Scent of Cedar, page 8
part #1 of The Friendly Beasts of Faraday Series
She practically skipped down the steps before he even got the pickup parked and climbed inside the cab with a big smile. “Are you sure you don’t mind helping me with the tree stand?”
“Not at all, Cedar.”
Twenty minutes later, they stood in the checkout line at the hardware store with a cart full of lights, boxes of gold ornaments, and strands of cranberry-colored wooden beads. Rhett held a large tree stand guaranteed not to tip. The cardboard label affixed to it promised the stand could hold up to two gallons of water.
Cedar appeared almost giddy as he helped her set her purchases on the counter. “Do you think we got everything?” she asked as he piled another armful of lights on the counter.
“If we didn’t, we can always come back,” he teased. “I think we left one or two boxes of lights on the shelf.”
Cedar gave him a look that somehow blended a scoff with unfiltered flirtation as she took her wallet from her purse.
He’d already offered to pay for the decorations. She’d stared at him like he’d grown a second head. Her mouth fell open and she snapped it closed twice before she shook her head. “Absolutely not, Rhett. My house, my ornaments. I’m paying.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said, barely able to contain his smile. He’d never met a woman who’d turn down a man paying for anything. Rhett was just old-fashioned enough he wanted to pay for a woman’s meal when they went out on a date. He didn’t even mind buying a few things if they happened to be at the store together. But Cedar’s independence was refreshing. Too many women he’d dated expected him to pay for everything from their toothpaste to filling their gas tanks by the third date, and that was when he cut them loose.
Rhett recalled the money Cedar’s parents received for giving her such an odd name. Then there was the money that went into a trust fund for her at the same time. He knew she’d had a high-powered corporate career, so she probably made substantial money during the last several years.
He wasn’t sure how to handle a woman who had unlimited funds and deep, deep pockets.
After he confessed the truth about being her neighbor, he wouldn’t have to worry about handling her at all because he had an idea she wouldn’t want a thing to do with him. He couldn’t blame her, either. It was rude and wrong to have not at least called her back and apologized for Lolly scaring her half to death. Right now, he wished he’d made the effort to reach out to her weeks ago. But it was far too late to address the problem.
While it lasted, he’d just enjoy whatever time he had with Cedar. With her fragrance taunting him, he followed her out of the store, packing the tree stand and the majority of the bags. She carried a bag in each hand and followed him to his pickup. He set the bags and stand in the back then happened to glance across the street. A display in a store window caught his eye.
“Come on,” he said, grabbing Cedar’s hand and running across the street.
“What is this place?” she asked as they gazed in the window at a collection of vintage Christmas decorations.
“Technically, the owner refers to it as an antique store, but it’s more like a used junk store, although once in a while you can find a treasure or two here.” Rhett pulled open the door and Cedar walked inside.
Dust particles floated in the air along with the scent of old books and musty, long-stored clothes.
To her credit, Cedar didn’t wrinkle her nose at the piles of trinkets, stacks of dishes, and furniture that looked like a dog had gnawed on it before it had been donated to the store.
“Rhett Riggs! What on earth are you doing in my store?” an elderly woman with hair the color and texture of a Brillo pad asked as she teetered her way from behind the glass-fronted counter.
“We saw the display in the window with the Christmas decorations. Do you have more of them, Mrs. Pith?” Rhett gave the old woman a charming smile and waited as she pointed a gnarled finger toward the back of her shop.
“Back there. And who might this lovely young woman be? You’ve upgraded your tastes since the last time…”
“Thank you, Mrs. Pith,” Rhett interrupted. “This is Cedar Haynes. She moved to town a few weeks ago. I helped her with a Christmas tree and we’re just getting a few ornaments.”
“I see.” The woman gave him a long, observant glance. “Go on back. You might be surprised by what you find.”
Cedar wandered to the back of the store where a pathetic, fake tree with missing branches held an assortment of ornaments. Tables around it held boxes and baskets of mercury glass ornaments, Victorian paper cones and fans, and there were even half a dozen vintage tree toppers.
“Oh, Rhett!” Cedar exclaimed as she carefully lifted a beautiful blown glass tree topper and held it up to the light. The finial design almost appeared iridescent as she cradled it in her long, graceful fingers. “Wouldn’t this look lovely on the tree?”
“It’s perfect,” he said, not caring about the decoration, but the delight it had brought to Cedar’s face. He’d give most anything to keep it there. He pointed to a box of ornaments from the 1940s, their indented glass design showcasing a myriad of styles and colors. “What about those, too?”
When they left the store, Cedar had enough ornaments to turn her tree into one right out of a vintage holiday picture. She also had an old pair of white leather skates she said would make a great decoration on her porch, along with a wooden sled, and a box of other treasures old Mrs. Pith was more than eager to sell them.
“I can’t believe we found so many wonderful things,” Cedar said, cradling the box with the tree topper on her lap as they drove back to her house. “I would never have looked in Mrs. Pith’s store, Rhett. Thank you for thinking of it.”
