Chapter Thirteen
brENT
The Cranberry Pines Christmas Tree Farm was more charming than Brent could have imagined.
He stepped out of his truck and clasped his hands behind his back.
Fresh evergreens dotted the white blanket, glistening under the morning sun.
He breathed in the scent of fresh balsam fir and felt his muscles loosen.
The snow was completely untouched throughout the scenic acres of winter’s impressive display.
He’d been thrilled to get Clara’s text, and he couldn’t imagine a better time to be there than a perfect winter morning.
It looked like they had the place to themselves, along with the first pick of the day from the wide selection of trees.
The only sounds were the soft whistle of a light wind and a tractor off in the distance.
Brent beamed, enjoying the results of all that waiting finally coming to fruition.
It was the first item on his checklist to celebrate their Christmas together.
He had dreamed about this moment for twelve months.
The air was crisp. The sky was clear. The fresh snow shimmered.
It would be the perfect date. Aside from the fact that it had been delayed a year, everything was going according to his plan. Better than his plan.
Brent held his breath, more nervous than he’d realized.
He jogged over to Clara’s side of the truck to open her door for her.
She seemed to remember that he liked doing that instead of hopping out like she had when they’d first started dating.
He knew some would say it was an outdated practice.
Still, he loved that she seemed to appreciate the chivalry behind the gesture.
He had no idea what to expect from her mood today.
Had she adjusted yet? He’d spent the entire drive to her house stewing over how this date would go.
He crossed his fingers that she’d be more comfortable around him today.
Now that she’d had the night to herself to process the proposal, Brent was hopeful they could get back to normal—whatever normal was for them.
It almost felt as if he was on a first date again—back when he never knew what to expect from a woman. He supposed it was sort of like a first date again. He couldn’t shake the uncomfortable feeling that it seemed like they were starting all over.
He thought back to their actual first date in the lounge of the Darlington Hotel.
He’d struggled a bit with the small talk initially, as he often did when he was nervous.
Still, there was a gentleness behind Clara’s eyes that had made him grow comfortable with her very quickly.
That date turned into one of the easiest conversations of his life.
Remembering this now caused his shoulders to lighten.
Brent knew he needed to get over this insecurity about her awkward reaction to the proposal.
Besides, Will was right. It would be unreasonable to expect a seamless transition, wouldn’t it?
He just needed to be patient while she got used to being around him again.
With his favorite handsaw tucked under one arm, Brent offered his other hand to Clara as she stepped out of the truck.
She placed her hand into his, and he instantly regretted the bulky gloves he’d worn.
After not getting to touch her for a year, he wasn’t going to waste an opportunity to have the feel of her skin on his.
He pulled his hand back to slip off his gloves.
He stuck them in his coat pocket, then held out his hand again.
She looked up at him. Her soft palm molded perfectly into his.
He gave it a squeeze before intertwining their fingers together.
A slow smile spread across her face as her familiar blue eyes held his gaze.
Brent felt his heart skip a beat. He brushed her cheek with his thumb.
Maybe he had been worrying too much. This was still Clara, the girl he had become so close to, not some random first date.
They walked into the farm together, holding hands.
The entrance was flanked by two fully decorated trees and connected by an archway of lighted greenery.
Clara pulled out her phone to take a selfie of the two of them.
He smiled for the camera, his arm around her.
With her puffy white coat and matching knit hat with a pom-pom on top, Clara looked like a perfect snowflake, pretty and unique.
She suddenly leaned in closer and surprised him with a kiss on the cheek for a picture-perfect moment.
He laughed. Yes, everything was looking better this morning.
None of the brutal awkwardness from the day before seemed to linger between them.
She already seemed more comfortable and more enthusiastic today.
Simply an adjustment, he reminded himself again.
Brent took some time to appreciate the moment.
He was struck with a sudden sense of tranquility, and it seemed to him that she felt it too.
He watched her as she took in the snowy solitude with a peaceful smile on her face.
