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I pulled out all of my ski gear, including a thermal shirt and pants. Changing into them was an interesting experience, but I managed it with only a few honks of the horn and a couple of knee bangs against the steering wheel.
A quick search of the car produced a flashlight, an extra gas can—dry as a bone—and a snow scraper.
“You’re a fucking idiot for considering this, Granger,” I muttered.Great. Talking out loud to myself.
Once I’d donned all my gear, white and red with a multitude of reflectors so I was easily seen, I zipped my bag and opened my car door. My goggles kept my eyes open, and my scarf protected my mouth, but my nose and cheeks immediately froze. Good thing they were weathered from years of being sprayed in the face with snow.
I turned on the flashlight and kept the beam pointed at the ground, then looked around until I locked on those faint lights again. Slowly, I made my way through the blizzard, stopping every few steps to check for obstacles on the ground, then gluing my eyes to the lights again before moving on.
Finally, the lights were only a few feet away, but with the snow falling and swirling in the wind, I still couldn’t make out what they were. Then I kicked something and looked down to see a bump in the snow that sloped upward.Steps. Let it be steps.Using my boot, I cleared the snow as much as I could and exhaled a relieved sigh when I spotted the wood. I toed across the surface with my arm out until it hit the railing. Quickly, I shut off the flashlight and stuck it in a pocket of my parka. Holding the railing tight, I dragged my legs through the snowdrift until I reached the porch. A blue door flanked by bright outdoor lights was just about the best thing I’d ever seen in my life.
Five minutes later, when the door cracked open, I swallowed hard and revised my thoughts. Nothing compared to the woman standing in front of me.
2
Bethenny
With the incoming winter storm suddenly picking up speed, the bad weather hit a few days earlier than expected, so my Christmas Eve hadn’t gone as planned. When I’d been elected as mayor three years ago, the town had entrusted me with the safety of all Winter Falls’ citizens. We were a ski town and accustomed to dealing with snow—it was how we earned most of our tourist dollars, after all. But those final hours before a storm arrived were always hectic.
I’d barely fallen asleep when my doorbell rang. For a moment, I thought maybe I’d dreamed the sound, but just as I was cuddling under my blanket again, I heard a pounding on the front door. I reluctantly climbed out of bed, tossed on a robe, and headed downstairs to see who it was. When I pulled the door open, I expected to see a familiar face, assuming that one of my neighbors needed something because of the storm. Instead, I found a man whose face was mostly hidden by a snow-covered beard. In fact, most of him was hidden by snow. He was a carrot and a corncob pipe away from being a real live snowman. One I was certain I’d never met before because his striking hazel eyes would’ve been impossible to forget.
Pressing my free hand against my chest over my racing heart, I took a step back and tightened my grip on the doorknob. “Can I help you?”
“Sorry to disturb your sleep.” He pointed his thumb over his shoulder. “I’m Lincoln, one of Jake Ashley’s friends. I’m visiting for the holiday, but my flight was delayed, and the car rental place gave my SUV to some other lucky bastard. The sedan they gave me has chains, but it isn’t enough to keep me on the road when the conditions are this bad.”
“Oh.” I tried to peer through the heavy snowfall but couldn’t see much of anything. “Yeah, trying to brave the roads in this is a horrible idea.”
His teeth flashed white as he grinned at me. “That’s why I finally pulled over and decided to look for somewhere to hunker down since I didn’t have supplies to make it through the night in the car. I’m used to the cold, but getting stranded in the car would’ve been a bad call.
Inviting a stranger into my home in the middle of a blizzard wasn’t the safest decision to make, but Franci had mentioned how excited her son was to have his friend visit for the holiday. Jake was looking forward to hitting the slopes with him because they were both professional snowboarders. The guy certainly looked the part in his high-end ski gear, and his story lined up with what Jake’s mom had said.
I opened the door wider and offered, “Please, come in. You picked the perfect place to hunker down. I have a generator and plenty of supplies.”
He stomped his boots on my welcome mat to knock off most of the snow before stepping inside. “Thanks. I appreciate it…”
He held out his glove-covered hand, and I realized I hadn’t introduced myself. “Oh, sorry. I’m Bethenny Andersen, mayor of Winter Falls.”
“The mayor, huh?” He glanced around the entryway and into the living room. “Does the job come with these fancy digs?”
The renovated Victorian near the center of town wasn’t big, but it was gorgeous, and I was thrilled to call it home for the past three years. I flashed him a smile and nodded. “Yes, it’s a heck of a perk.”
“It certainly is.” He set his duffel on the ground before sitting on the bench near the door and leaning down to unlace his boots.
Seeing how wet his socks were, I offered, “How about I go make us some hot chocolate? It’ll help you warm up.”
“I don’t want to be too much trouble.” He kicked off his boots and stood. “You already did me a huge favor by letting me into your home in the middle of the night.”
“It’s as much for me as you,” I assured him with a smile. “I should probably buy stock in Nestlé with the amount of hot chocolate mix I go through.”
“Well, in that case...yes, please.”
I headed into the kitchen, happy to be able to help someone. I was worried about how the townspeople would fare since the storm had sped up and increased in strength, but there wasn’t much I could do at this point. We’d gotten everyone situated as best we could, and now I just hoped we rode out the blizzard without too much damage.
I almost drooled when I walked back into the living room with our steaming mugs. Lincoln had stripped out of his ski gear while I was busy in the kitchen. His jeans hugged muscular thighs, and his cable-knit sweater stretched across a broad chest. With his hat off, a lock of his dark blond hair fell on his forehead, and my fingers itched to stroke it back into place. But my hands were full...and that would be completely inappropriate since we were strangers.
Instead, I stretched out my arm and murmured, “Here’s your hot chocolate.”
“Thanks.”
