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‘Let’s cash them in, Peaches.’

She somehow managed to put the tray down before tackling him, tipping him backward into the grass.

‘Cash them in?’ she asked, grinning down at him, the sky impossibly blue behind her, his heart impossibly loud beneath her.

‘Yeah, let’s see how much we can get for them.’

Her smile grew, her eyes glinting with fresh ideas. ‘We can fix up the barn.’

‘Just like you wanted.’

‘Just like I wanted.’ She laughed and the sound mingled with the birdsong above them and the breeze in the rows of pine trees around them. ‘We can host parties. Weddings! Oh my gosh, it will be gorgeous. Can you picture it?’

It was his turn to smile. He’d help her fix up every inch of this place until it matched the dream she had when she moved here. He wasn’t going anywhere.

‘This is amazing,’ she said, sitting up and starting to sift through the box. ‘I can’t believe there was actually treasure here. This stuff looks old. Old and valuable. We can do so much with this.’

‘I think Edwin would be happy about your plans.’ Ben tugged her closer again, brushing his lips across her cheek. ‘As long as we do it together.’

‘I’m all in, if you are,’ she said. ‘Unless you’re getting tired of my crazy ideas.’

‘Never.’

‘Never?’

‘I’m in it forever, Peaches. Crazy ideas and all.’

She grinned up at him. ‘Okay. Me, too. It’s a deal.’

‘Deal.’ And he kissed her to seal it.

Acknowledgments

As always, a huge thank you to the One More Chapter team and everyone at HarperCollins who makes these books possible. I am seriously living the dream because of all of you. Charlotte, Jennie, Emma, Chloe, Arsalan, Christina, and Jo, thank you for all that you do to make my stories into books and then to get those books into the hands of readers. I literally could not do this without you.

I, like many of you, love a good Christmas rom-com, but those super saccharine, super chaste ones always leave me wanting more. Hopefully, this story scratches that cozy Christmas itch but with a little more than one close-mouthed kiss right before the credits roll!

My favorite animated Christmas movie is Garfield’s Christmas and so the ‘finding old love letters’ scene was a nod to that as well as Bennett’s dog being named Odie, of course. So, a shout out to Garfield!

I have to give a special thank you to Jamie for being a mom friend, when those are so hard to come by, and for bus-stop brainstorming sessions, and for sharing the crazy notion that Scrabble can be sexy. You were right, and I hope I did that scene justice!

To my sister, Liz, we never did open that Christmas tree farm, but writing about it was a pretty close second. And now you have two dogs named after you! A true honor.

To my husband for always doing anything involving technology in this house and for explaining to me what wifi is and how it’s different from a cell signal even though I still don’t understand it. You are the best and I look forward to asking you for computer help and frustrating you about my forgotten passwords until the day we die.

To my mom for always asking how the writing is going and my dad for telling me you’re proud of me. To my kids just for being you. I love you all to pieces.

And to you, readers, we’re three books in now and I cannot thank you enough for being here with me and the whole Dream Harbor crew! Thanks, as always, for reading!

Reading Group Questions

Bennett and Kira bring different personalities to their relationship, embodying the concept of opposites attract. Do you think this works in real-life relationships?

How does the warm, romantic atmosphere of the Christmas tree farm setting enhance the story's themes of love and unity?

The story deals with themes of starting anew, the value of community and unravelling mysteries. How do you see these themes reflected throughout the book?

The Christmas Tree Farm explores the complex and unexpected return of past love. Have you ever encountered a similar scenario? If so, how did it impact your perspective on relationships?

What does ‘home’ mean to Kira and Bennett by the end of the story, and how does that differ from their initial views?

The book ends with a surprising discovery that opens up new possibilities for Bennett and Kira. If you were in their shoes, how would you handle this newfound treasure, and what impact do you think it would have on your future together?