Page 65 of Snowbound with the Santas

“Frankie?” I say again. This time, he hears me, and when he lifts his head, a bright smile spreads across his lips. My heart jumps slightly. Frankie always looks at me like he’s been looking forward to seeing me all day. It’s a fizzy, warm feeling, and I embrace it as I step inside the wood shed and close the door.

A small fire crackles and pops inside a hollowed-out metal canister, and I welcome the warmth against my legs as I sit down on an upturned log next to him.

“I brought you tea,” I say, holding up the thermos then setting it on the ground next to him.

“How thoughtful.” Frankie smiles and blows at the wooden chunk in his hand. A dusting of wood shavings drifts off his knuckles and fizzes up into ash when they land in the fire.

“Are you making another Christmas decoration?” I ask, nudging my knee against his while trying to work out the shape of the wood in his hand.

“No.” Frankie uncurls his palm and reveals the beginning of a small wooden figurine. It’s a little hard to tell what the end result will be, but right now, it resembles half of a deer. “It’s a present.”

“You’re making Christmas presents?”

“Sure. Christmas is less than a week away, and while the guys are never ones for gifts, this year has felt… different.” His eyes dance across my face, then we lock eyes and his smile widens slightly. “So I wanted to do something different.”

“And that something is carving wooden figures. That’s adorable.”

Franke rolls his eyes. “It’s the least I can do. But don’t worry, even though we’ll have you back at the ski lodge by Christmas, if you’re nice enough, I might make you one too.”

I know he’s teasing, but every stray thought of the ski lodge sickens me. My stomach tightens and I swallow down a rising lump in my throat. The downside of how much I’ve been enjoying my time here is that each day takes me closer and closer to the end. Soon, I’ll have no choice but to return to my family, and this dream will end.

“Plus,” Frankie continues, “I like creating something that commemorates our time together. You never know when it will be the last.”

His words take on a somber note, and my thoughts quickly latch onto the memory of what happened to his brother. A welcome distraction from my impending family reunion.

“Did your brother teach you?” I ask softly.

“Yeah.” Frankie nods, and he lets out a gentle, hollow laugh. “My brother, Harry… he was always good with his hands. In all sorts of ways, y’know? He could fight, he could carve, he was great at fixing things. Two out of those three made him the perfect soldier.”

“It must have been hard losing him the way you did.”

Frankie’s head bobs up and down. “The suddenness was the kicker. One minute, I was counting the days for him to come home and the next, he was… gone.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Ah, it was a long time ago.” Frankie lifts his gaze back to me and smiles. “I miss him a lot, but I got Archer out of it, and he’s a great friend to have. One time, not long after we met, I wasn’t sure if I liked him. He demanded that I come to the hospital to see him, but he was so prickly that I thought he was just fulfilling my brother’s last wish or something. And this woman…she was visiting someone or just passing through, but she made a comment about this.”

Frankie uses the wooden figure to indicate his face, and I gaze down at his adorable, lopsided smile.

“No idea what she said, but Archer went apeshit just like Harry used to do. He exploded at her, educated her quite thoroughly on the effects of facial paralysis in children, and sent her on her way. I knew then why he’d demanded I come and see him. He’s just like my brother was. A little sharper, sure, but he’s kind and loyal. I look up to him a lot, and how he pulls himself through things. But that day, I knew I was going to do everything I could to help him recover. He was a bitch about it.” Frankie laughs with the ghosts of memories in his eyes. “But we got through it.”

“It’s a terrible situation,” I say softly. “But I think it’s really sweet that you have each other as a result.”

“Mmhmm.” Frankie returns his attention to the wood carving. “You could say we have a knack for finding the right people at the right time.”

“Like Nick?” I prompt, though I get the distinct feeling he’s talking about me.

“Sure,” Frankie says with a sidelong glance. “Like Nick. And being here… it’s peaceful, don’t you think?”

I breathe deeply and close my eyes, focusing on the scents of smoke from the fire, the pine sap from the woodshed, and the faint hint of fruitiness from Frankie.

“Yeah,” I agree. “It’s so peaceful.”

“Being away from the world like this… it’s like being on the very edge with no one and nothing else. I love that we’re in our own bubble here. It helps calm the mind and soothe the soul until it’s ready to return to civilization.”

“Mmhmm.” Opening my eyes, I resume watching him slowly carve. “Do you ever wish you could stay? Here, I mean. Just allyear round, surrounded by peaceful nature with nothing and no one to hassle you.”

“Sometimes.” Frankie nods while carefully dragging the knife through the small wood piece in his hand. “But then I remember something.”

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