by Annie Rains
“Well, you said we have no time to waste, so…” She held out a piece of paper.
He took it and scanned over the items.
“I was on Pinterest half the night looking at various Christmas trees you can make. There are so many different types. I think offering a simple selection for people to choose from will be best. Wire is very easy but if people want to create a tree out of something different, we can do that too.” Joy stepped inside the kitchen and walked over to the island where she plopped down on a stool.
Granger guessed they were going to have an impromptu meeting. “Would you like some sweet tea?”
“I’d love some.” She hopped up and went to get her own glass. Then she opened the fridge and pulled out the pitcher. He guessed she knew how to make herself feel at home at this point. “I’m thinking I’ll need to premake a few models for people to get ideas from. Then folks can decide on what they want and use the materials available—wire, lights, rope, garland—and make it their own.”
Granger nodded.
“Or folks can bring their own materials if they want. We might even offer one or two classes for ornaments to hang on the trees. That’s something that adults and kids can do together.”
“I like that idea. You might find yourself pretty busy over the holidays. Will your parents be okay with that?”
Joy huffed. “They’ve always been busy over the holidays. If you’re not busy, something is wrong with you. Or me, in their minds. They’ll be over the moon that I’m working, even if it is on art stuff.”
Granger turned his attention back to the list. “I’ll get this stuff tonight. It’ll be here waiting for you on Monday. But you’ll be watching the kids so I’m not sure when you’ll get started.”
“Actually, when you get the wire tomato cages, can you drop them by my town house? I’ll work on a few model trees at night. It’s just me and Chelsea. I’ll have to find a way to keep her off them.”
Granger nodded. “Sure. I can drop them by this evening. Mom will have the girls.”
“Great.”
Granger wasn’t sure if being alone with Joy again was a good idea, considering what had happened last time. Then again, he was alone with her right now, and they were keeping their hands and lips to themselves. Just thinking about it made his gaze drop to her mouth.
“You’re thinking about it again,” she said softly.
“About what?”
She narrowed her eyes as one corner of her mouth kicked up. “The kiss.”
The kiss. It was just one but it was enough to cause an avalanche of tension.
“I’m trying not to—believe me.”
Her chest rose as she took a sharp intake of breath. “I am too. But when you’re looking at me that way, it’s impossible to forget about it.”
“So maybe we don’t have to fight it so hard. It happened, and that’s okay. We’re two single, lonely people.”
“I never said I was lonely,” Joy said.
Granger nodded. “Sorry. I guess that’s just me.”
Joy looked surprised. “How can you be lonely with those two girls around and parents who live on the same property?”
“You’d be surprised. A person can be lonely in a room with a hundred other people.” He swallowed as his heart suddenly ached. He didn’t think he needed Dr. Benson though. It was another Benson woman playing with his heart. “Or not lonely in a room with just one.”
He hadn’t meant that the way it’d sounded. Or he had but he shouldn’t have been so honest. There was too much on the line right now.
He pulled his gaze away and cleared his throat. “So your place tonight? I’ll deliver some materials, and you can get started.” He stepped back and headed toward the door. “I promise not to give your cat any reason to attack me tonight.”
“Right.” Joy walked past him. “Thank you in advance for getting the items on my list.”
“I’ll make sure I check it twice.”
Joy turned and smiled. “Sounds like you’re vying for the role of Santa this Christmas.”
“I don’t think so.” The only roles he was vying for were the ones he already had. Dad. Son. Tree farmer. And definitely not the role of a guy falling for the one woman he shouldn’t.
Chapter Nine
Joy didn’t like the feeling of waiting by the phone or the door. But that’s what she was doing, expecting a delivery of supplies from Granger tonight. He hadn’t given her a time, which meant she’d been expecting him at any moment for hours.
She glanced out the window once more and then returned to the kitchen where she was actually cooking tonight rather than having a dinner of cereal and milk.
Meow!
