Page 7 of My Greatest Joy

“I don’t have any.”

“Seriously? Who doesn’t drink coffee? Or at least have some stocked for guests?”

He lifts his finger and points at himself, then gives me a smile, one I don’t return. “I didn’t realize I’d have an uninvited guest.” Before I can ask about getting some, he adds, “But I have hot cocoa and apple cider. That’s about it. Oh, wait. I might have…”

He moves past me and opens the pantry, then digs around. A few seconds later, he sets a rusted can on the counter. “This.”

I pick it up and read the label.

“This is instant, and it expired five years ago.” I blink hard, hoping I’ll wake up from this horrible nightmare.

“You do what you can with whatcha got. Enjoy.” He smirks and then puts a kettle on the stove.

I suck in a deep breath, then snatch up my phone because I won’t function properly without some caffeine. “Fine. I’ll get some delivered.”

A roar of a laugh escapes him. “Sweetheart, there aren’t services like that out here. You’d be lucky to get a package from the post office on time. That’s small-town living and how it’s always been.”

“Yep. It’s official. I hate it here,” I tell him with my whole chest. “Can’t wait to go back to civilization.”

When his kettle whistles, he opens a package of hot cocoa and mixes it in a mug. “I plan to make some calls to see if there is any lodging in Maplewood Falls for you.”

“Great.”

“But…”

The way he lingers is unsettling.

“Don’t get your hopes up. It’s the holiday tourist season, and a lot of skiers are waiting to hit the slopes after the blizzard. Plus, with Christmas coming up, people come in for the festival and to visit their families. It’d be a miracle to find something right now.”

Considering what Sierra told me, I know he’s telling the truth.Just lovely.

Just as I open my mouth, our phones blare with an alert that nearly has me jumping out of my skin.

“Looks like all the roads in and out of here are closed,” he says as I read the message from the National Weather Association about dangerous winds, snow, and ice.

“Of course they are,” I mutter dryly. “Do you have Wi-Fi?” I ask when a notification pops up to connect.

“Yeah, the password is Jolly1225 with a capital J. No spaces.”

“You’re joking.” I raise a brow, and he shakes his head. I glance at the Christmas tree, the town scene on his mantel, and then at him again. “Is there a reason it looks like Christmas threw up in your house? I lost count of how many decorated trees and ridiculous amounts of decor you have everywhere.”

He arches a brow.

“Wait. Do you have kids or something?” I blurt out.

This makes him chuckle. “No. But maybe one day.”

“A girlfriend or wife going to barge in on us and think something’s going on?” I ask. There’s no way he did all this for himself. It’d take months.

He shakes his head. “Nope. It’s only Dasher and me.”

“Oh.” Not sure if that makes me feel better or worse.

“Did you touch my reindeer?” he asks.

“Huh?”

He points at the mantel. “I noticed he had been moved.”

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