“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.”
“Just checking. You two have been at each other's throats. The poor thing. I’m going to put on some hot water and check my recipes for a tea that will help ease her pain. Oh!” She snapped her fingers and asked, “Did you find a tree?”
“Oddly enough, we did. I don’t know if it will fix anything, but it’s a good tree, grandma. I didn’t think there were any left out there.”
Grandma Jean squeezed my shoulder. “Must be magic, dear. Now go help our guest. I’ll keep an eye out for any customers, but I doubt there will be any. The snow is really coming down out there. I hope we don't get snowed in.”
Snowed in? Why did I suddenly wish it would snow harder? Impassable roads meant I wouldn't have to deal with any tree seekers, and Delia couldn't leave, and—wait.I shook my head to clear the dangerous thought. I might not be deliberately trying to relocate her anymore, but that didn’t mean I wanted to shack up in ugly sweaters and drink eggnog. Did it?
I hated Christmas. Carolers actively avoided spreading holiday cheer within a hundred-foot radius around my inn. Santa probably has a no-fly zone over my farm. There was no way Delia, a woman with holiday spirit coming out of her ears was going to end up with someone like me.
So let it snow until the white stuff reached the roof. She’d probably just strap her pesky poinsettia to her back and snowshoe out of here.
I ground my molars and grabbed the first aid kit, then went to find Delia. While I was gone, she’d taken off her boots and had propped her injured ankle up on a sofa pillow. Somehow, she’d also managed to light the fire in the hearth, and the room was bathed in a cozy orange glow. I looked around for matches but didn’t find any. This woman was suspiciously resourceful.
Digging through the first aid kit, I found an elastic bandage and removed it from the pack.
“You've been awfully quiet since we left,” I said, crouching in front of her to gently place the bag of peas over her ankle.
Delia grimaced in pain and fiddled with the mittens in her lap. “I just can't believe what a disaster today has been. It was a total failure.”
“A failure? That's not how I see it. Thanks to you, Bradley Farms is donating an incredible tree to the town. If it had been left to Becky and I, we would have settled for that first one with the awful lean.”
Delia let out a delicate snort and covered her nose with her fingers. “The two of you are a pair. I thought for sure we were going to throw darts and cut the first tree they hit.”
I grinned and adjusted the makeshift ice pack. “I'm terrible at darts. We'd still be out there.”
“And I probably wouldn't have sprained my ankle.”
