The Christmas Tree Farm (Dream Harbor, #3)

by Laurie Gilmore

She didn’t like his tone. Or his face for that matter. It was too … too … handsome.

She didn’t need some Silicon Valley, let’s go for a hike wherever we damn well please because we think we own the whole world, Clark Kent lookalike, to rescue her.

If the residents of Dream Harbor wanted to get on her good side, he imagined all they’d have to do is head up there with a basket of puppies and Kira would be putty in their hands.

His sister still didn’t know the real reason he’d moved out to San Francisco after college, and he had no plans to fill her in.

‘That’s Mac,’ Jeanie whispered for his sake even though Annie could obviously still hear her. ‘Annie’s arch nemesis. We’re all waiting for them to finally sleep together and put us out of our collective misery.’

The last thing he needed was to read about sex when he hadn’t had any in months. He needed something about monks or meditation or suffering or something like that. Not Santa smut.

He’d been steamrolled and now instead of a ride to the airport, he was apparently opening a Christmas-tree farm, or working on a cold case, or treasure hunting… But most likely just getting kicked out on his ass by the latest scary Christmas-tree farm owner.

You wouldn’t try to snuggle with a feral cat, and tugging Kira into his arms right now would amount to the same thing.

He couldn’t help the little kick of excitement in his chest. Even at twenty-seven, Bennett loved Christmas. How could you not love it? The cozy lights, the near constant intake of cookies, the secret thrill of finding the perfect gift.

What the hell was wrong with her? But it had been so long since she had company, since she had … naked company, and he was so warm and sweet and… Jesus, was she describing a man or cinnamon bun?

It irked her that he knew that was why she was acting so grouchy with him.

But the answer was clear: he kept doing the same thing over and over again. Falling for women that he had no future with. His home wasn’t here. His life wasn’t here. He’d already been down this road before, and he couldn’t do it again.

He was getting tired of this book club and their knowing smiles and remarks.

‘So, she’s just acting with herself right now?’ ‘Yep. By the third movie, she’s playing three characters.’ ‘There’s a third one?’ Kira laughed. ‘Yep.’

The princess switch is a holiday fav

And just… Sleeping on the couch? Because she was cold? In this fucking drafty old house by herself? He couldn’t stand it.

‘Okay.’ Kira nodded. ‘Deal.’ ‘There’s something else I have to tell you.’ ‘Okay…’ ‘The whole town thinks there’s a dead body buried somewhere on your farm, and they sent me here to find it.’

This was why he didn’t make a habit of filling Jeanie in on his dating life. For one, she was horribly embarrassing. For two, he could tell she was already getting too attached to the woman he was already too attached to.

How do you tell someone that their brother is a gentleman on the streets and a beast between the sheets? She was pretty confident there was no polite way to do it.

‘I’m trying a new thing where I leave my house and actually do things and see people.’

LOL MOOD

‘Things might not make sense to you,’ he said, his voice low and rough. ‘But they make perfect sense to me. I did fall in love with you in a month.’

You are not a bad habit. You are something entirely new.

The lies we tell ourselves are often stronger than the truth. They worm their way into our hearts and our minds until they are all we see, all we believe.

Ah, yes. Bennett, the human security blanket.

The lights were still up at the end of January, because this was her place and she made the rules.

We love a good Lover reference in this house

And yes, she realized it was pathological to adopt a dog with the name of the person she was trying to live without, but at the time it had seemed like fate.

I realized, maybe too late, that being independent doesn’t have to mean being alone.

‘You’re moving, Bennett. Here to Dream Harbor, to live here with me and our far too many dogs and possibly a future reindeer or two. And we will live happily ever after. Is that clear enough?’ ‘Crystal. Thank you.’