She giggled. “’Course you can, but yours will be huh-uge.”
Daniel laughed. “Thank you for that, Princess. What I actually meant was…oh, never mind.” He set her on the ground. “Let’s get dressed and go play in the snow.”
“Yes! Yes, yes, yes!” She hop-skipped into the restroom.
Half an hour later, Daniel locked their door and pulled his phone out of his pocket. Maybe Karynn liked to make snow angels too.
He glanced toward room four, but didn’t bother to knock. Lena hated getting up early, and always took full advantage of the days he was home to look after Chrissy. The nanny wouldn’t be downstairs until at least noon. Maybe later. If a good night’s sleep hadn’t improved her sour mood, he prayed the woman slept all day.
****
Karynn and Savannah sat at the bell table. The inn’s Continental breakfast, normally served outdoors on a lovely patio complete with several space heaters, was set up in the dining room this morning in deference to the frozen world outside. This kind of cold made space heaters about as effective as candlelight in sunshine.
“Savannah, that’s not breakfast.” Karynn sighed. “Three bites is not a meal.”
“Depends on three bites of what.” Savannah shot the fuddy-duddy at her, then grinned and forked another piece of the boiled egg she’d sliced into three parts. “Eggs are protein. One is enough to take a person through to lunch. If I get hungry, I’ll eat an orange.” Grinning, she hooked a thumb over her shoulder, where three large bowls filled with oranges, apples and bananas took up a portion of the food counter.
“You’re hopeless.” Karynn picked up her cup and sipped at the steaming beverage. “This is amazing peppermint coffee. I have to find out where they get it. Hearth & Home guests deserve a cup of heaven, don’t you think?”
“If you say so. You know I don’t drink coffee. Although, I have to admit, if it tasted as good as it smells, I’d be a java junkie.” Savannah nodded at the small glass of pineapple juice beside her plate. “Juice is good, though. Hey, I wonder who has a message for you today?”
“No one.” Karynn laughed at her sister’s obsession with the silly promidiction ritual. Savannah’d insisted she ring the crystal bell again this morning, and read the Day 2 promidiction aloud. As expected, she’d found another generic bit of typical fortune cookie fare.
Someone has an important message for you. But listen closely...the message may hide in the words.
“Remember what it said yesterday? And look what happened.”
“Coincidence.”
“Don’t believe in it, and neither do you.”
Karynn’s cell phone rang and Savannah grinned. “Wanna bet I know who that is?”
“I don’t gamble, little sister. Besides, I’ve already got ‘promidictions.’ I don’t need a fortune teller, as well.” She grinned when her sister’s tongue protruded like a sassy child. “It’s probably some poor soul who’d hoped for a room at Hearth & Home, and found the place locked and boarded up.”
“Locked and boarded?” Savannah rolled her eyes. “And you accuse me of exaggerating!”
Karynn winked at her sister. But when Daniel’s name showed up on the ID screen, she sucked in a breath.
“Told’ja so.” Savannah gloated better than anyone.
She shot the younger woman a sarcastic eye roll as she accepted the call. “Good morning, Mr. Sheridan. This is your wake-up call.”
“Wait. I called you. That doesn’t work.”
“Are you awake, sir?”
“Well, yeah, but—”
“Then it worked, didn’t it? You know, if you plan to feed your daughter anything for breakfast, you’d best shake a leg. The dining room’s filling up, and the pancake pile is going down. Fast.”
“Then I hope it’s all right if we join you ladies.” He spoke from directly behind her chair.
Her phone clattered onto the table and she shrieked as both hands flew to her cheeks. She glanced around to see how much attention she’d drawn.
“Daniel! Don’t do that!”
4
Karynn could hardly blame Chrissy for giggling at a butterfingered adult. Daniel and Savannah, on the other hand…
“I’m sorry.” Daniel’s apology lacked a certain sincerity, since he couldn’t quite stop laughing. “I didn’t mean to startle you. Well…not much, anyway.”
He settled his daughter next to Karynn. “Do you mind if the munchkin sits with you while I get us something to eat?”
“Chrissy, do you mind if your daddy leaves you with me?”
The little girl giggled. “Nope. It’s OK.”
