She wrinkled her nose. “Do we have to?”

“After all the work to get that tree? You better believe we have to decorate it.”

Taking a deep breath, Sarah nodded, but within minutes, when faced with the packed boxes, she looked doubtful again.

He didn’t fully understand her hesitation. She lived in her aunt’s house, amongst her aunt’s things. What was so special about the ornaments that unpacking them played such havoc on Sarah?

Walking over, he put his hand over hers. “You’ve got this.”

A small sound escaped her lips, she inhaled, then nodded. “You’re right. I do.”

Half the tree was decorated and already it was looking amazing. Sarah inspected the ornaments Bodie held, trying to decide if she was going to use them. Her dread had significantly eased at Bodie’s constant jokes and teasing.

“Hey, Sarah?” Bodie lifted the lid off a box of glass ornaments that had belonged to Aunt Jean’s in-laws.

Knowing another joke was on its way, Sarah shifted her gaze to Bodie.

“What do you call an obnoxious reindeer?” he asked, giving her an expectant look.

“I don’t know, Bodie. What do you call an obnoxious reindeer?”

“RUDE-olph.”

Giggling a little, she rolled her eyes. He was intentionally keeping her focused on him, and she appreciated his effort. She appreciated most everything about Bodie.

“How is it that you know so many Christmas jokes when you profess not to like Christmas?”

“It wasn’t by choice,” he assured. “Lou has a new one written on a dry-erase board each morning.”

“And you committed them all to memory? Saving them up for moments like these?”

“I read them all,” he clarified. “Hard not to since the sign is right next to the cash register. As far as memorizing them, I never had any intention of repeating them.”

She lifted one of the antique glass ornaments from its box, running her finger over its smooth lines, before hanging it on the tree. “So why are you?”

The corner of his mouth twitched. “You’re smiling, aren’t you?”

“Kinda hard not to with your corny Christmas jokes.”

“Not mine. Lou’s.”

She pulled another ornament from the box, deciding she was going to hang the glass ball in honor of the Hamiltons. “Tell me another.”

“What does a sheep who doesn’t like Christmas say?”

Putting the ornament on the tree, she turned, met Bodie’s gaze and waited for the punch line.

“Baaaaaaa humbug.”

“Good thing you’re not a sheep or you’d be baaing all the time.” Sarah snickered at the thought, then went back to the box see what was next.

“Oh, here’s another ornament I made,” she cooed, lifting the angel out of the box and holding it out for Bodie to see.

“Nice,” he enthused with a teasing tone. “How old were you?”

She arched her brow. “You implying it looks like I was young?”

He laughed. “Just curious.”