“Help me break up the roots a bit,” Silas instructed, reaching into the hole while Kevin romped by, the kittens on his heels.
She did as he asked and then sat back on her heels to admire it. “It looks like a Christmas tree,” she observed.
“That’s right,” he said, swiping his forearm over his brow. “Figured the family tree would go back in the library with the fireplace and all those windows. And this is close enough to the house to run lights to it.”
“Your family is obsessed with Christmas trees,” she observed, although she couldn’t help but think about peering out of the back windows and seeing warm white lights on a snowy December night.
“Between Morris and Mom’s twenty-four/seven Christmas carols from Thanksgiving on, Michael’s spiked hot chocolate, and Mama B and Dad’s nine-foot tree so covered in ornaments and lights you can’t see needles, we all go a little crazy over Christmas. I’ll hold her straight while you dig,” he said.
She worked the dirt back into the hole and patted it down with the flat of the shovel. It was oddly therapeutic, she realized. Putting something in the ground that was going to be appreciated for generations to come.
Silas pulled the hose around. “Let’s give her a good soaking,” he said, handing her the nozzle and slipping his arms around her waist. She wondered how tall it would be in a year, ten years.
Leaning against him, Maggie squeezed the trigger and watched the water pool at the base of the tree before being absorbed into the fresh dirt. This time it was Taco and Dolly that raced past first. Kevin paused his chase to bite at the water spouting from the hose.
She laughed, and Silas kissed her on the top of the head.
“That should about do it. We’ll give her another drink later,” he said, taking the hose from her and giving the dog a squirt in the rump.
“What’ll we do for the next hour or so before Cody comes home?” she asked slyly.
“I’m about to introduce you to the second-best part of Bonus Day,” he told her, leading her toward the back door and up the stairs.
She paused just inside the bedroom door. The room had instantly changed from a temporary camp to an actual bedroom. He’d made the bed when she’d walked the movers out, she noted. The pillows—because six hadn’t seemed too crazy in the store—were stacked in a sumptuous pile against the headboard. The duvet was very precisely spread across the mattress, folded over to show the crisp white of the sheets.
“Wow, you really know how to make a bed,” she said, unexpectedly delighted at his show of domesticity.
“I’m even better at unmaking it. Now, pick a side,” he said.
She blinked. “What?”
“Pick a side, darlin’。 Do you want to be closer to the window or the bathroom?”
She had a bed big enough to have a dedicated side.
“What if I want to sleep in the middle?” she asked just to be contrary.
“Then you’ll be sleeping on top of me, and I have no problem with that.”
“I’ll take the window,” she decided.
“Good girl. Now, get in.”
“Are you really ready for another round?” She was impressed. And a little exhausted. Okay. A lot exhausted.
“No, ma’am. I am not.” He shot her that devilish grin. “Don’t get me wrong. I’d fumble my way through it for you. But I think we both could use a rest before another attempt.”
“You want to take a nap with me?” A nap was something on Maggie’s list of Things Other People with Free Time Do. Like go to the spa or plan meals.
“No Bonus Day is complete without a nap,” he insisted, pulling back the covers with a flourish.
She had gone skinny-dipping, jumped off a cliff, climaxed under a waterfall, and gone on a home furnishings shopping spree. Why not add a nap to the day?
“We’re not getting in that bed in these clothes,” she said, gesturing at her dirt-streaked shorts and shirt.
He gave her that slow, wolfish smile, and her heart said, Uh-oh.
His shirt hit the floor, followed swiftly by his shorts.
She had no choice really but to follow suit.
It wasn’t a bad way to spend a day, she thought as Silas pulled her up against him. His chest and thighs cradling her while his arm anchored her to him. Hot skin, hard muscle, and the crisp coolness of fresh sheets. He’d left the balcony doors open, and the warm breeze billowed the sheer curtains into the room like ghosts returning home.
An hour later, after she’d rolled over and onto Silas to sleepily demand more, and after she’d fallen asleep again, Maggie awoke with a start. She lay still for a long moment, trying to determine what had pulled her back to the surface.