Christmasland - Anne-Marie Meyer Page 0,50

on what we were here to do. Get a tree and get back to the inn.

Bea nodded, and I could feel the movement as her head rested on my back. I gave Porter a thumbs-up and started the engine. We took off down the cleared path toward the place that Tyler had recommended. The sun was on top of the trees, reflecting off of the snow. In an hour, it would be behind the trees as the evening arrived. The desire not to be out here in darkness came over me, so I sped up.

It only took about fifteen minutes to reach the far end of Mom’s tree farm. We’d passed by many different ages of trees, from tiny to teenager. I pulled up to the large, adult trees that were hidden in the back and turned off the engine.

Bea slipped off and I followed after her.

Emilia was already off and removing her helmet when we approached. “It’s beautiful here,” she said. Her cheeks were flushed, and her eyes sparkled as she glanced around.

She wasn’t lying. There was a certain calm in the forest. The natural woods resided on the outskirts of the farm, giving a secluded and enclosed feeling. And when I breathed in, the smell of clean air and pine filled my nose. It had a calming effect on me, which I needed.

I stood there as Emilia and Bea whispered to each other. I could tell that they were assessing the trees that surrounded us. When they finally zeroed in on one, they nodded and then motioned for us to meet up with them. I grabbed the axe and headed in their direction.

“This is the one,” Bea said, her voice breathy with a hint of reverence. I scanned over the tree, wincing as my gaze landed on the trunk. It was about the size of my thigh. This was going to be fun to chop.

“This one?” I asked and then glanced over at Porter. “Wanna take this?” I bumped the axe that was resting on my shoulder and nodded toward it.

Porter scoffed. “Nah, man. This is all you,” he said as he took a step back.

A disappointed look flashed over Emilia’s face as she watched Porter take a step back. It was strange, but it almost seemed as if she’d wanted Porter to take on the task. I sighed as I turned my focus back to the tree. Well, it wasn’t going to chop itself. We were already here, we might as well return with something.

I kicked away the snow at the base of the trunk and began chopping. I wanted the tree to fall away from us, so I focused on chopping out a wedge from the trunk. I could hear Emilia cheer with every blow I landed. I wondered if Bea felt the same.

I took a moment while I wiggled the axe from the trunk and glanced in their direction. Emilia was gripping onto Bea’s arm, and her cheeks were flushed as she bounced up and down. Bea looked as if she were trying to counteract her friend’s reaction by remaining stoic.

I was a little disappointed when I turned my attention back to the tree. It sounded lame in my head, but I kind of wanted Bea to be just as enthusiastic as Emilia was. Well, maybe not just as enthusiastic, but even just a little bit would be nice. It would at least make all of this work worth it.

The tree started to sway from the blows, and I focused my attention on what I was doing. A few seconds passed, and I realized that there was no stopping the movement now. It was coming down.

“Timber!” I yelled as I stepped back and watched the remaining intact bark begin to bend. The tree tipped and landed with a poof onto the snow behind it. Emilia cheered, and my heart surged when I saw Bea’s smile emerge. This was the kind of reaction I’d been hoping for.

“This is so exciting,” Emilia said as she hurried over to the tree and stared reverently down at it.

I chuckled and turned my efforts to the intact tree bark as I hacked away at it. “You’re easy to please,” I teased.

Emilia sighed. “When it comes to Christmas, I have a hard time not finding joy in the little things.”

Once the tree was fully detached, I swung the axe over my shoulder and reached down to grab one of the low-hanging branches. Once it was firmly in my hand, I turned