Page 34 of The Christmas Tree Farm
‘That’s where we get the saws,’ he told the others.
‘No need. Brought my own,’ Logan said, pulling the truck in between two cars that already had trees tied to their roofs.
‘Of course you did.’ Jeanie rolled her eyes, but her adoring smile made it pretty damn obvious how she felt about her fiancé.
Bennett hopped out of the truck as soon as they were parked. Jeanie’s friends, Hazel and Noah, were also meeting them today so they could all pick out trees together. It should be a fun day, but Bennett would be lying if he said he was scanning the crowd for Jeanie’s friends.
There was really only one person he was looking for.
‘Where should we start?’ Logan asked, coming up beside him.
‘We have to wait for everyone to get here,’ Jeanie said. ‘Ooh … but let’s get cocoa while we wait!’
‘You own a café. Does a hot beverage really excite you that much?’ Bennett asked with a laugh as they walked toward the cabin.
‘Of course.’ She nudged him. ‘Isn’t this fun? Aren’t you glad you came to stay?’
‘Yeah, definitely…’ Bennett’s words trailed off as he got a glimpse of Kira striding across the parking lot. She was heading right toward him.
Definitelyglad he came.
The woman walking his way was a far cry from the one he’d met on his first day here. For one, she wasn’t wrapped in bedding. She was sporting her new coat with faux-fur-lined boots to match, her long legs in skintight jeans. Her cheeks were pink from the cool air, her dark bangs brushing across her forehead as she moved. And she moved … well … she moved like she owned the place. But the biggest difference was the smile. It transformed her entire face. It transformed the air around her, the very atoms in the air between them. It transformedhim.
Holy shit. Kira was gorgeous.
‘Bennett! Hi!’ Her greeting was sweet and friendly and completely unexpected. Who was this woman?
He didn’t realize he was just staring at her in silence until Logan clapped him hard on the back. ‘Good luck, Ben,’ he said with a chuckle as he and Jeanie continued on their quest for hot cocoa. His sister looked back at him over her shoulder, giving him an enthusiastic thumbs-up and knowing smile, but Logan tugged her along.
‘Uh … hi,’ he managed to finally choke out.
‘Hi,’ she said again, her smile downshifting into something slightly less spectacular but better because this one was just for him.
‘How are things going?’
‘Amazing,’ she breathed like she almost couldn’t believe it. ‘We’ve had customers from all over! One family drove an hour to get here because they wanted a real “New England Christmas experience”. Can you believe that?’
Bennett was grinning now, too. ‘Sure. This place is quintessential Christmas.’ And it really was. All her social-media scrolling had apparently given Kira a real eye for how to sell people an experience: a total ‘Christmas vibe’. Folksy Christmas music played over the speakers as families and couples strolled through the rows of trees. Between the twinkle lights and rustic signs there was no shortage of photo ops, and Kira had even filled the back of a rusted-out pickup truck with holly branches, pine boughs, and ivy. She’d hung a giant red bow on the front, turning trash into something beautiful.
Whowasthis woman?
He wanted to know everything. Bennett crossed snow off his mental Christmas list. There was only one thing on it now and that was more time with Kira.
‘So, are you here for your free tree?’ she asked.
‘Oh, I’ll pay for it.’
‘No way. I owe you for your heating services.’
Ben laughed. ‘I didn’t really do anything.’
‘You did.’ Kira laughed, a real laugh and the sound nearly brought Bennett to his knees. ‘Well, you tried anyway.’
‘You already bought me some of those funny little waffles.’
‘That wasn’t enough! You’re getting a free tree, now stop arguing.’ Kira’s mouth was set in a stubborn line and Bennett smiled. ‘But just you. Not your whole family or whoever you brought with you.’ Kira gestured to where Jeanie and Logan had been joined by Noah and Hazel.
Bennett laughed. ‘Okay, got it. Just one free tree.’
