Page 6 of Santa's Mistletoe Playbook

Bryson slept so well that when he awoke the next morning, he didn’t know where he was. He turned his head to see Danica sleeping soundly beside him and reached for his phone on the nightstand. Eight-thirty in the morning and still dark outside.

Oh yeah, I’m back in Alaska.

He eased himself out of bed so he wouldn’t disturb Danica, then pulled on his sweats and sauntered into the bathroom. The thought of sharing his parents’ bed with Danni made him cringe, so they slept in the largest spare bedroom instead.

After he relieved himself, he returned to the bedroom to find Danica awake. He liked how cute she was when she woke in the morning. All innocent and doe-eyed, like when he first met her.

He bent to kiss her good morning. “It doesn’t get light until nine in December. Stay in bed and get some more sleep. How are you feeling?”

She smiled. “Much better. Yesterday was exhausting. Not to mention stressful.”

“Sorry for all that hassle. After you went to sleep last night, I cleaned out your purse and everything in it. I’m used to vomit smell, so figured I’d do it.”

“Thank you.” She kissed him full on the lips. “What time do you work today?”

“They want me there around ten.”

She traced the pectorals on his chest. “Want to have some fun before you go?” She fastened her gaze to his brown-eyed one but didn’t see the response she wanted.

“I can’t, baby. I have to get ready to go. It’s the first day and all, and with all this snow…” He shook his head.

“Okay.” Danica rolled onto her back, staring at the ceiling. “I’ll go make breakfast.” She rose to put on her robe and padded downstairs.

He knew Danica wanted to make love, but it would have to wait. Stepping in for another doctor posed its own stress and anxiety, and he needed to be on his game on this first day at the hospital.

He stepped into the bathroom to dry his hair and brush his teeth. Then he tugged on a long-sleeved t-shirt and ambled downstairs to the plentiful kitchen, where he smelled coffee.

Bryson stood at the large kitchen window, watching a snowplow clear the road. It had stopped snowing, leaving everything fresh and clean. Growing up in these foothills of the Chugach Mountain Range, he’d always found solace in their beauty. He loved looking out across Cook Inlet to the familiar mountains on the other side.

Danica stood next to him, gazing out the window. “I can see why you wanted to come up here in the winter. These mountains are breath-taking.” She offered him a mug of coffee.

He took a grateful sip and pointed. “See that low-lying mountain across Cook Inlet? That’s the Sleeping Lady.”

“How did it get the name?”

Bryson slid an arm around her waist. “Legend has it the lady was engaged to a man who left her to protect his village before they got married. On the day her fiancé left, the lady promisedto wait in the exact spot where they said goodbye. She fell into a deep sleep waiting for him.”

“That’s so sad. Did he ever return?”

He squeezed her waist. “She’s still sleeping, so not yet.”

“Oh,” said Danica in a disappointed tone. She flicked her eyes at him. “Hopefully, that won’t happen to us. Be careful driving in the snow.”

“Don’t worry, I will,” he assured her, reminding himself Danni was out of her element here with all this snow.

A text notification pinged his phone on the granite countertop. He picked it up.

Heard you were in town. Meet us at Moose’s Tooth for beer and pizza? Monty and the boys.

Bryson raised his brows. Word spreads fast. He only mentioned it to one of his buddies in a social media message. Now, apparently, the whole gang knew.

“Who’s that?” Danica nodded at his phone.

“Monty and the boys want to meet up for dinner. Are you game?” He wasn’t up for going out on their first night in Anchorage, but if he put it off, his buddies would never let him hear the end of it.

“Sure. I liked your Alaskan friends when they came down to visit last winter. Monty was especially nice.”

“He’s quite the charmer, for sure.” He gazed at the woman of his dreams. “My friends always say how lucky I am to have an intelligent hottie like you.”

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