Daniel chuckled. “Be right back.”
“Have you looked outside, Chrissy-cake?” Savannah asked.
“Yep. We’re going to make snow angels after we eat.” Chrissy’s excitement was almost palpable, and completely contagious. “Wanna come with us? Daddy says snow angels can be big too. He’s going to make one, and his will be huh-uge.”
“You’re right, it will.” Karynn widened her eyes. “That will be something to see, won’t it?”
“Uh-huh.” The child’s eyes shone like blue stars.
Savannah shook her head. “Karynn doesn’t know how to make snow angels.”
“What?” She glared at her sister. “Of course I do.”
“I’ve never seen you make one. Not even when we were kids.” Savannah twisted her lips, mockingly doubtful. “So I’ve got no proof.”
“You’ve got no—why, you little upstart!” Karynn shook a finger in Savannah’s face. “I’ll show you ‘proof,’ little sister. I’ll make the best snow angel you’ve ever seen. You just watch me.”
“It’ll for sure be the best one I’ve ever seen you make.” Savannah winked at the little girl, whose wide eyes bounced back and forth between the adults. “She doesn’t play. Just works. All the time. Work, work, work.”
Chrissy lifted a wide gaze to Karynn. “How come you like to work so much, Miss Karynn? Playing is fun! You gotta have fun sometimes, don’tcha?”
Karynn bit back a grin, and Savannah placed a hand over her mouth. Ha! She wasn’t so good at “biting back.”
“You really think so?”
The child’s long pigtails bounced when she gave a vehement nod. “Uh huh. I think I know so.”
Hiding their amusement became impossible. Both women laughed outright.
“Well, then I’ll play today and see what I think.”
“Yay!”
A plate slid onto the table in front of the child, and Daniel dropped onto the chair beside hers. “Yay later, Princess. Eat now.”
“’K.” She picked up half of an orange muffin her father had already buttered. “Miss Karynn’s not going to work, work, work today, Daddy. She’s playing with us instead.”
“Really?” Daniel opened a little packet of grape jelly and spread it on his daughter’s toast. “Hmmm… What if these ladies don’t know how to make snow angels?”
Chrissy rolled expressive blue eyes. “All they have to do is lie down in the snow and wave their arms and legs.”
Karynn narrowed her eyes as if deep in thought. “We should be able to do that.”
Savannah crinkled her whole face and shook her head. Had Karynn not known better, she’d have thought her sister was really worried. “I don’t know, Chrissy. I can wave my arms. See?” She stuck both of hers in the air and moved them back and forth. “But I’ve never waved a leg before.”
Karynn and Daniel laughed at her silliness.
Chrissy gave them both a stern look. “That’s not very nice.”
Savannah stuck her nose in the air and glared at Karynn. “No, it isn’t. Thank you, sweetie.”
“You’re welcome, Miss Savannah. We’re not supposed to laugh at others.” The little girl reached for her mug of hot chocolate and shot Savannah a sympathetic look. “Even if they’re not very smart.”
****
Heavy coats and several layers of clothing were little defense against the frigid
cold outside. Still, Karynn couldn’t remember ever having such a good time.
They braved the weather long enough to make a couple of snow angels each. Their first efforts didn’t pass Chrissy’s inspection, which necessitated another try. Through chattering teeth, the child deemed the second set “b-b-bee-you-tiful!”
The bite in the air seemed like a playful nip at first, but soon became downright painful. With Chrissy’s approval of the snow angels—and Savannah in possession of far too many photos—Daniel scooped his daughter up and hefted her slight weight onto one arm.
The other he slid around Karynn’s waist.
“We should take the munchkin back inside, where it’s warm. I spotted a stack of games in the lobby. Anyone care to take me on at a word game? I saw Scrabble—hint, hint—but I’m sure there are others to choose from.”
Savannah shook her head and blew warmth into the palms of her hands. “Not me. Karynn’s the word guru.”
Karynn watched her sister breathe into her hands again. “You’re wearing gloves, Vanna. Blowing your hands isn’t helping.”
“It’s worth a try.” Savannah dashed around Karynn to Daniel’s other side. “I happen to be pretty good at Candyland. Maybe I can find someone to play with.”
