Page 5 of His Heart for Christmas

?“Yeah. Silly me, I forgot how rough the bark is. But I’ll take care of it,” I assure.

?“You can be done if this is too much,” he says.

?I suck my bottom lip and look down at his thumbs rubbing over the threadbare spots in my gloves. A shiver teases my spine. “You gave me a job to do. I’m going to do it. I’m going to see it through until I physically can’t.”

?He watches me for a long moment, then someone yells his name. He nods once. “Watch the kids.”

?I take care of that, but when I do have to stabilize trees, or chase the kids to the smaller section, making it a game, my eyes flick towards the front. More than once, I catch Josh watching me with a ghost of a smile tugging on his lips. His blue eyes are still blazing, but softened.

?“She’s a fun addition this year,” someone comments when I pick up a little boy and deliver him to his mother. The woman smiles at Josh. “It’s good to have some laughter and fun here. Someone with a gentler touch.”

?“Twenty five dollars,” Josh says simply.

?The woman pays, pats my cheek and tells me to say hi to my mom, then listens as her son tells her all about the fun he had. Josh moves closer to me, and I realize that the sun is setting.

?“You’re ... doing well,” he finally says after a moment.

?“It’s my gentle touch, you know,” I tease.

?The corner of his mouth lifts. “Bring hot chocolate tomorrow.”

?“You actually like sweets?”

?His eyes dip to my lips before flicking back to mine. “I could learn to.”

Chapter 4 - Josh

?Every day that Emma is here is a test of my will power. Her determination to involve herself in every bit of the process, no matter how difficult it is for her, no matter how much time it takes, impresses me. She works hard and always makes sure things are done properly.

?And she does it all with that annoyingly beautiful smile. I’ve noticed she has a little dimple on her left cheek. It only shows when she gives a real smile, but I don’t think that Emma has ever given anyone a fake one.

?She brings hot chocolate every morning and I try it each time since she says it’s a different mix. Every time I take a sip, I miss the sharpness of coffee, but end up drinking it again when she beams at me. I’m not sure whether it’s her smile or the hot chocolate that has me buzzed on a sugar high. Emma is really something else.

?Her genuine kindness, the way she looks after everyone around her, no matter how well she knows them, and herdetermination to make finding a tree an experience they want to repeat—all of it leaves me staggered.

?“Josh,” Emma says as I work to get a seven foot tree in position.

?“One second.”

?“I just-”

?“Emma,” I growl.

?She moves some branches so she’s suddenly close to me, her breast grazing my arm before she presses closer, like we’re sharing an intimate secret that no one else gets to know. She hushes her voice. “There are two chipmunks in this tree and I have a feeling that if you’re too rough, they’ll climb you.”

?I’d love forherto climb me. I arch an eyebrow. “And you’ll do what? Sing to them and take them somewhere safe?”

?I chuckle. “I already owe you for making me drink your hot chocolate every day, even if it’s so sweet I can barely taste the chocolate.”

?“Well, I suppose that counts,” she grins. “Since I can’t seem to make it any less ‘too sweet’ for you.”

?“Sure, sure. It’s the hot chocolate that’s too sweet,” I say with a smirk.

?Emma watches me for a long moment, her eyes more green than brown because of the tree. She puts her hand on mine, her gloved fingers nearly spreading between mine. “We can make this easier. Just hold the tree a bit further down and I can get them out.”

?I don’t know where my will power is when she looks at me like that. I just lower the tree like she asks and she chirps at the chipmunk. She’s gentle and soft, more asking than demanding,but she must startle them because one runs up her arm and the other takes off across the ground.

?Dropping the tree, I take a step closer to her, not wanting her to get bit, wanting to protect her even if it’s just from some woodland small creature. She giggles and shakes her head. “I’m not a tree. I’m not nearly as much fun. Scamper off with your friend.”

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