“My pleasure. It’s mostly junk from the hippie era, but once in a while she has something in there that is quite a find.” Rhett smiled at Cedar as he turned up her lane. Much to his surprise, Lolly remained in the pasture where he’d ordered her to stay. Perhaps she was on her best behavior since Rhett was with Cedar. Lolly was more perceptive than he gave her credit for most days.
“I can’t wait to decorate the tree.” Cedar beamed at him as he parked the pickup at the end of her walk. “You might have to give me a few pointers, though. I’ve never even strung lights before.”
“Nothing to it,” Rhett said. He hurried around and opened her door then lifted the tree stand and several bags of lights from the back. Together they made their way down the walk. They’d just reached the porch when he leaned close to her and gave her a rakish grin. “And I’m happy to teach you whatever you want to learn.”
Cedar stumbled on the bottom step and would have fallen with her tree topper if Rhett hadn’t dropped the tree stand and grabbed her arm, holding her upright.
He compressed his lips to keep from grinning while wondering what went through the woman’s head. Perhaps she thought he meant more than teaching her about the tree. Honestly, his thoughts had been on their kisses in the snow. Not that she needed a bit of coaching, but he had an idea that she was far more innocent than any other female he’d dated. And he liked that she was. It had taxed his patience and restraint the last week of spending time with her to keep his hands and lips to himself, but he didn’t want to scare her off by coming on too boldly or fast. Had he known all along what her kisses would do to him, he might have ravaged her delicious mouth the first time she set foot in his garage.
“I’ll get the stand on the tree while you decide where you’d like the tree,” Rhett said as she opened the front door and hurried inside. He set the bags of lights inside the entry then went back out to the porch to wrangle the big, bushy tree into the stand. To make it fit, he ended up trimming off several low branches. When he finished, he was worried he’d trimmed too much, but once he stood it up, it looked good.
“Do you need help carrying it inside?” Cedar asked from behind him.
“Can you grab the top?” he asked as he hefted the stand and base of the tree. Cedar scurried to lift the top and pushed as he pulled the tree inside the house. “Where do you want it?” He tried to look at her around the bulk of the tree.
“In the living room, please, in front of the center window.”
Rhett carried the tree to where she indicated. She’d already pushed two side chairs and a table out of the way to make room for the tree. With the cathedral ceiling in the room, the tree fit perfectly in that spot. He couldn’t have chosen a better place to set it up if he’d tried. The lights would glow out the window and be visible to passersby on the road below.
“I’ll grab the rest of the bags,” he said, brushing sap-sticky hands on his jeans before he hurried outside. It took four trips to carry in everything. When he finished, Cedar rushed into the room carrying a handful of large garbage bags.
“Would it be possible to set this under the tree? In case the stand leaks or I spill the water, I don’t want to ruin the floor.”
Rhett nodded his head and lifted the tree while she arranged the bags beneath the tree. “Next year, you’ll have to buy a plastic tablecloth. It works well for catching spills and containing the needles when they drop off.
“That’s a great tip,” she said. Cedar stepped back and clasped her hands beneath her chin as she dragged in a deep breath. “Oh, it smells so good.”
“Smells like Christmas, doesn’t it?”
“Like Christmas and magic!” She grinned so impishly, he could easily imagine what she looked like as a child. Excited, she lifted a box of ornaments and removed a gold ball, ready to hang it on the tree.
“First, we need to string the lights,” Rhett said, taking the ball and box from her hands. He pointed to one of the bags full of tiny twinkle lights. “Do you want all white or colored lights?”
“I think colored. It seems more traditional to me.” Cedar opened a box of lights and began unwinding them.
“Plug them in to make sure they work before you do anything else,” Rhett instructed. He’d already plugged in the strand in his hand to ensure they worked properly before he strung them on the tree. “Do you have a stepstool?”
Cedar left and quickly returned with a tall, sturdy stepstool. “Juniper needs this to reach the top cupboards,” she said, setting the stool in front of the tree.
Since the tree was nearly twelve-feet high, Rhett couldn’t reach the top of the tree without a little help. He began weaving the lights in a vertical zigzag pattern down the front of the tree.
Cedar watched him. “I thought you’re supposed to wrap the lights around the tree. At least that’s what they did in the video I watched.”
He glanced over at her and cocked an eyebrow. “You watched an instructional video on tree decorating?”
“Yes, I did. I find there are instructional videos for most everything. Some turn out to be not quite as helpful as others, but most provide basic ideas.” Cedar handed him another string of lights.
He plugged it into the end of the strand he’d finished stringing and began working his way over another section. “Most people do string them around and around, but it makes it hard to undecorate the tree. Besides, the key to an amazing tree is plenty of illumination. You have to get lights back to the trunk of the tree as well as along the tips of the branches.”
Cedar appeared impressed as she handed him another strand of lights. “How did you come to know so much about holiday illumination?”
“My uncle loved Christmas more than any other time of the year. He taught me all about lighting up trees and houses and barns and even the dog’s house.”
She laughed and the sound arrowed straight to his heart. “The dog’s house? That I’d like to see.”
