The snow has barely started and there’s not enough for a snowball fight – we’ve already exhausted our supply and fighting with Noel is nowhere near as appealing as hugging him again. I reach up to brush snowflakes out of his hair and he scrubs a hand over his face. ‘You must’ve put something in that tea. That’s the only explanation for any of this.’

‘Or there’s another patch of those dodgy mushrooms around here somewhere?’

‘Aye, exactly!’

‘You keep telling yourself that.’

Both of our hands are cold and wet, but when he reaches out to take mine, the sensation starts to come back into my fingers, numb from the snow. He leans down and presses his lips to my cheek, his nose icy cold where it touches my skin, his lips like a burning hot brand in the best way possible. ‘Nothing I tell myself makes any sense when I’m with you.’

I know the feeling. I watch as he goes back into the barn and picks the whole dog basket up, including Gizmo, and carries it under one arm, his other hand holding Giz secure. ‘Goodnight, Lee. See you in the morning. Bright and early.’

I smile at the throwback to one of my first days here, even though ‘bright and early’ doesn’t seem to be a specific time with Noel, and I have a feeling that tomorrow will be even brighter and earlier than usual.

He nods a goodbye and I watch as he crunches his way back through the undisturbed snow of the pumpkin field, growing thicker by the second as large flakes fall down. I look up at the black sky and twirl around a few times.

This is nothing like what I expected when I won that auction – it’s a million times better.

Chapter 14

By the time I get myself up and dressed the next morning, Noel is already outside in the dark with his truck, slinging trees into the back of it like they weigh nothing, and whistling ‘Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree’.

‘How can you be so ridiculously chirpy?’ I can’t help smiling at the sight of him as I open the door and walk down the steps.

He’s obviously had a shower and changed because his hair is still wet. He’s wearing black cargo trousers and a navy long-sleeved top with a blue and grey flannel shirt over it, the puffy bodywarmer over the top of that, and knitted fingerless gloves. It’s not right that anyone can look this good at five-thirty in the morning.

He stops in the middle of picking up another tree when I get close to him and looks up to grin at me. ‘I’m chirpy because I get to do this.’