Joan Hess - Arly Hanks 07 (31 page)

“I reckon it’s a Christmas pine.”

“Do you?” I sank down on the sofa and stared at him. “Loblollies don’t grow wild. Did you cut this down from someone’s yard?”

“Not me. I jest found it lying in the alley right out back and figgered somebody threw it away on account of it being runty. Folks shouldn’t throw things away on account of them being runty. This little tree needed somebody to take care of it and make sure it has a happy Christmas, dint it?”

The child had more weapons than a battalion of marines. The haggard face, the big eyes, the deft way to turn a phrase and stick it in me like a bayonet. And don’t think for a second he hadn’t rehearsed half the afternoon. Hammet Buchanon was no amateur. Then again, I told myself as I flopped back on the sofa and struggled not to laugh as white flakes fluttered around me, maybe I’d let the Nashville madness extinguish my holiday spirit. Maybe it was time to get in touch with my inner-elf.

“But you’re going back after Christmas,” I said as we started down the stairs. “Understand?”

“Hey, whenever you want. Don’t matter none to me.”

“That’s good to hear. Hey, Hammet, about that fake snow?”

“Miss Estelle gave it to me for free. She had six whole cases of it in her living room. She said it were ivory snow, but it looks white to me.”

“And the decorations?” He pulled my jacket more tightly around him and looked up, grinning. “I heard Ruby Bee tellin’ you the key was above the door. It weren’t no problem gittin’ the decorations downstairs and it only took three trips to carry ‘em, but the tree in the living room was too goddamn heavy for me to drag. ‘Sides, it was so straight and green and perfect that it looked kinda fake to me.”

He pulled my jacket more tightly around him and looked up, grinning. “I heard Ruby Bee tellin’ you the key was above the door. It weren’t no problem gittin’ the decorations downstairs and it only took three trips to carry ‘em, but the tree in the living room was too goddamn heavy for me to drag. ‘Sides, it was so straight and green and perfect that it looked kinda fake to me.”