Joy’s gaze fell to Chelsea, who pawed at her shin. “Is your bowl empty?” One glance in that direction told Joy it was. “I’m sorry. I’ve been MIA. And I really have no business letting myself get distracted by him, do I?”
Chelsea’s eyes grew big as Joy spoke to her. Joy stirred the stew on the stove before heading over to refill Chelsea’s food and water bowls.
“I mean, he’s handsome, yes. And funny. And adorable with his girls.” Joy smiled to herself. She’d always found a man who was good with kids attractive. “But he’s a dad, and he has responsibilities. And I am really going to make my art gallery happen this year,” Joy told her cat. “And when I do, you’ll get to come with me to work every day.” She bent and poured the kibble into the bowl as Chelsea purred loudly.
The doorbell rang, and Joy nearly dumped the entire bag of food. She caught it in the nick of time and stood to go answer, doing a quick inhale and exhale to calm her nerves. Then she opened the door and smiled back at Granger.
“Special delivery. Sorry it took so long. Willow was being dramatic this afternoon.” He was wearing his signature jeans and long-sleeved T-shirt with the Merry Mountain Farms logo on the left side of his chest. Sometimes he accompanied the look with an unbuttoned flannel shirt that he seemed to have in almost every color. He also wore a ball cap with the Merry Mountain logo.
“That doesn’t sound good. What was Willow upset about?”
Granger lifted a large box of wire vegetable cages from where he’d set it at his feet and stepped over the threshold. “Her Christmas list,” he said, his voice strained under the weight of what he was carrying. “Where do you want me to set this down?” He glanced over his shoulder at Joy.
She pointed, and he headed in that direction. “Did Willow ask for too much?”
Granger set the box down in the corner of the room as she’d directed him and turned back. “It’s not about the expense. That was fine. But she asked Santa to deliver her mother this year.” He removed his ball cap and ran a hand through his hair. “I couldn’t just ignore that and let her think that Santa was going to deliver. So I had to sit her down and explain that Santa can’t do things like that.”
Joy’s heart broke for her little friend. “Poor thing. I’m guessing she took it badly?”
Granger choked out a humorless laugh. “That’s an understatement. Finally, my mom came over and worked her magic. There’s something about a woman’s touch, I guess.” His gaze held onto Joy’s, making her breath hitch. He was obviously thinking about the other night when she’d calmed Willow down after learning that Mrs. Townsend had retired. “Then I went to the home improvement store to get your list. Mom said she’ll stay until I get home and the girls fall asleep.”
“These supplies could’ve waited until tomorrow.” Joy followed Granger back outside to his truck where more supplies were waiting.
“We’re on a tight timeline. I want to keep my end of the deal.”
They both grabbed another box of supplies and headed inside.
“You can take the rest of the wire vegetable cages to your place. I just needed these basics to get started on a couple demos.”
“You’re going to make one tonight?” Granger asked.
“Yep. Right after I eat a bowl of vegetable beef stew.”
Grange
r glanced toward the kitchen. “Oh, is that what I’m smelling? I bet it’s going to be delicious.”
Joy hesitated. It’d be rude not to offer him a bowl when she had such a big pot. “Would you like some? I made more than enough. It’s my aunt Darby’s recipe. She used to make it for me when I was a kid, along with a special PB and J sandwich.”
Granger laughed. “Stew and a sandwich?”
“You’d be surprised at how well they complement each other. I know you probably need to head home and have dinner with the girls but you’re certainly welcome to stay.”
“Actually, they already ate without me. After the drama with the Christmas list, I needed to go ahead and get to the home improvement store. Mom fed them. Now they’re likely on the couch watching TV or playing a board game.”
Joy nodded. “Then it’s my duty to feed you, I guess. You missed your family dinner because of me.”
“Do I get a special PB and J too?” Granger asked.
Joy walked into the kitchen and stepped up to the stove to stir the pot, casting him a glance over her shoulder. “If you’re lucky.”
She reached into the cabinet and pulled out two bowls while Granger took a seat at her small kitchen table.
