Page 14 of The Clause in Christmas
“You don’t say.” Luke turned his smile on Cassie. “Did you hear that? All the hot chocolate you can handle.”
Releasing his hold on Luke’s waist, Ben glanced at Cassie, his expressive brown eyes widening in recognition. “Hi!” He flapped his gloved hand in an enthusiastic wave.
“You two know each other?” Joining them by Luke’s truck, Eliza raised her eyebrows in question as she pulled her Santa hat over her ears.
“We met my first day in town,” Cassie explained. “I lent a hand when his baseball got stuck in the roof of the bandstand.”
“Thanks for that! Otherwise, this little daredevil would have tried to climb on top and wound up with a broken arm.” Smiling affectionately, Eliza tossed what looked like a green elf hat at her son. “Cover your ears. It’s freezing out here.” Her words escaped in a puffy white cloud.
Ben jammed the pointy hat over his shaggy blond hair, squirming in anticipation. “Can we go? Can we go?”
Eliza laughed. “All right. Let’s go roast some marshmallows.” She reached for her son’s hand before turning to Luke and Cassie. “You two ready?”
“Not yet.” Luke retrieved a chainsaw from the back of the pickup. “We have some work to do first.”
Cassie’s face registered her shock. “We’re cutting a tree down withthat?”
“No,you’recutting a tree down with this.” Luke’s lips twitched, betraying a playful smile.
“Great. I knew this Christmas Calendar would kill me,” Cassie muttered, hugging herself against the cold.
“You two have fun!” Eliza winked at Luke before tugging Ben toward the firepit.
Luke cringed at Eliza’s lack of subtlety. Hoping Cassie hadn’t noticed, he hoisted the chainsaw over his shoulder. “Okay, what kind of tree do we need?”
“The Calendar said to get an eight-foot Fraser fir.”
“Of course. Only the best!” He led her down a row of towering fir trees, enveloping them in the sharp, poignant scent of evergreens. “Tell me when you spot the one you want.”
“Can’t we cut down the first one we see?” She let her gloved hand brush against the prickly branches as they walked past.
“Is that how you picked your boyfriend?” he teased, instantly regretting it. The last thing he wanted to think about was her doting boyfriend back home.
Cassie paused, her lips slightly parted as though about to respond. Then her eyes widened, focusing on a point over his right shoulder. “There it is!”
Luke turned, following the direction of her finger until his gaze rested on a bushy, lopsided fir. “That one?” He tried to keep the incredulity out of his voice but didn’t succeed.
Her bottom lip protruded in an adorable pout as she crossed her arms. “Remind mewhosetree we’re picking out?”
He chuckled. “Fair enough.”
Lifting the superfluous branches near the bottom, Luke bent down to assess the trunk. Then he walked around the perimeter to determine the correct direction to safely fell the tree. Satisfied with his assessment, he slipped a pair of safety goggles from the inside pocket of his ski jacket and handed them to Cassie. “They’re not stylish, but they’ll protect your eyes.”
“From what?” She glanced nervously at the gargantuan safety hazard. “If that thing falls on me, I doubt a pair of goggles will be much help.”
“They’ll protect you from any wood particles that might blow back while we cut through the trunk.”
“And what’ll protect me from death by tree-crushing?”
Luke passed her the chainsaw. “I will.” Stepping behind her, he slid a second pair of goggles out of his bulky jacket. “First, take off your gloves. You’ll get a better grip without them.”
He waited for her to stuff her gloves inside the pocket of her black peacoat before moving in closer. With his chest aligned with her back, he moved his arms around either side of her, situating her hands in the proper position around the handle of the chainsaw. “The vibrations will take some getting used to, but whatever you do, don’t let go.”
She glanced over her shoulder, her eyes filled with uncertainty.
Luke couldn’t help noticing how close their lips were. It would be so easy to—He swallowed, pushing the thought as far down as possible. “Don’t worry. I’ll be here to help until you get the hang of it.” His fingertips found the pull cord, and he drew in a deep breath, trying to ignore the sweet scent of her silky hair as it grazed his chin.
“Ready?”
