Page 14 of The Lie That Stole Christmas

If Ash was going to be stuck in the house, at least she could feel productive, and maybe, just maybe, seeing the old decorations would ignite something inside her that had been missing for far too many Christmases.

The garland was hung with the help of the stable master’s assistant and Celia, the parlor maid.It proved to be too much for just Ash and Celia, and it was nice to meet another new person who worked on the estate and only had nice things to say.

Her grandfather was a lot of things and caused a lot of rifts within the family, but at the end of the day, he treated his staff well, and it showed in their dispositions.

Ash stepped back to admire their handiwork.The garland draped elegantly along the banister, twinkling white lights nestled between red velvet ribbons and gold pinecones.

Celia wiped a hand across her forehead and joined Ash.“Looks beautiful, Miss Ashley.”

Bobby gave a nod.“It could rival The Plaza.”

“Like you’ve ever been to The Plaza,” Celia said, but there was a hint of humor in her tone.

“No, but someday I will.”

Ashley thought about how many times she’d been to The Plaza and how she had taken it for granted.

“You’ll love it,” Ashley said, thinking about how she could convince her grandfather to send the boy for a day.

“It’s just how your grandmother liked it.”The voice froze Ashley in place.She knew she was bound to bump into Carter again—he was Grandpa’s right-hand man after all—but she didn’t expect him so soon after their last interaction.

She didn’t look toward him, but she didn’t have to.He joined her, standing beside her, his heat invading her space.His finger brushed hers, and she snapped her hand away, stepping away from him.She forced a smile, trying to ignore those blue eyes that laser focused on her.“It looks great, but we are far from done.”She clapped her hands together.“We still have to hang the garland from all the main fireplaces and set up and decorate the trees.”

“We don’t have trees yet,” Carter said.

“Why not?”

“Your grandfather didn’t want to assume you would all show, so he held off on allowing me to order them.”

“We can’t have Christmas without a Christmas tree.”

“Tomorrow I’ll go to the tree farm and ask them to deliver two ten-footers.”

“Absolutely not.”Ashley stepped away and found where Hawthorne had hung her coat.She took it off the hook and pulled it on.

“What the hell are you doing?”Carter asked.

“This house is surrounded by ten acres of woods.I’m sure there is not one but two perfect trees just outside.”

“You want to cut down a tree?”Carter’s laugh only made her more determined.

“Yes.”

“You don’t know the first thing about cutting down a tree.”

“How do you know?”

He eyed her, those damn blue eyes sparkling with amusement.“Because I know you.”

“Not anymore, you don’t,” she said, the admission settling heavily between them.

Something flashed in his eyes, his jaw clenched and ticked, but he inhaled, replacing the tension with a boyish charm she knew all too well.“You’re going to tell me you became a lumberjack in the last eight years.”

“Maybe I dated one,” she tossed back, unable to resist the jab.She crossed her arms over her chest, refusing to look away.Carter’s smile faded, replaced by something darker and more intense.He stepped toward her, closing the gap between them.

She wanted to shove him away.She wanted him to kiss her.She wasn’t sure which urge would win.

“You’re right.I don’t know who you are anymore.But the woman I used to know hated getting her hands dirty.And the woods are knee-deep in snow, and it’s starting to get dark.”