Page 159 of How My Neighbour Stole Christmas
She rolled her eyes in front of her sister, whispered something to her, then gave her a hug—followed by a hug for Cindy—and joined me. When we reached my truck and slid into the cab, I pulled her across the bench seat and devoured her mouth for a solid minute before I let us both grab some air.
The only reason I pulled away was because I was worried Taran might see us, as she wasn’t too far behind in packing up Cindy into the car.
But now that we’re alone and headed to the farm, I have several ideas of what I plan on doing.
Since the drive isn’t far, we pull onto the road that leads to Evergreen Farm as I ask, “Are you going to say anything about the competition results?”
“Yes…why didn’t you use pineapple like Atlas told you to?”
I roll my eyes. Should have known that was coming.
“I think you know why. From what happened with the pineapple last time, I was playing it safe.”
“Safe didn’t secure you the win.”
“Secured second, which was better than what you got,” I counter, but with a smile so she knows I’m only teasing.
“If I’d had an assistant like you did, I probably would have secured second.”
“You did have an assistant.” I squeeze her thigh. “You were just knocked points for it. Which, by the way, I recall you saying something about paying me back later. Well, now is later…”
She chuckles. “Are you really this persistent?”
“Where you’re concerned, yes.” I drive the truck down the newly paved path that leads right behind the barn, and then I put it in park.
She glances out the window at the green two-tier barn that is outlined in white molding. “This is where you go every day?”
“My second home,” I say. “Wait.” I hop out of the truck and round the front, then I open her door. When her eyes meet mine and I hold my hand out, I say, “Trying to be a gentleman here.”
“After the texts you sent me, you arenowtrying to be a gentleman?”
“A gentleman can hold the door open for you…and slap your fine ass when you beg for it.”
Storee
I pause and watch the glint form in his eyes. “Cole Black…I think you’re trouble.”
“You would be right about that,” he says as he helps me out of his truck. He connects our palms and holds me close as we walk straight up to the barn to a side door.
“Please tell me it’s heated in there,” I say with a shiver.
He chuckles. “Jesus, you need to grow thicker blood. But yes, it’s heated.” He holds the door open for me, and I slip in past him just as he smacks me right on the rear end. I gasp and turn to look at him. He smirks. “See, I can be a gentleman and still smack your ass.” He places his armover my shoulders and walks me farther into the barn—the very clean, neat, surprisingly modern barn.
The floor is cement, there doesn’t seem to be an ounce of dirt anywhere, and there are structural wooden beams that look like they’re from the 1800s holding up the entire building. It’s warm, it smells like…hay, and there is the sound of light huffs and snorts coming from some pens in the back.
“This is not what I expected,” I say, still taking it all in as I enter the space.
Off to the right is a room with a sign hanging over the door that saysOffice. Inside is a desk and a simple chair. On top of the desk is a laptop, some neatly stacked paperwork, and a printer.
“Is that where you work?” I ask, pointing to it.
“Yeah, funnily enough, I’m not just brushing reindeer coats all day. There’s a lot more that goes into the job. Some admin work that I really hate. Scheduling. Ordering. Things like that.”
“Oh, I had no idea. Your hands screamed farm hand, not keyboard master.”
He chuckles. “Well, I tend to spend more time out of the office than in, but it’s necessary to stop in at least once a day or else I’ll fall behind. The Maxheimers have made it simple with the business and all the facets that go into it. We’re all in charge of our own little sections, which are small enough that we can handle them on our own and don’t get overwhelmed. So for me, I know what I need for the reindeer and I don’t have to depend on other people to get it done. Supplies, vet visits, all of that I get to control. And I just report in every Friday to let them know that everything has been handled and any events coming up have been scheduled. Max is the same with the tree farm.”
“That makes so much sense—nothing gets left behind.”
