Christmas Cocoa

by ID Johnson

  She nodded and offered a small smile. “Well, the good news is, today is not decision day.”

  His hazel eyes fell on her face, and he looked at her much the same way he had that first day in the bakery, as if he were attempting to memorize her face. “True. I don’t have to decide anything right now.”

  “So… why don’t we have some fun instead?” she asked, and before he had a chance to react, she bent to the ground and scooped up a handful of snow, forming it into a ball right before she launched it at his chest.

  At first Josh looked shocked, his mouth agape and his eyes wide, but just as Delaney began to think perhaps she had inadvertently upset him, he shouted, “You will pay for that!” with a chuckle and bent down to begin forming his own snowy projectiles.

  Laughing, Delaney looked around to see where she could take cover, an idea she might have come up with before she started the snowball fight if her judgment hadn’t been clouded by the nice smelling man about to launch an all-out offensive. She quickly ducked behind a tree as he gathered together enough clumps of snow to pelt her for several minutes. Just as she was about to lob another imperfectly formed snowball in his direction, Josh tossed several in a row over at her, somehow managing to bend them around the tree, and before she knew it, she was fully engaged in a snowball war.

  Within minutes, Delaney found herself chuckling harder than she could remember laughing in ages. While she had taken a few hits to the head and one to the arm, he wasn’t throwing them hard enough to hurt her, and despite the fact that he was standing out in the open, she had a hard time hitting him, mostly because she was laughing so hard her aim was off. Eventually, she shouted, “Truce! Truce! I call a truce!” But rather than honor her cry of uncle, he charged ahead, eventually infiltrating her tree barricade. She took off running, not even knowing where she was headed, careful to avoid the drop off, but a few moments later he caught up to her, and she fell to the ground in a fit of hysterical giggling.

  “Are you all right?” Josh asked, no longer able to stand upright himself, he was laughing so hard.

  Unable to catch her breath, Delaney stuck up one gloved finger, a symbol that she needed a moment. “I’m… okay…,” she managed.

  “Good,” he said, coming to rest in the snow next to her. “I didn’t think I was throwing them that hard, but I couldn’t really tell if you were laughing or crying. I was hoping it was laughing.”

  She finally managed to contain herself just a bit. “I don’t think I’ve laughed that hard since Dana Hampton peed her pants in the seventh grade musical.”

  Josh looked at her, eyes wide. “Poor Dana Hampton.”

  “Oh, no, she totally deserved it. She was never nice to anyone,” Delaney replied, leaning up on both elbows. “It’s been ages since I had a snowball fight.”

  “Me, too,” Josh said, “although I’m not sure why. I should get the little girls next time we’re out.”

  Delaney had stopped laughing now. She brushed a strand of hair off of her face. “They would love it.” Then, another thought occurred to her. “Have you ever made snow angels with them? Oh, those were my favorite.”

  Before he could even answer, she lay back onto the snow and began to brush her arms up and down, though he was in the way and took her cue to scoot over some. She moved her legs back and forth as well, attempting to make an angel in the snow. “Well, it’s kind of rocky here, and the grounds not really very even, but you should definitely get Chloe and Bridgette to try it.”

  Josh scooted over from her and lay back into the snow. “You’re right,” he said as he began to mimic her motions. “It’s been a long time since I’ve done this, too. I’m sure they’d get a kick out of it, even if they ended up stepping on it and messing it up.”

  “That’s the trick,” Delaney reminded him, “getting up without leaving a handprint or footprint.” She decided to try standing, and carefully stretched her hands outside of the perimeter of what should be the wings. As she pulled herself to her feet, she began to lose her balance. Luckily, Josh was already standing next to her, and he caught her, pulling her up carefully, his hands around her forearms.

  Delaney turned and realized his face was a mere inch away from hers. His hazel eyes locked onto her face, his lips so close to hers. He took a deep breath, and she froze, realizing she wasn’t breathing at all. “Thank you,” she managed to say quietly.

