Sugarplums and Second Chances

Chapter Five

"This can't be right. Have you ever cut one of these down before, Dad?"

Chase grunted then shifted to the side and stared up from under the Christmas tree he was attempting to cut down. The smell of pine trees and freshly cut bark filled the air. "What do you mean? I've got the saw. We picked out the tree. What more am I supposed to be doing?"

"I'm a hundred percent positive you're cutting it wrong." Wyatt looked disgusted as he turned to Courtney, who appeared ready to burst into laughter as she stomped her boots to stay warm. "Does this look right to you?"

Even from this angle, Chase could see her eyes sparkling. He fought back a groan. From the instant she stepped into his arms earlier, he'd been fighting a losing battle.

He was attracted to her.

Not just physically. Emotionally, mentally—every way a man could be attracted to a woman. Hearing her say his letters had meant something to her had rocked his world. Then when she'd praised him for his devotion to Wyatt, for reading books, for helping people? His heart couldn't take it. What would a class act like her want with a dumb jock who'd taken the law into his hands and gone to prison?

But she made it sound as if his letters had helped her. That she appreciated them. And, more, she still seemed to appreciate him. What she'd revealed about losing her football family had been sobering.

How lonely had the past couple of years been for her?

The one question he didn't even want to think kept pressing into his brain.

Why had she stopped writing?

He couldn't bear to ask. Wasn't ready for her answer.

"Dad, you're supposed to cut off those low branches so you can have a clear shot at the trunk." Wyatt scrolled through his phone. "It says so right here."

"If you're such an expert, why don't you get down here in the snow and do it?" He held the saw up.

Wyatt backed up a step with his hands at his chest. "Oh, no. That's all you."

"Do you boys need me to take over?" Courtney's teeth gleamed she was smiling so big. Actually, he wouldn't mind seeing her cute little body shimmy under the tree...

"Nope. Got it." He slid back under and did as Wyatt suggested. Lopped off the small lower branches and got to work on the main trunk. Soon, the blue spruce toppled over, and he jumped up, brushing the snow, dirt, and needles off his clothes. "There."

"I'll take it to the tree shaker." Wyatt grabbed it by the trunk and began dragging it through the lane. Chase and Courtney fell in behind him. The kid was fast, though, and quickly outdistanced them.

"You two seem to be getting along well," Courtney said. "I remember for a while there, he wasn't talking to you. It was early into your sentence. Then things slowly got better between you."

Chase stole a peek at her. Pink nose from the cold temperature. Black snow boots. Tight jeans. Her puffy jacket. Blond hair flowing down her back. This stunning woman really had paid attention to his life.

"We're doing okay. It took a while for us to find our groove. I think the biggest thing is having no secrets. If he's mad at me, he tells me. I make the rules, but I talk to Drew and Lauren if I'm worried I'm being too tough. They're still a huge part of his life. I don't know what I would have done without them."

"I think you're being wise."

"When I got out on parole, I made him my number one priority."

"I was glad when you wrote and told me you'd decided to stay in Detroit for a while after your release. The media can be relentless. You're a good father."