Christmas Kiss (Evergreen Family Tree Farm #2)

Chapter Two

Charlie

“We’ve got a heavy snow moving in and double the customers we had last year at this time. We need to cut more trees.”

“You’ve already cut forty. Let’s see if those sell first.” At this point, I usually start wondering why we don’t have defined roles. If my brother Gabe knew he was in charge of the cashiers, for instance, maybe we could avoid all this annoying micromanagement.

“I’ve got it,” I groan. “Stay in front of the house. That’s your job.”

“My job is to make sure we don’t go under. You’re cutting down too much product and that’s a fuckin’ problem. I gotta tell you, man, everyone is thinking it.”

I know everyone is thinking about it because I’m hearing about it non-fucking stop. I blow out a heavy breath and roll my shoulders back in an attempt to relax, but it’s no use. I’m agitated, and once I’m agitated, the day snowballs from one avalanche to the next.

“I’m cutting extra trees to stay ahead of the rush this weekend, unless you want to be cutting during the storm?”

Gabe sighs and runs his hand down over his beard. “You going to get that call? It’s been vibrating in your pocket for a minute now.”

I toss the balsam into the back of the truck and reach down, feeling over the denim with my work glove for my pocket. I don’t answer calls during work hours. It’s one of those old man things that I’ve kept up with, like my father. He hated cell phones and commonly talked about how they were the problem with society. I can’t say he’s wrong. I know they’re helpful in some ways, but being constantly available is more of a burden than an asset. That said, here I am, looking to see who’s calling me mid-workday. It’s probably a fucking salesperson. The spam calls are out of control lately.

Surprisingly, it’s not spam. Well, not technically. It’s Chevy. We don’t talk much, but we met a few years back when he was on leave. This back road I was driving was extra shitty one day, and I lost two tires simultaneously on a hidden, downed tree branch. On my long walk back to civilization, Chevy just so happened to be in the same area hunting and offered me a ride back into town. I’d probably still be walking if he hadn’t come along. We’ve remained casual friends since. I guess now he wants the favor returned.

“I told you, man. If she asks, I’ll go. I’m not pushing anything on her.”

“She’s never going to ask, and I don’t have much time out here. I just need you to look after her, man. My mom likes to pick on the girls. I don’t know what her problem is. Mariah always got the worst of it. She’s pregnant, all stressed out, and she has no one. Please.”

“That sucks, but I don’t wanna get in the middle of it. Plus, I’m her boss. It’s weird. There are hundreds of available old fucks with mom repelling attitudes around here. I’m sure you know a few. Call one of them.” I hate being so blunt, but spending time with Mariah is asking for trouble. She’s pretty as a peach and right now she’s needy as fuck. Those two things are my kryptonite. There’s something about a woman that lets you take care of her. A woman who lets a man be a man.

“I don’t know a lot of folks in town. I’ve lost a lot of connections over the years being out here. Honestly, you and your brothers are the only guys I still talk to, and I’d like to know Mariah was looked over by somebody I trust. I can pay you back when I get into town.”

“Can’t do it. Sorry, man, but it’s too much right now. You ever need help with the house or anything, give me a ring. Until then, keep safe out there.” I disconnect the line before he has a chance at rebuttal. It’s a dick move and there were probably better options, but it wouldn’t take much to talk me into a night with Mariah, and I know for a fact what an awful idea that is.

Still, though, I feel bad for not helping Chevy out. He’s picked up the pieces after what happened with his dad, and though I’ve never heard him bitch about it, I’m sure he feels the weight of it all.

I chew the inside of my cheek and grab another tree from the pile before hauling it into the back of the truck.

Gabe is on my ass immediately. “What was that about?”

“Nothing. Mariah’s brother is begging me to go to some wedding with her as a beard. She’s got some family shit going on.”

“And you’re doing it? How ‘ anti-scrooge’ of you. You feeling okay?” Gabe laughs and tugs down on his long, dark beard.