  It took him a long moment to quietly reply, “No problem,” and Delaney cleared her throat, slowly taking a step backward. He let go of her, once he was certain she had her balance, and she straightened her hair, biting her lower lip, and shifting her gaze back out to the valley below them.

  “We should, uh… probably go see what Dad is up to,” Josh muttered, taking a step back himself.

  “Right,” Delaney agreed. While she would have loved to discover what it was like to have Josh’s lips on hers, it was way too soon for that. This wasn’t even a date—was it? He began to head back over to his four-wheeler, and she followed, making sure her hat was on straight. Even though the magic spell had been broken, she’d still had the best time she could remember playing in the snow with Josh. She hoped this was the first of many such memories to come.

  Chapter 12

  Josh was fairly certain he knew where he could find his father. Despite the fact that Travis had said they were done, he suspected his dad would still be out in the western acreage checking on the saplings and making sure none of them would be affected by the snow. That’s what his father did—check the trees. Josh didn’t know for sure if that was the life he wanted for himself, but the idea of staying in Shepherdstown was becoming more and more appealing.

  He’d been so close to kissing Delaney he could almost feel it. There she was, those bright eyes staring at him in wonder, her full lips parted just before his. She had that twinkle in her eye, and he really wanted to feel her lips on his. However, he’d only met her a few weeks ago, and he hadn’t even asked her on a date yet. There was no reason to get carried away. If he was really meant to find a way to have a relationship with her, whether or not he went back to DC, then they would sort it out. Rushing things now would only lead to problems and potential heartache.

  They found his father exactly where Josh expected him to be, amongst the smaller trees on the outskirts of their property. He looked up and waved as they came into view, though his forehead crinkled a bit when he saw Delaney, obviously not sure who she might be. Josh pulled his ATV to a stop a good fifty feet away from where his father was pruning a mid-sized spruce, and Delaney came to a stop behind him.

  He waited for her to hop down from the four-wheeler and hang her helmet on the handlebars. He couldn’t get over looking at her, she was so beautiful, and when she turned to him and smiled, he felt his heart skip a beat. “You ready to meet my old man?” he asked.

  Delaney giggled. “I don’t think he’s that old, but sure,” she replied, clearly understanding when he was joking around. That was something that just happened to come naturally between them; Delaney always seemed to know when he was kidding, and she always found a reason to laugh at his silliness. He considered offering her his arm, but thinking that might cause questions to arise in his father’s mind, he walked alongside her as his dad finished his pruning and looked up expectantly.

  “Hello there, Son,” Kent called as they approached. The snow had let up, and now the only flakes flying by were coming off of the taller trees as the wind whipped by. “And who is this young lady?”

  “Dad, this is Delaney. She’s the baker from Charles Town I was telling you about. She stopped by to pick out a tree.” Turning to Delaney, he said, “This is my dad, Kent.”

  “It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Taylor,” Delaney said, offering her hand.

  Taking her gloved hand in his, Kent replied, “Lovely, to meet you, too, but I’m sure you heard—I’m Kent.” He smiled and gave a little chuckle, which made Delaney’s face light up. “What have you two been up to? He giving you the tour?”


  “Something like that,” Josh replied, staring at Delaney to see what she might say.

  “He took me up there,” she explained pointing to the hilltop they’d just come from, “and gave me a beautiful view of your land. It’s just breathtaking.”

  Kent’s face beamed with pride. “Why, thank you,” he said. “I’m very proud of what we’ve built here. Couldn’t have done it all myself though. Nope, got lots of help from Josh and some of the other kids. It’s a lovely place, no doubt about it.”

  Josh smiled, happy to see his dad so proud of the farm, even though he didn’t give himself nearly enough credit. “What are you working on, Dad? Shaping these guys for next year?”

  “Sure am,” Kent replied, eyeing the tree he’d just been working on. Turning to Delaney, he said, “You can’t just expect a tree to grow out of the ground and be a perfect Christmas tree. No, getting them to be their best takes a lot of work.”

  “I can imagine,” Delaney nodded, and Josh wondered if she was just being polite or if she really had an understanding for all of the work that went into what his father did.

