On Christmas Hill (4 page)

Nate chuckled at me as he pulled his
own jacket on. I couldn’t help but admire the way his shirt
tightened across his chest as he moved. “It’s going to take a lot
to convince you, huh?”

“
Oh, until I see some
reindeer clickity clacking on a rooftop, you can assume I’m a
nonbeliever.” I rolled my eyes and opened the door for Remy to run
onto the porch.

“
That can be arranged, you
know.” Nate pulled the door shut behind us.

“
Really?” I winced at the
excitement in my voice.

“
They only fly on Christmas
Eve, so you’ll get your chance tonight.” Nate led me toward the
barn through the snow. Remy bouncing happily along in my
wake.

“
That’s hours away, Nate.” I
mock frowned.

“
You sound like a kid
waiting for Santa.”

“
Well, I kind of am, aren’t
I?” We got to the barn and he pulled open one of the large
doors.

“
You’re waiting for Santa,
but you’re no little girl.” His eyes ran over my body in a way that
made me blush.

“
Geez, Nate. You’re going to
make the naughty list if you keep that up.”

“
Sweetheart, I’m always on
the naughty list.” Nate laughed.

I hadn’t really given the barn much
thought since arriving on Christmas Hill, but I could see that was
about to change. There was something perfect about the old wooden
horse stalls and the smell of the hay. Gorgeous leather harnesses,
complete with silver bells, hung from pegs along one wall. An old
spiral staircase was near the entrance. I stopped and ran my
fingers over the iron railing and peered up toward the
loft.

“
There’s an office up
there.” Nate walked over to a wall and checked some of the gear
that was hanging up. He grabbed a couple of helmets and tossed one
to me. “Heads up!”

I caught it just in time and looked at
him with raised eyebrows. “Are we doing something
dangerous?”

“
We have to take the
snowmobile to check the fence.”

“
Oh.” This was going to be a
long, cold ride. I motioned for Remy to stay in the barn as we
headed back out. I didn’t want him to try to follow us.

“
It won’t be that bad. I
checked some of it this morning, but there were some trees in the
back may have not lasted the storm last night.”

He was right. The ride out wasn’t bad.
In fact it had been fun. I also didn’t mind that I had an excuse to
hang onto Nate. He took me the scenic route, pointing out landmarks
and the boundaries of the property. The reindeer were out, forging
in areas under trees that had little snow. Despite the engine noise
from the snowmobile, it was peaceful. The snow acted like a
blanket, muffling everything. When we pulled up toward a heavily
wooded area, I knew immediately that something was
wrong.

One tree was completely upturned, lying
on the ground, parts of a fence smashed to pieces. Heavy branches
littered the area, making it hard to get to the actual damage. Nate
huffed and I knew he was seeing a lot of work. That gave me pause,
because I wasn’t really sure how he was paid. Did I owe him a
check?

We jumped off the sled and made our way
toward the fence. For something I thought was pretty, it sure was
dangerous. I looked up over my head and hoped nothing else fell
from the trees while we were exposed.

“
Leave your helmet on.” As
if reading my mind, Nate tapped my helmet before looking
upward.

I nodded my head, but he didn’t see.
His eyes were back on the mess in front of us. He lifted a branch
out of the way, and crawled closer to the fence.

“
Well, the good news is that
the tree is from the neighbor’s property, which means he will have
to pay to have it removed. The bad news is that we need to set up
something temporary.”

“
What do you have in
mind?”

“
I need some boards and wire
from the barn, but it should be easy enough to set up.” Nate walked
back to the snowmobile.

“
Thank you. I wouldn’t even
know where to begin.” I frowned. What was I even doing considering
keeping this place? I had no idea how to take of a place like
this.

“
Oh, don’t thank me. This is
the easy part. You get to tell Cameron it was his tree.” Nate
reached out slowly and moved some of the hair that had escaped my
helmet.

“
That doesn’t sound
good.”

“
Don’t worry. You’re cute.
That’ll help.” Nate sat back down on the sled and pat the seat
behind him. “C’mon. We need to get something set up quickly, before
any of the reindeer get out.

“
What? They’d quit without
notice? No reindeer union?” I laughed at my joke, but he only
rolled his eyes. “It’s funny! Why would magic reindeer run away?
Aren’t they smarter than usual or something? Wise beyond their age?
Well, no. I guess they’re old as dirt, huh? Like the man in the red
suit. So they should know better by now.”

“
You’re rambling.” Nate
looked at me with worried eyes. “I know this is a lot to take in,
but it’s true. All of it. And I’m here to help you.”

“
Nate, I don’t even know how
you’re getting paid. I have no idea how any of this stuff is taken
care of. Maybe it would be best if I didn’t find out anything else
and just went on my way.” I didn’t sit down, still thinking. “I
have no idea how much money it takes to sustain a place like this,
and let’s face it, the fat checks for my books aren’t exactly
rolling in.”

“
I’m here to help, Molly.
There are simple answers for most of your questions. As for paying
me, you don’t have to worry about that. Gertie set everything up
before she died.” When I didn’t move, he sighed and swung his leg
back over the seat. “Remember when I told you that Christmas Hill
gives us what we need? It really does. You just have to believe.”
He looked like he was going to add something, but closed his
mouth.

I still didn’t move, my eyes darted
down to the green boots I was wearing. “I’ll give it a few days,
but I need more. More information. More proof. My brain just
doesn’t work on faith.”

“
It took me a long time to
accept it.” Nate leaned forward, his elbows braced on his knees.
“Sometimes I’m still awed by the things that happen here, but I’m
grateful every day that I followed that little driveway to Gertie’s
door. It changed my whole life.”

