Beyond the Broken Angel

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

— oh, Christmas tree —

December 4th, 1937

GISELLE SAUNTERED TOWARDS the woods with Will's axe and no idea how she would be able to lug the Christmas tree she planned on chopping down back to the manor. But she had moxie, and a lot of it.

Leftover snow from the early morning snowfall crunched underfoot with each step, the cold wind stinging her cheeks and reddening her nose. She was almost to the tree line when Will shot out of the manor with a scowl on his face. "What are you doing with my axe?!" he yelled across the distance before coming to close it.

She ignored him and kept walking forward, only to be stopped seconds later by a hand on her arm. Will spun her around, earning a frown from her.

"You know, it's not wise to sneak up on a girl when she's carrying a deadly weapon,"' she pointed out.

"Why do you have said 'deadly weapon?'" he threw back. "Last I checked, it's mine, and I don't believe that it's 'wise' to steal from people."

Giselle sassily crossed her arms. "I was only borrowing it."

"To do what?"

"Cut down a Christmas tree."

He groaned, sparing an exasperated glance at a birch tree before looking back at her. "I thought I told you that I hate trees in the house. They're messy and pointless."

"They're not that messy, and I wouldn't call something that brings others joy pointless." She sighed. "Look, I'll clean up any needles that shed, okay? You have my word."

He scoffed. "Of course you'd promise that—with you having the ability to spontaneously disappear and all!"

Giselle laughed, shrugging. "Hey, I'll stick to my word as long as I'm here, okay? And I asked Selene and the kids and they said they would be fine with the tree. Selene even said she'd get the tree stand out for me."

Will looked at her for a long time before making a displeased noise in the back of his throat and taking the axe from her hand. "Come on," he beckoned her forward. "There is absolutely no way I am letting you use the axe by yourself and drag the tree all the way back—though I'm sure that'd be a sight."

She fell into step with him. "I'm sure I could've managed," she lied. "Though, I am grateful for the help, and, uh, where exactly would a Christmas tree be located? I kind of came out here on a whim with no direction."

Will frowned. "Do you make all your decisions such a spontaneous manner?" She didn't confirm nor deny his question, though she knew that he knew the answer. He shook his head at her. "You make me worry for you more than you should. I mean, I nearly went mad with worry when I looked out and saw you traipsing towards the woods with my axe. I couldn't imagine what you were going to go do."

"Well you should have known I'd be doing the very thing you don't want me to do."

He laughed. "Yes, I should've." He suddenly shifted them in a different direction. "There should be some trees in this direction," he told her.

Giselle followed along, pulling her coat around herself a bit tighter as a frosty breeze sliced through her clothing. "Gosh, it is nothing like this back in Mississippi at this time of year," she said. She turned to him, a thought popping up in her head. "It snows on Christmas Day here, doesn't it?"

Will nodded. "Yes, nearly every year without fail."

Giselle smiled like a little girl. "A white Christmas," she murmured to herself. "I'm finally going to experience a white Christmas!"