Total pages in book: 18
Estimated words: 17853 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 89(@200wpm)___ 71(@250wpm)___ 60(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 17853 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 89(@200wpm)___ 71(@250wpm)___ 60(@300wpm)
“I won’t slide.”
“Are you always this stubborn?”
“When it comes to someone I care about? You bet your beautiful ass. Now, do as you’re told and hold on to me.”
She narrows her eyes, but resigns herself and loops her arm around my neck. I easily lift her and manage to carry her up the hill to the side of the truck.
“I apologize for parking so close to the edge,” I say as I open the door and set her safely inside the truck. “I know better than that.”
“Thank you.” She reaches out and cups my face in her snowy mitten. “It wasn’t your fault.”
I lean in to quickly kiss her, then hurry around to the driver’s side so I can get her home and check out that ankle.
“About what I said before,” she begins.
“You didn’t make me uncomfortable,” I interrupt. “In fact, it was the opposite. I hope you’ll be spending a lot of time out here with me, so to hear that you’re comfortable here is a relief. I was just surprised, that’s all.”
“Oh. Well, good.” She closes her eyes tightly as I maneuver us down the hill backward and get us turned around, headed back toward the cabin. Then she opens her eyes and begins to pour the hot chocolate.
“What are your plans for Christmas?”
Her face registers surprise, and then she chuckles. “I almost forgot that Christmas is in just a few days. Well, I usually spend it with my mom, so I’m sure that’s what I’ll do. We have dinner and exchange gifts. Don’t you spend it with your family?”
“Yeah. Mom makes a big spread, and we invite the ranch hands to join us. The ones who don’t have family here, anyway.”
“That’s nice,” she says with a smile. “I bet they appreciate that. Oh, I love this song.”
Cyndi Lauper’s “Time After Time” plays through the speakers, and Joy begins to sing along.
“You know,” she says, breaking off from the song. “I just realized that you don’t have a Christmas tree in the cabin.”
“No, I don’t.”
“Let’s get one.”
I glance over at her. “Like, right now?”
“Yes, right now. You have plenty of trees on this property. You need one.”
“I don’t have any decorations.”
“Do you have popcorn?”
“Yes.”
“Then you have decorations. Come on, it’ll be fun.”
It turns out, there isn’t much I wouldn’t do for this woman.
“You’re in luck,” I tell her as I start to scan the area for a tree small enough. “I happen to have a saw in the truck.”
“You’re handy,” she says with a grin and sips her hot chocolate while she rolls her foot around, obviously checking out her ankle. “And you might make the best hot chocolate I’ve ever had in my life.”
“Good, maybe you’ll stick around just for that.”
“That,” she says, “and the sex. The sex is damn good.”
I grin at her, and at just the mention of sex with Joy, my cock immediately takes notice.
“That one,” Joy announces, pointing to a tree just off the road. “That’s the perfect Christmas tree.”
“Way too big,” I reply, shaking my head. “That sucker is at least fifteen feet tall.”
“No way,” she says, but keeps scanning. “Okay, how about that one?”
“That could work.” I stop the truck, put it into park, and grab the saw from behind the seat. “You stay here where it’s warm.”
“That was my plan, cowboy,” she says, batting her eyelashes at me, and I can’t help but laugh.
She’s funny as hell.
Trudging through the snow, I wiggle my wet gloves back onto my hands and then get to work, cutting down the small evergreen tree. After I shake the snow off of it, I drag it back to the truck and get it into the back, stow the saw away, and join her in the truck once more.
“That was remarkably fast.”
“Not my first Christmas tree,” I inform her as I put the truck back in drive and head toward the cabin. “I can’t believe you talked me into this.”
“I can’t believe you don’t have a Christmas tree,” she replies. “I bet your mom has some extra decorations that she’d let you use.”
“Why don’t you go ask her?” I raise an eyebrow at her, and she just narrows her eyes at me, making me laugh again. “Okay, I’ll call her when we get home.”
“Good.” She drinks her chocolate, holding it in both hands. “This is fun.”
“I don’t need this much,” I insist, staring at the huge box my mother just shoved into my arms. “It’s a small tree, Mom.”
“But this way, you can pick and choose what you want to use,” she says. “I take it you and Joy are having a good time?”
“I’m leaving now.” I turn to the door, and Mom tugs on my arm, stopping me.
“I didn’t ask for specifics,” she reminds me. “I just want to know if you’re enjoying yourself.”
“Of course, I am. I haven’t taken her home, have I?”