Page 70 of Snowbound with the Santas

“Maybe she likes it out here too much.” I smile, filling the thermos. “When she’s out of the shower, can you send her out to the truck?”

“At this time of night?” Both Frankie and Archer stare at me.

I shake the thermos and nod. “Yes. Please?”

They nod and murmur their agreement, then I grab my coat and trudge outside. While it’s bitterly cold, the cold is kept at bay after I’ve turned the truck on and covered the truck bed in blankets. I climb up and settle amid the nest to wait.

Rayne arrives thirty minutes later with her coat bundled up to her ears.

“Having me out here after a shower is cruel,” she declares, climbing onto the truck bed next to me.

I chuckle. “Just hush and get under here.” Rayne wastes no time in burying under the blankets, and when she cuddles into me, she presses a cold hand right up my shirt.

“Hey!” I yelp sharply. “I’ve been building all this warmth for you and you’re trying to steal it!”

Rayne laughs and presses firmer against my body. “So, what is this?”

“Well, I thought what better way is there to count down to Christmas than to sit under the stars on a truly perfect night like this?” I lean up and quickly pour two cups of hot chocolate from the thermos, then I lean back down. Rayne returns to my side and sips her drink, then she settles her head against my shoulders and looks up.

“Wow,” she breathes out. “I can’t get over how beautiful everything is here.”

“Agreed.” I kiss the top of her head, and we snuggle together, watching the stars drift lazily across the sky. I point out a couple of the constellations I’m familiar with, and she points out star clusters that resemble things she likes. After three sheep and a collection of stars that she swears looks like Jesus trying to push a lawnmower, I glance at my watch.

Perfect.

“Rayne?”

“Hmm?” With sparkling eyes and rosy cheeks, she rolls her head to look me in the eye. We smile at one another, and I set my empty cup aside in favor of cupping her jaw lightly. Her eyes flutter slightly as I lean down and press a gentle, loving kiss to her lips.

“Merry Christmas.”

26

RAYNE

Christmas Day dawns with a bright blue sky, a scattering of fluffy white clouds, and air that could easily be mistaken for a brisk spring morning. There’s nothing I can do to make my clothing festive, but I do spend a few minutes in front of the mirror putting on some makeup from the mascara and lipstick left abandoned in my purse. I have been fresh faced since the day I woke up here, so glamming myself up feels a little alien. I’m determined to look nice, though. It is Christmas, after all.

Before leaving my room, I debate whether there’s a way I can repurpose that ball gown into something more feminine, but I come up blank. I tuck it away into one of the drawers and then I follow the sounds of activity toward the kitchen.

“Oh, my God!” Nothing could have prepared me for the vision I’m greeted with. Nick, Archer, and Frankie are dotted around the kitchen in various states of cooking breakfast and making coffee, and they’re all dressed up like Santa Claus. Well, as close to Santa as they can get with thick, insulated clothing and checkered shirts. The vision is there, though, complete with three wonky but cute Santa hats pressed down on their heads.

“You like?” Nick spreads his arms wide, balancing a cup as he slowly spins around. “Merry Christmas!”

“Merry Christmas.” I laugh, clasping my hands together. “You all look very festive.”

“We have one for you too.” Frankie abandons the frying pan and hands me an equally wonky green elf hat.

“I’m the elf?”

“You’re not burly enough to be Santa,” Archer says, and there’s a flicker of a warm smile on his face.

“The three Santa hats are my failed attempts at a Santa costume over the years,” Nick explains as he pulls out a chair for me at the table. “The elf was for Freida, but I think it looks good on you.”

With such sentiment behind it, how can I resist? I take my seat at the table and ease the elf hat onto my head. “I had no idea you guys would go all out for Christmas.”

“We don’t,” Frankie says after a glance at the others. “But this year is different.”

Different. Because of me. The effort these three have made to make me feel safe, secure, and welcome in this cabin has warmed me continuously these past snowy weeks. Now they’re putting in even more effort to give me a Christmas, and I don’t have the words to express how much this means. No one in my life has ever done this much for me, and yet these three do it without asking.

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