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anyone else in six months?”
    “Right.”
    Her eyes widened and he knew why. He didn’t exactly lack in the sex-drive department. Nothing about their time together had been tame or G-rated. He hated being without her and had slept with her every chance he got, sex and actual sleep, over the years.
    She shook her head. “I never asked you to refrain.”
    “I know.”
    “Then why did you?”
    Her wide eyes told him she didn’t know. She frustrated the crap out of him. “Because I’m not an animal.”
    She sighed as her head fell to the side. “I’m serious, Austin.”
    In the past he would have evaded the conversation, made a joke and moved on. Seeing Carrie now, every inch of her aware and engaged in his words, he didn’t hide. “My mother has been gone for fifteen years and I’ve never seen my dad date another woman. When I started having sex and realized how good it was, I couldn’t believe Dad was denying himself. I figured he had to be sneaking out and meeting someone.”
    A small smile played on Carrie’s lips. “Was he?”
    “Not that I could tell. I once asked him why he didn’t move on and he told me he was a married man.”
    Carrie’s eyes bulged at that one. “But your mom left.”
    Austin lifted Carrie’s hand and brought it to his lips. “That changed who she was, not the promises he made. In his mind, he had an obligation to be a faithful married man.”
    Carrie brushed her palm over Austin’s cheek. “You’re a healthy male with needs and smile that attracts women from miles around. I don’t expect you to deny yourself.”
    “You really want me sleeping with other women?” Her body bucked as if he’d hit her. The flinch gave him hope. “Yeah, that’s what I thought. The idea of you with anyone else makes me crazed.”
    “I haven’t…I mean, I’m not.” She cleared her throat. “Not yet.”
    Relief plowed through him hard enough to knock him on his love-struck ass. Somehow, he kept his body upright and his voice even. “Mitch said you were dating.”
    “He was probably trying to make you nuts.”
    Austin tugged her even closer. “It worked.”
    “You should get back to work.” She whispered the words just inches from his mouth.
    The ground shifted. Not in a shattering earthquake type of way. This amounted to a tiny tremor, but Austin felt the subtle move all around him. The conversation provided an opening, a way in and back to her. Now he had to figure out how to use it without scaring the crap out of her.
    “Why don’t you go get changed and come back and look for a tree for real this time.” He’d use Christmas or anything else he could think of to win her over and keep her close.
    With a small kiss on his chin, she stepped out of his hold. “For both our sakes I better go home and stay there.”
    “Are you sure?” When she nodded he took a risk and asked the question playing in his mind. “Will you come back another time?”
    She hesitated until he wiggled his eyebrows at her and she laughed. “Okay, fine.”
    “I’ll be waiting.”
    “Not tonight. Tomorrow, and I’ll bring you guys dinner.”
    He held a hand to his chest. “You know the way to a man’s heart. Wait, you’re not cooking are you?”
    “Funny. And I’m taking care of your stomach. You’re on your own with your heart.”
    He watched her walk away and thought about how wrong she was.

Chapter Five
    This time Carrie came to the lot prepared for the cold weather and a duo of hungry men. She wore jeans and boots and her warmest scarf, the maroon one her mother had made for Christmas last year.
    You could take a girl out of West Virginia but that didn’t mean she’d lose her mind and forget how to dress for snow.
    As usual, the lot buzzed with endless activity, most of it female. Both Spence and Austin worked the crowd, showing off trees and tying the precious purchases to the roofs of cars. They collected money as if it didn’t matter, keeping all the focus on the clients.
    Their dad had