Page 82 of The Christmas Tree Farm

Unfortunately, Logan never ran out of gas.

The rumble of his plow tore through the moment and Bennett vowed to never forgive the man for as long as he lived.

The snowstorm was officially over.

ChapterTwenty-Two

‘Thanks, Santa.’ Kira shook the old man’s mittened hand and he actually ‘ho-ho-ho’d’ at her. She wasn’t entirely sure if he thought he was really Santa or not, but she wasn’t about to ask. He’d just spent the entire day in the cabin greeting dozens of sticky children, plenty of whom had screamed at the sight of him. The man had endured a lot in the name of Christmas joy. He could think whatever he wanted about himself, he’d just brought her a ton of business.

‘My pleasure, Ms. North.’ His eyes twinkled. Maybe he really was…

Kira shook her head. Owning this winter wonderland was making her nuts.

‘Drive safe!’ she called as Santa headed to his car.

The sun had set over an hour ago and the lights she’d strung up across the trees, twinkled merrily above her. Even a week later, the snow from the storm had stuck around, creating an ambience she couldn’t have paid for. And she had to admit, looking around at the lights and the trees and the happy families piling into cars blaring Christmas carols from the speakers, she almost didn’t hate Christmas. And she was sure as hell proud of what she’d built.

‘Hey, Peaches.’ The sound of Bennett’s voice pulled her attention to the window of the cabin where his face peered out at her. ‘Did Santa mean to leave this giant box of candy canes behind?’

‘Oh, yeah. He said we could keep them. Something about having his own special supply.’

Bennett chuckled, the sound warm and familiar. ‘That guy was bizarre.’

‘Very.’

He gave her another smile and then popped back inside where he was probably cleaning up. It was one week until Christmas, and Bennett had sort of moved in and had kind of been helping her run the place since the snowstorm and it was all a terribly bad idea and yet…

He came out of the little cabin, down the steps and put an arm around her. ‘Ready to head home?’

Home.

Together.

She was in so deep.

‘Yep.’

They walked from the tree farm parking lot up the drive to her house, and it was all such an epically bad idea but she couldn’t seem to walk away from it. After the storm, Bennett had gone back to Jeanie’s apartment, and they’d pretended that they were actually parting ways, that the end of the storm heralded the end of them. There really was no point in extending this fling until New Year’s Day. She’d tried to tell herself it was for the best, that there was no need to drag this out. Better to say goodbye now.

But it wasChristmas.

No one wanted to be alone for Christmas.

And Chloe was across the world. And her parents made her crazy. And what was she supposed to do, ignore the sexy man she liked just because he was leaving soon? Why start missing him before she had to?

So she might have invited him back in a moment of weakness, and he’d accepted, and he’d brought some extra clothes and his dogs and his laptop, and now for a week, he’d worked from her kitchen table and helped her when she needed it, and they’d slept on that mattress he’d dragged in front of the fire, and it was all sogoodthat Kira couldn’t give it up.

Not yet.

Describe yourself in two words.Selfish and stupid.That was her. But people could only change so much at one time, right? She didn’t want to sprain something.

They walked into the house to find Elizabeth laid out on the bed by the fire and the two smaller dogs perched on the couch, snoring loudly.

‘Off the bed.’ Bennett snapped his fingers and the big dog looked at him with doleful eyes.

Kira laughed as he gave a sigh of frustration.

‘Off the bed,’ he growled, and the dog slowly unwound herself and sauntered over to the dog bed they’d put in the corner.