Chapter 3

3

LAUREL

T he road was awful as I made my way up the mountain. The snow was coming down heavy enough that I could barely see out my windshield, making me incredibly grateful to have someone behind me to make sure I made it safely to the inn.

Seeing the Jeep behind me through the rearview mirror made me think about the man who’d insisted that she follow me. With his brown hair that was short on the sides and slightly longer on the top, cropped beard, brown eyes, and muscular body, he wasn’t anything like how I pictured a mayor should look. He was too young—most likely in his mid-thirties—and way too hot. Although, I supposed his good looks helped him bring in the female vote.

Just the thought of other women drooling over him—and the possibility that he had a girlfriend or wife—put me in a foul mood. I hadn’t spotted a ring, and the male interest in his eyes had me hoping that wasn’t the case even though I probably wouldn’t see him ever again. I hadn’t been kidding when I’d said I hoped to see him later, but I couldn’t imagine he was right about that happening. Not when he was the mayor of a town in the middle of a blizzard, and I’d only be here until it was safe to travel again.

My hands were clenched so tightly around my steering wheel that my fingers hurt by the time I pulled into the large parking lot. I shook my hands out before tugging on my gloves.

As I stepped out of my van, my jaw dropped. I’d been relieved when Hayden had found me a place to stay here instead of at Snowbound Suites since I had assumed it would be less expensive. But the large log building in front of me looked anything but cheap.

“It’s a giant gingerbread house built on a mountain,” I breathed.

The girl who’d followed me in the Jeep came up beside me and laughed. “Yeah, it’s Christmastime all year round in Winter Falls, so the theme works.”

Turning toward her, I flashed her a grateful smile. “Thanks so much for making sure I got here safely.”

“It was no big deal. I was already headed this way.”

After we said our goodbyes, I headed toward the doors that Brinley pointed out to me. They opened into a lobby all decked out for the holiday, with snowmen decorations scattered around the space and pictures of winter scenes on the cream walls. It already looked nicer than any motel I’d ever stayed in—and probably more expensive than what I spent to live in my van for an entire month—but there was a blizzard outside. I figured my stay here would be a Christmas present to myself, and I wasn’t going to worry about how much I spent when there weren’t even any other options.

I kept that in mind while I checked in and discovered I wasn’t staying in just a room but had an entire cabin to myself. They didn’t ask for my credit card, so it would’ve been awkward to ask how much I was spending. I assumed fancy ski lodges did things differently and accepted my key and a map to the cabin before heading back out into the cold.

Grabbing as much stuff as I could carry from my van—including food and some cooking supplies since I wasn’t sure what all was available in the cabin—I loaded up before making the trek to my temporary home during the storm. With the snow coming down hard and the wind blowing, it took me a while to make my way there. It also didn’t help that I kept stopping to take in my surroundings and snap some pictures.

At one point, I barely refrained from taking a photo of a guy in black ski pants and a red jacket with a white cross on the sleeve carrying a woman in a maroon ski suit. She was cradling her wrist against her chest and had tears streaming down her cheeks, but they still painted quite the romantic picture.

The man was so careful with her that I stood stock-still as they passed, hearing him whisper, “It’s okay, Iris. I’ve got you.”

“I should’ve known not to go out on the bunny hill when it was snowing so much,” she muttered. “What in the world was I thinking? I’ve only had one lesson.”

The man grinned down at her, unbothered by her irritation. “Maybe you were thinking that your fall would give me the chance to rescue you.”

I practically swooned over them as I continued on my way. When I got inside my cabin, I realized that I could’ve left some of my stuff behind, but there was no way I was going to head back out into the cold to put anything in my van. Instead, I stripped out of my boots, coat, hat, and gloves after dumping all my stuff near the door. Then I took in my new digs, letting out an appreciative whistle.

The place was cozy and charming, even with the snowman motif carried over from the lobby of the inn. It had pretty much every amenity I would need, including a fireplace. I’d never used one before, but I had a feeling that I’d be spending more time on the couch across from it than in the comfy king-sized bed.

When I saw the kitchen, I wished I’d stopped at the store for extra groceries. I did pretty well cooking for myself using the propane stove I installed in my van, but I could do so much more with this gorgeous stove.

After putting my stuff away, I padded into the bathroom. Spotting the tub, I rubbed my palms together. I was definitely going to take a long, hot bath before I checked out. Even if I had to use shampoo to make bubbles, it would still be amazing.

I had finished unpacking and was just pondering taking a bath tonight when there was a knock on the door. Assuming it was someone who had the wrong cabin since I didn’t know anybody in Winter Falls, I almost didn’t answer. But curiosity got the best of me.

When I flung the door open, I was happy to find a snowy Hayden standing there. “Hey.”

He grinned at me. “Don’t look so surprised to see me. I told you that I’d see you later.”

“You did,” I murmured, returning his smile.

It wasn’t until he lifted a blue plastic tub that I realized he was carrying something. That was how distracted I was by seeing him again so soon. “What’ve you got there?”

“Chains for your tires. When the roads open back up, the conditions still won’t be great, and I noticed that you don’t have snow tires,” he explained.

I appreciated how much thought he’d put into my safety, but I wasn’t sure it was necessary. “Oh, but I have all-wheel drive.”

“That’ll help some, but without winter tires, it’s not good enough for driving after a blizzard like this. All-wheel drive doesn’t do much to help with turning and braking on snow and ice.” Moving past me, he set the tub on the floor near the door. “These’ll need to be properly installed, so don’t leave before I can help with that.”

Grabbing onto an easy excuse to make sure I got to see him again, I quickly agreed. “Sure.”

“I guess I better head out.”

“Umm…I hate to ask for another favor, but could you maybe help me get a fire started?” I asked. “I’m from South Florida, so I’ve never used a fireplace before. And judging by the pile of logs, I’m guessing that I can’t just press a button to get it going.”

“I’m glad you asked.”

He strode across the room, and I fanned myself with my hand as he bent over, showing off his perfect butt while he tossed a few logs into the fireplace. Then he walked me through the steps for how to start one myself, warning me about checking to make sure the flue was open.

Unfortunately, I didn’t have any other handy excuses to keep Hayden from leaving.

As soon as we said our goodbyes and I shut the door behind him, I wanted nothing more than to call him back. But I knew he had important things to take care of, so I padded over to the kitchenette to drown my sorrows in a delicious mug of hot chocolate instead.