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CHAPTER 4
***
Bea
Jasper wasn’t kidding about the size of the tree. He picked a good one. It’s plenty tall and wrapped up tight as a drum. I pull gloves from my pocket and get to work, gripping the sturdy branches and tugging the tree to the end of the tailgate. Branches catch on the wooden truck bed floor, but I carry on undeterred.
There’s no way I’m asking Roman to help in his condition. Things could have been much worse. What if I hadn’t gone back? What if he was unable to dig his way out of the snow? He could have frozen to death.
Panic grips my lungs, causing my body to tense.What would I do without Roman?
A surge of adrenaline shoots through me. I pull and twist the tree free of the snags. It lurches toward me so quickly that I lose my footing and fall backward into a pile of snow. The tree trunk hurls toward me, so I roll quickly to my side and faceplant into the snowdrift at the edge of the gravel driveway.
Wet snow covers my body from my jingle bell shoes to my white felt elf collar. I shiver but find the situation amusing. Thank goodness I closed the blinds before coming outside. I’d never hear the end of Roman’s teasing if he saw the fiasco unfold.
I dust myself off the best I can and grab the tree by the trunk, dragging it behind me on the way to the porch. It takes considerable effort to drag it up the steps. I squat low to the ground and climb the stairs backward with my ass in the air and the tree bouncing happily along each step.
When I reach the top step, I tighten my grip on the truck, readying myself for one last triumphant effort. Leather-clad arms encase my waist and grip the tree around my hands.
“You could have asked for help, Bea.” Roman’s thick voice cuts through the cold, warming my neck and various unmentionable areas of my body. He presses his body along my backside, and a sudden chill scrambles up my spine. I shiver from the sheer excitement of having him so close, but he misinterprets my brief shudder. “You’re going to catch a cold. Go inside. I’ll get this.”
“Don’t be a bonehead. You’re the one at risk. I saved you, remember?” I shake my head defiantly, covering my moment of weakness where he’s concerned. “Now go inside. I’ve got this.”
“Not without you, Honey Bea.”
Roman grips the tree trunk and pulls me along with it the remaining distance to the door. I don’t fight him on it, either. It feels nice nestled against his chest, even if there is a coat between us. He’s cozy and warm, sturdy and safe.Just like home.
I refuse to admit it aloud, but getting the tree into the house is much easier with Roman doing the heavy lifting.
We get the tree inside, and I busy myself with filling the tree stand’s water reservoir while Roman unties the webbing encasing the unruly branches. Needles rustle softly, and the scent of pine intensifies as the branches unfurl. Roman shakes the tree gently before securing it in its base. We stand back for a moment, side by side, admiring the tree. Roman drapes his arm across my shoulders and rests his hand at the cradle of my neck.
“Your grandparents would be proud of you,” Roman says softly as he stares intently at the tree. “I’mproud of you.”
He takes me by surprise. My heart thrums a little faster, and I fall in love with him a little deeper. There’s so much more to Roman than meets the eye.
I turn toward him and take in his stern, stubbled jaw and the fine lines outlining the corners of his brooding eyes. He blinks, then glances down at me. His dark eyes soften, as do the creases along his forehead. My eyes trace the slope of his nose to the perfect bow of his sculpted lips. His lips curve in a gentle swell. I linger there, irresistibly drawn to them.
“Thanks for saving my old broken-down ass.” His warm breath swirls between us.
“We make a good team.” My breath hitches when his fingertips graze the sensitive skin along my collarbone.
