On Christmas Hill Read Online Free Page B

helmet on.” As
if reading my mind, Nate tapped my helmet before looking
upward.
    I nodded my head, but he didn’t see.
His eyes were back on the mess in front of us. He lifted a branch
out of the way, and crawled closer to the fence.
    “ Well, the good news is that
the tree is from the neighbor’s property, which means he will have
to pay to have it removed. The bad news is that we need to set up
something temporary.”
    “ What do you have in
mind?”
    “ I need some boards and wire
from the barn, but it should be easy enough to set up.” Nate walked
back to the snowmobile.
    “ Thank you. I wouldn’t even
know where to begin.” I frowned. What was I even doing considering
keeping this place? I had no idea how to take of a place like
this.
    “ Oh, don’t thank me. This is
the easy part. You get to tell Cameron it was his tree.” Nate
reached out slowly and moved some of the hair that had escaped my
helmet.
    “ That doesn’t sound
good.”
    “ Don’t worry. You’re cute.
That’ll help.” Nate sat back down on the sled and pat the seat
behind him. “C’mon. We need to get something set up quickly, before
any of the reindeer get out.
    “ What? They’d quit without
notice? No reindeer union?” I laughed at my joke, but he only
rolled his eyes. “It’s funny! Why would magic reindeer run away?
Aren’t they smarter than usual or something? Wise beyond their age?
Well, no. I guess they’re old as dirt, huh? Like the man in the red
suit. So they should know better by now.”
    “ You’re rambling.” Nate
looked at me with worried eyes. “I know this is a lot to take in,
but it’s true. All of it. And I’m here to help you.”
    “ Nate, I don’t even know how
you’re getting paid. I have no idea how any of this stuff is taken
care of. Maybe it would be best if I didn’t find out anything else
and just went on my way.” I didn’t sit down, still thinking. “I
have no idea how much money it takes to sustain a place like this,
and let’s face it, the fat checks for my books aren’t exactly
rolling in.”
    “ I’m here to help, Molly.
There are simple answers for most of your questions. As for paying
me, you don’t have to worry about that. Gertie set everything up
before she died.” When I didn’t move, he sighed and swung his leg
back over the seat. “Remember when I told you that Christmas Hill
gives us what we need? It really does. You just have to believe.”
He looked like he was going to add something, but closed his
mouth.
    I still didn’t move, my eyes darted
down to the green boots I was wearing. “I’ll give it a few days,
but I need more. More information. More proof. My brain just
doesn’t work on faith.”
    “ It took me a long time to
accept it.” Nate leaned forward, his elbows braced on his knees.
“Sometimes I’m still awed by the things that happen here, but I’m
grateful every day that I followed that little driveway to Gertie’s
door. It changed my whole life.”
    The sincerity in his eyes was what got
me. He believed in Christmas Hill. I looked around us, at the
beauty of the woods; everything doused in fresh snow. Listened to
the wind in the empty tree branches, and closed my eyes for a long
second. There was something here, something that resonated inside
me, but that didn’t make it magic.
    “ Okay. I won’t just run off,
but I need answers. I need proof.” I opened my eyes and met his
warm stare.
    “ Then come on. We’ll get
this fence fixed and then head to town. I’ll try to answer your
question on the ride.”
    I nodded my head and climbed up behind
him. This time as we drove over the property, I catalogued things
in my head. A pond near the little cottage Nate used. A large area
that looked like it was used for a garden. A couple of farm
machines, which I supposed would be handy here. Especially in the
snow. But underneath all of the mundane things, there was a glow.
Something that gave the impression of a Norman Rockwell painting.
Homey, yet