Chapter 14
Ford
On Friday, I forced myself to walk Natasha to her door and say goodnight. I wasn't sure if she wanted me to go to her room, but I was determined to slow this thing down. I wanted to get to know the woman she was now and earn her trust.
It would be difficult since I'd let her down years ago. But I was hoping we could let go of the past and build something new.
On Saturday morning, I tiled my bathroom, focusing on spacing and not the woman I spent a nice evening with. I only answered her one text asking if we were still getting trees later. I didn't want her to wiggle out of it, so I replied that we were on as scheduled.
I told her I'd pick her up in my truck so we could haul two trees at once, one for my house and one for hers.
My house was mainly a work in progress and wasn't ready for any sort of decor, but it was an excuse to spend more time with Natasha.
And I wanted her to have a tree in her apartment.
It was the only available space in Mistletoe Inn that didn't have a tree.
Didn't people say that Christmas was the season of hope and giving? I wanted her to be thinking of the possibilities this holiday season, not how her life was barren and lonely.
I parked in the lot behind the inn and went to Coffee Dreams, grabbing a black coffee for me and a gingerbread latte for Natasha after asking Meg to make her favorite drink.
Then I walked through the front doors of the inn, finding Natasha sitting in the great room.
It was quiet at this time of the morning.
There wasn't even anyone working the counter yet.
Most guests were either still in their rooms or in the dining room, eating breakfast. A fire crackled in the large fireplace, and a tree took up the corner of the room with its red velvet bows and gold and white ornaments.
It was classy. A painting of the inn when there wasn't a Candy Cane Lane hung over the mantle.
The room was large yet still warm and inviting.
Natasha looked up from her phone when I walked in. "You got me a drink?"
"A gingerbread latte. Meg said it's—"
She held her hand out to accept the cup with a smile. "My favorite."
I was pleased that I could give her something that she wanted. It had been a long time since I'd known her well enough to meet her needs before she asked. I sat next to her on the couch. "Are you ready to get a tree?"
"As ready as I'll ever be." She stood, wearing a sweater, jeans, and boots. Her hair was down and her blue eyes bright. She fought me on doing these holiday outings, but I had a feeling she was enjoying them.
Was she hesitant to spend time with me, or was it tough to step away from work?
I had a feeling it was a little bit of both.
I wanted to remind her what it was like to live in a small town again.
Life wasn't all about work, even when you were just starting a business.
She needed to take time for herself, or she would eventually burn out.
I waited for her to don her coat, gloves, and hat. Then we walked out the back door that led to the lot. There were large trees in planters placed strategically throughout the lot giving it a festive feel. In Christmas Town, it was impossible to forget where you were.
In the cab, I turned up the heat. Holiday music played softly in the background. It was the perfect morning, sipping coffee in my truck while we headed toward a Christmas-tree farm. "I haven't cut down a tree since I was a teenager."
"How was that with your large family? Was it tough to agree on one?"
I chuckled. "We never agreed on anything. I think Mom and Dad ruled by majority, occasionally having to decide themselves. It wasn't a family outing if one or two kids weren't having an epic meltdown about something."
"I can't even imagine. Family events were quiet at my house."
"Mom used to complain that at least two boys were always wrestling throughout the day, and she was worried about us knocking things over. Eventually, we learned to take the roughhousing outside."
Natasha shifted in the seat so that she was facing me. "Is that something you still do?"
"I'd like to think we're mature now and wouldn't start rolling on the ground, pummeling each other." I smiled at her. "Although don't hold me to that."
Natasha's laughter filled the cab, and my heart swelled. I wanted to make her laugh more.
It was good to get her out of the inn. I had a feeling she never left the town itself. Everything she needed was there, and she could work twenty-four seven. It couldn't be healthy.
I told myself I was doing her a favor, and it had nothing to do with me wanting to spend more time with her. I wasn't sure what would happen once our holiday dates were over and things went back to normal. Would she be able to walk away from me?
I didn't want to think too far ahead. Right now, she was with me, and she seemed happy. That was enough.
We drove down the lane for the Christmas-tree farm where there was already a line of cars at the gate. I pulled up, gave the attendant my driver's license for the saw, and handed the map to Natasha. "Tell me where we're going."
She pointed at the map. "Park in this lot. There are larger Fraser firs across the lane."
"You want a big tree?" I asked when I saw the size estimates.
