“Absolutely,” Ginger agreed, smiling down at the cat as he scurried off after the ball of yarn again. She felt a small pang in her heart. She’d always wanted a cat, but her family hadn’t been keen on pets, and she couldn’t have one in her condo.
“Pick up some needles and join us,” said a woman in her early sixties, her needles still flying as she looked up over the rim of her tortoise reading glasses at Ginger.
“I’d love to, but I’m waiting for my friend.” Ginger glanced out the window to see Mason coming up the front steps. He was with a woman with long, wavy chestnut hair. Their cheeks were red with cold, and their eyes were bright as they stole glances at each other. “And there he is. Nice meeting you all.”
“We meet here every day during the holiday season. You simply must join us!” Myrtle called out as Ginger went to meet Mason at the front door. Ginger couldn’t help but feel her heart swell with warmth. This was exactly what she wanted for the holidays. Well, this and to fix the problem with the trees at the Woodward family’s tree farm.
Mason had invited her for two reasons. One was to spend the holidays together. Mason was like a brother, and his dad, Kent, was like a father. The other reason was that Kristen’s family tree farm had an issue with their Christmas trees. Ginger was the perfect person to take on the task, and once she took on a task, she never failed. Of course there was the little problem that Christmas was only two weeks away. If she wanted to get those trees healthy again, she’d have to work fast.
Chapter2
“Ah, young love,” Ida mused, her eyes twinkling with amusement. “Don’t worry, dear. Your time will come.”
Ginger stifled a laugh at the thought of herself being swept off her feet by some dashing stranger. In reality, the most excitement she’d had lately was the prospect of attending a knitting club meeting. Shaking off her thoughts, she stepped outside to greet her friends.
“Hey, Ginger!” Mason called out, his warm grin reaching his eyes.
“Good to see you, buddy.” She hugged him tightly and gave him a sisterly kiss on the cheek. “And you must be Kristen.” She turned to face the woman standing beside Mason, who smiled warmly.
“Nice to finally meet you, Ginger,” Kristen said, her blue eyes sparkling with sincerity. “Mason has told me so much about you.”
“Hopefully all good things,” Ginger joked, feeling her nerves dissipate as the three of them exchanged pleasantries. After all, if Kristen could make her beloved friend this happy, she had to be a good person, right?
“Of course!” Kristen reassured her. “I can’t wait for you to join us at the farm. I have a feeling we’re going to get along just great.”
“Me too,” Ginger agreed, trying to ignore the slight pang of envy that bubbled up at seeing the two of them so happy together. What was up with that? Ginger had never been the type to need a man or pine for a relationship. Still… it might be nice to have a special someone to share things with. But since no special someone was on the horizon, she would be completely content by herself.
“Speaking of the farm,” Ginger began, her eyes lighting up with excitement as she tapped into her inner botanist, “I’ve been thinking about your trees. I’ve come up with a formula that might help improve their health and overall growth.”
“Really?” Kristen appeared pleasantly surprised. “That’s so thoughtful of you. We could definitely use some expert advice.” She hesitated for a moment before adding, “But there’s one thing you should know…”
Ginger leaned in, curious to hear what sort of insider information her new friend had to share.
“Whatever you do,” Kristen warned, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper, “be careful about mentioning your ideas for the trees to my brother, Ethan, if you happen to run into him at the farm. He’s, well, a bit sensitive when it comes to our trees.”
“Sensitive? How so?”
Kristen sighed, a fond smile playing on her lips. “He’s just very protective of the farm, especially since our dad passed away. He takes pride in his work and wants to do everything himself. Just trust me on this one. Tread lightly when you talk to him. You probably won’t see him anyway. He’s pretty reclusive.”
“He’s a good guy, though, once you get to know him. He’s had some tragedies, so he’s quiet,” Mason said.
“And a bit grumpy,” Kristen added. Then her face softened. “Of course it’s hard to blame him, given that his wife passed in a car accident. That’s when he withdrew. He used to be really outgoing.”
Ginger’s heart went out to Ethan even though she’d never met him. “A car accident? That’s terrible.”
Kristen nodded. “It was five years ago. He seems to be making peace with it now.”
“All right,” Ginger agreed, intrigued by the image of a wounded, brooding tree farmer lurking among the pines. “Your secret is safe with me. But if he asks why I’m wandering around the farm with test tubes and soil samples, I can’t make any promises.”
“Fair enough.” Kristen laughed, shaking her head at Ginger’s playful exaggeration. “Let’s just hope he’s too busy wrestling with a stubborn tree trunk or something to notice.”
“What do you guys say? Should we go check the trees out?” Mason asked, motioning toward the door.
“Let’s go,” Ginger agreed. She was eager to inspect the trees and get her brain working on the exact formula that would restore them to health even if it did mean avoiding the reclusive tree farmer.
Chapter3
Ethan Woodward didn’t visit Sarah’s grave as much as he used to. That was a good thing, right? He hoped so. But he still made a trip there at least once a week. He made sure flowers were planted in summer and brushed the snow off the top of the grave in winter. At first, of course, the visits had been gut-wrenching, but now they were peaceful. And he was never alone. A bright-red cardinal seemed to always be sitting in the pine tree, watching him. Its cheerful chirps lifted his spirits. He imagined that somehow Sarah’s spirit was in the bird, letting him know she was with him. But that was silly.
