It only took an hour for Kira to run out of things to do. She’d checked on Iris and as expected found her totally content, with her nose in a book. She’d swept the little front porch that led to the payment window, straightened the wreath on the door, photographed a few dozen angles of the new sign she’d had commissioned, wandered through the trees, made notes of things to tell the groundskeeper she’d hired who was starting next week, and read through the responses to her ad for a Santa but they were few and far between.
And after all that, she’d really had no choice but to head back to the house, seeing as there still wasn’t a customer in sight. Had she really been that terrifying to the locals? Sure, she had told everyone in no uncertain terms that she wasn’t reopening, and she hadn’t exactly been friendly to the neighbors who’d stopped by, but still. That couldn’t possibly have been enough to keep everyone away forever. Where were they getting their trees? Were they all going without one this year?
She could probably ask Bennett to spread the word, seeing as his sister owned the town’s favorite café, but she was already uncomfortable with everything else he was doing. She wasn’t about to add free marketing into the mix.
She might have to actually go to this tree-lighting thing.
It was that or starve. Or freeze. Or both. A nice freeze-and-starve combo.
She walked inside to find the downstairs empty, but she could hear footsteps above her. She climbed the stairs and found Bennett in the first bedroom (currently being used to house empty cardboard boxes) crouched down next to the radiator. He’d rolled up the sleeves of his flannel shirt and his forearm flexed as he turned some kind of valve on the side of the old metal beast. Squatting there like that, his jeans stretched tight over his thighs and ass…
Time for him to go. ‘Almost done?’ Kira’s voice came out tight and squeaky.
Bennett’s head snapped up at the sound. ‘I didn’t know you were back.’
‘I am.’ Kira cleared her throat. ‘I am back. So, are you leaving soon?’
Bennett stood, that teasing smirk on his face. He wiped his hands on his jeans and Kira could not be faulted for watching the motion. Those thighs were … distracting.
‘This is the last one. Hopefully, this helps a bit.’
‘Right, I’m sure it will. Any heat is better than no heat.’
‘I found this behind one of the radiators.’ He handed Kira an old piece of paper he pulled out of his back pocket.
‘What is it?’ she asked, trying to make out the slanted script across the yellowed notebook paper.
‘Not sure.’
She looked again. ‘It looks like someone was making a list of their stuff.’
Bennett peered down at the paper, a crease between his brows. ‘Two Tiffany lamps, full set of bone china,’ he read. ‘Hmm, a lot of it is smudged.’ He squinted and turned the paper. ‘Ellie’s baubles.’
‘Baubles? Like jewelry?’
Bennett shrugged. ‘Could mean ornaments or something like that. Can’t make out much more.’
Kira frowned. ‘The old owners must have written it.’
‘Could be. I’ve heard the farm was left to a cousin, but maybe they wanted their other possessions to go to different people?’
‘So, this is what? Like a rough draft of their will?’
He shrugged again. ‘Beats me, but I should go.’
She watched as he gathered up his tools and a spike of panic shot through her. She didn’t want him to leave. She didn’t want to spend the rest of the day alone in this cold house, on this failing farm.
Kira was a twin. She’d always felt it was against her nature to be alone. She hadn’t even been alone in the womb. And now look at her, contemplating chaining this nice, neighborly guy to her radiator just so she wouldn’t have to face another dark evening by herself.
She couldn’t stop feeling like half a person, like half of her organs had been scooped out and taken to Denmark. This farm, this plan, it was supposed to help, supposed to give her something that was truly hers. And it wasn’t working. She’d been the Grinchy character above Dream Harbor for nearly three months now and she had nothing to show for it.
No picture-perfect, organically raised, locally sourced life.
She was an idiot.
When he looked up again, Bennett caught her frowning. At least she wasn’t crying, but he had that worried crease between his brows again and she could not have that. Absolutely not.
He had to go. Because unlike the Grinch, Kira had zero interest in having a heart that grew three sizes. Certainly not if that meant warm and fuzzy feelings toward the man her mother would throw her a parade for marrying.
Marrying?! Dear God. Spending so much time alone had definitely started to rot her brain.
‘Okay, well, thanks again. See you around.’ She stepped out of the way of the door so Bennett could pass. She ignored the questioning look on his face as he scooted by, his tall, toned body brushing a little too close to hers. She didn’t owe him any answers.
She followed him down the stairs, certainly not noticing how broad his back was or that his hair had gotten mussed as he was working. But maybe she did owe him a little something since he had come all the way out here to help her, not that she’d asked him to.
‘You can have a free tree,’ she said when they were back in the entryway and Bennett was pulling on his coat.
He raised his eyebrows. ‘A free tree?’
‘Yeah, for your … uh … services.’
He grinned. ‘A free tree sounds great.’
Kira sighed. Good. Payment for services rendered and then Bennett could leave and never come back. Perfect. The last thing she needed was to be indebted to this guy.
‘I don’t have time to stick around today, though,’ he said. ‘Got a meeting at two. I’ll have to take you up on it another time.’