“I’m fine. And no, I’m not fuckin’ doing it. That whole thing is trouble I don’t need.”

“So, you’re going to let down a friend? That’s not like you.”

“Who’s letting who down?” Mira tosses a handful of balsam bows into the back of the truck. She’s Mariah’s twenty-one-year-old sister and while technically she does work here, I don’t usually see her working.

“Nothing,” I groan, pushing the gate back up on the truck. “What are you doing back here? Doesn’t Mariah need help up front?”

“She does, but I needed a break from all the people… and Mariah ,” she mumbles. “Should I not be back here, because I heard this is where all the handsome men are.” She grins and crosses her arms across her chest. The girl thinks she’s adorable . She’s not.

“What’s wrong with Mariah?”

“Our mom just called on the work line. I don’t want to get dragged into it. The woman is a monster and the whole wedding thing has only made it worse.”

The woman can’t be that bad. My brows narrow and I give Mira more attention than I’ve ever given her and say, “What’s going on?”

“Apparently, people in town are talking about Mariah hiding her pregnancy and it got back to my mother, who’s in full dragon mode about the whole thing. I’m guessing it’s true by the way Mariah responded, but yeah… ‘tis the season! ”

I knew Mariah was hiding the pregnancy because we’d talked about attending the wedding together previously. That is until we realized what a horrible idea it was. Still, I act surprised and say, “She’s pregnant?”

Mira nods. “I have so many questions, but I have a feeling it’ll be awhile before she’s in the right headspace to talk again. I heard my mother calling her a whore, so that’s not going to help.”

I groan and climb up into the pickup. “I’m taking these trees up front. Gabe will help you find something to do.”

She flutters her lashes toward my younger brother and my stomach turns. I doubt he’ll have any interest in her considering her age, but then again, something tells me Mira is persistent when she wants to be.

I start up the truck and roll down the window. It’s cold outside, but the fresh air is better than the pine and maple syrup that pumps through the vents. I think one of them spilled the syrup in here a few years ago, because that smell won’t go away. It was probably Gabe, but honestly, it doesn’t matter. They’re all a pain in the ass.

Bumping over the path up toward the main barn, I see the hoard of people waiting to be checked out. There are at least twenty families lined up and another two pulling in to walk the lot. I should’ve planned for this with my brother Kade and his new wife Jovie being away on their honeymoon this week.

I hop down out of the truck and peek into the barn, expecting to see Mariah melting down given the update that her sister just gave us. Instead, she’s wearing a wide, warm smile, and she’s handing candy canes to a couple of kids as their parents carry away a tree.

Fucking hell, she’s gorgeous. Long dark hair curled at the ends, big dark eyes, rosy cheeks, full tits, and that baby bump that I’m not sure should be turning me on as much as it does.

What the hell is wrong with me? I shouldn’t be lusting after my fucking employee. This is a small town. I can’t be known as that guy . The guy who lusts after girls incredibly younger than him.

I drag in a deep breath and smile at a family of four as they pass by the truck, kill the engine, and hop out, pulling on my work gloves to grab a few fresh cut trees from the back to set on tree stands in the barn before heading toward the register to help Mariah with her line.

Lord, even standing next to her is hard. She smells like cinnamon rolls and warm coffee, two things that I easily devour given the opportunity without fail.

“Thanks,” she says, glancing toward me between customers. “It was getting pretty crazy up here.”

“You were handling it well. I just figured I was up here, so I’d help.” The next family steps forward with two balsam wreaths and a four-foot tree. This year is different from others. Usually, I recognize most folks that roll through, but with the eclipse expected to happen on Christmas Eve, we’re seeing all kinds of people we’ve never seen before. Everyone wants a Christmas tree for the cabin they’ve rented or the RV they’re staying in.

When the final customer has been cashed out, I close the second register and head back toward the truck without a word to Mariah.

