From where he worked on the tub, Bodie struggled to turn off years’ worth of paying attention to every detail in his environment and his need to do whatever he could for Sarah.

“Why is Lou short-handed?” She groaned to Maybelle. “Guess I won’t be getting my tree today, after all.”

Her disappointment was so heavy Bodie stared at the ceiling and counted to ten.

He didn’t have to do this. He shouldn’t do this. The absolute last thing he wanted to do was be involved in getting a Christmas tree.

He needed to finish Sarah’s job, get to Texas for a short visit, then make a new life for himself at iSecure. Although his body still had its limits—as going up and down the stairs had made painfully clear—he was getting his strength back.

He had been stiff that morning but had pushed through his physical therapy stretches. After moving around all day, he didn’t feel much worse for the wear.

Thank goodness. He’d worried about the aftereffects of having overdone it. He’d known better and should have come up with some excuse as to why he couldn’t carry down the boxes after his hip had started protesting.

Only that would have left Sarah doing it all by herself. And thinking less of him for not contributing. That didn’t work for him.

He was here to help her. First because of the quilt and now… now, because he wanted to help the bubbly do-gooder who was affecting his life in so many positive ways.

Like making him smile.

“I know there’s plenty of time between now and Christmas, Maybelle, but if I don’t go soon all the good trees will be gone and I’ll have to settle for what’s left. Who wants to settle for a shabby Christmas tree at their business’s grand opening? What kind of start would that be for Hamilton House B & B?”

Bodie closed his eyes.

“This year’s tree has to be extra special. Everything has to be perfect.”

Why was he still squatted on the bathroom floor? Sarah needed a truck so she could get a tree. Wasn’t his purpose for being in Pine Hill to help Sarah?

Gritting his teeth from the discomfort in his hip, he stood, and then marched forward, just the way he used to march into battle.

He found Sarah in the kitchen, having just placed an antique candelabra with red candles on the island. Thick green garlands with red ribbons adorned the piece.

She was just as he’d imaged, phone to ear, pretty in her Christmas green sweater and jeans. Her hair was pulled up and tied with a red ribbon patterned with strings of colorful lights. Around her neck, she wore a necklace made up of more Christmas lights. He’d bet anything that there was a button that made them twinkle.

Sarah liked things that twinkled.

Seeing him come in, she smiled.

The inside of his chest did the little fluttery thing it had started doing when Sarah was around. He should probably see a doctor in case they’d missed something in the scans he’d had that year. He wouldn’t say the flutter felt like shrapnel moving, but there was definitely something up in there.