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Immediately, the man on the stage spotted her. Their gazes connected for the briefest moment. Leah glanced away as she kept walking. She planned to plop down in the first available chair. She did not want to stand out. She didn’t even know these people—at least not yet.

“I see we have two new visitors,” the man on stage said. He had snowy-white hair and matching white beard.

Leah froze. Surely he wasn’t talking about them. Her gaze panned the auditorium. There was no one else standing.

When her questioning gaze turned toward the man on the stage, he was smiling at her. His rosy cheeks puffed up, and his eyes twinkled. She couldn’t help but think that if he were to put on a red suit that he’d look just like Santa Claus.

“Welcome,” Santa-look-alike said. “Please introduce yourselves.”

Leah’s mouth went dry. She glanced over at Shaun. When he gave a quick nod, she swallowed hard. Her gaze moved to the curious looks being directed at her.

She assumed her professional persona that she used to do her job back in California. She forced a smile to her face. “Hi. My name’s Leah Mitchell. I’m Miriam Mitchell’s granddaughter.”

“Welcome.” The greeting echoed throughout the auditorium.

Her smile broadened as she nodded.

“We are happy to have you here,” Santa-look-alike said. “And who is your friend?”

“Hi. I’m Shaun. I’m visiting Kringle Falls. I got stuck here with the ice storm, and Leah was kind enough to take me in.”

Santa-look-alike’s eyes twinkled, as though he knew something. “You’re the man with the puppies, aren’t you?”

Shaun nodded. “I am.”

“Merry has told me all about the puppies. We’re happy to have you visit us and to take such an interest in our little town. Maybe you’ll consider spending more time with us.”

“Maybe I will.” Shaun’s gaze moved to her, causing Leah’s heart to race.

They took a couple of seats in the back. Her heart was still beating double time as Shaun took her hand into his. His fingers threaded between hers. His touch was warm, and his hand was calloused from working with them on a daily basis.

“Folks,” Santa-look-alike said. “I need you to pay attention to your outdoor Christmas lights. They need to be on every night until at least nine o’clock. We have a lot of tourists coming through town at this time of the year.”

A man, who looked to be in his forties, stood up. “We need to enact an ordinance that the lights can’t be pink, orange, or any of those other colors that aren’t red, white, or green.”

Santa-look-alike stepped forward with the mic in his hand. “Freddy, we talked about this at the last meeting. We’re not going to censor people’s right to express themselves in whatever colors makes them happy.”

“But it’s not traditional.”

Someone else stood up. It was a woman with white hair in a pixie cut. “Freddy, just admit it. You’re mad because your neighbor has up more lights than you.”

Freddy frowned as his hand waved around as he spoke. “They have up every color imaginable, and it’s so bright that it shines in my living room window when I’m trying to watch television.”

“Close your blind,” the woman said.

“I can’t.” Freddy’s hands came to rest on his waist.

There was a brief pause. “Why not?”

Leah would have sworn that you could hear a pin drop as people waited for a response.

“The cord broke,” Freddy said. “It’s stuck open. If they just had up the red, white, and green lights, it wouldn’t be a problem.”

“Why?” the woman asked. “They’re still lights.”

Leah leaned over to Shaun and whispered, “Can you believe this?”

He smiled and shook his head as he settled down in his seat. “This is better than any play I’ve ever been to. And to think it’s real life. I just wish I’d have thought to bring some snacks.”