I tried to forget what Jacob said and how he said it, while I slipped into my snow pants and boots. I was still trying to forget while I put on my coat, gloves, and hat.

By the time I was finished, I’d spent more time trying to forget what we’d talked about than we’d actually spent talking to each other. What a perfect start to our time together.

My stomach was twisted, and my thoughts were so tangled up that I felt as if I were drowning in the ocean of my mind.

I stood by the back door, waiting for Jacob. Noise behind me drew my attention, and I raised an eyebrow as he approached.

“That’s what you’re wearing?” I asked, eyeing his leather jacket and boots.

No snow pants. No hat. No gloves. He looked like he was heading out on a motorcycle ride instead of trudging through the Colorado snow in search of a tree.

Jacob glanced over at me and smirked. “It’s better than you. You look like the kid from A Christmas Story. Typical Ava. Always going overboard.”

I stared at him and then down to my outer wear. How was this going overboard?

“I do not,” I said.

Blast. My cheeks were burning. Why did he have to say that? Now I was totally self-conscious.

“And I don’t go overboard.” My voice was high and squeaky.

Jacob ran his gaze over me again as he leaned back. “Jury’s in, and yes, you do.”

I glared at him. “Well, at least I’m not going to freeze,” I said, trudging past him and opening the back door.

I made my way down the steps and over to the shed out back. Mrs. Stephenson said that there was an axe stored there. I had a lot of doubts about our ability to cut down a whole tree with just an axe, but Mrs. Stephenson blew off my concerns with the wave of her hand.

The sound of crunching snow signaled that Jacob was following me. I kept my gaze forward, refusing to let myself look behind me. I was a little upset that he’d teased me like that. After all the times I’d defended him in my mind when my parents talked about how bad he was, this was how he treated me?

Of course I’d never said any of those things out loud, but still.

I swung open the shed door and found the axe. I slung it over my shoulder like I’d seen people do in the old-timey movies I loved to watch.

“Whoa,” Jacob said, holding up his hands when he saw the axe.

I glared at him. “I’ve got it,” I said.

Jacob’s eyebrows went up as he studied me. “Are you upset?” he asked.

Not wanting to admit that I actually cared about what he’d said to me, I shrugged and started off through the snow. The prime Christmas tree spot was twenty minutes away. The sun was already low in the sky, and I did not want to be stuck out here in the freezing cold when it got dark.

“Hey, Ava,” Jacob called, his voice growing louder as he caught up with me.

I hesitated, wanting to turn around, but then I kept moving.

“Hey,” he said, grabbing my elbow and halting me.

Glancing back at him, I swallowed. His normal cocky smile was gone, and his brows were furrowed. Did he feel bad for what he’d said?

“What?” I asked. My breath came out in long white wisps.

Jacob’s nose, cheeks, and tips of his ears were red.

“I’m sorry that you took what I said as an insult,” he said as he dropped his shoulders and shoved his hands into his front pockets.

I studied him. Was he serious? He was blaming me for getting upset? “Jacob, what the heck? Was that supposed to be an apology?”

He studied me as if he were surprised. “It was,” he said.

I pinched my lips shut and turned away from him. “Come on. Let’s go get the tree, then I can teach you the proper way to apologize.”

It didn’t take long for Jacob to fall into step with me. We walked a few minutes in silence before I saw him turn to study me.

“I think I understand what I did wrong,” he said.

I snorted as I glanced toward the edge of the forest in front of us. “You do?”

He nodded. “You’re upset that I said you looked like a little boy who can’t put his arms down. And when I apologized, I didn’t admit I was wrong. Instead I basically told you it was your fault for being offended.”

“Ding, ding, ding.” I exclaimed as I glanced over at him. “We have a winner!”

He pulled back a little, looking surprised.

I dropped my gaze. “Sorry. Sarcasm is one of my many faults—or so my mom tells me.” I shifted the axe around on my shoulder. It was starting to dig into my skin.

“Can I?” he asked, nodding toward the axe.

I hesitated and then nodded as I lowered it to the ground. In a swift movement, he pulled it up and rested it on his shoulder as if it weighed nothing. I couldn’t help but stare. How strong had he gotten?

“What?” he asked.

My stomach flipped as I turned and shrugged. “Nothing.”

We walked a bit farther before he spoke again.

“I don’t think that was nothing, Ava. You were staring. Why?”

When I glanced over at him, he winked at me.

“I wasn’t—I mean—You’ve—” With every attempt, his eyebrows rose higher. I growled as I headed through the snow. “You’re impossible,” I said.

Suddenly, he wasn’t this mysterious, sexy ex-best friend of my brother’s. Now, he was just an annoying boy who had me all discombobulated.

“You’re really rattled,” he said as he caught up with me.

“I am?” I asked, glancing over at him. “Well, it must be the lack of oxygen. Or the fact that I’m stuck tromping through the snow with you to get a tree so our parents can compete for a vacation. This whole thing is insane.” I tried to think just what my parents were always fighting the Stephensons for, but nothing came to mind, and that just frustrated me further. “Why are we constantly battling each other?”

Jacob walked over to me and patted my shoulder. Even though there were layers of clothing between his skin and mine, my whole body tingled from his touch.