What was she doing inviting him for dinner? He could’ve grabbed fast food on the way home or had leftovers of whatever his mom had cooked the girls.
Her thoughts warred as she grabbed a loaf of bread and a mixing bowl for her aunt Darby’s special peanut butter and jelly mix. It’d been a favorite of hers as a kid. She spooned a large dollop of extra-creamy peanut butter into the mixing bowl and then an even bigger dollop of grape jelly before stirring it all together. That was the secret to the perfect PB&J. It took a little extra time, and Joy’s own mom would never make it that way. Only Darby would, and only for Joy.
A couple of minutes later, Joy slid a bowl of vegetable beef stew in front of Granger and one in the spot where she’d be sitting. “Here you are.” She returned to the counter and grabbed the sandwiches on their paper plates. Lastly, she placed two glasses of fruit-infused water on the table and sat down.
“Where’s your cat?” Granger asked, looking around. If she wasn’t mistaken, he looked a little nervous.
She giggled. “She was at her bowl when you arrived. She’s probably hiding somewhere, planning her next attack.”
Granger’s eyes grew a little wider as he looked at her. “Being attacked while eating hot stew could be dangerous.”
“You’re risking your well-being by having dinner with me tonight for sure,” Joy teased. She picked up her spoon, dipped it in the stew, and blew on the steaming broth. She was aware that Granger was watching her now, and suddenly the act of eating stew felt sensual.
Granger mirrored her actions, dipping his spoon and blowing on his stew as well. Then he tasted it. “Mmm. That’s…wow. That’s really good.”
Joy placed her spoon back in the bowl. “You sound surprised. You didn’t think I had domestic skills?”
Granger shook his head. “It’s not that. You’re a talented artist, and you’re great with kids. You can’t be wonderful at everything.”
She felt her cheeks growing warm, mostly because of the steam floating up from the stew but also because Granger had just given her a double compliment. She looked down into her bowl. “Well, I’m only good at a few dishes. I can’t cook a full Thanksgiving dinner or anything.”
Granger reached for his glass of water. “Will your mom cook for that?”
Joy laughed as she looked back up at him. “Oh, no. She has no domestic skills. She and my father will likely be working at the hospital that day. I usually stop in at Sugar Pines Community Center because that’s where my aunt Darby is, and I volunteer at the early lunch there. The food isn’t the best but the company couldn’t be finer.”
Granger nodded as he sipped.
“And what about you?” she asked.
“My mom runs the show on Thanksgiving. The girls and I contribute by making macaroni and cheese from scratch. We usually make a couple pies too. We have a midafternoon lunch so we’re all starving by the time the food is put on the table. We tend to overstuff ourselves and lie around in food comas afterward.”
Joy laughed. “Sounds fantastic.”
“It is.” Granger picked up his sandwich and took a bite, chewing and then swallowing. “Wow. I’ve never had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich like this.”
“It’s amazing how just mixing the PB and J changes the taste and texture, isn’t it?” Joy reached for hers as well.
“Have you done this for the girls yet?” Granger asked. “Because if you have, it’s no wonder they love you so much.”
Joy nodded as she chewed and swallowed. “They went nuts over it too. Especially Willow. She begged for me to share the secret with you.”
“I’m sure she did.”
“And now I have. Your sandwiches will never be the same.” Joy grew quiet as she ate her stew. Then, as if her mouth were possessed tonight, she said, “Since your mom is watching the girls, why don’t you stay and help me make the first Christmas tree for Merry Mountain Farms?”
It was the polite thing to do. Just like inviting Granger to stay for dinner. It was perfectly all right because she fully expected him to say no.
“I’m not that artsy,” he said with a little hesitation. “But okay.”
* * *
“This tree is pretty convincing so far,” Granger said, half an hour later. Under Joy’s instruction, he’d placed an upside-down wire tomato cage inside of a large plastic planter full of dry soil. They’d wrapped garland from the wide base up the conical structure, securing it with a zip tie at the top.
