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Jesse Slater. The name sounded familiar somehow, but she was certain they’d never met. Even for someone as cautious of the opposite sex as she was, the man’s dark good looks would be hard to forget. Mysterious silver-blue eyes with sadness hovering at the crinkled corners, dark cropped hair above a face that somehow looked even more attractive because he hadn’t yet shaved this morning, and a trim athletic physique dressed in faded jeans and denim jacket over a Western shirt. Oh, yes, he was a handsome one all right. But looks did not impress Lindsey. Not anymore.
Still, she couldn’t get the questions out of her head. Why would a man with no job and a child to raise come to the small rural town of Winding Stair? It would be different if he had relatives here, but he’d mentioned none. Something about him didn’t quite ring true, but she was loath to turn him away. After all, if the Christmas Tree Farm was to survive, she needed help—immediately. And Jesse Slater needed a job. And she’d bet this broad-shouldered man was a hard worker.
The child, Jade, hair hanging down her father’s back like black fringe, looked up and saw that Sushi was now inside, then wiggled against her father to be let down. She slid down the side of his body then skipped toward the late-model pickup.
At the driver’s-side door, Jesse boosted the little girl into the cab and slid inside behind her. Then for the first time he looked up and saw Lindsey standing inside the storm door, watching his departure. He lifted a hand in farewell, though no smile accompanied the gesture. Lindsey, who smiled—and laughed—a lot, wondered if the darkly solemn Jesse had experienced much joy in his life.
The pickup roared to life, then backed out and disappeared down the long dirt drive, swirling leaves and dust into the morning air.
Lindsey, who preferred to think the best of others, tried to shrug off the nagging disquiet. After months of seeking help, she should be thankful, not suspicious, to have a strong, healthy man apply for the job. But the fact that she’d almost given up hope that anyone would be willing to work for the small salary she could afford to pay was part of what raised her suspicions.
She wrestled with her conscience. After all, the poor man had lost his wife and was raising a small daughter alone. Couldn’t that account for his air of mysterious sadness? Couldn’t he be seeking the solitude of the mountains and the quiet serenity of a small town to help him heal? Even though she knew from experience that only time and the Lord could ease the burden of losing someone you love, the beautiful surroundings were a comfort. She knew that from experience too.
Stepping back from the doorway, she stroked one hand across Sushi’s thick fur. “What do you think, girl?”
But she knew the answer to that. Sushi was a very fine judge of character and she hadn’t even barked at the stranger. Nor had she protested when the man had come inside the house while she was relegated to the front porch.
Looking down at the sheet of paper still clutched in one hand, Lindsey studied the names and numbers, then started for the telephone.
“If his references check out, I have to hire him. We need help too badly to send him away just because he’s too good-looking.”
Later that afternoon, Lindsey was kneeling in the tree lot, elbow-deep in Virginia pine trimmings, when Sushi suddenly leaped to her feet and yipped once in the direction of the house.
A car door slammed.
Pushing back her wind-blown hair with a forearm, Lindsey stood, shears in hand and strained her eyes toward the house. A blue Silverado once more sat in her driveway and Jesse Slater strode toward her front door.
Quickly, she laid aside the shears and scrambled out of the rows of pine trees.
Hadn’t the man said he’d call for her decision? What was he doing out here again? Her misgivings rushed to the fore.
“Hello,” she called, once she’d managed to breech the small rise bordering the tree lot. The house was only about fifty yards from the trees, and Sushi trotted on ahead.
Jesse spun on his boot heel, caught sight of her and lifted a hand in greeting.
“No wonder you didn’t answer your phone,” he said when she’d come within speaking distance.
With chagrin, Lindsey realized that it had happened again. While working in the trees, she frequently lost track of time, forgot to eat, forgot about everything except talking to the Lord and caring for the trees. Maybe that’s why she loved the tree farm so much and why she’d been so reluctant to take on a hired hand. While among the trees, she carried on a running conversation with God, feeling closer to Him there than she did anywhere—even in church.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize it was so late.” Holding her dirty hands out to her sides, she said, “Why don’t you come on in while I wash up? Then we can talk.”