  “Did you get one picked out yet?” he asked, looking at her expectantly.

  “Not yet,” Delaney admitted. “What time does the lot close? I didn’t even think about that.”

  Kent chuckled. “Don’t worry about it, girly. You got all the time you need. We’re happy you’re here.”

  His father was smiling at her as if he’d just met his new daughter-in-law, and Josh couldn’t help but wonder at how entrancing Delaney really was. First his mother, and now his father, both of them seemed to see the same qualities in her that Josh was seeing himself. She really was an amazing young woman.

  “Thank you,” Delaney said, a bit of color rushing into her cheeks.

  “I think we ought to head back to the house,” Josh suggested, seeing that Delaney might be growing a bit uncomfortable now with his father’s full attention. She likely didn’t want to interrupt his work either.

  “It was so nice to meet you,” Delaney said, offering her hand back to his father.

  Rather than shaking her hand, Kent wrapped his arms loosely around her shoulders. “It was very nice to meet you, too, Delaney. Don’t be a stranger now,” he added as he released her. She was smiling, and she nodded as she stepped backward, looking surprised but not uncomfortable.

  “Don’t stay out here all evening, Dad,” Josh called as he turned to go back to the ATVs.

  “You know I won’t miss your mom’s cooking,” Kent called back, and Josh couldn’t help but chuckle. That was certainly true.

  A few minutes later, they were standing outside of the log cabin near Delaney’s truck, ATVs back in the outbuilding where they were kept. The snow had essentially stopped at this point, but the sun was beginning to fade behind the mountains, giving the white ground a pink luster. It was still chilly out, and he was sure Delaney was ready to get back into the truck. Hopefully, the heater was in better shape than some of the other features, like the paint job.

  “You want to head back to the village and pick out a tree?” he asked, lingering at the driver’s side door.

  “That sounds good,” Delaney replied, her hands shoved deep down into the pockets of her coat. “Are you going to come with me?”

  “Of course,” Josh replied. “I’ve got to make sure you pick out a good one.”

  Delaney giggled. “I think I know how to pick out a Christmas tree,” she replied as he pulled open the truck door for her and she began to climb inside. He watched her settle in and then closed the door for her before going around to the passenger’s side and joining her. The engine was cranked, and mildly warm air began to fill the cab. It wasn’t nearly as hot as he had hoped, but it was getting there, and it did take a bit of the edge off of the frigidity.

  “I’m sure you can pick out a decent tree,” Josh said, shrugging, “but I’ll help you make sure you get the best one possible.”

  She giggled again, and it was a sound Josh thought he would never tire of. She backed the truck out of the parking spot and waited for him to point her in the right direction down the makeshift lane that led to the shop. “I guess you probably know more about Christmas trees than I ever even dreamed there was to know.”

  “That’s a good way of putting it,” Josh laughed as they went over a bump in the field. “If you head that way, you’ll see the village in just a second.”

  She was quiet for a moment, and he supposed she was concentrating. Once the village came into view, he saw her shoulders relax a bit. “Your father sure is sweet.”

  Without hesitation, Josh replied, “Oh, yeah. He’s great. I wish he didn’t work so hard though.”

  “Does he spend a lot of time out there pruning the trees?”

  “Probably more than he should,” Josh admitted. “That’s one thing that he really doesn’t like any help with, either. Says the rest of us do it wrong.” He chuckled, and she turned to him and smiled. “I wonder if that’s something he’ll keep up even after he retires. I guess it’s not too stressful, and it’s not like he’d have to chop those trees down and haul them in.”

  “That sounds like a lot of work,” Delaney offered. They were almost to the lane that led to the parking lot, and from here, Josh could see that there weren’t many customers left. As it got darker, most people would head home, even though his mother had done a lovely job of stringing Christmas lights, which were twinkling around the buildings now.

  “It is a lot of work,” Josh agreed. “That’s why he’s looking for a long-term solution for getting out of the business.”

  “And why he wants you to take over?” she asked as she made the transition from the field into the parking lot. She found a spot near the entrance to the village and pulled in, turning to look at him in anticipation of an answer.