“Calm down, Ava. I didn’t mean to rile you up.” He gave me a small smile. One that I’d seen only a few times before. It was Jacob’s genuine smile. The one that made him look like a good person, instead of the delinquent he tried to convince everyone he was.

I took a deep breath and let it out slowly as I studied him. Wow. I was a complete emotional basket case. Maybe this was the reason I’d never had a boyfriend before. I needed to chill.

When he was sure that I was okay, he dropped his hand and motioned toward the forest. “Shall we?” he asked.

Fearful of what might come out of my mouth, I just nodded, and fell into step beside him. Now that I had sufficiently embarrassed myself, I peeked over at him.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered.

He chuckled. It was low and melodious. “You don’t have to apologize, Ava. You’re right. Sometimes I tease when I get uncomfortable.”

I couldn’t help but stare at him. He actually sounded sincere.

“You’re staring again,” he said, not looking up to meet my gaze.

I turned my attention to the snow. “Sorry. I guess I’ve never heard you be so honest before.” I shut my mouth as my last words fell around me. He’d been honest with me, and yet here I was, insulting him again.

When he fell silent, I looked over at him.

“If you want to know something, you should just ask,” he said as we approached the small grove of Christmas trees that the cabin owners had planted. It was the same grove our current Christmas tree had come from.

How much did I want to ask? Would he be truthful? My parents had been pretty thorough in telling us about his crime and how we should watch who we associate with. Andrew had been so upset he didn’t speak a word in defense of his friend or in frustration. He was just silent. Even Aiden and Alex had asked questions.

“About last summer?” I asked, letting the question slip from my lips before I thought about the repercussions.

He hesitated as he stopped next to a short, plump tree. Its branches were so full you could barely see through to the other side. It was perfect.

“That one,” I said, nodding toward it.

Jacob studied the trunk before he raised the axe and started striking through the bark. I winced with each blow, wondering how Jacob had enough strength to deliver them.

He paused after he was about a quarter of the way through, resting the axe on the ground. He glanced over at me. “So? What do you want to know?”

I eyed him. “Well…” Where did I start?

He gave me a look as he slipped off his coat and handed it to me. I tried to ignore how well he filled out the dark blue shirt he had on underneath. His cheeks were pink, but I had a feeling it was more from exertion than the cold.

“Why did you do it?” That seemed like a good place to start.

He pinched his lips together, and it seemed as if he was choosing his words. Then his shoulders relaxed as he met my gaze. “Don’t you know? That’s just my nature.”

I parted my lips. Was he serious? There was no way that was true. There was something else going on here, and I was going to figure it out.

His brow furrowed as he gave me one last look, and then he picked up the axe and started on the tree again. All my arguments against his response left me as I watched him. His arm flexed when he struck the trunk, to help control the shock that was radiating up the handle.

A look of determination passed over his face as he pulled the axe back and concentrated on the place he wanted to hit. Only Jacob could make a mundane task like this look incredibly sexy. I didn’t want to leave our conversation where it had stopped, but I also didn’t want him to stop chopping down the tree. I was so torn.

Feeling a bit guilty for just standing there, staring, I dropped my gaze and focused on my gloved hands. I would figure out my response for after we’d collected the tree.

Suddenly, two hands grabbed me and pulled me to the side. I stumbled over my feet, and the ground rushed toward me. Just before I disappeared into the powdery snow, Jacob threw himself underneath me.

The snow puffed up around us as I landed on top of him. My hands sprawled across his chest as he winced from the impact. I was mortified.

“What are you doing?” I asked once I found my voice.

He glanced up at me. I was keenly aware of the pressure of his hands wrapped around my upper arms and even more aware of his very-toned body underneath me.

I was on top of Jacob. I tried not to freak out as I wiggled around, trying to get up. I needed to get away from him. Laying on top of a boy I was trying very hard not to like didn’t seem like the best idea.

Jacob chuckled as he let go of my arms and helped me to stand.

“If you hadn’t been zoning out, you would have heard me yell, ‘timber,’ ” he said as he sat up, resting his arms on his knees.

I wanted to melt under his playful gaze. He looked pretty pleased with himself.

I brushed the snow from my legs and glanced over at him. “I didn’t hear anything,” I said.

He shrugged as he moved to stand. Then he walked over to the tree that had landed right where I was standing.

“Proof, Miss Rogers.”

I glanced at him and then down to the tree that had almost smushed me. I sighed as I shot him a smile. “Well…why did you let it fall there?”

He scoffed as he grabbed the axe and swung it up onto his shoulder. Then he reached down and grabbed one of the lower branches. The tree left a trail in the snow as he began dragging it back to the house. Just as he passed by me, he made a point to pause inches from my face.

“That wasn’t intentional,” he said. His voice was low and meaningful. His gaze met mine, and my heart literally stuttered in my chest.

“I…um…thanks,” I finally managed.

He held my gaze before he winked. “Anything for a teammate,” he said as he turned and started making his way back to the house.

I was so confused by what had happened. I followed behind him, keeping the length of the tree between us. I needed a moment to dissect how I felt about all of this.