Page 94 of The Christmas Tree Farm

‘It’s definitely worked out nicely,’ Hazel said and Annie groaned.

‘Gross.’

Hazel laughed. ‘Isn’t it time for Secret Santa?’

‘Yes!’ Jeanie shot up from her seat. ‘I almost forgot!’

Bennett breathed out a sigh of relief at the topic change. He really didn’t need all of Jeanie’s friends joining the quest to get him to stay in town. Frankly, the woman whose head was in his lap was reason enough.

‘I didn’t bring a gift,’ Kira hissed at him. ‘I didn’t know!’

‘Don’t worry about it. Jeanie handed the names out weeks ago.’ His sister was excited to bring their old family tradition to her friends, but Kira hadn’t exactly been in the mix at that point.

She still had a little worried frown on her face as she sat up. Bennett patted her knee and leaned in to whisper in her ear. ‘You can help me guess.’

She gave him a relieved smile as Jeanie passed out the gifts.

‘Annie, you go first,’ she said, laying a sparkly red gift bag in her lap.

Annie waggled her eyebrows and pulled the tissue paper from the bag with a flourish. She peered inside and frowned.

‘I know who it’s from,’ she said.

‘Show us what it is first!’ Jeanie said, and Bennett bit down on a laugh. His sister was always a stickler for the Secret Santa rules. She’d had a fit the year he switched the name he pulled with his cousin, Jesse.

‘It is a roadside-safety emergency kit,’ she said, pulling the package from the bag. ‘It includes: flashlight, window breaker, and a first-aid kit,’ she read from the description on the side of the box.

‘Very practical,’ Jeanie said, even as Annie scowled at the gift. ‘And who do you think gave it to you?’

‘Well, since he’s given me one every year for the past five, it was obviously Logan.’

‘And if you actually kept them in your car instead of throwing them in that bottomless pit of a hall closet, I would stop getting them for you,’ Logan said, arms crossed over his flanneled chest.

Kira giggled next to him, and Bennett savored the sound.

‘Okay, that means, Logan, you open next.’ Jeanie laid a small perfectly wrapped box on his lap and Bennett immediately knew the giver. But he kept his mouth shut so Jeanie wouldn’t murder him.

Logan unwrapped the box. He opened it and the frown on his face immediately melted.

‘Is this…’ He stopped, cleared his throat. ‘Jeanie, is this…?’ He looked up with tears in his eyes and Bennett couldn’t imagine what his sister had put in that little box to make that man cry.

‘Look on the inside.’ She was kneeling next to him now as Logan pulled out the two rings that were in the box.

‘What is it?’ Hazel asked quietly as Logan turned the rings between his fingers.

He cleared his throat again. ‘Wedding bands. Jeanie had them engraved with our initials.’

Jeanie wiped the tears that had traced down her cheeks with the back of her hand. ‘Do you like them?’

He just nodded, clearly still unable to speak.

‘I know we haven’t even picked a date yet, but I wanted to get you something special and you surprised me with the engagement ring, so I thought I would surprise you, and––’

‘They’re perfect,’ Logan said gruffly, cutting her off and tugging her into his lap before she could ramble on further.

‘Oh, good.’ Jeanie squeaked as Logan buried his face in her neck like he had forgotten they were in a room filled with their friends.

‘Okay, that’s enough you two. Jeanie, you have to open next!’ Annie said, interrupting their cuddling, saving Bennett the pain of seeing his sister make out with her fiancé. He knew he liked Annie for a reason. ‘Here.’ She tossed the gift to Jeanie.