Chapter 23: Chapter 23

The phone rang twice before her mother answered with a cheery but distracted, “Hello?”

“Hey, Mom. How are you?”

“Hi, Melody. I’m good. Just getting some baking done. Are you at the tree farm?”

“Yes,” Melody replied. “I just had a quick question.”

“Is it snowing there?” her mother continued, as if she hadn’t heard Melody’s last remark.

“Flurries, nothing too heavy.”

“Oh, it must be so pretty. And did Delaney find her farmer?”

Images of Delaney standing next to an older gentleman with a pitchfork next to a pigsty filled her mind, and Melody stifled a giggle. She glanced over her shoulder and saw Delaney still talking to the man who must be Josh. “She did. She’s talking to him now.”

“Wonderful. And you’re enjoying your time with… Michael?”

Why did everyone always say it like that? “Yes, Mother. I am enjoying my time with Michael. Hey, I was just going to ask, this morning when you said that you didn’t mind if I went ahead and got the tree on my own, did you mean that or were you just trying to keep me from having to go to another lot with you?”

“Oh, no, dear. I meant it. I know you and your father always enjoyed traipsing through a foot of snow, looking for the perfect Murphy Family Christmas Tree. I, on the other hand, would rather stay in where it’s warm and enjoy the snow from the window.”

Melody was shocked. She’d had no idea her mother didn’t appreciate looking for the Christmas tree. “Okay,” she said quietly.

“Oh, honey. I’ll go with you if you want, but I thought, as long as you and Michael and Reid were already out there, why not just go ahead and pick it out, you know?”

“No, that’s fine, Mom. I understand. I just wanted to make sure.”

“Did he offer to help? It would be great if you could get him to bring it in and set it up.”

Her mother… never afraid to ask for a little favor from someone. “Not that exactly….”

“You should ask. I’m sure he won’t mind.”

“Right. Okay—I’ll see what I can work out. You do realize I actually came here with Delaney though, right?”

“I know, dear,” her mother assured her. “But maybe she won’t mind if you catch a ride back with… Michael.”

“Would you stop saying that?” Melody asked, gritting her teeth and lowering her voice. She glanced over at Reid, who had a questioning expression on his face, and she smiled nervously.

Sarah laughed. “You’re right, honey. I may as well be more direct. Maybe you can get a ride back with the handsome handyman.”

“Mom!”

“I’m not on speaker phone am I? You know how I hate that.”

“Have I hung up on you, yet? No, you’re not. You know what, Mom, I’m getting a bunch of texts. They might be from Delaney. I’ve got to go.”

“Have fun, dear.”

Melody hung up before she could say more and glanced down at her phone. “I’m going out for a tour of the farm on Josh’s tractor. Hope you don’t mind!”

“No problem,” she shot back. Then she added, “Just be careful.”

“Will do. If you and Michael and Michael’s dad decide to head back to town, just let me know.”

Melody shook her head. Now Delaney was doing it too. “Okay,” was all she said, figuring she could play along with this game.

“So what did your mom say?” Reid asked as Melody slid her phone into her coat pocket.

With a sharp exhale, Melody answered, “She said to go ahead and get the tree.” He nodded once and then returned his attention to Michael. “It’s okay—you can say I told you so if you want to.” She hoped he realized she was teasing, though part of her wanted to know how he could possibly understand her mother’s intentions better than she did herself.

He looked back at her with a crooked grin. “I’m not that kind of a guy,” he said. “I’m just glad you won’t have to do this again next weekend. I mean, it’s a lot of fun—once a year. No one wants to do it twice do they?”

“Josh might want to,” Melody muttered. “I mean—I guess he must really love Christmas trees.”

Reid laughed. “I guess so. It seems like a nice little operation they’ve got here.”

“Yes, I agree. Very… quaint. Cozy.” Remembering the texts she said, “Delaney went off to explore, so she said I didn’t need to wait for her if we get done earlier, but… unless someone else offers me a ride….” She ended her sentence on a loud exhale, her eyes looking away from him, down at the ground and then over her shoulder.

“Hmmm….” Reid began. “I did see a nice older couple out in the parking lot coming in around the same time as us. Maybe they’d give you a lift—if they’re headed that direction.”

“Oh? Do you see them anywhere?” Melody asked turning around on the bench so that her knee was bent and she could look over her shoulder. She felt her leg brush against his and despite the chilly conditions, warmth spread up her body. “Do you think they’d mind?”

“Maybe. You do have a tendency to ramble on.”

Her mouth gaped open, and he began to laugh. “I’m just kidding,” he said, emphatically, but Melody swatted him playfully on the arm. “That was your word not mine. I will be more than happy to give you a ride home, Miss Murphy. It’s the least I can do after you’ve sacrificed your Saturday to help my child find the perfect tree.”

“Well, maybe I’ll just sit in the back with Michael then,” she said turning back around and crossing her arms.

“Oh, come on,” he said, standing and stepping over so that he was in front of her. “Speaking of Michael, let’s go get him and get this show on the road before we all get frostbite.”

He reached out both hands in front of him, and Melody took them, still pretending to be offended. He pulled her up to standing, and she came to a stop just before him, the toes of her boots nearly touching his. She held her breath for a moment, all pretenses pushed aside.

Wearing the same crooked grin as before, he quietly said, “I’m sorry if I hurt your feelings.”

“You didn’t.”

“And I’m sorry if I asked too many personal questions.”

“It’s fine.”

Reid held her gaze for just a moment, and Melody found herself wondering what it might be like if he leaned in for a kiss when a snowball came flying right past their heads, making a whizzing sound as it sped by, breaking the magic spell.

Reid turned and stepped out of the way, and Melody could see that Michael was standing just a few feet behind where his father had been before, chuckling as he bent over to form another ball of snow.

“You think that’s funny, buddy?” Reid asked, his voice nothing but playful. He leaned over in the snow and scooped up a handful, forming it into a perfectly round shape as Michael let his next projectile go, this time hitting his dad in the shoulder. Reid pretended to be severely injured as Michael doubled over laughing.

“You’ll pay for that!” Reid shouted and lightly tossed his snowball into Michael’s blue coat, hitting him in the chest and sending him into even more of an uproar.

“Help me, Miss Melody!” Michael shouted.

“Help you?” Melody echoed, not sure what she should do.

“You better not,” Reid warned her, forming another snowball. “You might be walking back to Charles Town just yet.”

Melody was already backing over to where Michael was standing and as he threw another zinger in his dad’s direction, she packed a snowball herself, squatting down rather than bending. She went ahead and made several while she was there, and right before she stood, Michael shouted, “Duck!” and a snowball went flying right over her head.

“Aiming for my face?” she yelled, laughing.

“Hey, I’m just a lousy shot, I swear,” Reid replied.

Melody stood, four snowballs in her arms, and let them all go. Three of them hit him squarely in the chest and shoulders while the fourth went sailing over his head, barely missing an older woman walking by. Reid turned to see it, as Melody covered her mouth in a silent scream.