Page 17 of My Greatest Joy

He crosses his arms, and I still can’t believe he’s shirtless and not getting frostbite.

“Just so you know, I’m rating yourlistinga zero out of five. Bad weather, no heat or power, clingy dog, and overly happy owner who walks around half naked.Do not recommend,” I deadpan.

He throws his head back with a laugh. “It’s notmylisting. Surely, we’ve been over that.”

I teasingly narrow my eyes at him and place a hand on my hip. “Yeah, I’m still not convinced this wasn’t a part of your plan. Do you dump the bodies in the pond?”

Levi inches closer, catching me off guard. One side of his lips turns up in a mischievous grin as he lowers his mouth to my ear. “Sweetheart, if that were the case, your relentless complaining would’ve ensured you didn’t make it past the first twelve hours. But instead, I fed you and made sure you were warm. Not to mention, the pond’s frozen. It’d be a hell of a lot easier to burn your body. No one would even bat an eye at a winter bonfire.”

His deep, hoarse voice sends a shiver down my spine as his breath floats over my ear like a secret.

“That’s incredibly disturbing. By the depth of your description, it sounds like you want me to believe this was a scam,” I retort.

A sparkle in his eyes flashes with amusement before he winks. “Guess you’ll find out soon enough.”

I swallow hard, though I know he’sprobablyharmless. No serial killer could be jollier than Santa Claus himself.

“That’s not funny.”

Grinning, he tenderly grabs my shoulder. “You’re shivering. Let’s get you in front of the fire.”

I don’t tell him my body’s on fire andhe’sthe reason for it.

Once the goose bumps leave my arms, I head up to my room. Even though there’s no connection to the outside world, I need to start writing about my first impressions of this so-called famous holiday town.

After I’ve added another layer of socks and a third sweater, I slide under the covers and open my laptop. Luckily, I charged it before the power went out, so I have a full battery.

I type my intro paragraph about my experience thus far, which hasn’t been good, but then I write myself notes to include later when I go into Maplewood Falls.

When my door swings open, Dasher struts in and quickly jumps on my bed. He circles a few times before settling next to my legs.

“Dasher, down,” I demand, snapping my fingers.

Instead of following directions, he rolls onto his back and waits for me to rub him.

“You’re pitiful,” I murmur, giving in and scratching his belly. Maybe then he’ll leave and give me space.

Soon, Dasher’s leg shakes as I find the perfect spot to itch. “There, we good?”

Levi’s cackling causes me to jump, and I find him leaning against the doorframe with his arms folded. His goofy smile has my heart beating in overdrive, which is stupid.

This man and his dog drive me crazy.

“Dasher must be winning you over,” he says.

“Not likely. He wouldn’t listen to my commands, so I thought if I gave him what he wanted, he’d go away.”

“Take it as a compliment,” he states. “Dasher’s a good judge of character.” Then he shrugs with a smirk. “Or at least Ithoughthe was.”

“Ha-ha,” I say dryly. “He’s the one who acts like he’s never seen a female before. Guess you don’t get many visitors in your bed, huh?”

He clenches a fist to his heart. “Damn. That one hurt.”

I snort, though I try to hide my smile. There’s no way this six-foot mountain of a man doesn’t get laid every damn weekend.

“I’m going to take Dasher outside to run around, then take a shower. While I’m gone, think of what you might want for lunch this afternoon so I don’t keep the fridge open too long. It’s not running at its normal temp.”

“Quinoa burrito bowl with queso and a double shot of espresso would be wonderful, thank you.”

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