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Leah turned and leaned back against the counter. “Hi. I’m good. At least until the storm rolls through. I’ve never experienced an ice storm before.”

“Well, hopefully, it won’t get too bad.”

“Agreed. What can I do for you?”

“I was wondering if you might have a room available?”

Leah smiled. She resisted the urge to rush her answer. She didn’t want to sound desperate—even if she was starting to feel that way. The busier the inn was, the more it would be worth when it hit the market.

After a beat, she said, “When do you need the room for?”

“Tonight.”

Leah smiled. “I do have something available. When will they be checking in?”

“It shouldn’t be long now. We just have a few more things to go over.”

“And how many guests will that be?”

“Just one...and a half.”

“Half?” Leah hadn’t meant to say that part out loud. But maybe it was for the best. She wanted to know what to expect. “Do you mean they have a baby with them? If so, I don’t have any baby stuff here.”

“It’s not a baby, maybe more like an energetic toddler...”

Energetic toddler? The more Merry talked, the more concerned Leah became. There were stairs and any other number of hazards for a toddler.

Disappointment besieged her. “Merry, I’m sorry, but I don’t think the inn would be safe here for a toddler.”

“Oh, you misunderstood me.” Merry let out a little laugh. “It’s not a human baby.”

“It’s not?” Now she was utterly confused.

“No. It’s a puppy.”

“A puppy?” She hadn’t seen that one coming.

“You don’t have a no pets policy, do you?” There was a hopeful—maybe a pleading—tone to her voice.

How much trouble could a puppy be? Having never owned a dog or cat because her mother hated animals, she had no clue about caring for one. But didn’t you just feed and pet them?

“No. I don’t.” At least she didn’t think so. She was still learning this innkeeper stuff as she went along.

“Oh, I’m so glad to hear that.” Merry’s voice drew her from her thoughts. “With the storm and all, it’s not safe to travel. So, the guest’s name is Shaun. The human, that is, not the dog. And I will send him over in a couple of minutes.”

“Okay. Thank you for thinking of me.”

“No problem.”

As they ended the call, Leah realized that Merry could have called anyone. There was more than one B&B in town. And the real problem was that the Kringle B&B wasn’t right in town where the tourists wanted to be. Instead, the Kringle B&B was on the outskirts of town. Instead of being surrounded by businesses, she was surrounded by nature—lots of big trees—including towering pine trees. She had no idea that pine trees could be taller than buildings.

But at least she was getting another guest...and a dog. Maybe in the future she might be willing to advertise that the B&B was dog friendly. Then again, she wouldn’t be around long enough to worry about it.

Leah moved to the front room and glanced out the window into the stormy night. The only light outside came from a light pole next to the driveway and the little lights along the walkway. But she could hear the sleet pinging against the windows, and the fierce winds made the old Victorian house creak in protest.

As the ice pellets flew horizontally past the window, a chill swept over her. She rubbed her upper arms. This was going to be a long night.

She moved to the living room where two of her guests were reading. Not wanting to disturb Martha and Henry Greene, she stepped up to the fireplace and added another log. This was her first New England winter storm. She didn’t think she was going to get much sleep that night.