Page 1 of Jolly with the Mountain Man
CHAPTER ONE
Crimson
“You’re goingto chop down your own Christmas tree? Do you know howinsaneyou sound right now?” Cora, my younger sister, shouted over our FaceTime call before bursting into hysterical laughter. “You seriously mean with an axe and shit?”
I glared at her and stuck out my tongue. “Yes. Why not? I work out.”
“You walk on the treadmill, sis. No offense but swinging an axe over and over is no joke. And then who is dragging the huge ass tree back to the car?”
Crap. I guess I didn’t really think this through. Oh well. I was here now.
“Crim? Hello?”
“Sorry. I got distracted.”
“Second guessing yourself? Good. How about you come here, and we’ll go buy a tree together at the lot.”
I studied the sign readingCut your own Christmas tree here! Bring your own axe and pick a tree.Glancing at the axe on my passenger seat, I swallowed hard.
Why the fuck am I doing this again?
Because you want the real experience of a fresh Christmas tree and you don’t need a man’s help. Right? Right.
“I got this, Cora. You’ll see. There’re a few people around. If I need help, I’ll just ask. Besides, how many times have we tied a tree to the roof of a car? A thousand.” I forced a more confident smile than I felt. “I’ll call you when I’m done, okay?”
“Fine. But be careful. If I don’t hear from you in thirty minutes, I’m calling you nonstop and if you don’t answer, I’m calling the police.”
“You’re ridiculous, but I love you. Peace.” I blew her a kiss before ending the video call.
With a deep breath, I tucked my phone in my pocket, shut the car off, and put the keys in my cross-body bag slung across my chest. I grabbed the axe and climbed out, shutting and locking the door behind me.
“Hello, miss, welcome to Appleridge Tree Farm. Are you cutting a tree today?” An older man greeted me at the sign.
I smiled and nodded. “Yes, please.” I held up my axe.
He waved me inside. “Follow the signs. Be careful. If you need help carrying it out, let me know.”
“Thank you.” I walked past him and over to the trees, browsing through them. Several feet separated each one, giving plenty of space to cut it down.
Finally, I settled on a smaller but full tree, the perfect size for my living room. I got into position like my father had shown me so many times before. It was a family tradition to cut our own tree, probably why I thought this would be a great idea. Why didn’t I drag Cora along in the first place?
I swung the axe back and hauled it forward, the sharp blade slamming into the tree bark and barely making a dent. Over and over, I swung and connected, barely making any progress each time.
“Phew,” I muttered to myself and dropped the axe next to me, my hand burning. This was a lot harder than I thought.
The loud crack of a tree stump breaking and the whoosh of a tree falling pierced the air, and I turned towards the sound.
Someone had cut down their tree, the large branches now on their side.
My eyes took in the sheer size of the tree when suddenly, a man appeared above it, looking it over.
I squinted. I needed to get closer.
From where I stood, he looked hot as hell, and I just knew he’d be smoking hot once I got a good view.
The tall, muscular man bent over and hoisted the tree up, resting the stump on his shoulder as he moved forward, dragging the tree behind him. I couldn’t let him get away.
I needed his help.
