Page 14 of A Christmas Duet

“The…house.”

“Okay, stay here, and I’ll see what I can do to get them outside. You don’t need to be afraid, Hailey. Bats contribute a lot to the environment.”

“Which is where they should be, don’t you think, and not making nests in a cabin?”

“True. You had a scare.”

That was putting it mildly.

“Take a deep breath, blow it out, and relax.”

Easy for him to say. Jay hadn’t had a bat tangle in his hair.

An hour later, the cabin was bat-free as far as Jay could determine. The fireplace crackled as the wood burned, warming the room. Jay had helped Hailey uncover all the furniture.

Hailey had long since lost track of time. By now, she’dhoped to have unpacked her car, made up her bed, eaten dinner, and been sitting in front of the fireplace, playing her guitar. Up until this point, she hadn’t accomplished any of what she’d hoped. Her escape had gotten off to a rocky start. The only thing she could do was go with the flow.

Once the fire was at the flame point, she knew she couldn’t keep Jay any longer.

“Thank you,” she said. “I…I don’t know what I would have done without you. The raccoon, and the bats, and everything else. A simple thank-you doesn’t seem like enough. I’d like to pay you for your efforts.”

His eyes widened and he adamantly shook his head. “My mother would be outraged if she knew you tried to pay me. It’s neighbor helping neighbor.”

“But—”

Stopping her, Jay held up a hand. “Arguing will do you no good. It’s not our way. My mom is a longtime friend of the Stockton family and would take it as an insult.”

Hailey hardly knew what to say. His generosity was unexpected. “All right, I’ll graciously accept that you don’t want payment. Thank you again.” She was sincere. Jay had gone above and beyond what she could have expected.

He arched his thick brows. “Are you looking to be rid of me?”

“Ah, no. I assumed you wanted to get back into town.”

“I do. All in good time, though. You haven’t unpacked your vehicle. I thought I could help with that.”

Once again, Hailey was speechless at his thoughtfulness. “Are you sure?”

“I wouldn’t have offered otherwise.”

After the day she’d had, it would be foolish to refuse. As loaded down as her car was, it would take a dozen trips to get what she’d packed inside the house. “You don’t need to, but seeing that you volunteered, then I will accept with gratitude.”

Hailey followed Jay outside and opened the trunk. Then, reaching inside the back seat, she grabbed the bags of food she’d packed at Katherine’s recommendation.

She carried the two bags into the kitchen. Jay followed her inside. “Go ahead and get that stuff stored while I bring in the rest of what’s there.”

Noticing a package of hot cocoa at the top of the first paper grocery bag, she had an idea.

“How about if I fix us a cup of hot chocolate?” she asked.

“That sounds great,” Jay called over his shoulder on his way outside. He was careful to close the door to prevent the heat from escaping. When he returned, he automatically headed for the bedroom. “My guess is you want your suitcase and the other items in the downstairs bedroom.”

“Yes, please.” Hailey had a pot filled with water whenshe faced the stovetop. It was gas. She hesitated and assumed it couldn’t be that much different from other burners. After twisting the dial, a clicking sound happened, but no flame appeared.

Jay joined her. “After a long period of disuse, it might need to be lit.”

Within a few seconds, Jay had the burner going and the other three lit. “You shouldn’t have a problem from here on out.”

Hailey felt like she’d done nothing but thank him from the moment he’d arrived. “Thanks again,” she called after him, as he made one last trip to her car. Once again, he thoughtfully closed the front door.

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