Christmas at Sleigh Bell Farm by Kaylie Newell

Author:Kaylie Newell
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Romance
ISBN: 9781951190538
Publisher: Tule Publishing Group, LLC
Published: 2020-10-30T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Thirteen

Lucky pulled up to the small apartment complex on Railway Avenue with a couple of minutes to spare. It wasn’t quite seven yet, and he was glad. He found himself wanting to savor the moment. He was picking up a beautiful woman for a first date. Someone he wanted to get to know better. Wanted to kiss again. And she seemed like she might want the same. It was something he didn’t want to rush.

The sun had set behind Copper Mountain a few hours ago, leaving the sky a velvety black. The stars were out, scattered across the heavens like rhinestones. It was like a cosmic dress that Mother Earth had slipped on for just this occasion.

The air was biting cold, and when he opened his truck door, it nearly stole the breath from his lungs. But Rachel had been adamant about walking to Rocco’s tonight. The sidewalks were clear and salted, and the Christmas lights glowed softly through town from every direction. He hadn’t argued.

Locking his truck, he headed up her walkway. The apartments were cute—bungalow style, surrounded by towering blue spruces and Ponderosa pines. In the dark like this, with the mountains nothing but shadows in the distance, Lucky could almost see what Marietta must’ve looked like a hundred years ago. Back when the Graff was the most elegant place in town and the Sleigh Bell land was wild and rugged. He wondered if his great, great grandparents had any idea, when they’d settled here in their cabin on the hill, that they were setting in motion a family saga that would still be playing out over a century later. Lucky was proud of their farm. And tonight, standing on Rachel’s doorstep getting ready to knock, he felt like he might be on the verge of something special.

He took a breath, but before he could raise his fist to knock, the door opened in a flood of yellow light and perfumed air.

Rachel stood there, in a floral dress and cowboy boots. Her hair was pulled up in a messy bun, and small gold hoops flashed in her earlobes. Her lips were darker tonight than usual. A deep berry color that made him want to kiss her. She was so damn beautiful, he could only stare for a minute, wondering how in the world he’d gotten so lucky.

“I was watching from the window,” she said, grinning. “I’m kind of excited. Want to come in for a minute? I need to grab my jacket.”

He stepped inside her entryway, unable to take his eyes off her.

She touched her hair self-consciously. “Too much?”

“No,” he said, his mouth dry. “Just right.”

She reached for a thick, suede jacket on the end table and slipped it on. Then wrapped a pink scarf around her neck. She looked like a Christmas present.

He glanced around her apartment, which was small, but cozy. The couch had colorful throw pillows tossed in the corners. The curtains were bright and cheerful, and the pictures hanging on the walls were watercolors of various places in Marietta.

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