Page 14 of A Crawford Family Christmas

I put my hands on my hips. “Are you flirting with me, Hayes Crawford?”

He shoves off the fence and walks towards me. “Darlin’, I am always flirting with you.”

One of his hands grabs onto my hip and pulls me closer.

“It’s just opening night,” I say. “These twinkle lights are going to be here all season.”

“True. But if we keep selling trees like we did tonight, the rows will be sparse, and it won’t be as magical.”

I try to hide a grin. “Magical, huh?”

“Can a man just wanna romance his wife a little?”

I lean up and press my lips to his. “Of course, babe. I’m sorry. You know how sometimes my practical nature gets in the way?”

“I still love you, practical nature and all.” He kisses my forehead.

We walk, hand-in-hand, deeper into the rows of trees. Wind blows through the tree branches, making the light strands sway.

Hayes nods to the open space before us, where the twinkle lights flicker over the ground. “Dance with me,” he says.

I blink. “There’s no music.”

He shrugs. “Don’t need any.”

“Hayes—”

“C’mon, darlin’,” He holds out a hand. “One dance.”

I sigh, but my heart’s already gone soft and gooey. “You realize I’m wearing mud-caked boots, right?”

“Good,” he says, catching my hand and tugging me gently into his arms. “That means you won’t step on my toes.”

He’s warm and solid against me, the steady beat of his heart creating a rhythm for our dance. We sway there in the middle of the clearing, the stars sparkling bright overhead, the whole world smelling like cedar and smoke.

“Not bad, cowboy,” I murmur.

“You doubted me?”

“I’ve seen you dance. At Quinn and Amber’s wedding, you nearly took out a table.”

He chuckles, his chest rumbling against mine. “I was distracted.”

“By what?”

“You, in that red dress.”

I roll my eyes. “I was the size of a house carrying your baby.”

“You were and are the sexiest woman in the world.” He tilts his head, his voice dropping low and soft. “You were everything I never knew I needed.”

My breath catches. “Hayes,” I whisper, “don’t you make me cry.”

“Don’t cry, pretty girl.” he says, brushing his thumb over my cheek.

I release a watery laugh. “Are you trying to get lucky tonight?”

“Aurora, I am lucky. So goddamn lucky to be your husband. But also, yes, I am definitely trying to get into your pants.”

That makes me really laugh. “You are ridiculous. But I love you like crazy.”

He dips his head and nuzzles his lips against my neck. “So about getting into your pants…”

“We have to go home for that. I’m not interested in getting pine needles stuck in my ass.”

He smacks my bottom. “Then let’s go home, wife.”

And with that, he picks me up, tosses me over his shoulder, and jogs all the way to our truck.