“Me, me! Would you play Candyland with me, Miss Savannah?”
“What a great idea, kid!”
After changing clothes, the sisters headed back downstairs. As Savannah locked the door, she stole a sideways glance at Karynn. “Having a good time, Sis?”
“The best ever.” She let the younger woman slip the room key into her jeans pocket, and then pulled her into a hug. “Maybe I’m enjoying myself too much—to the point of being slightly delirious. I keep thinking I’m going to wake up, and—” She stepped back and swallowed hard. “You know. None of it will be real.”
“It’s real, Karynn. Daniel is here, and the two of you are…magic. Just like you always were. You’ve waited so long. God knows you deserve a little happiness, and sweetie, it’s your time.” Savannah leaned in and lowered her voice. “I’ve been watching Daniel. The man is beyond help…completely under your spell.”
“Sis. Don’t.” Karynn shook her head and held up both hands in a warding-off gesture. “He’s an old friend, and it’s been all kinds of wonderful to run into him again. But that’s all we are. Friends. The sooner you get that through your overly romantic noggin, the better.”
“Mmmhmm.” Savannah arched an eyebrow. “I’m not above saying ‘I told you so’ later.”
They stepped onto the staircase, only to be greeted by a shrill shriek from the bottom step, where Chrissy waited. Excitement rolled off her in waves, and she bounced on the tips of her toes, unable to be still.
“Yay! You’re here.” The child grabbed Savannah’s hand. “I found Candyland. See? I put it on a table for us. Mr. Gabriel’s saving our place. Can he play too? Please, can he?”
Savannah tweaked the excited child’s nose. “Sure, Mr. Gabriel can play. Come on, kiddo, let’s hit the candy trail.”
Karynn smiled as Savannah took the little girl’s hand and hurried toward Gabriel, who warmed the whole room with his smile.
“Over here, Karynn!”
She joined Daniel near the fireplace. He’d spread a jigsaw puzzle across the surface of a card table and set up two folding chairs.
“Let me guess.” She eyed the jumble of puzzle pieces. “You realized you didn’t stand a chance at Scrabble.”
“Not even close—and if that’s a challenge, honey, you are on.” He shot her a playful, don’t-mess-with-me glare. Then he grinned and cocked his head toward a nearby table, where a beautiful, dark-haired young woman sat opposite a well-muscled man with a rugged air. “Those two beat us to the Scrabble game, and…well, look at them. They’re having such a great time, I can’t even dredge up a hint of resentment.”
Daniel’s crooked grin was so reminiscent of the boy he’d been in high school that Karynn’s mouth went dry, and her heart set up a ridiculous clamor. She fixed her gaze on the Scrabble players, seated herself and gathered her dwindling composure. The man and woman laughed and teased back and forth as they laid tiles on the board, clearly caught up in the competition, and in each other. “I think someone blinked them both out of a pretty people magazine.”
Daniel chuckled. “That’s Ariana Christmas. Her family owns this place.”
“And her husband?”
“Rumor has it her friend over there is Taylor Knox, the contractor responsible for revamping Christmas Inn.”
She laughed. “Did you say you got here yesterday, same as me? You’re a regular fount of Christmas Inn knowledge.”
“I just listen and learn, m’lady. Anything else you’d like to know? I’d tell you about the chapel bells, but it’s a sappy little tale. You wouldn’t like it. Too sweet. Too...magical.”
She planted both hands on her hips. “I’ll have you know, sir, that I happen to love fairy tales. Tell me now or later, but I intend to hear about those bells.”
Daniel took the other chair. His low laughter rumbled across the table. “I did not say ‘fairy tale.’”
Already busy sorting pieces according to color, Karynn grinned. “Sure you did. You said ‘sappy,’ ‘sweet’ and ‘magical,’ all in the same breath. What else could it be?”
“OK, you’ve got a point.” Daniel fit two pieces together right off, and reached up to pat himself on the shoulder. “If this were Scrabble, I’d already be in the lead.”
Karynn chuckled, and then cast a glance around the room. “Can you believe how well the staff has responded to having everyone stuck inside? Last night’s weather report confirmed the incoming storm, but their snowfall prediction fell a long ways short. There’s no way the Christmas Inn powers-that-be were prepared for all this.”
