“My sister collects ornamental birds and Mom likes anything sparkly. I have no idea what to buy Dad.”
“I have the same problem. Finding gifts for my mom and sisters is easy, but Dad’s impossible. I saw some lovely ornaments on the far side of the store last week. Come with me.”
Before Peter knew what she was doing, Katie grabbed his hand and pulled him down an aisle. Her hand was warm and small inside of his and made his heart beat a little faster. With that kind of reaction, he really needed to meet more people instead of spending so much time at work.
“They’re over here, beside the quilts.”
His gaze roamed over shelves full of colorful crafts and decorations. He could easily spend an hour here and still not see everything.
Katie stopped and he nearly ran into her back.
“What do you think?” She looked up at him and smiled. “If your mom likes bling, she’ll love these baubles.”
Reluctantly, he pulled his gaze away from Katie and saw the bright red glass ball she was holding. Imbedded in the glass were hundreds of shiny beads, glittering like stars under the old-fashioned pendant lights hanging above them.
“They’re fifteen dollars each, but you wouldn’t need to buy lots of them. They come in a nice box and the staff will gift-wrap what you buy. You even have the option of engraving a message on the glass.”
He smiled and took the decoration off Katie. “You should work here.”
“That’s what Kylie, Ben’s wife, said. But between the inn and my writing, I’m too busy.”
“The inn?”
“The Lakeside Inn. My grandma died seven months ago and left her home to my sisters and me. The only condition was that we had to live in the house together for a year.” She moved out of the way of another shopper. “Moving from Los Angeles wasn’t an easy decision, but it’s worked out for the best.”
Sapphire Bay was spectacular, but he couldn’t imagine living here if he hadn’t made the decision himself.
Katie handed him a basket. “Use this. It will make shopping easier.” She looked over her shoulder and waved at a man walking toward her. “That’s Ben, the owner of The Christmas Tree Farm. Are you okay shopping on your own or do you want some help?”
Peter was tempted to ask her to stay, but she’d already spent more time with him than she needed to. “It’s all right. I’m happy to look around on my own.”
Katie’s dimpled grin made him sigh. “If you don’t find what you want, we have an amazing Christmas market in town in a couple of weeks.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
She held out her hand, and the same odd feeling of rightness snuck up on him. “Bye, Peter. I might see you around town some time.”
As she joined the owner of the farm, he flexed his tingling fingers. If he’d had an ounce of common sense, he would have asked Katie if she wanted to meet for coffee. But he hadn’t and it was too late.
It was just as well his friend Zac knew most of the people in town. He was bound to know where he could find The Lakeside Inn. And if he didn’t, there was always the Internet.
* * *
Katie tooka deep breath and felt the magical power of the Christmas tree plantation wash over her. This was her favorite time of the year, the time when wishes came true and most people found something to be happy about.
When she was a little girl, her parents would bring her sisters and grandparents here to choose their Christmas trees. Since Ben had bought the property, the farm had become a year-round tourist destination. When he wasn’t selling trees, his store supported local artists and crafts people by selling Christmas-themed decorations and art. She still couldn’t believe how popular the farm had become, especially after Ben told her how difficult the first few years had been.
He pointed to the trees on their right-hand side. “The Scots Pine are about 14 feet tall. What do you think?”
He brought his four-wheeler to a standstill and Katie jumped off the back. Standing beside the trees, she tried to imagine one of them in the inn’s living room. “They’re perfect. If they were any shorter, they’d be swallowed by the size of the room.”
“They’re a good size and shape for what you’re looking for. Is there one you like better than the others?”
This was the part she liked the best. With a spring in her step, she made her way down the snow-covered row of trees. Her boots scrunched against the ground and occasionally she slipped, but she didn’t care. Her sisters had trusted her to choose the centerpiece of their Christmas decorations, and she wouldn’t let them down.
One of the trees caught her eye. Standing a little taller than the others, it was greeting card perfect. “I like this one.”
Ben nodded. “Good choice. I’ll get my chainsaw and call for a truck. It won’t take too long to get it back to the store.”