He almost invited her to walk across the pasture and check out Rover’s house, but he kept his mouth shut. Now wasn’t the time to admit he was her neighbor. Not when he was enjoying his time with her more than he’d enjoyed being with any other woman.
“You do the next one,” he said, plugging in another strand to test it. He stepped off the stool and held out his hand to her.
She climbed up on the stool and took the lights. His mouth went dry as she reached for the top branches. Her designer jeans stretched across a backside that was one of the most delectable he’d ever ogled. Before he did something he shouldn’t, he took a step back from her and busied himself with another strand of lights.
Seeking a distraction from his amorous thoughts, he blurted out the first thing that popped into his head. “Why did you decide to move here, to Faraday? It’s not exactly a booming metropolis.”
She shook her head and laughed. “No, it’s not, but that’s why I like it here.” She cast a quick glance his way then returned to stringing the lights. “I spent the last eight years in a corporate office, seven of those I worked as the chief financial officer.”
Rhett offered her a surprised look. She seemed young for such a powerful position, but then again, she was intelligent and driven. “That’s remarkable.”
“I don’t know about that. At first, it was exciting and I loved my job. Then I kept getting more and more responsibilities and working more and more hours. Of course, I was compensated for my efforts, but there came a point when I realized I no longer had a life, only work. Years went by without a vacation or even an entire day off. Then one day, I just couldn’t take it anymore.” She shrugged as she worked lights among the tree branches. “My family will tell you I had an episode, but the truth is that I had a nervous breakdown. My therapist told me I had to make changes in my life, big changes, if I wanted to live beyond my thirtieth birthday. So, I quit my job, sold my condo and car, and here I am.”
Taken aback by her admission, Rhett wasn’t sure what to say. Cedar seemed stable and healthy to him. Surely, whatever happened in the past was in the past. “I’m glad you’re here.”
“Me, too.” Cedar gave him a smile full of such warmth, Rhett suddenly felt overheated. “I’m glad you’re here, Rhett. Your friendship and kindness has meant so much. Moving to Faraday has changed my whole outlook on life. Juniper says I’m happier than she’s ever seen me, and she’s right. Part of it is living here, where it’s peaceful and lovely. The other part…” Her voice trailed off, leaving the sentence unfinished.
Uncertain what she’d left hanging between them, Rhett hoped she implied being around him made her happy. Even though he’d only seen her a handful of times, he knew what she meant. When he was around her, all the scattered pieces in his heart and mind fell into place. It scared him, more than anything in his life ever had, but it gave him hope for the future, too.
Rhett dropped the strand of lights he held and settled his hands on her waist, turning her around on the stool to face him.
“You are so beautiful, Cedar. You take my breath away.”
She blushed, but remained unmoving on the stool a foot above him. Unable to stop himself, he lifted her in his arms, letting her slide down until their lips connected. Her hands twined into the hair at the back of his head while he lost himself in the sweetness of her kiss and the delicious flavor of her. She tasted of peppermint from the broken candy cane he’d seen her eating earlier along with something that was uniquely Cedar.
The kisses grew more ardent, demanding, and heated. He drew her closer against him. Heart pounding, blood thrumming, he could have remained there in front of the tree with her in his arms until they were both old and gray. After several more intense, entirely wondrous kisses, she finally raised her head and pushed against his shoulders. “If we don’t stop this and get busy, it will be next Christmas before the tree is decorated.”
“Agreed, but this is more fun.”
“Perhaps, but I’m pretty excited about decorating my first tree.” Cedar stepped on the stool and finished stringing the lights.
Rhett handed her the cranberry beads to drape across the branches. Once they finished with that, they threaded small ribbons through the ornament hooks and began hanging them on the tree.
“Smaller ornaments up top, heavier ornaments on the bottom,” Rhett said when Cedar hung a heavy Santa figurine on a high branch and it bent downward. The ornament would have shattered on the floor if he hadn’t reached out and caught it.
“Good catch and thanks for the tip,” she said, taking the Santa and hanging it on a lower branch.
They talked about everything and nothing while they decorated the tree. Things like favorite books, movies, desserts, and school memories. Rhett was just handing Cedar the delicate tree topper when the doorbell rang.
“I wonder who that could be. Would you answer it for me, Rhett, while I finish this?”
“Sure.” Rhett hurried to the door, already knowing who’d be there. He grinned at his three friends. “You guys are right on time. Glad you could make it.”
Seth, Drake, and Drew stepped inside the entry and tugged off their hats.
“You sounded insistent we come,” Seth said, looking around the entry with interest.
“Just don’t mention that I live next door,” Rhett warned in a whisper before Cedar sailed into the foyer with a smile.
“Oh, hello! I’m Cedar Haynes. What can I do for you gentlemen?” she asked, offering each man a friendly smile.
“Actually, Rhett said you needed help decking your halls, or more specifically lighting up the exterior,” Drake said, extending his hand to her with a broad smile. “Drake Miller at your service.”
Cedar shook his hand and did an admirable job of hiding her shock at the presence of Rhett’s friends. “Welcome to my home.” She turned to Drew, glanced at Drake, then back to him. “You two must be brothers. Your parents own the café, is that right?”