  “Exactly,” Josh nodded. The decision weighed heavily upon him again, and he let out a long sigh. Her brown eyes were staring at him in genuine concern, and he couldn’t help but be drawn to her. It was as if he’d known her for years, not a mere matter of days. “He said I don’t have to decide right away, but I know it will make things easier on him once he has my answer.”

  “And if you say no, what will he do then?” she asked, biting her bottom lip as if it were her own difficult decision.

  Shrugging, Josh said, “He’s talked about finding a cousin or another family member to take over, but I don’t think he trusts any of them. Honestly, I think he’d end up having to sell most of the farm. Hopefully, he’d be able to keep the house and the land around it. It’s all paid off, but they don’t have a lot saved up. Most of the time, we are lucky if we turn a small profit each season after paying seasonal workers. And then there was the cost of building the village and upkeep on the equipment, all of those things. So, at the end of the holidays, if they still have enough to budget for the rest of the year, things are going good.”

  Delaney let out a sigh and nodded. “I can sort of relate to that. The bakery definitely has some months that are busier than others. Has he thought about diversifying? Growing pumpkins or apples—something else that might be popular a different time of year?”

  Nodding, Josh confirmed, “He has. But he spends so much time taking care of the trees even in the off-season, he’s always been afraid he wouldn’t have time for both.”

  Blowing out a breath, Delaney said, “Well, I know it can’t be an easy choice for you. You should pray about it. That’s what I always do when I have a tough decision, and it always helps.”

  He couldn’t help but smile. It was nice to know she was a woman of faith. “I’ve definitely been praying about it,” he assured her. “I’ve asked God to lead me in the right direction and prevent me from making my decision for selfish reasons.”

  “Good,” Delaney smiled. “Do you think you’ll make up your mind this season or will you try to put it off?”

  “I think I’ll try to let Dad know soon. If I decide to take over the farm, I’ll still go back to my old job
for a while—at least a few months. I’ve got to make sure I’m in a financial position so that if something goes awry with the farm, I’ll be able to make it for a year or two until I can either sell it or fix it.”

  “I can understand that,” she said, a small smile, seemingly forced, playing at the corners of her mouth. She reached out and put her hand on his arm, just above his wrist. “I’ll pray for you, too,” she said. “If you don’t mind.”

  Josh smiled at her. “Thank you, Delaney. I would really appreciate that.”

  She held his gaze for a few moments, the smile broadening, and he looked into her brown eyes, wondering how it was possible to feel so connected to someone so quickly. Eventually, he cleared his throat, and even though he liked the feel of her warm hand on his arm and he could’ve continued to stare into her eyes all evening, he realized it was getting late and she probably needed to get back to her nana soon. “Are you ready to go find a tree?”

  “Yes,” she said, and a look of genuine excitement lit up her face. “Let’s go.”

  Josh climbed from the truck and met her in front of the pickup. This time, he offered his arm, and she slipped hers through. “About how tall were you thinking?” he asked as he led her toward the giant snowman sign he’d helped his dad make a few years ago.

  “Well,” Delaney said, looking up at the sky and creasing her eyes as if she were deep in thought, “Nana’s living room ceiling is about nine feet tall, I think. So probably something around six or seven feet. She likes them really full, she said, which is sort of surprising since the fake tree she’s been putting up for as long as I can remember isn’t full at all.”

  “Fake tree?” he asked, looking at her with a scrutinizing glare. “Your Nana’s a Fakey?”

  Delaney giggled, as if she’d never heard the term before but could appreciate it. “She claims my grandfather preferred them because of the mess. I don’t know. She’s decided to go real this year, and that’s what’s important, right?”

  “I concur,” Josh agreed. They were inside of the village now, and he could see Payton over near the shaking station helping a little old lady with her tree. The tractor was gone, which means Travis was either out picking up another load—which was doubtful considering the number of patrons nearby—or he’d put it away for the afternoon, which was much more likely. “Why don’t we grab a saw and head out a bit? I think I know of a couple of trees that might work.”