There are a thousand things I could say, including the offer to attend her mom’s wedding with her, but I know for sure now what a terrible mistake that would be. Apparently, I haven’t found anyone attractive over the past ten years because I’ve never wanted to fuck anyone as badly as I want to fuck Mariah. The worst part is, I know fucking her wouldn’t be enough. If I fucked her, I’d want to own her. I’d want to care for her, hold her, love her, take away her problems, make her life easy, make her smile.

That’s the dangerous part.

I shake my head and grab a pine from the back of the pickup, willing my cock to settle down. Clearly, I need to take care of myself tonight or I won’t make it through another workday next to her.

“Hey,” she says in a near whisper, “can I help somehow?”

I glance at her swollen belly. The urge to sweep her off her feet and settle her into a warm chair with a cup of cocoa rolls over me. She shouldn’t be up working like this in her condition. She should be resting, worrying about the life she’s currently growing.

“No. You rest between customers.”

She laughs. “I need to keep moving or my whole body stiffens up. I always make fun of my mom when she talks like that, but turns out… it’s a thing.”

“Yeah, well, you should be resting more.”

More laughter ensues. “I don’t think I’ll ever rest again. I’m raising a baby on my own, working two jobs, and maintaining a cabin. Did you know there’s like a million things you’re supposed to do to your house before winter? I didn’t.”

“What?”

“Yeah. Apparently, you’re supposed to seal your windows and weatherproof the pipes. I’m sure Chevy told me something about that, but I’ve been distracted with the baby’s room. I couldn’t decide on green or yellow paint. I went with sage green. I figured that was a good color for a girl or a boy.”

“So, it’s a surprise, then?”

“Yeah. Someone told me it was one of the best surprises you’ll ever get in life, and I think that’s true, but try telling that to my sister. Since Mira’s found out, she’s been frantically asking me.”

“Well, she’s impatient. I think you’re right to wait. I didn’t realize you were working a second job, though. Where’s it at?”

“The general store. Right now, I do nights and weekends, but once the baby comes and the Christmas season is over, they’re going to let me work days and pick up extra shifts as needed.”

“Is that what you want… to be at the general store?”

“No.” She looks down at the ground, then up again. “I want to be a photographer. I had this whole portfolio I was working on. I was going to do a book of all the special spots in Rugged Mountain, like the tattoo shop, the lodge, Mrs. Robinson’s house, the diner, the lookout. But like most things in my life,” she rubs her hand over her stomach, “that was put on hold.”

“Doesn’t have to be. You could still do the book.”

Her brows narrow. “With what energy? I’d need to take the photos, do the edits, traipse all over town, and quite honestly, by the time I’m done with work, I don’t have much left. And after this baby comes, I can’t imagine I’ll suddenly have a burst of energy.”

Why do I feel so much fucking empathy for this girl? Is it her big, dark eyes, the long dark curls, the way she moves her hips, or… is it that big, round baby bump again?

Lord, I’m about to make a mistake.

“What time should I pick you up for the wedding tomorrow?”

Her forehead wrinkles and her cheeks turn pink. “What? No. We talked about this and decided it was weird, remember?”

“Yeah,” I sigh, tucking my hand into the front pocket of my jeans. “I remember, but you’ve got a lot going on. I want to help.”

I seem to have some sort of temporary amnesia. The kind where I’m ignoring the fact that my cock is pressing hard against my jeans, and I have no idea how I’m going to manage keeping my hands off her.

She bites back a smile. “You don’t know what you’re getting yourself into. It’s going to suck.”

“I’ll be there to help.” Another gaggle of customers pops up the stone drive with Christmas music blaring. “I’ll be over tonight, and we can seal up your windows. The least I can do is try to knock a few things off your list for you at once.”

“What? No. You’re—”

“It’s already decided.” I reach back for another tree and settle it against the tailgate. “Get back to work.”

She turns and hides a grin that she’s biting back. Something about this sends a rush of adrenaline pushing through me, as my palm aches to reach out and smack her round ass as she walks away, but I stop myself.

Damn, it’s going to be hard controlling these urges.