She walks toward my truck with an overnight bag slung over her shoulder. She’s changed into jeans and actual boots, although her bunny slippers were super adorable. I hope she brought them with her.
As she sits down on the passenger seat, I catch the way her fingers grip her bag tighter than necessary. She’s nervous. Not that I can blame her. We basically just met.
“Ready?” I ask her.
She smiles. “Yeah.”
I start the engine and pull out onto the main road. Christmas lights are illuminating Main Street, and Naomi looks at the view with a satisfied smile.
“What’s that place?” she asks, pointing to the mountain rising over the town to the west.
“Pinefrost Lodge.”
“It looks haunted from down here.”
I grin. “It used to have that reputation. People were convinced the place was packed with ghosts, but my brother Marshall put an end to that. He worked on the renovations, and my sister-in-law, who’s a paranormal debunker, proved it wasn’t haunted.”
Her eyebrow shoots up. “Your sister-in-law debunks ghosts for a living?”
“She does. My brother met her thanks to her job, actually. When he hired her, it was love at first sight.”
“At first sight? Really?”
I nod. “Crazy, right? Anyway, they’re happily married now.”
“That must be nice,” she says with a soft sigh.
I couldn’t agree more. My life is great. I have a loving family. A steady job working as a wildlife conservation officer right here in White Pine Falls. My own cabin in the mountains with lots of land. It seems perfect, but something is still missing. Someone to share my life with.
I glance over at Naomi. She’s looking out the window, and there’s something wistful in her expression that makes me wonder if she’s also missing someone in her life. Or would she have a boyfriend? The idea makes me jealous for someinexplicable reason. She’s not mine, so why would it matter to me if she had someone waiting for her at home?
“What brings you to White Pine Falls? Besides stealing Christmas trees?” I ask her.
She laughs. “I’m a lawyer, and I just finished a brutal case that I worked on for months. I felt like I needed to decompress for a while.”
“And your boyfriend is okay with you being away?” I ask.
I know it’s obvious that I’m fishing for information about her love life, but I don’t care. I need to know.
“Hell, no. I’m single. When would I even find the time to date?” she asks with a sad expression.
Relief spreads through me. She’s not involved with anyone.
“I think it’s brave that you came here all alone. Most people can’t handle being alone with their thoughts for an entire week.”
“I wouldn’t call decorating a tree and drinking hot cocoa brave. Getting kidnapped by a mountain man is, though,” she says with a grin.
“You’re not kidnapped. You can leave whenever you want.”
“That’s what they all say,” she says, laughing.
We leave Main Street behind, and the road climbs into the mountains. The pavement gives way to gravel, and the trees close in on either side.
Naomi turns to me as snow begins to fall. “Is this the storm you were talking about?”
“Just the beginning. It’s supposed to get worse overnight.”
She frowns. “And your cabin has a generator?”
