Chapter 26: Chapter 26

Reid grew completely still, unsure how to respond to that, not sure what to think about it, and not wanting to deal with the implications either. At last he said, “I don’t think that’s what he was asking for.”

“Okay,” Melody said quickly. “You definitely know better than I would. I’m sorry I mentioned it.”

“No, don’t be sorry.” He put his hand on her arm briefly and then pulled it away. “It’s just… Michael hardly ever even mentions his mom. I think he’s pretty happy with our situation the way that it is.”

“Right,” Melody replied. “And you do such a good job of taking care of him. I’m sorry—I was probably reading too much into it.”

“Stop apologizing,” Reid insisted, beginning to walk toward Michael again. “You just never know with that kid.”

“Right,” Melody repeated, following him, but Reid could tell there was something bothering her now, some sort of a distance between them, and he really didn’t like it. Not at all.

“What do you think, Miss Melody?” Michael asked, eyeing the tree with great scrutiny. “It’s short. And there’s a spot right here with hardly any branches.”

“I like it,” Melody said, smiling. She stretched her arm. “I can reach the top. And I can always put that spot in the corner or fill it in with some garland.”

“So this is the one then?” Reid asked, looking at her with the same expression he had when he’d made sure Michael was ready for him to cut the last tree down. “Once I cut it, there’s no going back.”

“I’m sure,” Melody nodded.

“Do you want to cut it down yourself?” he asked, holding the saw out to her.

Melody looked at the saw, the tree, and then the ground. “No thanks. I think I’ll let you.”

“You sure?”

“Yes, thank you,” she said, taking a step back. “It’s kind of nice having a man to do the hard part for a change.”

He couldn’t help but smile at her. “I guess it’s the least I can do for all of your help.” Leaning into her ear, he whispered, “If it wasn’t for your persuasion, Michael would still be twenty yards back there, telling every single tree why it just doesn’t measure up.” She smelled like vanilla with a hint of peppermint, and even though his intention had been casual, he found it more difficult to step away from her than he had expected. He couldn’t help but notice her cheeks were turning a nice shade of pink, and he wondered if that was entirely due to the light breeze that continued to make the snowflakes dance or something else.

Luckily, he’d have a moment to compose himself as he made his way into the privacy provided by the branches of the tree. This trunk was not nearly as thick as the last one had been, and in a few seconds, it was just about to fall over. He carefully pulled himself back out, and asked, “Who’s making the final cut?”

“Miss Melody, it’s your tree. You wanna do it?” Michael asked.

Melody looked at him with wide eyes and then back to where Reid was still sitting on the ground. She seemed hesitant, but after a moment she said, “Okay. Why not?” and dropped to her knees, ducking under the branches as she made her way into the shelter of the tree.

Once she was there, lying beside him under the branches, Reid momentarily forgot that their purpose was to continue cutting through the trunk. Her hair cascaded around her, framing her face, and even though she was dressed in a color similar to the snow that had accumulated around them on the cold ground, her eyes were bright and her skin glowed. He imagined running his hand across her cheek would feel like satin or porcelain, and it wasn’t until she asked, “What do I do now?” that he recalled that they were supposed to be cutting the tree down.

Carefully, he brought the saw around so that it was in front of her. “It’s almost ready to fall. Just put the saw in that wedge, right there, and run it back and forth a few times.”

“Like this?” she asked, once he’d helped her get the saw in place.

The inviting scent of vanilla scattered his thoughts again, for just a moment, as he reached across her, and gently resting his hand on top of hers, he said, “Yes, just a little more pressure.” With just a few more quick movements, the tree was completely dislodged, and it tumbled over onto the ground, leaving them looking up at a pristine blue sky between the fluffy snow clouds.

“Timber!” Michael shouted, and Melody began to laugh. Even though Reid wasn’t exactly sure what was so funny, he laughed, too. She had that joyful expression back in her eyes, and the idea of laying there in the snow with her, of making snow angels, or wrapping his arms around her to keep her warm, was so inviting. Unfortunately, Michael was not the only one who would likely be looking at them oddly, so he pulled himself away from the daydream and managed to climb to his feet.

Melody was sitting now, but she was still laughing and hadn’t managed to stand just yet. “Come on,” Reid probed. He offered her a hand which she eventually took, and he pulled her to her feet.

“Can I put the tag on?” Michael asked, tugging on the bottom of his coat.

Reid had to pull his eyes away from Melody, who was standing so close to him once again, the idea of tasting her lush, pink lips crossed his mind for the second time that day. “Sure you can, buddy,” he replied, as if he hadn’t just been contemplating making a first move on a pretty girl for the first time in as long as he could remember. He fished the tag out of his pocket and handed it to Michael, willing to let him try to put it on before he rushed over to help.

Melody had finally stilled herself, though she had her hands over her face, as if she was afraid she might burst into another fit of giggles if she didn’t physically hold them in.

“What is so funny?” he asked, turning to face her.

“I honestly don’t know,” she replied, removing her hands from her face, though she was still on the cusp of losing it again. “It was just such a magical moment, cutting down my first tree, and then Michael yells, ‘Timber!’ I don’t know. Something about it just caught me off guard, I guess.”

“He was just following directions,” Reid reminded her.

“I know,” she giggled. “I guess that’s why I thought it was so funny.”

Once he saw that Michael had the tree tagged, he picked up the saw and said, “Come on. Let’s head back up to the front and see if they’ve got any hot chocolate. I’m freezing!”