"I'll grab a cart.Then we'll cut them down."Ford walked to the end of the row and grabbed an abandoned cart, bringing it back.He rested it on the ground nearby, then handed me the saw.
My eyes widened."What am I going to do with this?"
"You can cut your own tree," he said simply.
I just gave him a look.
He crouched down."You can do this."
I knelt on the hard ground next to him.
He brushed the lower branches out of the way to reveal the bark."Lie on your side.Set the blade here."
"Okay."I followed his instructions, placing my blade where he indicated.
"Press hard, then move it back and forth."
At first, I didn't see any progress, but then the saw finally bit into the bark."It's working."
He straightened to standing."Keep going.I'll hold it."
I kept going even as my hands ached from my tight grip.When the tree gave way, I trusted that Ford would catch it, and he did.
I got up, brushing off my jeans as he hauled it over his shoulder and carried it to the cart.Who knew a man carrying a Christmas tree was sexy?
I held onto the trunk of the second tree while he cut it down.When both trees were situated on the cart, we walked down the hill.
"We didn't get a picture of us in front of our trees."
He grinned."We can do that once they're up and decorated.I thought we'd stop by Clara's shop and get new ornaments, then decorate the trees together."
I blinked, a little surprised by what was happening with my day."That's an all-day project."
He grinned."We'll have to get moving then."
While he paid for the trees outside, I ordered hot chocolates and a box of sugar cookies in the shop.
He loaded the trees into the back of the truck, and then we headed toward the inn.The plan was to go shopping first, then haul the trees upstairs in the cargo elevator so that we didn't drag needles through the hotel.
At Clara's, she greeted us when we walked in."Is there something going on I didn't know about?"
"We're actually here to buy ornaments."
Clara frowned."For the inn?I would have brought over options if you'd asked."
I let out a breath, hoping she wouldn't read anything into it."This is for our trees."
Clara clapped her hands together."How fun.What are your styles?Classic and traditional?New and modern?Or I can point you to colors or even themes like birds or the ocean."
I looked around at the offerings."I think I want classic."
"I'm not sure yet," Ford said, a little out of his element.
"Let's start with traditional then.I assume you want to do green and red, maybe with a gold accent?"Clara led us to the displays of more traditional ornaments along the right wall.
There were the classic red and green shiny ornaments, then hand-painted ones with trees and garland to Santa Clauses, reindeer, and snowflakes.
"Put everything you love into this basket, and then I'll choose how many of each you'll need to keep your tree balanced."
