“I am,” Arabella confirmed.
Colin lifted James off his shoulder and set him gently on the ground. “Come, I believe I found the perfect tree for this year,” he encouraged.
He led them further down the path and stopped at a glorious pine tree. He put his hands out wide and asked, “What do you think?”
Arabella tilted her head up and replied, “This has to be at least twelve feet tall.”
“That shouldn’t be a problem,” Colin replied, admiring the long, protruding branches. “We can cut the top off to make it fit in the saloon.”
Arabella looked hesitant. “That doesn’t seem like a good idea.”
“It will work,” he said, reaching into his pocket to pull out a red ribbon. “You must trust me on this.”
“All right,” she conceded. “But this only proves how much I love you.”
After he’d secured the ribbon to the tree, he turned his attention back to his wife. “Has any tree spoken to you yet?” he teased.
Her eyes left his and roamed the woodlands. “Not yet,” she replied. “Perhaps we should let the children decide this year.”
Esther clasped her hands together. “Do you mean it?”
“I do,” Arabella replied. “Why don’t you and James pick out a tree?”
Reaching for her brother’s hand, Esther said, “We will find a tree that doesn’t make anyone sad.”
Colin watched as his children roamed the woods and found himself beaming with pride. “I love watching our children play together.”
“It is rare for them to be playing nicely, and not fighting.”
“They do seem to fight constantly, but I was that way with my brothers growing up.”
Arabella started walking down the path as the children headed further into the woodlands. “I am pleased that Peter and his mother will be joining us for our Christmas festivities this year.”
“I agree,” Colin replied. “We haven’t seen much of Peter since he started at Cambridge.”
“He has grown into a remarkable man.”
“That he has,” Colin agreed. “I know he has grand plans to become a barrister.”
Arabella reached for his hand. “He is certainly smart enough.”
Glancing over at her, he asked, “Is your father coming for Christmas?”
“I believe so,” she replied. “Although, it might be hard for Augusta to travel in a coach for too long.”
“She always seems to be increasing.”
Arabella giggled. “That she does, and Father is beside himself,” she said. “He has four children under the age of seven.”
“I hope he is happy.”
“He appears to be.”
Colin stopped and turned to face her. “Are you happy?”
She smiled. “Blissfully so.”
“That warms my heart to hear,” he said, leaning closer. “I am a smart enough man to know that I need to keep my wife happy if I ever want to kiss her.”
