“Good.” He jumps from the car and I get out, snow crunching beneath my boots. He’s smiling like a big kid, and I can’t help but think he’s up to something. He turns me and points to the horse-drawn sleigh ride, and I grin.
“Are we doing that?” Excitement moves through me. I’ve always wanted to take the sleigh ride, but Jon and I always seemed to miss it when we visited. Our timing was never right. Brody nods. “Are you going to be warm enough?”
He points to his head. “Uh, hat. Ain’t no heat getting through that pompom. I’d wear this under my helmet if Coach let me.”
I laugh and whack his stomach. I do love his sense of humor and no one has made me laugh, made me feel young and happy and feminine in a very long time. We head toward the horse, and Brody speaks with the driver for a second. He helps me into the seat, and I look behind us. “Where is everyone?”
“Just us.”
I eye him, and angle my head. “You planned this for just us?”
“Still hate surprises?” he asks, and my gaze drops to his mouth, wanting to kiss him again.
“As a general rule, yes, but you did good.”
“I’m such a great boyfriend. Do you have any idea how lucky you are?”
I laugh again. “Maybe you’re the lucky one.”
“You’re right. You’re a catch. My catch.” I eye him and he shrugs. “For the next few days anyway,” he clarifies and reminds me that this fake relationship comes with an expiry date, which I hadn’t forgotten.
I settle next to him, my insides a squishy mess as he grabs the blanket to cover us. I breathe in the night air and stare at the star-studded sky as the horse takes us down the snowy road.
I turn to Brody. “I’ve always wanted to do this.”
“Why haven’t you?”
I shrug. “I don’t know. I guess I just never got around to it, and it’s more for families and couples. I mean, I have friends here…I just probably wouldn’t ask them to do this.”
“What else do you want to do that you haven’t done yet?”
Honestly, there are so many things for couples to do in this town, I have no idea where to begin.
“Wait,” he says. “Don’t tell me. I’d rather figure it out on my own.”
I grin up at him as the horse trots along, and we both go quiet, enjoying nature and the night sky. Soon enough, the horse slows and I sit up a little straighter and glance around. I spot Liam in the tree lot.
“So this was all about getting you a tree.”
He grins at me. “Maybe it’s about getting you a tree.”
“Hey, I thought the tree was about you.” I poke him and he snatches up my hand.
“It is, and you and Miss Mabel. I was thinking we could get a Douglas fir.”
I stare at him for a moment, incredulously. Has he been asking around about me? “How did you know Douglas fir was my favorite?”
“I didn’t. It’s my favorite.”
Not sure if I believe him or not—but why on earth would he lie about that?—I stand. “Come on. Let’s go find a tree.”
“Can we get one with the down swept branches?”
“Is there any other kind?” I ask. Okay, he for sure has been asking around. There is no way we have the exact same taste in Christmas trees.
He jumps up, and how can I not smile at his enthusiasm? It’s contagious and warming, and fills me with life and laughter. With a kind of grace I could only hope for, he hops from the carriage and I’m about to do the same when he puts his hands on my waist and helps me down. I land on my feet, my body flush with his and I stand there breathless for a moment. His head dips and my throat goes dry. Seconds pass, but it feels more like minutes.
I turn and catch a few people watching us. “Ah, we should… ah…tree.”