Christmas at Fireside Cabins - Jenny Hale Page 0,16
top of your car.”
“Maybe I’m considering buying some charitable donations,” she said, looking around the space pointedly before her eyes landed on him.
Theo shook his head and turned his attention back to his book, dismissing her suggestion. The girls erupted into giggles as they burst through the door and into the winter cold. Flakes of snow fluttered down around them, settling on Lila’s shoulders and in her hair.
“You’re so funny,” Piper said, squeezing her eyes shut with her laughter. “You’re gonna drive that man crazy. You’d better be nice to him. We’ve got a whole week here and I’d like to be able to get coffee,” she teased.
Lila laughed and got into the car. But as she pulled away, she looked through the glass door at Theo and found he was looking right back at her.
Five
“Wow, look at this place,” Charlotte said with raised eyebrows, as Lila pulled the car to a stop in the main lot of the tree farm and got out.
Christmas music played loudly over speakers. A brightly lit neon sign creating a festive archway into the farm flashed Merry Christmas in red cursive script. On either side of the sign were the biggest Christmas trees Lila had ever seen, dressed in white lights and towering above the backdrop of the snow-dotted expanses in the distance. The lot was lined with rows upon rows of perfect holiday trees.
Off to the side, separated by rail fencing, was the horses’ pasture. A white horse leaned over the fence, the bells around its neck jingling with its movement as it took carrots from a couple of kids, who were all bundled up and laughing with the attendant. The woman with them held a basket full of vegetables with a sign that said, Feed the horses. $2.
Opposite the horses was a wide stone patio, full of rocking chairs dressed in ribbon, and in the center a fire pit roared with life, people standing around it, some warming their hands while others held iron skewers dotted with marshmallows over the flames.
“I see our first stop,” Edie said, pointing to a barn-like structure, its greenery-draped doors open wide to reveal walls covered in wine bottles, with a small bar inside. The sign read, Winetasting! Kick back and sip a little Christmas. They walked over and entered the barn, the space heaters working overtime to keep them all warm. Written on an A-frame chalkboard was the message, Local Pinewood Hills Christmas wine available by the bottle.
“We should get some,” Lila suggested.
“Oh, fine. You’ve twisted my arm,” Charlotte kidded.
They all took a seat at the bar and the woman working came over to greet them. She smiled from under her rancher’s cowgirl hat.
“Welcome to the Pinewood Christmas Tree Farm. Would you like to sample or buy by the glass?”
“Why don’t we sample,” Lila suggested, consulting the others.
“That sounds like a great idea,” Piper told her, rubbing her thin stripey-mittened hands together.
The others agreed, so the woman behind the bar handed them a list of wines. “We do six different wines in our tasting box, so take your pick. They start with the lightest and sweetest at the top and get darker and bolder as the list goes on. I’ll give y’all a second to look over the list. My name’s Tori if you need me.”
As they perused the options, Lila took in the festive decorations around her. The wine bottles on the walls had tiny sparkling red ribbons tied around them with bells at the ends. The tops of all the cases were draped in a fresh pine garland, the scent of spruce meandering through the floral and citrus aroma of the wine. This place just felt like Christmas.
“You know what we ought to do,” she suggested, causing the others to stop their wine-selection chatter. “We should get Eleanor a Christmas tree for her house.”
“Oh, I love that idea,” Piper said, leaning on her hand heavily, her elbow perched on the bar.
Charlotte set her menu down. “Did you see her almost tear up, talking about her husband?”
Lila nodded. The whole idea of decorating a tree for their new friend felt so right. Christmas could be a lonely time for people who were on their own. Lila certainly understood that. With her husband gone, Eleanor must feel so isolated.
“The problem is that the house needs a lot more than just a tree,” Edie cut in.
“Well, we can’t fix everything, but we can at least do something to lift her spirits,” Lila said.