She shrugged. "If we're going to do this, we should do it right."
I appreciated her enthusiasm after being reluctant to come. I parked in the lot she indicated and fell in step along the side of the lane where a line of cars proceeded to the red barn and the precut lot.
Natasha nodded farther up the hill to another field. "Let's go to that one. There are less people, and the trees are supposed to be bigger."
I was on board with avoiding people.
Natasha frowned when we reached the edge of the field of trees. "What's the criteria for finding a good tree?"
"Your inn is filled with trees, and you don't know anything about them?" I asked.
She shrugged. "We contract with a farm to provide them. I don't pick them myself."
I nodded. "That's a nice gig for the farm that gets it."
"We went with the farm the inn had always worked with. It was one less thing I had to worry about." Then she sighed. "It's an expensive endeavor, constantly changing out the trees."
"You could do fake ones," I said as we walked down a row of firs. A few had already been cut, but there were plenty to choose from.
"What's the fun in that? The guests want that evergreen smell."
I walked around one of the trees. "It's got a big hole."
Her nose pinched. "We have to find a perfect tree."
I shook my head, chuckling. "You weren't even going to put one up, now you want the biggest and the best."
She smiled. "Of course. Type-A personality. If you're going to do it, you might as well go big."
My lips twitched. "I guess that's why you bought a town and not just the inn."
"This one came as a package deal, but yes. That's what has me worried. Did we get in over our heads?"
I threw my arm over her shoulders and pulled her into my side. "You're not supposed to be talking about work. That's why we're here. To get your mind off it for a while."
She nodded. "You're right."
There was a moment when I thought she wanted me to kiss her but we were in the middle of a farm, and I'd vowed to take things slow.
Her gaze moved to the tree in front of us. "What about this one? It's tall."
I walked around it. "It's got several holes on the other side."
She trudged away. "Ugh. We're never going to find the perfect one."
"You have to be patient." I had a feeling Natasha was going a hundred miles an hour at all times. That's why she didn't bother slowing down to decorate her apartment. I wanted her to see what she'd been missing.
I wasn't in a hurry for this morning to be over. I knew as soon as we were back at the inn, she'd dive into work. I wondered if I should insist that we set it up and decorate it today. "Do you have ornaments for a tree?"
"I have my parents' stuff in storage."
"We should hit Clara's shop and get new ones." I didn't want her to be inundated with sad memories, and I didn't have any decorations.
Her eyes lit up. "That would be fun."
I relaxed, content that we'd spend the day together.
"What do you do when you're not at work?"
"I bought a fixer-upper. I'm working on the primary bathroom first."
She tipped her head to the side. "And you went with the bathroom, not the kitchen?"
"Yeah, that was what I wanted to start with."
She paused. "Do you have a picture of the house?"
I pulled out my phone and showed her a photo of the outside. I was proud of the white farmhouse. The previous owner had updated the siding so that it was placed vertically instead of horizontally, and the wrap around porch had been replaced with new wood and paint.
"Wow. That's gorgeous."
"The inside doesn't look as good, but it will when it's done."
She looked up at me. "How much property do you have?"
"A few acres. The original property attached to the farm was sectioned off and sold at different times but never to developers, thankfully."
"I can't wait to see it when it's done." She glanced up at me, her eyes bright with interest.
"You should come see it now, so you have a comparison," I said easily as if I didn't have an ulterior motive.
Her lips pursed. "That's not a bad idea."
"I'm full of good ones today." The more time we spent together, the more I realized I'd made a mistake by letting her go. I was going to be patient and do all the things I neglected to do during our first relationship.
"It will be satisfying to renovate the entire home to your preferences."
That made me pause because I'd bought it, thinking I'd share it with someone. I hoped it could be her, but I wasn't going to get ahead of myself.
Natasha stumbled, and I rushed to grab her before she fell on the ground. I pulled her against me.
She huffed out a laugh. "That was close."
"Good thing I was here." My tone was more serious.
She nodded, a little shaky.
I slowly let her go, and she moved to stand at my side, her hand curled around my elbow for support. I wanted to cover hers with mine, but I resisted. That was too much of a boyfriend move for this stage of our relationship.
I wanted to ease her into this, get her involved before she knew what was happening. I couldn't show my cards too soon. I didn't want to scare her away or prompt her to listen to all the doubts and fears that bubbled to the surface.
This time, I wasn't going anywhere.