Jesse, who’d managed to shave somewhere since she’d seen him last, hesitated. “I hate to ask this, but would you mind putting the dog up again? My daughter is with me.”
Lindsey pivoted toward the truck, aware for the first time that a small, worried face pressed against the driver’s-side window. “I don’t mind, but that is something else we need to discuss. If you’re going to work for me, we have to find a way for Jade and Sushi to get along.”
A ghost of a grin lit the man’s face. “Does that mean none of my references revealed my sinister past?”
“Something like that.” In fact, his references had been glowing. One woman had gone beyond character references though, and had told Lindsey about Jesse’s wife, about the tragic accident that had made him a widower, and about his raw and terrible grief. Her sympathy had driven her to pray for the man and his little girl—and to decide to hire him.
“If you’ll carry Jade inside again, I’ll hold Sushi and leave her outside while we talk.”
Jesse did as she asked, galloping across the lawn with the child on his back, her dark hair streaming out behind like a pony’s tail. Dog forgotten in the fun, Jade’s giggle filled the quiet countryside.
“Would you like some tea? Or a Coke?” Lindsey asked once the child and man were seated inside on the old brown sofa. “I’ve been in the trees so long I’m parched as well as dirty.”
“A Coke sounds great, although we don’t intend to continue imposing on your hospitality this way.”
“Why not?”
He blinked at her, confused, then gave a short laugh. “I don’t know. Doesn’t seem polite, I suppose.”
She started into the kitchen, then stopped and turned around. “If you’re going to work for me, we can’t stand on ceremony. You’ll get hungry and thirsty, so you have to be able to come up here or into the office down at the tree patch and help yourself.”
“So I have the job.” With Jade glued to his pants leg, he followed Lindsey into the kitchen, moving with a kind of easy, athletic grace.
Lindsey stopped at the sink to scrub her hands. The smell of lemon dishwashing liquid mingled with the pungent pine scent emanating from her skin and clothes. It was a good thing she loved the smell of Christmas because it permeated every area of her life. Even when she dressed up for church and wore perfume, the scent lingered.
“If you want it. The hours are long. The work is not grueling, but it is physical labor. You can choose your days off, but between now and Christmas, things start hopping.”
An odd look of apprehension passed over Jesse’s face. He leaned against the counter running alongside the sink. “What do you mean, hopping?”
“Jesse, this is a Christmas tree farm. Though I’m mostly a choose-and-cut operation, I also harvest and transport a certain number of trees to area city lots, grocery stores, etc., about mid-November.” She dried her hands on the yellow dishtowel hanging over the oven rail.
“Do you do that yourself or have someone truck them?” He followed her to the refrigerator where she handed him two colas. He popped the lids and gave one to Jade, then took a long pull on the other, his silver eyes watching her over the rim.
“Right now I’m delivering them myself, but long-range I want a large enough clientele to ship them all over the country.” Her shoulders sagged. “But that takes advertising and advertising takes money—which I do not have at present.” Taking a cola for herself, she waved a hand. “But I’m getting off topic here. Let’s go sit down and discuss your job. Jade,” she said, glancing down toward the child, “I have some crayons and a coloring book around here somewhere if you’d like to color while your dad and I talk.”
The child’s eyes lit up, so Lindsey gathered the materials she kept stashed in a kitchen drawer and spread them on the table.
The child eyed the table doubtfully and clung tighter to her father’s leg. She pointed toward the living room, not ten feet away. “Can I go in there with you and Daddy?”
The poor little lamb was a nervous wreck without her daddy.
“Of course, you can.” Lindsey swept up the crayons and book and proceeded into the living room, settling Jade at the coffee table.
