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“Thank you so much,” her mother said, hurrying up with her older child in tow. “She’s a runner, that’s for sure.”

Micah handed over the little girl and smiled at the mom. “You and your family have a good holiday season.”

“We will.”

She paused as if she were going to say more. Micah turned away, walking over to where her husband was tying the large Christmas tree on top of their car.

“You have enough rope?” he asked.

The man made a final knot, then patted the tree. “I do. We’re not going far and I’ll drive slow.”

“Enjoy the tree.”

Micah returned to the lot. Despite the fact that it was the middle of a weekday, business had been steady, with several trees sold every hour.

Steve had called that morning, asking if Micah could help him out. His regular person had caught a stomach bug and couldn’t make it in at the last minute. Micah had agreed. Not only would he do anything for his friend, but he thought the experience would be good for him. He’d been spending too much time in his room, writing. So far he had two more songs that were nearly completed and ideas for about eight others.

His stomach growled, reminding him he’d missed breakfast. Micah glanced at his watch. It was nearly one. His replacement would show up at three, so only a couple of hours to go.

He assisted a few more families with trees, and carefully put a small flocked tree in the trunk for an older woman.

“You need me to swing by when I get off work and carry this inside for you?” he asked.

The white-haired woman smiled at him. “That’s very sweet, but my neighbor will do that for me when he gets home from work. He’s good that way. I’ve already made a batch of frosted sugar cookies to thank him.”

“Sounds like you have a good thing going on.” Micah double-checked the ropes, then patted the raised trunk. “You drive slowly. You wouldn’t want to hot-rod around a corner and have your tree go flying.”

The woman laughed. “No, I wouldn’t.” She got in her car and slowly drove away.

Micah returned to the lot and was surprised to see Reggie waiting by the checkout desk. For a second, he hoped Dena was with her, but he knew she would still be in class.

He crossed to Dena’s sister. “Afternoon. Looking for a tree?”

“No, my mom’s already taken care of that. You have a second?”

“Sure.” He smiled. “I’d invite you into my office so we could sit down, but I’m afraid this is as good as it gets.”

“I’m fine.” She looked at him, her gaze steady. There was an air of determination about her. “I don’t know how else to ask the question, so I’m just going to blurt it out. When it comes to my sister, what are your intentions?”

His first instinct was to laugh. No one had ever asked him that before. He wasn’t sure anyone in this century had used that phrase. But on the heels of that came the warmth of knowing that whatever happened in her life, Dena was never going to be alone. She had people who loved her and would always be there for her. He wanted that for her. He wanted her taken care of and looked after, even if she would resist, saying she was fine.

“You’re worried I’m going to hurt her.”

“Yes. Don’t take this wrong, but you’re Micah Ruiz. On the surface, that’s hard to resist. You’re good-looking and charming, plus the whole singing thing. You’re a big-time guy, temporarily living in the regular world. I’m not sure why you’re here, but I do know you’re leaving, and that worries me.” She wrinkled her nose. “Actually, I’d be worried even if you were staying. I love my sister and I know she’s amazing, but I’m not sure you see it.”

“I do.”

“I don’t believe you. I mean, I want to, but I don’t. She’s not like the other women you’ve been with.”

“What do you know about them?”

Her smile was self-deprecating. “Nothing specific, but I can imagine. Dena’s not that.” The smile faded. “You’re the kind of guy who’s easy to fall for. Dena doesn’t have experience in your world, and that scares me. She’s tough and she always has a plan, but I don’t think she can prepare for the likes of you.”

He supposed he could have been insulted by her assumptions, but he was too happy to witness how close the sisters were.

“I would never hurt her,” he said.

“You might not want to, but to me, it feels inevitable. Are you staying in Wishing Tree?”