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A good while later, way back on the property, about as far as they could go from the parking lot, the boys found their tree. Most of the surrounding trees had been cut, and there stood their perfect tree. Well, perfect in their eyes anyway. Sarah tried not to laugh.
It was tall.
It was skinny.
It was pitifully scraggly.
“That’s kinda holey,” Hunter said as he shook his head, a gesture so like his dad that it made her heart lurch. “But it looks lonely. Can we take it home, please?”
Lonely? Her heart hurt once again. Hunter…so sweet, so tender, so…lonely.
“Pwease,” Chase added, sealing the deal.
She pushed aside the ache for Gregory’s children and grabbed the saw. “Let’s get started.” She made the boys stand back as she attempted a couple of passes of the saw. Not easy work. Maybe she would wait for Gregory to—
“Need some help?” he asked from behind her, his deep voice a rumble she could feel as if it were wrapping around her, enveloping her.
Chase squealed, and Hunter actually smiled, both excited that their dad was taking part in getting the tree. Once he’d patted their heads, he rubbed his hands together and reached to take the saw from her.
He’d always been the opposite of the men of her childhood dreams. Way back then, she’d imagined her perfect husband in a suit and tie like her dad—a slick businessman. But here he was in his boots, khaki work pants and polo shirt embroidered with the Jones logo, his auburn hair a little too long, his face scruffy with a five o’clock shadow. And so very appealing.
Before sawing, he stood back and really looked at the tree. He shook his head, just like Hunter had done.
Please brag on it. Please don’t say anything negative.
“Why on earth did you pick out a Charlie Brown tree?” he asked.
“A Charlie Brown tree?” Hunter asked. “What’s that?”
He gave Sarah a look. “I guess if you’ve already started cutting, we have to buy that one.”
“It’s perfect. And it needs love,” she said, daring him to say another word.
“A tree needs love?” he said quietly for her ears only.
His whisper rustled the hair by her ear and caused chill bumps to travel down her arm. A hint of clean, crisp, manly fragrance teased her nose, and she breathed in deeply. She couldn’t quite bring herself to move away. So she leaned in closer.
“According to your son, the tree is lonely,” she whispered. “So watch yourself.”
Gregory couldn’t look away from Sarah. Her nearness. Watching her with his kids. Seeing her protect Hunter. It was overwhelming. So he tried to focus on the tree. He was not at all surprised the tree looked lonely. It had been left behind for a reason.
Forcing thoughts of Sarah from his mind, he made quick work of cutting the trunk, then carried it to where he’d parked his truck. Once he had paid, he said, “I’ve got to go. I’ll bring the tree home with me tonight.”
“Ah, man. I wanted to decorate it now,” Hunter said.
“Can we, Dad, pwease?”
He’d already had to move buying the trampoline back one day. They could decorate the tree later. “I’m sorry, boys. I have some shopping I have to do before my meeting. And I’m probably going to be late as it is.”
“Stupid job,” Hunter mumbled as he kicked at the truck tire.
“Gregory, do you think you could help us just get the tree in the house? You could decorate it another day.”
Hunter looked at him, a hopeful expression on his face. Sometimes it took so little to satisfy them.
He glanced at his watch. “I guess I could do that. But we’ll have to hurry.” And he could forget shopping.
The boys hopped in the back seat of his king cab truck to ride with him.
“Sowwy, Miss Sawah. You have to wide all alone.”
“That’s okay, Chase. I don’t mind,” she said as she buckled him in.
“We’ve gotta go.” Gregory turned and leaned over the seat. “Sarah, can you follow us home, then take them to my dad’s?”
“Of course. See you there.”
He wanted to rush home, sling the tree into a bucket of water, then zip to the toy store, all in about five minutes. But he drove safely, making sure Sarah stayed behind him, safe as well. When they got home, he suggested the bucket of water.
Hunter leaped over the seat of the truck and tumbled into the front. “But Dad, we’ve got to take it in the house so we can decorate it later.”
“We won’t be able to do it for a couple of days.” He tried to remember which day he’d set aside to do the tree. “I think I planned for us to do it Wednesday.”
“Let’s do it tomowwo,” Chase said as he carefully tried to tumble where his brother had just done so effortlessly. Instead, he ended up stranded, hanging on the seatback.
Gregory gave him a tug to pull him the rest of the way. “Okay, guys. We’ll take it inside now, put it in the stand, then decorate tomorrow.”
Sarah stepped up beside the truck. “Do you have a tree stand?”
How come she had to keep popping up? It was as if she was trying to torment him—drawing him to her with her silky hair, sparkling eyes and sweet nature. She reminded him of the good parts of their past. When in reality it was a past that was best forgotten.
He sucked in a breath as a thought hit him.
Would Winston Radcliffe expect him to honor their agreement even after all these years?
“Gregory? A tree stand?”
“Oh, uh, check the attic. Pull down ladder’s in the hallway.” He handed her the house key.
It had been over fifteen years ago that he’d made the stupidest bargain of his life. Surely Sarah’s father wouldn’t hold him to it, now.
While Sarah went on a mission to find the tree stand, he trimmed off the lowest branches as Hunter and Chase looked on. By the time they got the tree up and tried to find one decent side, it was six o’clock and time for him to be at his new customer’s office.
“I’ve got to go. You three can try to find a side that doesn’t have too many gaps in the branches.”
He rubbed Hunter’s head. And started to rub Chase’s. But Chase launched into his arms and gave him a quick hug and sloppy kiss.
He started to thank Sarah. But for what? Throwing his whole schedule off and making him late? “I appreciate you taking the boys to Dad’s for me,” he said.
“No problem. Thanks for coming to help get the tree.” She gave him a big smile.
Did she feel it too? Or were his feelings one-sided. “Hey boys, you two run outside and get your bookbags out of Sarah’s car so you don’t forget them.”
Both obeyed and headed out the front door.
“I hope you don’t see Hunter and Chase as some sort of mission project,” he said voicing the fear that had been nagging him for the past few hours.
She looked surprised. “Oh. No, of course not.” But she seemed uncomfortable, as if he’d hit at least on some bit of the truth.
“So why’d you want to spend time with them?”
“They’re in the play. I wanted to get to know them.”
“And you’re going to get together with each of the children in the play?”
She didn’t say anything.
It made him sick to think her kindness to his boys was nothing more than feeling sorry for them. “My kids aren’t neglected. They’re not needy. I do a perfectly fine job providing for them.” He paced across the living room, wishing his house were bigger so he had decent room to work off the aggravation.
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