All the while, she was aware of the handsome stranger’s eyes on her. His references were excellent. She could trust him. She did trust him. She even felt a certain comfort in his presence, but something about him still bothered her.
Was it because he was too good-looking? She had been susceptible to good looks once before and gotten her heart broken.
No. That had happened a long time ago and, with the Lord’s help, she had put that pain behind her.
Hadn’t she?
The sharp tang of Coke burned Jesse’s throat as he watched the play of interesting emotions across Lindsey’s face. She was not a woman who hid her feelings particularly well. If he was to pull this off, he would have to win her confidence. And right now, from the looks of her, she was worried about hiring him.
“I’m a hard worker, Miss Mitchell. I’ll do a good job.”
“Lindsey, please. There can’t be that much difference in our ages.”
“Okay. And I’m Jesse. And this lovely creature is Jade.” He poked a gentle finger at Jade’s tummy.
His little girl beamed at him as though he’d given her a golden crown and, as usual, his heart turned over when she smiled. That one missing front tooth never failed to charm him. “Daddy’s silly sometimes.”
“I guess I’ll have to learn to put up with that if he’s going to work out here. What about you? What are we going to do about you and my dog?”
“I don’t like dogs. They’re mean.” When Jade drew back against the couch, green eyes wide, Jesse sighed.
What in the world was he going to do about this stand-off between dog lover and dog hater? He’d give anything to see Jade get over her terrible fear of dogs, but the trauma ran so deep, he wondered if she ever would. In fact, since Erin’s death, her fear had worsened, and other fears had taken root as well. She didn’t want him out of her sight, she was terrified of the dark, and her nightmares grew in intensity.
He took a sip of cola, thinking. “Could we just play it by ear for a while and see how things go? Jade will be in school most of the time anyway.”
“I work long, sometimes irregular hours, especially this time of year.”
“I don’t mind that.” The more hours he worked the more money he’d make. And the more time he’d have to question Lindsey and check out the farm.
“Then I have a suggestion. The school bus runs right by my driveway. Why not have Jade catch the bus here in the morning and come back here after school?”
Jesse breathed an inward sigh of relief. He’d hoped she’d say that. Otherwise he would have to take off work twice a day to chauffeur his child to and from school.
“That would be a big help.”
“Yes, but coming here will also put her in contact with Sushi morning and night.”
“Hmm. I see your point.” Pinching his bottom lip between finger and thumb, he considered, but came away empty. “Any ideas?”
“Yes, but fears like that don’t disappear overnight. We’ll need some time for Jade to acclimate and to realize that Sushi is one of the good guys.” She smiled one of those sunshine smiles that made him feel as though anything was possible—even Jade accepting the dog.
“In the meantime, while Jade is here, Sushi can remain outdoors or in one of the bedrooms with the door closed. When we’re working in the field, sometimes she hangs out in the office anyway. She won’t like being left out, but it will only be until Jade feels more comfortable with her around.”
There she went again, tossing kindness around like party confetti. He had to stop setting himself up this way. Liking Lindsey Mitchell could not be part of the deal. “I’m sorry about this. Sorry to be so much trouble.”
“Don’t worry about it. Jade’s fear isn’t your fault, and she certainly can’t help it.” She shot a wink toward Jade who looked up, green eyes wide and solemn. “Not yet, anyway.”
The child was poised over a drawing of the Sermon on the Mount, red crayon at the ready. Jesse swallowed hard.
“Daddy, I want to see the Christmas trees.”
The knot tightened in Jesse’s chest. Pictures of Jesus. Christmas trees. What was next? “How about tomorrow?”
Jade didn’t fuss, but disappointment clouded her angelic face. She resumed coloring, trading the red crayon for a purple one.
“Come on, Jesse.” Lindsey rose from the armchair. “You may as well see where you’ll be spending most of your time. While we’re down there, I’ll show you the little office where I keep the equipment and explain my plans for this Christmas season.”
