5. Ashley #2
“Not really,” Ash said. “I grew up in this house. I’m not going to sit around while everyone else decorates it. Grandma Lily sure as hell wouldn’t have.”
Ms. Porter sniffed. “I, for one, welcome the help. Those stairs are no joke, and I’m not as spry as I once was, right, Hawthorne?”
“I am still plenty spry, Ms. Porter. I can assure you that.”
Tiny cleared her throat. “Great. You can help me move the sacks of sugar from the pantry later then, Mr. Hawthorne.”
“I’m sure Bobby will be more than happy to help you, Miss Destiny.”
Ashley rolled up her sleeves, took a big sip of her hot chocolate before placing it on the counter. “Then it’s settled. I’m helping with the garland.”
“Once the cookies are out of the oven, I’ll bring them up to you,” Tiny said.
“That would be much appreciated. I’m sorry I’m cutting our time short.”
Tiny waved her off. “I’m perfectly fine with my dough.”
If Ash was going to be stuck in the house, at least she could feel productive, and maybe, just maybe, seeing the old decorations would ignite something inside her that had been missing for far too many Christmases.
The garland was hung with the help of the stable master’s assistant and Celia, the parlor maid. It proved to be too much for just Ash and Celia, and it was nice to meet another new person who worked on the estate and only had nice things to say.
Her grandfather was a lot of things and caused a lot of rifts within the family, but at the end of the day, he treated his staff well, and it showed in their dispositions.
Ash stepped back to admire their handiwork. The garland draped elegantly along the banister, twinkling white lights nestled between red velvet ribbons and gold pinecones.
Celia wiped a hand across her forehead and joined Ash. “Looks beautiful, Miss Ashley.”
Bobby gave a nod. “It could rival The Plaza.”
“Like you’ve ever been to The Plaza,” Celia said, but there was a hint of humor in her tone.
“No, but someday I will.”
Ashley thought about how many times she’d been to The Plaza and how she had taken it for granted.
“You’ll love it,” Ashley said, thinking about how she could convince her grandfather to send the boy for a day.
“It’s just how your grandmother liked it.” The voice froze Ashley in place. She knew she was bound to bump into Carter again—he was Grandpa’s right-hand man after all—but she didn’t expect him so soon after their last interaction.
She didn’t look toward him, but she didn’t have to.
He joined her, standing beside her, his heat invading her space.
His finger brushed hers, and she snapped her hand away, stepping away from him.
She forced a smile, trying to ignore those blue eyes that laser focused on her.
“It looks great, but we are far from done.” She clapped her hands together.
“We still have to hang the garland from all the main fireplaces and set up and decorate the trees.”
“We don’t have trees yet,” Carter said.
“Why not?”
“Your grandfather didn’t want to assume you would all show, so he held off on allowing me to order them.”
“We can’t have Christmas without a Christmas tree.”
“Tomorrow I’ll go to the tree farm and ask them to deliver two ten-footers.”
“Absolutely not.” Ashley stepped away and found where Hawthorne had hung her coat. She took it off the hook and pulled it on.
“What the hell are you doing?” Carter asked.
“This house is surrounded by ten acres of woods. I’m sure there is not one but two perfect trees just outside.”
“You want to cut down a tree?” Carter’s laugh only made her more determined.
“Yes.”
“You don’t know the first thing about cutting down a tree.”
“How do you know?”
He eyed her, those damn blue eyes sparkling with amusement. “Because I know you.”
“Not anymore, you don’t,” she said, the admission settling heavily between them.
Something flashed in his eyes, his jaw clenched and ticked, but he inhaled, replacing the tension with a boyish charm she knew all too well. “You’re going to tell me you became a lumberjack in the last eight years.”
“Maybe I dated one,” she tossed back, unable to resist the jab. She crossed her arms over her chest, refusing to look away. Carter’s smile faded, replaced by something darker and more intense. He stepped toward her, closing the gap between them.
She wanted to shove him away. She wanted him to kiss her. She wasn’t sure which urge would win.
“You’re right. I don’t know who you are anymore. But the woman I used to know hated getting her hands dirty. And the woods are knee-deep in snow, and it’s starting to get dark.”
“Good thing for me, the woman I am now doesn’t care about the snow or the dark.”
He huffed out a humorless laugh. “Ash, this isn’t some Hallmark Christmas movie. You’re going to freeze your ass off, and your designer boots won’t survive five minutes out there.”
She zipped her coat with a sharp tug. “I guess we’ll find out, won’t we?”
Carter mumbled under his breath, then reached past her and grabbed a coat, shoving his oversized body into it. “Fine. But if you’re hellbent on chopping down a tree, you’re not going by yourself.”
“I don’t remember inviting you.”
“Tough shit.” He wrapped a scarf around his neck. “You think I’m going to let you go into those woods with an axe alone? You’re out of your damn mind.”
She met his glare. “I don’t need your protection.”
His gaze flashed with even more intensity. “Too bad. You walk out that door, I’m going with you. So either hang up your damn coat and wait until morning, or be the spoiled brat you’ve always been and risk the two of us getting frostbite.”
“Spoiled brat?” she scoffed.
He leaned in, heat radiating off him in a way she couldn’t ignore. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but it was you who made me get a ladder at two am to fix the tree topper because it was crooked.”
“That’s not being spoiled. That’s making sure everything is perfect for Christmas morning.”
“If that’s what you want to call it.”
She huffed and stormed past him, grabbing the door and flinging it open. A blast of icy wind swept into the hall, rattling the velvet bows and garlands. Ash wanted to be stubborn and march out into the night, but the sun had completely set, and that wind bit right to the bone.
“Are you trying to destroy the garland you spent all day hanging?” Carter asked.
With a roll of her eyes, she slammed the door shut. “Fine. We’ll wait for morning.”