“Over there!” I shouted, gesturing for Jack to follow me as I took off running toward the tree.
“Delia, wait! The grounds uneven, don’t—”
Jack’s warning reached me at the same time the heel of my boot plunged into a shallow hole. Off balance, I tried to catch myself, planting my other foot on the ground, but the surface was crusted with ice, and I slipped. Not even magic could save me as I fell forward, sprawling face-first into a mound of fluffy snow.
Chapter 9
Jack
Delia lifted her face from the snow and pulled pine needles out of her mouth. I knew those boots were trouble, and under any other circumstance, I would have said, ‘I told you so’, but the wisecrack flew from my mind when Delia winced and grabbed her ankle. I kneeled by her side, worry twisting knots inside my stomach.
“Are you okay? Does it hurt anywhere else?” I asked, startled by the rasp in my voice and the tremble in my hands as I checked her calves for broken bones.
“No. It’s just my ankle. I think I twisted it when I fell. But it’s fine. See?” Delia tried to rotate her foot and ended up sucking in a pained breath.
It was not fine. She’d likely sprained her ankle. I brushed snow off the side of her face and turned her chin up so she met my gaze. “What were you thinking? There are roots and rocks, and areas that are sheer ice out here.”
“I found the perfect tree,” she said as if that made up for her injury. Looking over her shoulder, she pointed at the towering pine a few feet away.
My eyes widened when I spotted it.That tree grew on my farm?It was a classic. The kind you see in glossy home and garden magazines. I blinked, thinking it would shift back to a mangy, unkempt fir like all the others. But it didn’t. It remained jaw-dropping.
“See, I told you so.” Delia nudged my shoulder, her smile as dazzling as the tree in front of us. And for a moment, I had the baffling thought that this amazing tree grew especially for the woman dusted in snow and pine needles at my feet.
“That was my line,” I said, returning my focus to her injury. “Let’s get you back to the inn and put some ice on that ankle.”
Becky stepped into view, and her features contorted in concern when she saw Delia on the ground.
“Oh no. What happened? Can you walk?” She crouched next to us, resting a gloved hand on Delia’s shoulder.
“I’m sure I can walk. But we can't leave without our tree.”
“Not a chance. With a tree that size, I’ll need help with cutting and transporting. Besides, it’s not going anywhere. We’ll tag it, and I’ll come back for it after I round up some extra hands.” I passed Becky a length of bright red ribbon and asked her to tie it around a branch. While Becky marveled over the tree, I helped Delia stand. Her leg was bent in the air like a flamingo as I steadied her.
“You sure you can put weight on it?”
Delia wrinkled her nose in annoyance. “I think I know my own foot.”
She lowered her boot to the ground and took a confident step. Her ankle buckled beneath her, and she lurched sideways before I caught her around the waist.
“Wow. Impressive. You should take that act on the road. Oh, wait…”
“Jack,” Delia said from between gritted teeth. “It pains me more than a sprained ankle to ask, but can you please help me?”
“I thought you’d never ask.” I scooped her off the ground with my arm under her knees. Her head almost cracked my chin when she looked up at me with a little growl.
“That’s not what I meant. Ever hear of letting me use you as a crutch?”
“This is quicker,” I murmured close to her ear.And far more enjoyable.
With an adorable grunt, she settled in my grip and wrapped an arm around my neck. A foreign feeling loosened something inside my chest, and I tightened my hold. I wasn’t sure how I’d gone from revving a chainsaw outside her window in the middle of the night to holding her in my arms, but I wasn’t disappointed in the trajectory.
Snow continued to fall as the three of us trekked back to the inn. Becky carried my saw, and I carried Delia. And for the first time since I’d met her, Delia had gone quiet. No sarcastic remarks. No witty barbs. Just a contented silence while she rested her head against my shoulder.
After placing Delia on the sofa in the common area, I promised Becky I’d have the tree delivered to the town square before the holiday festival and then sent her on her way so I could tend to Delia’s ankle. Grandma Jean found me in the kitchen searching the freezer for an ice pack.
“You didn’t trip her, did you?” she whispered, reaching past me to grab a bag of frozen peas. “Here use this. And get the first aid kit under the sink.”
“Grandma Jean! No, I didn’t trip her.”
