“Oggie.”
Olivia battled back the tears.The words were coming more easily for Ella, and Olivia hoped that meant she’d worked her way through the first part of the trauma she’d experienced.If she was learning more words, it meant she wasn’t as scared anymore.“Good girl, Ella.That’s a doggie.”
Sylvia grinned and held out her hand.“Welcome.I’m Sylvia Newberry, and my terrifying guard dog is Squirrel.He’s a wack-a-doodle.”
They shook hands and introduced themselves.
The dog continued to whirl in delight as he moved through the group, returning often to Charlie.The boy grinned at Ella.“Another dog named after a different animal.Just like Fox.We’re going to have to work hard not to let that confuse you, Ella.I’ll show you some different squirrels in the trees one day.Maybe we’ll even see a fox.I bet there are some around here.”
Then the boy turned to Sylvia.“Can you tell us how renting Christmas trees works?Dad and I have never had a real tree before, and we didn’t know you could rent them.”
Sylvia grinned.“It’s a new thing in lots of places.Instead of chopping down a tree and sending it through the woodchipper after the holidays, we dig up some of the trees with their root balls intact.You can take the tree home and decorate it.After Christmas, you bring it back and we plant it back in the ground.”
Charlie grinned.“That’s cool.Can we use the same tree every year?”
Sylvia nodded.“We tag them with your names, and you can use it yearly until it grows too big to bring inside.Then they retire to be part of the forest.”
Soon, they were wandering around the huge tree farm.It was organized by the age of the trees and there were sections for chopping and others for the rental trees.
She and Nash stuck together while Charlie switched from one group to the next, often with Squirrel bouncing with him.
Olivia patted Nash’s arm.“He really loves dogs.”
Nash chuckled.“He does.He’s been asking for one for years.That didn’t fit with our life back in Florida, but there’s no reason not to have one here.”
She laughed.“Does that mean you’ve decided on his Christmas present then?”
He smiled.“One of them anyway.Do you want to know a secret?”
She wanted to know all his secrets.When she nodded, he leaned down and whispered into her ear.“I’ve got a surprise arriving when we get back to the farm.”
His voice alone sent shivers through her body even before his words registered.“An early Christmas present?”
He chuckled.“Figured this would be better timing.Let the animal adjust to his new home for a few days before throwing the chaos of Christmas at him.”
Charlie bounced up with a question about the difference between spruce and pine trees, so they didn’t continue the conversation, but Olivia couldn’t stop her smile.She couldn’t love this man more.Or his son.
She knew exactly what she wanted most for Christmas, and it wasn’t something that needed to be wrapped.
In the end, the group selected four Christmas trees of varying ages: two indoor ones for the farmhouse kitchen and the family room, where they often gathered.
They bought two to replant at the farm in the spring.One in front of the Inn Cider Inn where Amber would decorate it yearly.Another for near the back porch of the farmhouse where they lived.Apparently in the non-snowy months, the group often sat there in the mornings and the evenings.The kitchen door was the entrance they all used, and the Christmas tree would welcome them when they entered and when they left.She knew it would make her smile every time she saw it.It would remind her of this first Christmas in her new home.
Olivia smiled at Nash.“When we spent those couple of days at the B&B in Phail, we ate at a table overlooking a bird feeder.Ella loved watching the birds.I wonder if there are things we could use to decorate the outdoor tree that would attract birds for her.”
Nash nodded.“I think I’ve seen people use strings of dried fruit, like cranberries.Would that work?”
She shrugged.“It sounds good, but I really have no idea.I don’t know anything about the birds of the region or what they eat.”
He took her mittened hand in his.“We’ll have to look it up.And not just for Christmas.It would be fun to have a few bird feeders all year long.”
She nodded, enjoying the feel of their joined hands, even through the layers of wool.“I wonder if Gray has bird feeders planned for the gardens he’s building between the farmhouse and the inn.”
“Wouldn’t surprise me at all.”
Charlie and Squirrel bounced back to them.She watched the boy’s gaze land on their joined hands.Neither she nor Nash moved to disengage, waiting for his reaction.
The boy’s grin widened, and he looked up at his dad.“Sylvia said I can help her out on the weekend if it’s okay with you.She gets lots of customers during those days and it’s too busy for just her.Can I help her?”
