they choose will be fine.”
More silence. Then, after another few minutes, when Elizabeth and Toby were still darting around the lot, where each tree was staked to the ground like a mini forest, Richard was getting irritated.
“Mom, you and Toby need to choose one. It’s too cold to remain out much longer.”
He shot a look at Molly, expecting to find disapproval on her face, but she didn’t look perturbed by his demand.
“Are you frozen, Molly?”
“N-no, I’m f-fine.”
“Why didn’t you tell me you were cold?” he asked in irritation. Grabbing her arm, he headed back to the SUV.
“What are you doing?” she demanded, resisting.
“I’m going to warm you up.”
The look of horror on her face brought some interesting thoughts to Richard, but he hastily shut them out. “I’m going to start the engine and turn on the heater,” he explained with a grin.
“O-Oh.”
Once he got her in the front seat, he circled the vehicle and got in to start the engine. “Give me your hands,” he said.
Molly stared at him again. “Why?”
“I’m going to hold them in mine. You should’ve bought some good gloves today when you bought your coat.”
“I didn’t think I’d be outside this long,” she muttered. She finally extended her hands to him. He’d removed his gloves and the warmth of his skin began to penetrate hers.
He did nothing, just held her hands in his larger ones. Still, Molly could feel the heat all the way from her head to her toes. Under her coat she felt flushed. Being in this enclosed space, alone with Richard, was an amazingly intimate exchange with a man she didn’t even like two days ago.
Too intimate.
She pulled her hands free. “I think they’re warm enough now, thank you.”
“Are you sure?” he asked, staring at her.
She felt her cheeks heat and she knew she had to have some distance. “Yes, thank you.” She looked over her shoulder. “How—how is the tree search going?”
After telling her to stay inside so she’d be warm, he added, “I’ll be back in a minute.”
Then he located the two tree-hunters. “Molly is half-frozen. You’ve got to make a decision.”
“We have, Richard. We just decided on this one,” Elizabeth said, pointing to a nine-foot Douglas fir.
“Fine, go get in the car and I’ll buy it.”
“We need to stay here until you get the man’s attention. You might buy the wrong tree.”
Richard glared at his mother. What had happened to the gentle, indecisive lady he’d lived with for the past eighteen months? “Fine, Mom, I’ll be right back.”
He went back to the hut where the operators stood around a glowing fire in a half drum. Quickly indicating he was ready to buy his tree, he led one of the men to his mother’s side. “This is the tree we want to buy.”
“Well, now, you picked a fine one!” the man said with enthusiasm, which in Richard’s experience meant that they’d picked an expensive one.
“Mom, take Toby back to the car so he won’t catch cold,” Richard urged. He handed his credit card to the man to move the process along.
Elizabeth and an excited Toby hurried to the car.
Ten minutes later, Richard had the tree strapped to the top of the SUV and they were on their way.
That was when Toby barraged him with questions, volleying one after the other.
“Did you see the tree?” the boy asked. “Isn’t it great?”
“Yes,” Richard replied. “You picked a nice one.”
“Is it tied on good?”
“Trust me, it’s not going anywhere.”
“Will we be able to get it down?”
“Albert will help me.” Richard couldn’t stop smiling at his nephew’s enthusiasm. He turned the tables and asked a question. “Do you think you bought enough ornaments for such a big tree?”
“We bought lots. Grandma told me we’d need that many.”
“I wanted to be prepared,” Elizabeth said.
“Yes, Mom, that was good thinking. I wouldn’t want to have to shop for ornaments now. I’m hungry.”
“Me, too!” Toby called. “I didn’t get a snack today.”
“I’m sorry. I’ll have to speak to Delores about that,” Richard said.
That remark brought Molly to life. “There’s no need to speak to Delores. It’s my fault we didn’t have a snack.”
“Why is it your fault?”
“I didn’t ask for it. I forgot.”
“I see.”
He noted her anxious expression. Apparently he hadn’t convinced her he wouldn’t chew Delores out. The fact that he had never done such a thing hadn’t occurred to her.
Elizabeth leaned forward. “Molly, don’t worry. He’s never said a harsh word to Delores. She might burn the next roast she cooks and that’s his favorite meal.”
Molly glared at him. “Oh, thank you, Elizabeth.”
Richard grinned at her and she looked away.
Obviously Molly wasn’t a forgiving woman. At least not to him. He figured Toby was easily forgiven. Even his mother seemed to be in Molly’s good graces.
When they reached home, he sent the other three into the house and asked his mother to send Albert out. Together they’d unload the tree and put it right into the stand he’d purchased. They could take it right into the garden room.
A few minutes later, after the tree was standing tall in the garden room, water in its basin, he removed his overcoat and gloves and entered the dining room. It appeared the others were waiting for his arrival.
“I’m sorry to keep you waiting,” he said as he entered.
“We had a cup of hot chocolate while we were waiting,” his mother said. She rang the bell to let Delores know they were ready.
Dinner began with tortilla soup. Toby seemed even more skeptical this evening, but Molly encouraged him to give it a try.
“It’s
