Page 41 of Winter Wishes at Pennycress Inn

‘That one sounds perfect.’ Scarlett grinned.

‘Great. Then here comes the next decision. Would you like to choose one of these pre-cut ones or have a wander around the farm and choose one yourself? With it being so close to Christmas, we’re a little thin on the ground when it comes to tree availability but we do have a few.’

Chewing on the inside of her cheek, Scarlett looked towards another gravel pathway leading behind the building which presumably led to the farm itself. ‘As gorgeous as these ones look, could we have a look around the farm please?’

‘Of course you can. A lot of our customers enjoy the experience of choosing their own.’ Jasper passed them a plastic tag. ‘Pop your name on here and if you find your perfect tree, tag it, if not you can take one of these.’

‘Thanks.’ Scarlett took the tag from him and clasped it in her hand as he headed across to speak to another customer who had just arrived.

‘Ready to choose your tree?’ Rowan grinned.

‘Absolutely.’ Linking arms with him, they began walking down the gravel pathway between the trees. ‘Is it really bad to feel grateful little Seb knocked the tree down? I wouldn’t be here if he hadn’t.’

Chuckling, Rowan leaned across and kissed her on the forehead. ‘It’s not bad at all. And if I’m honest, I’m glad he did too. It means we get to spend the morning together.’

Leaning her head against his shoulder, Scarlett smiled. She couldn’t believe she’d almost pushed him away. Looking up, she glanced around them. ‘What are we supposed to do? Follow the path or go into the farm?’

‘Go in. We can walk between the trees I assume. Although, I must admit when I came to get mine I just picked up one of those pre-cut ones.’ Taking Scarlett’s hand, Rowan led the way through the trees.

With the snow crunching beneath her wellies, Scarlett dropped his hand and walked slightly ahead before turning slowly on the spot, taking in the trees around her. It was beautiful and even after just a few steps, she could imagine they were alone in some huge wood somewhere. ‘It’s gorgeous here, isn’t it?’

‘It sure is.’ Joining her, he held his arms out and tilted his head back, spinning on the spot. ‘Just think, we could be somewhere in Alaska right now. Or Greenland.’

She grinned. ‘Yep.’

Coming to a halt, Rowan clutched his head and chuckled. ‘I should probably leave spinning on the spot for someone younger than me.’

‘Haha, you’re never too old to spin. My mum used to call it “doing windmills”.’ Scarlett smiled as she thought back to her early childhood and memories of dancing to her parents’ old records on the record player her dad would bring down from the loft at Christmas. One particular song had been her favourite and had always got both her parents placing their cups on the coffee table and joining her as she spun on the rug. ‘What’s that old song called? Something about Star Trek and… I can’t remember what else, but me and my parents would always end up just spinning around and around.’

Tilting his head, Rowan frowned. ‘Not “Star Trekkin’” by any chance? By The Firm?’

Widening her eyes, Scarlett grinned. ‘Yes, that’s it. Star trekkin’ around the universe… da-da, da-da, da-da.’

‘Haha, I haven’t heard that tune for years. It used to be a favourite of mine growing up.’

‘Really? And did you used to spin around to it too?’ Walking across to him, she wrapped her arms around his waist and looked up at him.

‘Didn’t everyone?’ Reaching out, he tucked a stray hair of hers behind her ear.

‘Maybe. I guess it would have been a shame not to.’ Scarlett laughed. ‘It always reminds me of Christmas and New Year because we used to get my parents’ old record player down and play it on there.’

‘I’ll try and find it somewhere. It must be online or something.’ Rowan pulled her closer.

‘That would be good.’ Leaning forward, Scarlett closed her eyes as his lips touched hers.

27

Placing the tray on the table, Rowan shrugged out of his coat. ‘It is beautiful in here, isn’t it?’

‘It sure is.’ Hanging her own coat over the back of her chair, Scarlett looked around the large marquee. Fairy lights were strung around the edge and little potted Christmas trees sat on each table. In the middle of the marquee stood a large firepit where customers could roast marshmallows, and above the till hung signs listing a million different variations of hot chocolate available to order.

After unloading the mugs and plates of mince pies from the tray, Rowan took the seat opposite her.

‘Thanks.’ Drawing a mug towards her, Scarlett wrapped her hands around it, thankful for the heat of the hot chocolate seeping through the ceramic. ‘I think it’s going to take me hours to warm up again, but at least we found the perfect tree.’

Rowan brushed away crumbs from his stubble as he lowered his mince pie to the plate. ‘We certainly did. It will look amazing back at Pennycress.’

Taking a sip of her hot chocolate, Scarlett licked her lips. It was every bit as delicious as it looked. ‘Yum, this is good.’