Daniel’s low response was half growl, half irritation.
She cast a curious glance across the table. “Daniel?”
He glanced at her from beneath lowered brows. “I’m either going blind or my clumsy fingers are getting in the way.”
A little giggle surprised Karynn. “Or maybe those pieces just don’t go together.” She picked through the little pile of bright orange she’d accumulated, eyed the troublesome cardboard piece Daniel couldn’t give up on, and handed him one of hers. “Try this.”
The new piece slid into place on the first try. She gave him a saucy thumbs-up, then returned to sorting…and talking.
“This many people—strangers, mostly—with no choice but to be in close quarters, all day. It’s a recipe for disaster, but everything’s moving along without a hitch. I suppose some folks are a little antsy, but listen…” She closed her eyes. “Hear that?”
“What? Ten different conversations under one roof?”
“No.” She shook her head, and then opened her eyes to meet his puzzled gaze. “The sound of zero arguments, and no loud demands to see a manager. Everyone seems mostly all right with spending at least one entire day of their vacation pretty much stuck here.”
“I noticed the lack of obvious friction between workers or guests.” Daniel did a cocky head dance when first one piece and then another came together beneath his busy fingers.
She chuckled. “Maybe it’s the magic of Christmas.”
He waggled his eyebrows, and his grin turned outright wicked. “Or we’re trapped in a sappy sweet fairy tale.”
“Ha, ha.”
Daniel pushed back from the table. “Let’s go see if one of the benches in the foyer is open. I’m going a little stir-crazy.”
No one occupied the small entry area. With the connecting doors between foyer and lobby closed, the clatter of tumbling dice and whisper of shuffling cards died away. Even the conversation and laughter faded to a quiet buzz.
For a moment, the stood at the double glass doors, looking out onto the stark, white beauty of the winter world. Then, as if by unspoken consent, they moved to one of the benches.
Suddenly Karynn didn’t know what to say o
r do. For the first time today, she was alone with Daniel. She still suspected she might be dreaming, and yet…he was so warm, so real. He sat close, tucking her against his side in a gesture so familiar, so precious in her memory…
As if he’d been snatched right out of her dreams and plunked down into her life.
She sneaked a sideways glance and caught him doing the same. Warmth flooded her face, and she caught her lip between her teeth to still a sudden, slight tremble. “Uhm, Daniel…”
“Uhm, Karynn…” He stroked a finger down her cheek and touched it to the corner of her mouth. “You’re biting your lip. You used to do that when you were nervous.” His gaze traveled her face and settled on her eyes. “Are you nervous, Karynn?”
“N—no. Why would I be?”
He hiked one brow and said nothing.
“OK. I guess I am.” She sighed. “This is all so surreal. The two of us here, together. In some ways, it feels like no time has passed at all. But it has, and we really don’t know anything about each other, do we?” She hesitated. “May I ask you something personal?”
“Ask away. I’m an open book.”
“Well, you have the lovely Lena in tow, so I assume Chrissy’s mother isn’t…in the picture?” She blinked as a thought flashed through her mind. “Where is Lena? I haven’t seen her today.”
“Sleeping? Pouting?” He shrugged. “I apologize for her behavior last night. When we get home, I’ll need to rethink her place in our lives. I’m away from home a lot with my job, so I have to keep someone on hand to take care of Chrissy. Trouble is, she’s never quite connected with Lena.” He heaved a heavy sigh. “Sometimes I think I’m doing everything wrong. Being a single dad…it isn’t easy.” A subtle tightening of his lips tugged at Karynn’s heart. “In answer to your original question, we lost Tina to cancer four years ago.”
“Oh, Daniel, no! I’m so sorry…I shouldn’t have asked.”
“Of course you should. If you didn’t wonder about her, I’d wonder about you.”
That made some kind of crazy sense. “Does Chrissy remember her?”
The twist of his lips couldn’t quite be called a smile. “She thinks she does, but I’m pretty sure she only remembers the things I tell her. She has a photo of Tina in her room, but…” He shook his head. “She was barely two. How much can she really recall?”
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