Page 62 of My Kind of Christmas (The Christmas Tree Ranch 1)

“I’ll be there, come hell or high water,” he said.

She could see him in her rearview mirror, standing by the gate to watch her drive away. Everything was good, Maggie told herself. The Christmas tree business was growing; she had a solid backup plan for the parade; and there was reason to hope that Travis and his father might reconcile. Tomorrow night, she and Travis would get some serious time to snuggle and talk.

She had every reason to be over the moon. So why did she have this sense of a looming shadow that was about to change everything?

Chapter 15

On Sunday, Travis and his partners worked all day, trimming new trees, cutting most of them, and hauling them to the front yard for the late buyers. After darkness put a stop to their work, they sat around the kitchen table and took stock of their earnings.

So far, they’d sold 135 trees. At $30 each for most of them and $40 for the custom cuts, plus the money from the sleigh rides, the total, minus expenses, was only a few thousand dollars, far short of the rosy picture they’d imagined when they’d started.

“Well, at least we won’t starve,” Conner said.

; “And I’ll know better than to buy a fancy truck,” Travis added. “But there must be some way we can make more money.”

“The season isn’t over.” Conner drained the last of his beer. “We should have another good week, at least, especially with the trees in Hank’s lot getting dry. But we can’t run the sleigh without snow. That’ll cut down our profits. Didn’t you say you have an old hay wagon, Travis?”

Travis nodded. “It’s out behind the barn. But the wagon’s too wide for that back road to the trees. If we did hayrides, we’d need someplace to go. But it’s a thought. Let’s keep it in mind. Meanwhile, with enough snow, we could keep doing sleigh rides all through the holidays. What we really need is another big storm.”

“What I need right now is a good night’s sleep.” Rush stood up and yawned. “I’ll see you two in the morning.” He tossed his beer can in the recycle bin and wandered off down the hall.

“Guess I’ll turn in, too,” Conner said. “It’s early yet, but I’m beat.”

“Then I hope you won’t mind if I take your Jeep to town,” Travis said.

Conner grinned. “So I guess you and Maggie are back on good terms. Sure. Take the Jeep, and don’t you dare hurry back.”

* * *

Travis whistled a tune as he washed the sawdust out of his hair and buttoned on a clean flannel shirt. He wouldn’t make it to Maggie’s until well after 9:00. Since they both had to work tomorrow, he wouldn’t plan to stay more than an hour or two. But even the thought of holding Maggie in his arms in front of a cheerful fire was enough to warm his chilled bones.

In high spirits, he put on his coat, let Bucket inside for the night, and went out to the Jeep.

The night was clear, the stars like pinpoints of ice against a black sky. The road was bumpy with frozen slush, but the highway was dry. Coming up on his right was Hank’s Hardware. Strings of Christmas lights still glowed around the tree lot, but there were no cars outside the wire fence.

Slowing down, Travis caught sight of Hank walking alone between the rows. With his head down, his leg dragging wearily, he appeared to be counting his unsold trees.

He looked so lonely and forlorn that Travis was almost tempted to pull off the road, get out of the Jeep, and go to his father. But no, he’d only start another quarrel, he told himself. Besides, he and Maggie had set aside this time to be together, and he’d already kept her waiting long enough. Eyes on the road, he kept on driving, past the Shop Mart and on into town.

Maggie’s porch light was on, and there was a faint glow in her living room window. He parked on the street and strode up the walk to the front door. Not wanting to startle her, he gave a light tap instead of ringing the bell.

As if she’d been waiting right there, she opened the door at once, pulled him inside, and melted into his arms. “I was afraid you weren’t coming,” she murmured between kisses.

“Nothing could have kept me away.” He breathed her in, filled his senses with her sweet fragrance. “It’s been a long day. I’m dead on my feet. What do you say we sit down?”

She took his coat and led him to the sofa. He sank into the soft cushions with Maggie nestled against his side. The fire in the fireplace had burned down to glowing coals, but the warmth was still inviting. There were snacks on the table—chips and dip, cheese and crackers. But he was too tired to eat them. All he wanted was to hold her.

They talked for a while, small talk interspersed with kisses. Little by little, his mind began to blur. His eyelids grew heavy, and he drifted off in her arms.

* * *

“Hey, sleepyhead.” She woke him with kisses. “It’s after eleven. We need to get you on the road.”

Travis groaned and opened his eyes. The fire was out, the room dark and cooling. “Sorry,” he muttered. “I didn’t come here to fall asleep.”

“It’s all right. I know you’re tired.”