Christmas in Angel Harbor - Jeannie Moon Page 0,68
on. Let’s go. There’s a tree farm on the way to Compass Cove. It’s open late. We can get you a tree and I can help you put it in the stand.”
The idea was appealing, no doubt, but her inner independent, the one who didn’t want to need him for so many reasons, balked at the idea. He sensed that too.
“Give yourself a break, just this once. Let me help. It will be fun, and God knows, you could use some fun.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Was she so unfun that she needed an intervention? “I have fun.”
“Not nearly enough.” He dropped a gentle kiss on her lips. “What time are you opening tomorrow?”
“We open at noon on Sundays, but I’m off tomorrow.”
“That works. Now I don’t have to worry about keeping you out too late on a school night. Let’s go find some fancy coffee or hot chocolate and get you a Christmas tree. We have decorating to do.”
Chapter Fourteen
After a pit stop at the store to pick up her SUV, she and Danny headed out of town to find her Christmas tree. Like some kind of fairy tale, it was a cold night, there was light snow, and a gorgeous man was trying to make things better. She’d let him drive mostly because she was worn out from the day, but also because she could spend her time watching him. And he was addicting to watch. She’d spent entirely too much time sneaking peeks at him in the bookstore. It was so middle school, but she did love when he caught her looking.
It amazed her how her feelings for him were as strong, if not stronger, as when they were younger. There was something settled now, mature. She never expected it, but it was there, surrounding her, comforting her from the inside out. Her doubt made little sense, and she wondered, was she doubting him, or herself?
The shadow of a beard covered his jaw, and not knowing what made her do it, she reached out when they were waiting at a light, and gently touched his face. His skin was warm, rough with heat, much like his gaze. His eyes stayed on her as he leaned into her hand. The intimacy of the touch, the connection, took her breath away.
The truth of what they meant to each other hit her like water from a dam burst. It was hard and fast, a tsunami of realization. Jane was in love with him. Now, then…it had always been Danny.
They roamed the tree lot first, but none of the precut trees looked right.
“Are you seeing anything? They all seem too big or too small for your living room.”
“No, but I can always go smaller. That’s not the end of the world.”
Danny didn’t seem satisfied with that option, based on the way he examined one very large tree.
“That one is too big,” she said. “Later I’ll tell you about the time my Uncle Joe took Tara out to cut down a tree, and he got one that was so big it filled half the living room. And bent over at the top. It was enormous.”
“Your uncle is a character. He didn’t notice it was gigantic?”
“Well, according to Tara, who was around eight at the time, ‘It didn’t look that big next to the sky.’”
Danny blinked twice, staring at her with an expression she couldn’t read. “Well, there you go,” he said. “I guess it wouldn’t.”
“I said the same thing.”
“So, a cautionary tale.” He looked up at the very large spruce next to him and made a decision. “Hmm. Hang on.” She watched him walk over to the little hut where everyone who worked at the lot was gathered. One of the older men stepped into the little wooden shack and came out with a saw. Danny returned to her quickly, his long stride covering a lot of ground quickly. “Okay, let’s go.”
“Go where?”
“Well, I don’t usually carry around a bow saw,” he said holding up the tool. “Let’s go find a tree.”
There were at least a hundred uncut trees to pick from, but it didn’t take long to narrow their search. Knowing she wanted one that was about seven feet tall for her front room, they came upon a group of trees that appeared to be just the right size.
“These look perfect,” she said. The small cluster must have been planted at the same time as they were all similarly sized. Some were more dense, some fatter, others more conical in shape.