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"I was there." I bite back a smile, because I will not laugh at his genuine concern. He's such a sweet worrywart. "And I promise not to overdo it. Josephine probably won't let me do anything physical."
"Call me if you're in pain or if you need anything."
I lean across the seat and kiss him. "I promise. If I have even a tiny ache, you'll be the first I call."
He glares. "Don't joke. I don't want you pushing through the pain and being miserable just because you don't want to let Josephine down. You need to take care of yourself."
"I'm taking this seriously, Xavier, but I'm not a delicate flower. I can handle a little pain, and I know when to stop pushing and admit I need a break. I'm fully capable of taking care of myself." But I do love him taking care of me, love how he wants to protect me so fiercely.
His brow furrows, and he looks genuinely confused. "I never said you're delicate or that you can't take care of yourself. I just hate seeing you in pain, and I don't want you to push so hard that I have to see you that way tonight. Especially since you've insisted on not taking anymore pain meds."
I shudder. "I hate the way that stuff knocks me out." I kiss him again and hop out of the truck. "I promise I'll take it easy. Don't work yourself to the bone today. And remember to say no."
He grimaces. "I'll pick you up at five."
"See you then." I shut the door and start toward the barn, unable to tamp down the goofy grin on my face.
Josephine pops out of the barn, an equally huge smile on her face. "Cherry, you have got to see this."
She grabs my hand and pulls me into the big barn. Everything has been cleared out, the stalls have been filled with clean-smelling hay, and carved wooden signs hang over each one.
"You're using the names of Santa's reindeer?" The signs are beautiful and simple, clearly handmade with love. "Did Herb make these?"
"Yes and yes," she says. "He's working on more, but he's got a full-time job, so it'll be awhile."
"And the reindeer names?"
She sighs. "It just makes sense. We can't ask Herb to create forty different name signs for every reindeer here."
"I love the fairy lights." I point up at the ceiling, which has been totally covered in the small, white lights. "It's looking truly magical in here."
She smiles. "It'll be better once Mary Richards paints a North Pole mural on the back wall for families to take pictures in front of."
"That's a great idea."
She beams. "It was your idea to incorporate some photo opportunities." She sighs happily. "I really think this is going to work, and I couldn't have done it without you."
My eyes burn and my chest fills with pride. No one has ever said they couldn't have done something without me and now it's happened twice in the same month. "It's nothing. Just some ideas." I start back out of the barn. "Shouldn't we get to work? We've got three school groups scheduled for the visiting center this morning."
"They're coming up here."
I spin. "What? It's not ready. We don't have the Mrs. Claus cookie booth open or the hot cider stand and all the decorations aren't up and—"
"Slow down." She holds up her hands. "Downtown, they'd only expect to get to feed and pet some reindeer. They won't expect more here, okay? The third group signed up for our first hayride, but the expectations aren't high. I'm not advertising more than I have yet."
My heart rate slows a bit. "But what about the tourists? How will they find us?"
She shrugs. "That's the test today. I've got a sign up at our downtown spot directing people up here and Sonny's added my farm as a stop on his shuttle buses if it's requested."
"That's a good idea, I guess." But my heart is thudding again. What if the tourists don't want to travel all the way up here to see the reindeer? "It's not a true test, though, because we don't have all the attractions set up yet, or the website, or the socials blazing away. We don't even have the hotel concierges offering your farm as a tourist attraction yet."
"It's okay." Josephine is way too calm for this situation. "Today won't make or break anything, but I don't have a lot of time to waste. The sooner we get everything going and find out if it's going to be a moneymaker, the sooner I can quit my accounting job."
I breathe out slow. "Okay. We better bring in the reindeer. The first group should be here in half an hour."
She nods, looking way too relaxed for this momentous day.
***
