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She refused to think about him leaving soon. If they only had this moment, she wanted to enjoy it. She wanted to make memories that would comfort her when he was gone.

Because she’d never met someone like Shaun before. He was sweet and kind. He could be funny, and he could quietly listen.

His arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her close to him. She gladly followed his pull. Her arms wrapped around his neck as they deepened the kiss. All the while her heart was pounding so loud it echoed in her ears. She wondered if he could hear her heartbeat too.

“Woof! Woof-woof!”

When Shaun pulled back, he was smiling. “How does that dog always know when I have you in my arms?”

“She must have a sixth sense.”

“I guess.”

Leah opened the door to the cottage. Mochi rushed out with her tail wagging. She was so happy to see them.

Shaun caught her by the collar. “Can you grab her leash? I’ll take her for a short walk and then she should be good for the night.”

“Sure.” Leah ducked inside and grabbed the leash from the coat rack next to the door.

After she’d handed him the leash, she stood on the stoop and watched as they walked away. As much as she’d tried not to care about him—to keep him at a distance, it hadn’t worked. She’d fallen for him, hard and fast. So where did that leave them?

Chapter Twenty-Three

The perfect date.

It was how Shaun felt every time he recalled scenes from the prior evening. He had the hardest time going to sleep. If it hadn’t been for that ice storm, he might never have met Leah. And then as the sun had melted the layer of ice outside, Leah’s sun-shiny smile had melted the wall around his heart. It was almost like it was meant to be.

When he’d finally drifted off to sleep, he’d dreamed about her. It was Christmas morning, and they’d been opening gifts. He had no idea what was in those festively wrapped packages. It didn’t matter. The only thing that mattered to him was the smile on Leah’s face. The dream had been so real that when he woke up, it took him a moment to realize it was nothing more than a dream.

Now he didn’t know what to do. His whole life was back in Louisville, from his construction company to his house to his family. And yet his heart was right here in Kringle Falls.

After having his marriage blow up in his face, he knew how love could take a wrong turn or just be an illusion that fades in the bright light of reality. He would have to be crazy to give up his life in Kentucky and move to Kringle Falls. Right?

He’d wrestled with that tormenting question half of the night and into the morning. His mind and his heart were at total odds with each other.

He’d even thought of asking Leah to consider moving to Kentucky. The idea had flickered in his mind but was quickly doused when he realized she’d just found her family right here in Kringle Falls. There was no way he could ask her to give up her chance to know her father and relatives. No, he wouldn’t do that.

He’d also considered doing the long-distance relationship thing. After all, they could video chat each day. But it wouldn’t allow their relationship to grow. He couldn’t take her out to dinner. He couldn’t see her face light up when she was savoring the chocolate cake from The Peppermint Courtyard.

“Shaun?” A hand touched his shoulder.

He blinked and turned his head to find Leah standing next to him with a concerned look on her face. “What’s wrong?”

“That’s what I wanted to ask you. You’ve been sitting at the table for like ten minutes, just staring at the wall. It’s like you’re in your own little world.”

He shook his head. “It’s nothing.”

Disbelief shone in her blue eyes. “If something is wrong, you can talk to me.”

The last thing he wanted to do was give her something else to worry about. He wanted her to smile like she was doing last night. She didn’t need to know about the big decision weighing on his mind.

“I’m good. I guess I just stayed up later last night than I should have.”

“Are you sure?”

He smiled at her and nodded. Then he picked up his coffee and took a sip. It was cold. He almost spit it back out. He did not like cold coffee, much less cold coffee with milk in it. He struggled to swallow it.

He got up and moved to the sink to dump out the rest. “What do you have planned today?”