He’d have to do it sooner or later. Feeling as if he were being led to the gallows, Jesse swigged down the remainder of his Coke and stood.
“Where are the Christmas trees?” Gripping Jesse’s hand, Jade took in rows and rows of evergreens, swiveling her head from side to side plainly searching for something more traditionally Christmas.
She might be disappointed, but Jesse inhaled in relief, feeling the pungent pine-scented coolness in his nostrils. They were just trees. Plain ordinary pine trees, no more Christmassy than the thousands of evergreens lining the woods and roads everywhere in this part of Oklahoma. The only differences were the neat rows and carefully tended conical shapes of a specific variety. Nothing to get all worked up over.
“Where are the decorations? And the presents?” Jade was as bewildered as she was disappointed.
Kneeling in the rich dirt, Lindsey clasped one of Jade’s small hands in hers. “Listen, sweetie, don’t fret. Right now, the lot doesn’t look like anything but green pine trees, but just you wait another month. See that little building over there?”
After turning to look, Jade nodded. “Are the Christmas trees in there?”
Lindsey laughed, that warm, smoky sound that made Jesse’s stomach clench. “Not yet. But the decorations are in there. Lights, and Santas, and angels. Even a nativity set and a sleigh.”
“Yeah?” Jade asked in wonder.
“Yeah. And with your daddy to help me this year, we’ll set out all of the decorations, string lights up and down these rows, hook up a sound system to pipe in Christmas carols. Maybe you and I can even decorate one special tree up near the entrance where cars pull in. Then every night and day we’ll have a Christmas party. People will come to choose a tree and we’ll give them wagon rides from the parking area through the tree lot.”
The woman fairly glowed with excitement and the effect was rubbing off on Jade. Pulling away from her dad for the first time, she clapped her hands and spun in a circle.
“Let’s do it now.”
“Whoa, Butterbean, not so fast.” He laid a quieting hand on her shoulder. “Lindsey already told you that part comes later.” The later the better as far as he was concerned.
“But soon, though, sweetie.” Lindsey couldn’t seem to bear seeing Jade disappointed. She motioned toward an open field where a large brown horse grazed on the last of the green grass. “See that horse down there? He loves to pull a wagon, does it all the time for hayrides—but at Christmas he gives visitors rides from the parking area through the tree lot.”
“What’s his name?”
“Puddin’. Don’t you think he looks like chocolate pudding?”
Jade giggled. “No. He’s big.”
“Big, but very gentle. He likes kids, especially little girls with green eyes.”
“I have green eyes.”
Lindsey bent low, peering into Jade’s face. “Well, how about that? You sure do. You’ll be his favorite.”
Jesse watched in amazement as Lindsey completely captivated his usually quiet daughter. If he wasn’t very careful, he’d fall under her spell of genuine decency too. Given his mission, he’d better step easy. Common sense said he should discourage Jade from this fast-forming friendship, but she’d had so little fun lately, he didn’t have the heart to say a word.
“Can I go see the Christmas in your building?”
“Sure you can.” Popping up, Lindsey dusted her knees and looked at Jesse. His reluctance must have shown because she said, “If we can convince your daddy there are no monsters in there.”
Mentally shaking himself, Jesse forced a smile he didn’t feel. Santas and angels and horse-drawn wagons. Great. Just great. He wanted no part of any of it. But he wanted this job. And he wanted this farm. To get them both he’d have to struggle through a couple of months of having Christmas shoved down his throat at every turn. It was more than he’d bargained for, but he’d have to do it.
Somehow.
Chapter Three
Delighted to see Jade so excited and to find a fellow Christmas lover, Lindsey clasped her small hand and started toward the storage building. Jesse’s voice stopped her.
“You two go ahead. I’ll get busy here in the trees.”
Lindsey turned back. A crisp October breeze had picked up earlier in the afternoon, but the autumn sun made the wind as warm as a puppy’s breath. “Work can wait until tomorrow.”
