Santa's Sweetheart (The Christmas Tree Ranch #4)(13)
The Christmas tree lot was thirty minutes away, set up in a field between Branding Iron and Cottonwood Springs. With the heater blasting warmth, Sam had tuned the radio to a station that played Christmas music—another sign that he was finally getting some holiday spirit.
Humming along to “The Little Drummer Boy,” she gazed out the window at the farms and ranches that separated Branding Iron from Cottonwood Springs, which had a mall with movie theaters, a hospital, and a big-box ShopMart. By now the sun was going down, casting a glow like burning coals against the sooty clouds. The Christmas tree lot would be glowing with lights strung between the high fence poles. The air would smell of fresh evergreens, and happy families would be strolling between the rows of cut trees.
Maggie remembered last year, missing her mother and being sent off to her grandparents’ for the holidays because her father was too brokenhearted to celebrate. It had been the saddest time of her life, and Sam’s. That was why she’d promised herself that this Christmas would be different. She would do everything she could to make it a happy time.
Chapter Four
This had been the wrong decision, Grace scolded herself as she followed Maggie down one more row of trees. The little girl was so excited, grabbing her hand, tugging her this way and that—behavior that Grace would never have tolerated in class.
“What about this one, Miss Chapman—no, wait, here’s a prettier one.” She darted back and forth like a little bird, adorable in her happiness. It was all Grace could do to keep from reaching down and hugging her. But teachers had their rules, even outside the classroom. Too much familiarity tonight could become tomorrow’s problem.
“Thanks for coming along tonight.” Sam stood behind her, watching. “I know you might have better things to do, but you’ve made a little girl happy. She’s taken quite a shine to you.”
That’s just the problem. Grace kept the words to herself. She needed to put the brakes on what was happening, but now wasn’t the right time, not while Maggie was having so much fun.
“Do you need me to rein her in?” he asked. “We could be here all night.”
“Let’s give her time, maybe nudge her along if she doesn’t choose a classroom tree soon. Then you’ll still need a tree for your house.”
“Don’t worry. I’ve already narrowed the choice down to three trees. She can choose one.”
“Smart thinking.” She turned and looked up at him. Big Sam. His height and broad-shouldered bulk made her feel almost petite. His eyes reflected the glow of the Christmas lights, and his smile showed a dimple in his left cheek. This was a man she could fall in love with, Grace thought. But she’d been in love before and she knew how the story would end. She didn’t need any more wreckage in her life. Neither did Sam, and neither did his vulnerable little girl. When he took her home tonight, she would shut this attraction down—for good.
“I found it!” The happy shout from Maggie broke into Grace’s thoughts. “Come see, Miss Chapman! It’s the perfect tree!”
And so it was—full and bushy, with a nice even shape, but not too big for the classroom. With a breath of relief, Grace seized the trunk to carry the tree up to the cash register. It was heavier than it looked.
“I’ll take that for you.” Sam lifted the tree out of her hands, as if it weighed nothing, and carried it to the checkout table. Grace followed, her credit card in hand. She thrust it at the woman behind the table in time to make sure that Sam wouldn’t offer to pay. That would be like him, and she didn’t want to feel obligated.
Leaving the tree by the gate with a SOLD tag on it, Grace followed Sam back into the lot. With luck, Maggie would choose one of the trees her father had picked out. Then they could buy the winner, load the trees, and head home to Branding Iron.
By now, more families were arriving to buy their trees. Children raced up and down the rows, laughing. Fresh pine scented the cold night air. The first snowflakes of the arriving storm were drifting out of the dark sky.
Maggie had gone on ahead. When Grace and Sam found her, she was clinging to a large, lopsided tree with a scraggly top. “I want this one, Daddy,” she said.
Sam looked the tree up and down, shaking his head. “Maggie, I’ve picked out three nice trees. You can choose the one you like best. This one is . . . ugly.”
“I know.” She clung to the tree, its needles jabbing her cheek. “Don’t you see? Nobody else will want it. It’ll be left alone in the lot, and it will be so sad.”
Sam sighed. “Maggie, it’s a tree.”
“Please, Daddy.” Tears glimmered in Maggie’s eyes. “We can take it home and make it look pretty.”
Grace watched the emotions flow across Sam’s face—exasperation, patience, and yes, love. Even before he spoke, she knew what he would do.
“All right, Maggie,” he said. “If this is the tree you want, it’s the one we’ll get.” He glanced at the tag. Since the trees were priced by the foot, this gangly specimen was bound to be expensive. But Sam, to his credit, didn’t flinch. Grace couldn’t help liking him for that. In fact, she found herself liking this strong, gentle lawman more and more—not a good thing, in her case.
Sam paid the cashier, carried both trees out to the Jeep, and put them in the back. Maggie followed him, dancing along through the lightly blowing snow.