It felt as if they were the only two people on Earth, alone in a vast wilderness of beauty—a paradise.
If only their relationship could have remained in such an unspoiled state without the complications of a deployment imposed on it so early on.
Clara’s eye landed on his, and she smiled, realizing he’d been watching her. He gently took her chin into his hand and gazed upon her face. He leaned in and gave her a soft kiss on the lips. His entire body shivered. He pulled back to gauge her reaction. She smiled up at him.
Brent pulled her in again, and she stepped up onto her toes.
Her mouth landed on his, and their bodies pressed against each other.
The kiss deepened. A soft wind blew; her hair smelled of cinnamon.
He closed his eyes and slowly breathed it in.
A year of longing was worth all of it for this one moment.
She pulled back, her hands still cupped around his head. “I’m so excited for Christmas,” she said. “I can already feel the magic in the air.”
He let his head fall backward, his eyes looking to the sky as he tried to catch his breath. “I’ll say.” He put his arm around her and pulled her close as he led her farther into the farm.
As he strolled with Clara through the scenic rows of trees, he forgot any feelings of distance between them. Everything felt right again. It was like last year, back when any time they’d been together felt blissful.
On second thought, it was better than that.
Being with Clara today felt as if he had finally come home again after a long journey.
Which made sense since that’s exactly what he’d done.
Strolling through the tree farm with her was all the assurance Brent needed that everything in their relationship was back under control—an assurance he had been desperate to have.
Clara stopped in front of a fluffy Douglas fir. “This is the one.”
“You sure?” He loved how quickly she could make a decision. It was a refreshing change from his—at times—paralysis by overanalysis. “You don’t want to take your time? Look around a little more?”
“Nope, this is the one.”
“Well, that was easy.”
She looked at him. “What do you think of it?”
He looked at the tree, walking around it to get a view from all angles. Brent could imagine it with the perfect addition perched right on top. That reminded him, the tree topper was probably still at his parents’ house. He’d need to get that back.
He pretended to be sizing it up, but he already knew the truth—if she loved it, he loved it. He looked right into her eyes and said exactly what he was thinking, although it wasn’t about the tree. “This is the one.”
“I knew it.” Clara clapped her hands together. “See, we’re perfectly in sync. Just like an engaged couple should be.”
Brent couldn’t help but wince at her words.
Were they in sync? He worried for a moment that she was trying to convince herself—or him, for that matter—that they were.
And there was something about the way she had said “should be” that made him feel a slight sting of judgment.
He brushed off the comment and squatted down to the trunk of the tree, his saw in hand.
He decided to lighten the mood a little. “Don’t worry. Once I get this tree cut down, I’ll shake it out.” Brent laughed. “And I’ll make sure to give it a full inspection before we bring it inside.” He looked up at her to see her reaction.
She was quiet, holding onto the tree to keep it upright while he cut. Maybe she hadn’t heard him.
Brent tried again. “I’ll make sure we get anything out of here that you don’t want—if you know what I mean.” He looked up at her with a wink.
Clara stood over him with a blank stare. “Like what?”
His eyes widened at her, still waiting for her to catch on. The confusion was written all over her face. She didn’t know what he was talking about. He let out a nervous laugh as he continued to saw.
“Timber.”
He was out of breath by the time he’d sawed his way through the thick trunk.
The tree was slow to tip over and they watched together as it fell with a thump to the snowy ground.
Brent looked over at Clara with a proud grin.
He decided to go for another attempt now they were standing on the same level.
“Crickets?” Brent nudged her arm.
“Crickets in a Christmas tree?” She laughed. “Is that a thing we should be worried about?”
His mouth opened in surprise. He wasn’t sure if she was playing around. He gave an anxious chuckle and shook his head. “Come on, let’s get this tree in the truck, and then we’ll go get some cider.”
She nodded, looking at the ground. Brent still couldn’t tell if she was kidding or not. He wasn’t exactly sure what was going on with her.