Chapter 11
11
"We’re cutting down a tree?" Frankie asked, slinging her camera around her neck as she hopped out of the truck, excitement mingled with curiosity in her tone.
"We’re cutting down several," Joe replied, grabbing a hand saw from the bed of the truck. He turned to Frankie, holding out a second saw for her.
"Oh. We," she echoed, catching on quickly as she took the saw from him.
"You wanted to shadow me — this is what I’m doing this morning," Joe explained, a hint of a challenge in his voice.
"Okay," Frankie agreed, though her eyes widened slightly as she opened the truck door and placed her camera inside. "How many trees are several ?"
"A few dozen," Joe answered matter-of-factly.
"Oh wow. Okay," Frankie said, trying to mask her surprise. "I’ll get right on that. Any... preferences? Size? Girth? What am I looking for?"
"Just make sure they’re all around the same size and nice. Something you’d put in your own house," Joe instructed, already moving toward the first tree with a practiced eye.
"Nice. That’s helpful," Frankie muttered playfully, wandering along the first row of trees and sizing them up. "Are we selling these? Are you operating as a Christmas tree farm now?"
Joe shook his head, already bending to cut the first tree. "No. Our trees are for our guests and the family."
"I thought the guests came out on the wagon to pick their own?" Frankie asked, following his lead but still puzzled.
"They do," Joe replied, focusing on his work.
"Then?" Frankie prompted, still waiting for the puzzle pieces to fall into place.
"These are going to town," Joe clarified as the first tree fell with a soft thud.
"For...?" Frankie pressed, not quite seeing the whole picture yet.
"Each business on Main Street decorates one outside. They light all the trees together with the big tree lighting at town square," Joe explained, a note of pride in his voice.
"You’re idea?" Frankie asked, admiration creeping into her tone as she grabbed one end of the tree, helping Joe haul it to the trailer.
Joe nodded. "People vote on their favorite tree, which enters them to win a stay at Christmas Inn."
"That must be new," Frankie remarked as they walked back to the row of trees.
"Not that new — you’ve just been gone for a while," Joe replied, giving her a sidelong glance.
"I guess I didn’t realize how long," Frankie admitted, a hint of nostalgia creeping into her voice.
"What — five years? Give or take?" Joe asked though it was clear he already knew the answer.
"I guess you’re right. Not that you’re keeping track or anything," Frankie teased, though she knew it wasn’t far from the truth.
"You were last here the same Christmas as my brothers were last here — pretty easy to recall," Joe said, his tone slightly more serious now.
"Ah. So that’s why you want out of here," Frankie speculated, stopping in front of another tree.
Joe sighed, pausing for a moment before replying, "I want out of here to build something of my own. Pursue my own dreams. With my grandfather gone now, what’s really keeping me here?"
"The town. The people. Abe," Frankie suggested, her voice gentle as she watched him.
"Abe is ready to retire. He’s only hanging on because of me. If I let go, he can too," Joe responded, his voice filled with the weight of his decision.
"Or, because he genuinely loves you and the boys and wants what’s best for you," Frankie countered, bending down to start sawing through a tree trunk.
"Which isn’t this anymore," Joe said, pointing to the tree she was cutting. "You’re up."
Frankie began to saw, glancing over at Joe. "But it’s all you ever wanted — to carry on the family legacy. To build on it, and you’ve done that."
"And now I’m done. And that wasn’t all I ever wanted. I wanted more," Joe confessed, cutting through the tree beside hers.
"But Christmas..." Frankie began, hesitating as she tried to wrap her mind around his words.
"Has become just another day for me. One I have to look at with dollar signs and hope it’s enough to get all of us to next season," Joe said, the weariness in his voice evident.
"You mean the town, too," Frankie noted, realizing just how much pressure he was under.
"The town, my brothers, Abe..." Joe trailed off as his tree fell to the ground.
"That’s a lot of weight to carry," Frankie acknowledged, her own tree toppling over with a sense of finality.
"Right. Which is why bringing in a corporate buyer who has the means to not only keep up with the demand but the ability to grow it beyond what the town and I have been able to do is ideal," Joe explained, dragging his tree toward the trailer.
Frankie followed suit, grabbing her tree and wrestling to pull it along. "Would that put the joy back in Christmas for you?"
"Let’s get these to town. Glass blowing starts in a few hours at the ranch," Joe deflected, avoiding the question as he loaded the tree onto the trailer.
"Okay. Wait. Glass blowing?” Frankie repeated, her curiosity piqued once again as she hauled her tree after him. “At the ranch?"