The sincerity in his eyes was what got
me. He believed in Christmas Hill. I looked around us, at the
beauty of the woods; everything doused in fresh snow. Listened to
the wind in the empty tree branches, and closed my eyes for a long
second. There was something here, something that resonated inside
me, but that didn’t make it magic.

“
Okay. I won’t just run off,
but I need answers. I need proof.” I opened my eyes and met his
warm stare.

“
Then come on. We’ll get
this fence fixed and then head to town. I’ll try to answer your
question on the ride.”

I nodded my head and climbed up behind
him. This time as we drove over the property, I catalogued things
in my head. A pond near the little cottage Nate used. A large area
that looked like it was used for a garden. A couple of farm
machines, which I supposed would be handy here. Especially in the
snow. But underneath all of the mundane things, there was a glow.
Something that gave the impression of a Norman Rockwell painting.
Homey, yet magical.

Remy was waiting inside the barn where
we’d left him. Thankfully no doggie doors had appeared to help him
escape. I knelt next to him and rubbed behind his ears while Nate
looked through materials and tools.

“
Well, pup, what do you
think? You like it here, don’t you?” I looked down into Remy’s warm
brown eyes and smiled when his tail thumped. “Wouldn’t you miss the
beach? Chasing seagulls?” He got up and ran for the door that was
still open and I followed. For a moment, my heart caught and I
stared in disbelief. The reindeer were gathering outside of the
barn.

One came right to me, and nuzzled my
hand. I bent backward a bit to avoid the antlers, but otherwise
didn’t move. Eventually he huffed warm air against my cold fingers,
satisfied with whatever he was looking for before raising his head.
Slowly, I ran my fingertips along his brow bone and down his nose.
The others came forward, each sniffing and pushing to get
closer.

Remy yipped and ran between their feet,
but none of them seemed concerned. A young reindeer pranced a bit,
knocking into my hip so that I almost lost my balance and a laugh
bubbled out of my throat. The little guy was acting just like an
excited puppy.

“
It’s nice to meet you,
too.” Running my hand down his back, I marveled at the muscles
under his coat.

“
Looks like we’ll have to
take that trip to town before I can mend the fence. I don’t have
enough chicken wire.” Nate’s voice sounded from the barn and I
turned to look at him. He stopped walking when he saw me, his face
serious… and hopeful. He was carrying a bucket and poured the
contents into a trough. “They’ve been excited to meet you, I
guess.”

“
Huh.” I looked back at the
little one that was butting at my hip again. “They certainly are
friendly. I guess Aunt Gertie spent a lot of time with
them?”

“
You could say that.” His
eyes held that twinkle again and I knew he was thinking it was all
about magic. “So, what do you say? Ready to go to town?”

“
Sure. I just need to put
Remy up.” I’d already stuck my phone and wallet in my pockets when
getting dressed.

“
Bring him with us. People
bring their dogs to Silver Town all the time.” Nate knelt down and
Remy ran straight to him. “What do you say, little man? Want to go
for a ride?”

“
Remy never turns down a
ride. He’d drive if you’d let him.” I made my way back to the barn,
taking the time to pet the reindeer as they all said their hellos.
Once I was inside, I hung up my helmet on the board where Nate had
gotten it from earlier. I turned to go back outside, but ran into a
brick wall instead.

Looking up, I realized Nate had
followed me. “I really need to stop running into you.”

“
I don’t know, I’m getting
used to it.” His hand rested on my hip. When his eyes darted down
to my mouth, I couldn’t fight the impulse to lick my lips. We
stayed frozen for a minute, pressed against each other far longer
than was necessary. Maybe it was because I had to look up to see
his face, but I was the first to notice the mistletoe. The old
lantern hook above my head sprouted green leaves that quickly
morphed into a very familiar plant. A red bow attached the plant to
the hook and a wave of awe washed through my mind. There was a
tinkling sound as it shimmered there above our heads, drawing
Nate’s attention.

“
Thank you, Christmas Hill.”
His words were quiet, almost reverent. Without saying anything
else, he pressed his mouth to mine.

I’ve been around the block once or
twice, but to say this kiss was knock-your-socks-off-good, would be
an understatement. The man could kiss like no one’s business. His
free hand reached up to cup the back of my head, while his lips
teased my mouth open. It was like finding the most decadent dessert
and diving in.

I didn’t realize we had moved until I
felt the wall pressed against my back. I ran my hands up over his
chest and into his hair, knocking his hat off. When he pushed
closer to me, my body responded and I moaned into his mouth. His
fingers tightened on my hip and he nudged one leg between mine. My
body strained to be closer to him and I yanked at the buttons on
his coat until I had it open, my fingers tracing the muscles under
his shirt.

“
Molly.” He pulled away from
me, breathing heavily. “You’re killing me here.”

I could feel the hard length of him
straining under the denim of his jeans and knew just what he meant.
I pulled his head back down to mine, not willing to give up his
taste just yet. His hand on my hip slid lower, gripping my calf and
lifting my leg until he was tucked against my center. When I rocked
against him, he groaned loudly and nipped my bottom lip between his
teeth before diving back into the kiss.

I barely knew Nate, was pretty sure he
might be crazy, and yet, I had never wanted someone as much as I
wanted him. I wanted all of him and why shouldn’t I? I was a grown
woman and he was all man. A delicious, sexy man.

A low rumbling caught my attention, but
it wasn’t until Remy started to bark that I pulled away from Nate
and his kisses. As soon as I did, reality snapped back and I
realized there was someone coming up the long drive.

“
Bad, bad timing.” Nate
kissed me once more, softly, slowly. His lips like a whisper
against mine. He stepped away and I adjusted my jacket and shirt.
“This is just postponed.”

I blushed. I couldn’t help it. I wanted
to finish what we had started and felt more than a little
irritation at having been interrupted. I hoped it was something
good, otherwise I was really going to be pissed.

Chapter Five