed twice then added, “I’ll let you i—”

Oh! Oh no! Red velvet cupcake! Choking, she doubled over and coughed, struggling to clear the crumbs from her windpipe.

“You okay?”

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