Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 78357 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 392(@200wpm)___ 313(@250wpm)___ 261(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78357 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 392(@200wpm)___ 313(@250wpm)___ 261(@300wpm)
“Thank you.” I lean up to kiss his weathered old cheek. “How much do I owe you?”
“Every year, I tell you the same thing, honey. I’m not letting you pay me for trees that would go to waste,” he says, and tears start to fill my eyes as he sighs, pulling me in for a hug. “Don’t start crying on me.”
“I won’t, but you really are the best.”
“Yeah, yeah. Let’s get you loaded up so you can get on your way.” He lets me go, and for the next ten minutes, we fill the back of the truck with twelve beautiful trees that will make a few families’ Christmas a little more special.
Once we finish, I get back in the truck and roll down the window after I start the engine. “Merry Christmas, Harry.”
“You too, Milly.” He grins as I drive out of the lot blasting “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.”
“We wish you a Merry Christmas. We wish you—” My singing ends on a squeak as the tires on the truck I rented skid. Hitting the brakes, I hold onto the steering wheel for dear life as I fishtail, and then I scream when I drive off the side of the road down into a gully.
Panting for breath when I come to a stop, my head falls forward to rest against the steering wheel then jump when I hear a loud pop.
“No, no, no, no,” I hiss when I see smoke start to hiss out of the hood. Not wanting to blow up with the truck if it does, I quickly unhook my seatbelt and push open my door. When I hop out, I groan. With the snow we’ve had the last few days, the white stuff is up past my knees, making it difficult to walk through.
After a couple of minutes, I finally make it to the side of the road, and then I freeze there when I see the truck and exactly how much damage it’s sustained. Tears fill my eyes. There is no way it’s drivable with the front right tire almost twisted sideways, and the car rental place is definitely not open. I pull in a breath then look both ways down the pitch-black road.
As I pull my knit cap farther down on my head, I then grab my cell phone out of my pocket. When I see I don’t have any service, my head falls back to my shoulders. I want to scream at the top of my lungs and cry out my frustration, but I know neither of those things are going to help me right now.
Righting my knit cap, I take my mittens out of my pocket and start to walk. If I can get phone service, I might be able to get a hold of a tow company, and if I’m really lucky, they might have a truck I can use, so I can deliver everything before the sun rises.
I thought I knew what cold was before tonight, but with the snow beating against my face and my wet hair plastered against my skin, I know I was wrong. I’m freezing, and I’ve only been walking for twenty minutes. When lights reflect on the snow around me, I turn to look over my shoulder, feeling my stomach drop. I know the black truck coming up behind me, recognizing it immediately as belonging to Tyler Speeds, the owner of Speeds’ Bar, and the one man in Port Huron who has the ability to press my buttons—both good and bad.
As he gets closer, I pray my white jacket, cap, and mittens make me blend in with the snow, making me invisible to him as he drives by. I know my prayers aren’t going to be answered when I hear the rumble of his engine start to slow then curse myself for my sudden bad luck when he yells my name. Knowing I can’t really avoid this—and pretty sure I might be getting frostbite on my toes even with my Uggs on—I stop to face him when he pulls up next to me.
“What the hell are you doing out here, Milly?” he bites out, making me cringe as he pushes open the passenger door, which turns on the light in the cab of the truck, illuminating his beautiful face. There are not many men I would call beautiful, but there is no other way to describe Tyler—with his perfectly groomed beard, full lips, deep-brown eyes, and dark hair that tends to fall whatever way it pleases. Since I can remember, I’ve had a crush on him, and he’s always been indifferent toward me, which really sucks.
“My car broke down.” I wave my hand in the direction of the truck. “And I don’t have cell service, so I was walking toward town.” I climb into the passenger seat and hold my frozen fingertips up against the vents blowing out hot air.