Page 19 of Enduring Christmas
CHAPTER SIX
Xenobiastepped over another rock cropping, keeping pace with Luke and Shiloh. According to her boyfriend, they were in search of a Christmas tree. The wind chilled her cheeks, making her eyes water, but Luke had given her a fur-lined hat, a wool scarf, a ski parka, and a pair of fleece gloves. She could barely move in all the layers.
They'd taken Miller Road, pass the No Limit Bar and Grill, ventured through Tommy's Park, where the Mallard ducks nestled together in powdery white snow, and driven up the mountain. Dressed with crystal icicles, the trees soared above their heads, a true winter wonderland.
"So why can't we go and buy a tree like normal people?"
When Luke loaded Xenobia and Shiloh up in the truck cab she assumed they were going to a tree lot with free cider while they shopped the pre-cut selection. Nope. He'd press the gas pedal till parked at the foot one of the Sierra Nevada's snow-covered forest.
Her mouth gaped open. Was he seriously going to chop down a tree like Daniel Boone or somebody? Luke continued to chomp through the forest pushing snow-covered branches aside for her and Shiloh.
"Because in Endurance, it's normal to pick your own tree and then cut it down."
"That is crazy. You're acting like we are some mountains folk."
Luke glanced back at her like she was the crazy one. "Take a look around Xenobia. We are mountain folk. You included."
Her phone rang. Using her teeth to remove one glove, she freed the device from her pocket. Ramsey again.
Luke halted his climb, watching her. "You going to answer that?"
"Nope." Instead of answering, she sent him a text. I'm fine. Shopping with my new boyfriend. The girlfriend gig had worked for Luke. Cheyenne hadn't called again. Maybe, Ramsey would back off too. She knew he had the best intentions, but his brother had married her, cheated on her, and then died. She didn't want to talk about Rook, her marriage, or his death. Especially with a brother who thought the world of his younger sibling.
She pasted on a smile. "You're right. Let's do it."
He was right of course. Endurance was a small town where folks depended on each other and the land to provide what they needed. It never occurred to her that real people actually chopped down real trees at Christmas time. Back in Florida, trees were either plastic and, in a box, or precut from a lot.
"Miss Xen-obia, which tree do you want?" Shiloh asked.
"I have no idea." And it was the God's honest truth. What experience did she have that made her the right woman for this very rustic man in his little girl? She was truly a fish out of water.
"I can help you. You can make bows for the tree, like you did for my hair."
Shiloh grabbed her hand, and Xenobia dutifully trotted up the hill behind a determined five-year-old. This morning, Xenobia had made herself useful, by helping Shiloh with brushing her teeth and styling her hair. Luke had placed a kiss on her cheek, appreciation for the added hands had shone in his dark gaze.
When they came up to Luke, he began describing the different types of trees they could choose from in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. There were Juniper oaks, Ponderosa pines, and Douglas firs at the lower elevations.