“So this is what our customers are going to do,” Joy told him. “It’s really easy.”
“And pretty fun.” Granger nodded. “If a guy like me, with absolutely no artistic talent, can do this, then anyone can. I can see a lot of our customers really enjoying this. So what happens next?”
Joy bent and lifted some ribbon out of a box and handed it to him. “Next you make a bow for the top.”
He chuckled. “You make it sound so easy.”
“It is.” She grabbed his hand and laid it on the ribbon and then reached for his other hand as she stood in front of him. “You just fold it and mold it.”
The feel of her skin over his was hypnotic. His blood rushed, and his breaths slowed as he allowed her to move his clumsy hands. They weren’t clumsy when it came to an ax and a tree. Or braiding his daughters’ hair, which he’d gotten quite good at over the years. But when it came to art or Joy, his hands felt unsure of where they belonged. He knew where he wanted to put them.
“There,” she said. “See? That wasn’t hard at all.” Her hands were still covering his, which in turn kept her body close. He could feel her warmth and smell the sweet aroma of her hair or lotion, he wasn’t sure. “I don’t know if I can do that on my own.” He lifted his gaze, and their eyes locked, making another kiss seem like the next obvious step.
Joy removed her hands and stepped away. “Have a try.”
Granger reached for a wire ribbon and bent it several times just like she had. Then he fanned it out to make it fuller. He had to admit it was a lot more fun when her hands were on his, guiding him.
“Just like that. You’re a natural.”
“I had a great teacher.”
She grinned and grabbed a string of lights and handed them over. “I’m sure you know how to do this part already.”
“As a Christmas tree farmer, I’ve done it a few times.” He winked.
After the lights, they added ornaments, working quickly and quietly, bumping each other’s elbows occasionally since he was a lefty and she was right-handed.
“Feels like we’re working on a real tree,” Granger said.
She placed the final ornament toward the top of the tree. “It does. I’ve always thought decorating a tree was romantic.”
“Me too.”
Joy side-eyed him. “Re
ally? I’m surprised.”
“Why? You don’t think I can be romantic?”
She shrugged as she laughed. “You grew up on a Christmas tree farm. I would’ve thought all the magic and romance was drained out of decorating a tree for you.”
“Never.” He gestured at the tree. “It appears you and I make a great team.”
She stood beside him. “It’s beautiful. I just love it.” She turned to him. “Do you think everyone else will love it and want to make one too?”
“Oh yeah. I really do.” At least he was hoping so. This year he was betting everything on the success of the Christmas tree workshop and the lighted hayride.
“I’m excited about this. I just hope it works, and people come out.”
Granger wasn’t worried about that as much as hoping that, after people came, Joy would stay. She’d given him no reason to think she’d leave but neither had his ex.
* * *
Granger unlocked the back door of his home quietly, just in case everyone inside was sleeping.
“You were out late,” his mom’s voice said from the kitchen table as he stepped inside.
Granger shut the door and faced her. “You said you’d watch the girls until they went to bed…Are they asleep?”
She nodded. “Oh yes. Their eyes closed while we were watching a movie. I just came in here to rustle around for a snack.” She smiled up at him. “Did you have a good time at Joy’s place?”
Granger had told her he was going over there to deliver her supplies. “What makes you think that’s where I’ve been?” He could’ve gone out with his buddies to the Tipsy Tavern. He was overdue for that.
She gave him a knowing look. “Isn’t it?”
Granger turned his back to her and headed to go make himself a hot tea. He flipped the kettle on and grabbed a mug from the cabinet. Then he turned to face his mom again from the counter. “I had to deliver the supplies, and she offered to let me stay for dinner since you guys ate without me.”
“Wasn’t that nice of her?” his mom commented. “Is she a good cook?”
Granger saw right through that comment. She was scoping Joy out to see if she was marriage material. “Yes. She made stew and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.” That should tell his mom everything she needed to know.