Claudia’s get-up was putrid green pants with old olive rainboots and an even older camouflage jacket. The scarf around her neck was a faded green knit number with lime polka dots that had seen better days. Maybelle wore tight lime green pants, green riding boots, a dressy green jacket that Sarah had seen her wear to church in the past, and a bright green scarf that she’d tied around her head. Apparently, she hadn’t had any green gloves as she had on black cloth ones that she’d pinned a green ribbon to.

She loved her friends but would admit they made her eyes hurt.

“Don’t go getting distracted by their nursing home camo, you know what I saw,” Rosie warned, drawing Sarah’s attention back to the grinning woman.

Sarah didn’t know. Had Rosie seen…what, exactly? Nothing had actually happened, even though for a moment she’d thought Bodie was going to kiss her.

Yet she hadn’t wanted him to kiss her. Not really. Had she?

Hadn’t she learned anything from her ex leaving her?

Besides, a kiss probably didn’t mean a thing to someone as worldly as Bodie. She shouldn’t read anything into something that hadn’t happened anyway. Bodie was no more destined to stick around in Pine Hill than Richard had been.

As much as she enjoyed Bodie being around, as much as she’d wanted to lean toward him moments before, she was grateful Rosie had shown up when she had. A kiss between her and Bodie would only further complicate things that already felt more than complicated enough.

“We lost sight of you,” Claudia said, still sounding breathy as she ignored Maybelle’s jab and Rosie’s description of their outfits, “and had to split up to cover more ground. You and that man sure can move fast when you’ve a mind to.”

Maybelle glared at her floral-scarfed friend.

“We were looking for a Christmas tree,” Sarah defended. “This tree.”

The perfect Christmas tree for Hamilton House’s Grand Opening.

Eyeing the three women, she narrowed her gaze. “Why are you here?”

“What most people do when they go to a Christmas tree farm?” Maybelle told her with her usual dryness.

How the woman could produce sass in so much mismatched green was beyond Sarah. Had they really believed they’d blend with the trees?

“See, I told you that’s why we were here,” Rosie added, still looking at Sarah with a smug smile. “But then we spotted you and needed to come talk to you.”

“I’ve talked to all three of you at different points this morning. Has something happened that you needed to talk to me right now?” She looked back and forth between them.

“Aren’t we allowed to spot a dear friend and want to say hello?” Maybelle tsked.

“Yeah,” Claudia agreed, rubbing her gloved hands over her camo jacket sleeves. “Didn’t you want us to come over to say hi?”

Even knowing it was a deliberate guilt trip couldn’t stop Sarah from automatically replying “Of course I wanted you to say hi.”