Page 20 of Dumped for a Christmas Tree Farmer

Griffin’s nostrils flare. “Yeah. I slipped.”

I grab Mav’s hand, tugging him through the crowd. Desperate to yet again get some ice on his hand before it starts to bruise even more.

He looks down at Holly, shaking his head, the disappointment rolling off him in waves. It’s enough to make Holly flinch and look down at her toes. It’s then he turns to Holly’s father.

“He insulted Indy’s mother. I wasn’t going to stand around and let that happen.” He allows me to pull him through the crowd, as Henry and Scott follow us.

I turn back around to watch as Mr. Honeyford’s face pinches together, his gloved hand rubbing against his tired eyes.

Chapter Nine

December 26

Indy

“Two punches in three days. This is the most drama this town has seen in years. Years!” Henry is on his adrenaline high after landing, in his version, six snowballs to James’s head. Unfortunately, we did determine that this probably led to James giving up on the snowball fight altogether and pummeling Mav in the stomach. He took it like a champ, though, and barely flinched as he removed his sweater to sit by the large stone fireplace in the lobby of the B&B.

“Henry, could you help me with the ice pack?” Mav asks.

“Oh, I’m sure Indy could—”

Mav’s penetrating stare seems to flip a switch on Henry, who, after a brief pause, skips over and kneels at Mav’s feet, delicately removing his gloves and looking up at him with his big almond eyes. Apparently Mav and I aren’t the only ones giving come-fuck-me eyes, because Henry has it down like a pro. If I didn’t know his crush on Scott was borderline obsessive, I might be a little jealous.

Not that I’m attracted to Mav. Okay, fine, I’m a little attracted to him, but the end goal is still for us both to end up with who we’re meant to. It doesn’t mean that in the meantime I can’t appreciate his dark hair contrasting against his warm honeyed brown eyes. The set of his jaw when he’s thinking and the way muscle tics as if he’s biting down his natural instinct to be impatient. I mean, sure, his body helps too. Strong arms, towering height with broad shoulders. Arms as thick as my thighs. I just know he could pick me up and throw me around no problem, and he has the attitude that tells me he’d do exactly that if I ever went to bed with him. But soon, Holly will realize that James is not the one for her, and soon James will realize I am the one for him, and Maverick will be a distant memory. Just a guy that I conspired with one Christmas. A secret just between us, one I can absolutely never tell James about.

A hot knife of uncertainty slices through my gut. The way he’d just stood there and said nothing when Griffin insulted my mom. The way he stood there and said nothing when Griffin insulted me. Is that the kind of man I want to end up with? The kind of man who is going to be there for me during hard times?

Mav didn’t waste a second before blessing Griffin with his left hook. He just reared back and threw his body into it. He wasn’t punching with his fist; he was punching with his entire weight. But his short explanation to Holly’s dad tells me he’s still trying to win her over, but now he’s working her dad too.

At the very least, he’s trying to save face so when Hugh Honeyford eventually becomes his father-in-law, he’ll have protecting women’s honor under his pros list.

I sip on the hot cocoa that Scott made us all and watch as his eyes zero in on Henry, carefully wrapping the flexi-icepack around Mav’s hand. As Henry glances at Scott for the fourth time, I roll my eyes.

“Come on, slugger. I think Henry has fawned over you enough,” I say, rising to my feet. The increased proximity of the fire stings my cheeks, and I soak it up for as long as possible before trudging back out in the snow to the couple of minutes' walk to the cottage.

“You make an excellent nurse, Henry. I might have to get you to inspect my bandages tomorrow.” Mav smirks, rising to his feet and holding his hand out to help Henry, who is still kneeling at his feet.

Scott grips the arms of his chair. A tic in his jaw tells me he’s biting down on his teeth so hard they may well crack. These men need to find a way to expel their frustrations that doesn’t end in dental surgery.

“Don’t get into any more trouble between now and then, you two. Well, preferably no more injuries at least.” Henry winks, brushing off his knees before collecting up our empty mugs. Scott continues to sit, giving me the briefest of nods before deciding to follow Henry into the kitchen.

I open the front door to the B&B, picking up a piece of trash at the door, slipping it into my pocket. We make our way down the path. I can’t believe it was only two nights ago that I met Mav. He was so angry, much like tonight, his fury boiling close to the surface, bubbling over in one swift, thoughtless move. A punch hard enough to break bones, to draw blood.

We’re silent as we trudge through the snow-covered path, my feet crunching against the snow. We’ll have another dusting by morning. The snowflakes are falling lazily, like they’re fluffed-up feathers, expelled from a pillow, almost gliding toward the ground.

“What was that with Henry?”

He smirks, his dark eyes meeting mine as he tilts his head, considering my question. “The chef needs a push. I’m just helping out a friend.”

“Henry’s your friend now, is he?” I raise my eyebrow.

“Is that a problem?”

Shrugging, I say, “It might be for Holly. She doesn’t exactly like him.”

“Well, Holly’s not here. You are. So tell me why it’s a problem for you.”

I slip the key into the lock, pushing open the door as the cat winds itself around my ankles. I draw down to pick her up, letting her nuzzle her face against my cheek before placing her on the couch.