When he was almost within arm’s reach, he stretched out a hand to the cat. The cat looked at it like he was offering a lemon. Almost curious enough to smell him, but with a disdain clear in every line of his feline body.
“What’s his name? Maybe he’ll be friendlier if I call him.”
“He doesn’t have one.”
Nolan pulled his arm back and gripped a tree branch loosely as he turned to look down at her. His feet were only near her shoulder height, and he seemed comfortable, nestled between the pine boughs.
“He doesn’t have one?”
“He’s not my cat. I found him in the house, and the animal shelter is full up. He’ll only be here until they get an opening.”
Shaking his head, Nolan turned back to the tree and climbed another branch to get a more secure spot closer to the cat. Despite his attempts at cajoling, the cat didn’t seem inclined to leap into his arms. At least his dog didn’t bark and make things worse, but the giant dog had decided to circle back and forth beneath the tree with a loopy grin on her face.
The cat stretched his neck, sniffing at Nolan, and in one graceful move, he swooped the ball of fur into his arms. “Gotcha.”
Nolan climbed down as easily as he had gone up. When he reached the lowest branch, the cat cradled to his chest with one hand, the cat decided that he had had enough. With a wild yowl, he scratched at Nolan, launched himself from his arms, and raced through the snow toward the inn’s front porch.
“Snowball, stay!” Nolan commanded.
The dog, coiling to run after, instead sat at the base of the tree and gave a dejected sigh.
Nolan hopped down the last couple feet from the tree and examined a rip in his glove.
“See? He’s a monster.”
Nolan grunted. “He still deserves a name.”
When he looked up, their eyes caught. In the shadow of the tree, his were so dark, they were almost black. Captivating. Julie took a step back, giving herself a mental shake.
“Well, thanks for the rescue. I’d better go let him inside.”
She’d taken two steps toward the house when Nolan called after her. “What brings you here, anyway?”
Her shoulders tensed, and she turned. His hand was on the ruff of his dog’s neck, gently holding her back. His expression was unreadable.
Julie pointed to the house. “It’s my family inn.”
“I know, but your grandmother is selling to us, and it’s been closed for years, so I just wondered.”
Her eyebrows winged up under the cover of her bangs. Why was he asking so many questions? Was it just curiosity, or was he looking out for the new family investment?
“We’re throwing one last Christmas Eve party before it’s gone.”
Nolan’s gaze drifted to the house, frown lines tugging between his brows. “Seems like a lot of work to get it fixed up for one party.”
He had a point. “We’re not renovating, just a quick spruce up and then the party. Gram wants to since it will be the last one.” Saying it out loud made her feel sad.
“Right. I guess I’ll leave you it, then.” His voice was stiff but polite. “Keep an eye out for bobcats.”
She turned and headed through the snow. The inn, though it looked in a state of disrepair, softened her prickly mood. She had so many fond memories of this place.
Somehow, she got the feeling that the Millers were not going to take care of it like Gram had. That thought, more than anything else, made her sad to see it go.
Chapter 8
Snowball bobbed and weaved among the stark brown trees, almost blending in with the heaps of snow beneath them. Her levity helped to ease some of the tension Nolan had been carrying since rescuing the cat. He was usually a pretty laid-back guy, but something about seeing Julie again had brought back old memories.
He might not have recognized her, but the grown-up Julie looked a lot like her grandmother. He remembered playing as kids, looking for frogs in the pond, climbing trees—Julie had never been good at that, so it was probably a good thing she hadn’t tried to rescue that cat. He didn’t remember much of her beyond that and the sweep of freckles along her nose. Her freckles hadn’t been so prominent today, either because of the season or because she hid them under makeup now. Strangely, he found that he missed them.
